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Patriots target O-line, special teams on Day 3 of the NFL Draft

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:02 GMT

Over the first two days of the draft, the Patriots padded Bill Belichick’s defense by adding a cornerback, linebacker and pass rusher.Armed with nine picks entering Saturday’s final round, they invested all of them into the other sides of the ball.The Patriots drafted three offensive linemen, two wide receivers, a new kicker, punter and a projected core special teamer before punctuating their 2023 class with one of the best returners in college football.Maryland kicker Chad Ryland and Michigan State punter Bryce Baringer are the new faces of Belichick’s special teams, having been drafted in the fourth and sixth rounds, respectively. The Pats executed a rare trade with the Jets to move up to No. 112 overall, where Ryland became the highest-drafted specialist of the Belichick era. He was their second pick after they added Troy center/guard Jake Andrews.Ryland was the consensus No. 2 kicker in the draft behind Michigan’s Jake Moody, who went in the third round F...

Dolphins give big money to nose tackle, add local QB James Blackman among undrafted free agents

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:02 GMT

Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier was not joking when he said he was immediately bolting upon conclusion of his draft wrap-up news conference to get to work on undrafted free agent additions Saturday night.After the Dolphins’ four-pick draft haul between Friday and Saturday, the work immediately began within minutes of Mr. Irrelevant being announced as the final pick of the 2023 draft with at least 12 agreements reached.Miami’s undrafted additions, according to sources and various reports: Arkansas State quarterback James Blackman, Jackson State linebacker Aubrey Miller, San Diego State offensive lineman Alama Uluave, USC defensive lineman Brandon Pili, Michigan State offensive tackle Jarrett Horst, Oregon safety Bennett Williams, Campbell tight end Julian Hill, Illinois State linebacker Zeke Vandenburgh, Western Kentucky wide receiver Daewood Davis, Mississippi State defensive lineman Randy Charlton, UCF defensive tackle Anthony Montalvo and Stanford cornerback...

Red Sox bats rescue Brayan Bello’s strong start with third walk-off win of the month

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:02 GMT

“Induce them to quick outs and be efficient, and give us five or six innings.”That was Alex Cora’s hope and request of Brayan Bello ahead of his Saturday afternoon start against the Cleveland Guardians.Bello complied with a strong, effective outing, but it was nearly spoiled by one of the bullpen’s worst outings of the season. A strong showing by the lineup, particularly the bottom half, pulled off a 10th-inning 8-7 victory.Despite a bleeding blister on the index finger of his pitching hand, Bello mostly breezed through five innings of one-run ball. After allowing a leadoff hit, he settled down and only allowed four more over his time on the mound. The 23-year-old righty didn’t issue a walk until the fifth, when the blister situation worsened. Despite walking a pair, he got out of the inning. Dating back to Sept. 14, 2022, he’s issued no more than two walks in each of his last seven starts.“This is a team that, they’re going to put the ball in play,R...

Chris Perkins: How do they fit? A closer look at Dolphins’ 2023 draft class

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:02 GMT

The 2023 NFL draft was low-key for the Dolphins because they didn’t have a first-round pick and only had four selections overall. The Dolphins lost one first-round pick in the Tom Brady/Sean Payton tampering decision and the other in the deal to acquire edge rusher Bradley Chubb.Still, they improved their team talent by selecting cornerback Cam Smith in the second round and running back Devon Achane in the third round.Smith makes the defensive backs room even deeper and more talented. He’ll likely battle for a starting spot in the nickel package, where the Dolphins are fairly veteran-laden.Achane will battle for playing time as a running back and/or as a slot receiver.In the sixth round the Dolphins selected Stanford tight end Elijah Higgins, who will convert from wide receiver, and Michigan offensive tackle Ryan Hayes, who could be moved inside to guard.Here’s a closer look at each:Cornerback Cam Smith, South Carolina, second round (No. 51)Smith adds to an already...

Grayson Rodriguez dominates Tigers, earns first major league win as Orioles split doubleheader, 6-4

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:02 GMT

Climbing through the Orioles’ minor league system, Grayson Rodriguez and DL Hall competed whenever they pitched, even if they shared an organization and even if they played for different affiliates.However Baltimore’s top pitching prospects could, they sought to one-up each other. In a given week, they would pursue the most innings, the highest strikeout totals, the best outing. On Saturday, the first day the dynamic young pitchers shared in the majors, those competitions all went to Rodriguez.After Hall struck out seven over three innings of two-run relief in the first game of Baltimore’s doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers, Rodriguez delivered five scoreless frames with nine strikeouts as the Orioles’ starter in the nightcap, a 6-4 victory that earned him his first major league win.Zach McKinstry opened Rodriguez’s night with a double, only to erase himself from the bases trying to advance to third on a ground ball to the left side, with shortstop...

Oklahoma RB Eric Gray highlights final draft day as Giants touch base with Saquon Barkley

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:02 GMT

Giants GM Joe Schoen picked elusive, pass-catching Oklahoma running back Eric Gray on the final day of the NFL Draft to add another weapon to Brian Daboll’s offense.“Super productive, really good hands out of the backfield, also has some elusiveness to him inside,” Schoen said of Gray. “He’s also done some returns in his past. He was comfortable catching punts at the Senior Bowl.”The Giants used their No. 172 overall pick in the fifth round on Gray to supplement a backfield that for now is missing Saquon Barkley. Barkley, 26, is unhappy with his contract situation, hasn’t signed his franchise tag tender and is staying away from the team facility.Schoen did say he “had conversations last week” with Barkley’s reps, at least, “touching base again” and agreeing to “circle up after the draft.” He didn’t commit to making any imminent offers either, though.“We’ll talk this coming week,R...

UCF draft tracker: No Knights picked, multiple UDFAs sign with NFL teams

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:02 GMT

No UCF football players were taken in this weekend’s NFL draft, snapping a six-year streak for the school.Although zero Knights heard their names called for the first time since 2016, multiple players from Gus Malzahn’s program are expected to sign as undrafted free agents with NFL organizations.Of the nine Knights who participated in the team’s pro day at the end of March, long snapper Alex Ward likely had the best chance of being selected despite the rarity of snappers getting picked each year.That’s because Ward was the lone long snapper at this year’s NFL Combine and also participated in the Senior Bowl.Shortly after the draft was completed Saturday night, Ward signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams.In addition to Ward, former UCF offensive lineman Sam Jackson signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars while offensive lineman Ryan Swoboda ended up with the Detroit Lions.Email Jason Beede at [email protected] or foll...

Boston mayor, council president: White supremacist groups are ‘not welcome here’

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:02 GMT

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and City Council President Ed Flynn strongly condemned a Saturday appearance by the white nationalist group, Patriot Front, which joined a faith-based protest outside a Satanic conference in Copley Square.Clad in khakis and blue hooded sweatshirts with their faces hidden behind scarves and hats, their roughly hour-long appearance was also denounced by Satanists and Christians alike, the two groups who were most at odds during SatanCon 2023.“Boston stands firmly against the hateful ideology of white supremacist groups, and their presence is not welcome here,” Wu and Flynn said in a joint statement emailed to the Herald.Unlike last summer, where authorities said they had no advance knowledge of Patriot Front’s plans to demonstrate and march through Boston streets, scanner activity late Saturday morning indicated police had a heads up that the group was on its way to Copley Square. They arrived shortly before 12:30 p.m.“I left my apartment, was walking down the...

Man seriously wounded in Upper Beaches shooting

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:02 GMT

A man has been seriously injured following a shooting in the Upper Beaches. Police say they were called to a building in the area of Gerrard Street East and Coxwell Avenue just before 8 p.m. Saturday for reports someone had been shot. When they arrived they found a man inside a building suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to a nearby trauma centre in serious but non-life threatening condition. Police did not provide an age for the victim or any immediate suspect information.

Texas man kills 5 neighbors after they complained of gunfire

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:11:02 GMT

CLEVELAND, Texas (AP) — A Texas man went next door with a rifle and fatally shot five of his neighbors, including an 8-year-old boy, after they asked him to stop firing rounds in his yard because they were trying to sleep, authorities said Saturday.The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, remained at large more than 18 hours after the shooting and authorities warned that he might still be armed. The attack happened just before midnight Friday near the town of Cleveland, north of Houston, on a street where some residents say it is not uncommon to hear neighbors unwind by firing off guns. San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said Oropeza used an AR-style rifle, and as the search for him dragged into Saturday evening, authorities had widened their efforts to as far as “10 to 20 miles” from the murder scene. He said Oropeza may still have a weapon but that he believes authorities have the rifle used in the shooting. Capers said they found clothes and a phone whi...