Jaguars trade up for Travis Hunter in NFL Draft; Shedeur Sanders still available; Thunder’s historic comeback

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Happy Friday, everyone! Let’s get right to it.

🏈 Good morning to all, but especially to …

THE FIRST-ROUND NFL DRAFT PICKS

The first round of the NFL Draft is in the books — here are the full results — and 32 young men have seen their dreams become reality. That’s worth celebrating no matter what the future holds.

And that future starts now. Cam Ward predictably went No. 1 overall to the Titans, the latest step in a remarkable rise from zero-star recruit to Incarnate Word (FCS) to Washington State to Miami.

Ward to Tennessee has been months in the making, but that shouldn’t make it any less exciting for Titans faithful. Ward is wonderfully creative and smooth and can make every type of throw. A downside is he does try to make every throw. Here’s Ward’s scouting report and outlook in Tennessee.

Then came the drama. The Jaguars traded with the Browns to rise from No. 5 to No. 2 and select Heisman-winning WR/CB Travis Hunter, and yes, Jacksonville plans to use him on both sides of the ball. The Jaguars gave up a ton — including a 2026 first-round pick — but they came out in front in Cody Benjamin’s trade grades and got an even better mark in Pete Prisco’s grades of every first-round pick.

• Prisco: “This is the move the franchise had to make. Hunter is a star, the best player in this draft. Jacksonville had to be bold now and this is bold. It’s a great move. Grade: A+“

I couldn’t agree more. This guy is a WR1 and CB1. He’s drawn comparisons to Justin Jefferson and Champ Bailey. New Jacksonville GM James Gladstone was among John Breech’s Round 1 winners.

Here’s how the rest of the first half-dozen picks went:

• Abdul Carter went third to the Giants. That New York pass rush is fearsome, especially with the team picking up Kayvon Thibodeaux‘s fifth-year option.
• Will Campbell went fourth to the Patriots and had a heartwarming reaction, emotionally vowing to “fight and die to protect” Drake Maye. Tyler Sullivan says it was the smart pick by New England, though not without risks.
• Mason Graham went fifth to the Browns. It may not be the most exciting pick, but it was a solid trade by Cleveland, Jeff Kerr says.
• Ashton Jeanty went sixth to the Raiders, and Nick Saban compared him to one of his former Alabama stars.

Shedeur Sanders watch began with the Saints at No. 9, but — spoiler alert — he didn’t get drafted on night one. More on that in a bit.

Another quarterback did, though: The Giants traded with the Texans to get back into the first round and selected Jaxson Dart 25th. New York also has Russell Wilson — who will begin the offseason as the starter — Jameis Winston and Tommy DeVito in its quarterback room. Jordan Dajani gave the trade a “B+” for New York because it can ease Dart into the NFL, but Pete gave the pick a “C-“ and said it was desperate.

The trades didn’t end there. After drafting Jalon Walker 15th, the Falcons jumped back into the first round — shockingly giving the Rams a 2026 first-round pick in the process — to take James Pearce Jr. When you’ve had the pass-rushing drought Atlanta’s had (one player with 10+ sacks in a season in the last decade), I guess you’ll go to stunning lengths, but wow.

Finally, the Eagles and Chiefs, two and a half months after their Super Bowl meeting, swapped picks, with Philadelphia moving to No. 31 and stopping Jihaad Campbell‘s slide. Yes, it’s another stud defender falling to the Eagles — he was one of Tyler’s Round 1 steals — and he’ll probably be awesome. But I also liked Kansas City picking Josh Simmons.

Here are more notable picks:

• The Panthers took Tetairoa McMillan at No. 8, which upset Micah Parsons.
• The Bears took Colston Loveland 10th, and Tyler Warren went to the Colts at No. 14. It’s the first time since 1973 that two tight ends went in the first 14 picks.
• In between, the Cowboys got Parsons a new player to battle in practice, selecting Tyler Booker at No. 12. Here’s why Dallas went with Booker over a wide receiver.
• The Steelers, thought of as a Sanders landing spot, went with Derrick Harmon at No. 21. That means it might just be Aaron Rodgers time in Pittsburgh after all, Cody writes in his “What we learned from Round 1.”
• The Packers drafted a first-round wide receiver for the first time since 2002. Selected 23rd, Matthew Golden is heading to Green Bay.

To wrap up, here’s every pick (with grades and analysis), the biggest surprises and how every first-rounder ranked as a recruit.

😃 Honorable mentions

🏈 And not such a good morning for …

SHEDEUR SANDERS

After months of speculation, we can keep this short: Sanders did not go in the first round. Dart going before him adds insult to injury. Sanders himself admitted the night wasn’t what he expected, and here’s how some notable NFL names reacted.

Sanders was always a polarizing prospect (full scouting report here), a very accurate passer who took too many sacks and struggled with pressure. That he wasn’t drafted in the first round isn’t really stunning, though: He was 28th in our prospect rankings. 

Sanders’ slide may not last much longer. Cody has best landing spots for Sanders, including …

• Benjamin: “Browns — This one’s simple: The Browns still badly need a signal-caller of the future, despite adding Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett as veteran competition. More importantly, they hold the cards to open Day 2, possessing two of the first four picks in Round 2. If they want Sanders, he’s theirs. … As a traditional pocket passer, Sanders would seem to fit coach Kevin Stefanski‘s system. And the Browns did plenty of work on Sanders in the pre-draft process, hosting him for a private workout.”

Sanders isn’t even close to the biggest surprise still left, according to our rankings. Above him on the best still available list are …

1. EDGE Mike Green, Marshall (No. 11 overall)
2. WR Luther Burden III, Missouri (No. 14 overall)
3. CB Will Johnson, Michigan (No. 17 overall)
4. S Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina (No. 19 overall)

Johnson is a surprise to me — he is excellent when healthy — but health is apparently the reason for his fall.

Here’s more on the biggest snubs, and here’s Chris Trapasso’s Day 2 mock.

Keep our draft tracker handy as Rounds 2 and 3 unfold tonight and Rounds 4-7 happen tomorrow. 

😣 Not so honorable mentions

🏀 Thunder complete historic comeback after Ja Morant injury; Knicks, Clippers also win

If Thunder-Grizzlies wasn’t over before Game 3, it’s definitely over now. Oklahoma City overcame a 26-point halftime deficit to beat Memphis, 114-108.

It’s the largest halftime deficit overcome in playoff history. Here’s how OKC got it done.

Of course, there’s an asterisk here. The Grizzlies led 67-40 when Ja Morant took a scary fall on a dunk attempt over Lu Dort, who slipped while trying to prevent the bucket. Morant (hip) was immediately in a ton of pain, and he did not return. Memphis outscored Oklahoma City by 16 in 16 minutes with Morant on the court and was outscored by 22 points in 32 minutes without him.

The Thunder’s absurd scoring versatility really came to light: Chet Holmgren scored 23 of his 24 points after halftime, Jalen Williams had 26 points, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 31. They’ll go for the sweep tomorrow.

Elsewhere, the Knicks squeaked past the Pistons, 118-116, in yet another intense, physical battle. Karl Anthony-Towns had 31 points on 10 for 18 shooting, a much-needed bounce back after a poor Game 2. This series is 2-1, New York.

In the nightcap, the Clippers routed the Nuggets, 117-83, powered by a 23-2 second-quarter run. LA is really, really good and has a 2-1 series lead.

🏀 Jimmy Butler in ‘serious jeopardy’ for Game 3

An MRI on Friday revealed Jimmy Butler suffered a “deep glute muscle contusion” — but no fracture or structural damage — and his status for Game 3 is “in serious jeopardy” per reports.

• Butler fell awkwardly after Amen Thompson inadvertently undercut him battling for a rebound early in Game 2, which the Rockets went on to win.
• That was after Butler and Stephen Curry had monster Game 1s.

Here’s Brad Botkin’s synopsis:

• Botkin: “Even before Butler got hurt, the Warriors were being taken completely out of their game by Houston’s physicality on both ends. … Butler is really the only guy who can loosen some of this pressure, which, in the absence of a second star, falls entirely on Curry in the form of two and three defenders more or less trying to rip his limbs off.”

📺 What we’re watching this weekend

Friday

⚾ Phillies at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Orioles at Tigers or Blue Jays at Yankees, 6:40 p.m. on MLB Network
🏈 NFL Draft (Rounds 2-3), 7 p.m. on ABC/ESPN/NFL Network
🏀 Celtics at Magic (Celtics lead 2-0), 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Capitals at Canadiens (Capitals lead 2-0), 7 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏀 Pacers at Bucks (Pacers lead 2-0), 8 p.m. on ESPNU/NBA TV
🏒 Hurricanes at Devils (Hurricanes lead 2-0), 8 p.m. on TBS
🏀 Lakers at Timberwolves (Series tied 1-1), 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Braves at Diamondbacks or Pirates at Dodgers, 9:40 p.m. on MLB Network
🏒 Kings at Oilers (Kings lead 2-0), 10 p.m. on TNT/truTV

Saturday

🏈 NFL Draft (Rounds 4-7), 12 p.m. on ABC/ESPN/NFL Network
🏀 Cavaliers at Heat (Cavaliers lead 2-0), 1 p.m. on TNT
🏒 Lightning at Panthers (Panthers lead 2-0), 1 p.m. on TBS/truTV
⚾ Blue Jays at Yankees or Orioles at Tigers, 1:05 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Thunder at Grizzlies (Thunder lead 3-0), 3:30 p.m. on TNT
🏒 Golden Knights at Wild (Wild lead 2-1), 4 p.m. on TBS/truTV
⚾ Phillies at Cubs or Rangers at Giants, 4:05 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Nuggets at Clippers (Clippers lead 2-1), 6 p.m. on TNT
🏒 Maple Leafs at Senators (Maple Leafs lead 3-0), 7 p.m. on TBS/truTV
⚾ Astros at Royals, 7:10 p.m. on FS1
🏀 Rockets at Warriors (Series tied 1-1), 8:30 p.m. on ABC
🏒 Stars at Avalanche (Stars lead 2-1), 9:30 p.m. on TBS/truTV

Sunday

🏀 Knicks at Pistons (Knicks lead 2-1), 1 p.m. on ABC
🏒 Jets at Blues (Jets lead 2-1), 1 p.m. on TBS/truTV
⚾ Blue Jays at Yankees or Orioles at Tigers, 1:35 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Lakers at Timberwolves Game 4, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏒 Hurricanes at Devils Game 4, 3:30 p.m. on TBS/truTV
🏒 Capitals at Canadiens Game 4, 6:30 p.m. on TBS/truTV
🏀 Celtics at Magic Game 4, 7 p.m. on TNT
⚾ Phillies at Cubs, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Pacers at Bucks Game 4, 9:30 p.m. on TNT
🏒 Kings at Oilers Game 4, 9:30 p.m. on TBS/truTV