KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs waited until the final pick of the first round of the hometown NFL draft to pick a hometown boy, selecting Kansas State pass rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah with the 31st overall pick. Anudike-Uzomah was born in Kansas City and became a high school star in the suburb of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, before playing for the Wildcats. He became a starter in the Big 12 by his sophomore season and declared for the draft after a junior season in which he was voted the league’s defensive player of the year. Anudike-Uzomah fills a big need for the Chiefs.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Quarterbacks dominated the first part of the NFL draft. Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson were among the top four picks Thursday night, an expected result in a league where teams know finding a franchise QB is the quickest path to success. The Carolina Panthers selected Young, the slender and dynamic Alabama quarterback, with the No. 1 pick, seven weeks after making a blockbuster trade with Chicago to move up to get their choice of potential franchise players. The Panthers chose the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner over Ohio State’s Stroud, Florida’s Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis. New coach Frank Reich said earlier in the week that the organization reached a consensus Monday after several weeks of deliberation.
UNDATED (AP) — For one night at least, running backs got some of the glory in the pass-happy NFL. In an era when what used to be one of the premier positions in football has been de-emphasized, Texas’ Bijan Robinson and Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs broke the trend and went off the board quickly in the NFL draft. The Atlanta Falcons took Robinson eighth overall and the Detroit Lions took Gibbs four spots later. The picks were a far cry from the last four drafts when only four running backs went in the first round and none were picked higher than 24th.
Kentucky's Will Levis and Tennessee's Hendon Hooker are two quarterbacks who are tantalizing prospects for teams on Day 2 of the NFL draft. Levis and Hooker slipped into the second round as the run on quarterbacks came to a screeching halt after the Colts selected Florida's Anthony Richardson Jr. with the fourth overall pick. The 2023 NFL draft began with the Panthers making Alabama's Bryce Young the top overall pick and the Texans chose Ohio State's CJ Stroud next. Levis was projected to go as high as that No. 2 pick but instead fell to Day 2.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens agreed in principle with Lamar Jackson on a five-year deal on Thursday, making their star quarterback the highest-paid player in NFL history. The Ravens and Jackson agreed on a $260 million, five-year deal with $185 million in guaranteed money, a person familiar with the terms told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract hasn’t been signed. The deal keeps the 2019 NFL MVP in Baltimore for the foreseeable future and ends a contract negotiation saga that was dominating the team’s offseason. Jackson’s contract tops the $255 million, five-year deal the Philadelphia Eagles gave Jalen Hurts earlier this month. Hurts got $179.3 million in guarantees.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa homered back-to-back for the Minnesota Twins, who routed the Kansas City Royals 7-1. Buxton and Correa teed off on Royals veteran right-hander Zack Greinke in the fourth inning. Twins starter Tyler Mahle allowed one run, which was a solo homer by Vinnie Pasquantino in the top of the fourth. Mahle exited after four innings and 66 pitches with right posterior elbow soreness. Reliever Brock Stewart got the win with two scoreless innings. The 39-year-old Greinke fell to 0-4 on the season and his ERA jumped to 6.10 after allowing seven runs on eight hits over 3 2/3 innings.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Alec Burleson and Paul DeJong homered, Miles Mikolas pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants 6-0. Mikolas scattered four hits and two walks, striking out six to end the Giants’ five-game winning streak. Webb allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts, suffering his MLB-leading fifth loss of the year. St. Louis has not been swept in a four-game series since June 3-6, 2021, against Cincinnati.
ATLANTA (AP) — Al Horford hit a huge 3-pointer against his former team and the Boston Celtics broke open a tight game in the closing minutes to beat the Atlanta Hawks 128-120. The Celtics win the opening-round playoff series four games to two and advance to face the Philadelphia 76ers. Game 1 is Monday night in Boston. The Celtics ripped off an 11-0 run that included three straight 3-pointers. Horford’s big shot was sandwiched around treys from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Brown led the Celtics with 32 points, while Tatum had 30. Trae Young paced Atlanta with 30 points but made only one field goal in the second half.
MIAMI (AP) — They brawled in 1997. Jeff Van Gundy clung to Alonzo Mourning’s leg in 1998. Allan Houston got a friendly bounce in 1999. Clarence Weatherspoon didn’t get one in 2000. Amare Stoudemire lost a fight with a glass-enclosed fire extinguisher in 2012. Something always happens when it's Knicks vs. Heat. And here we go again. There are more storied rivalries in the NBA — Lakers-Celtics and 76ers-Celtics among them — but there is just something about a Heat vs. Knicks matchup that brings out something extra in Miami and New York. They’re about to meet in the NBA playoffs for the sixth time. Game 1 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series is Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
THURSDAY SPORTS HEADLINES
INTERLEAGUE
Final Philadelphia 1 Seattle 0
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final L.A. Angels 8 Oakland 7
Final Tampa Bay 14 Chicago White Sox 5
Final Baltimore 7 Detroit 4
Final Minnesota 7 Kansas City 1
Final N.Y. Yankees 4 Texas 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Pittsburgh 6 L.A. Dodgers 2
Final Miami 5 Atlanta 4
Final Chicago Cubs 5 San Diego 2
Final St. Louis 6 San Francisco 0
Final N.Y. Mets 9 Washington 8
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Final Boston 128 Atlanta 120
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Tampa Bay 4 Toronto 2
Final New Jersey 4 N-Y Rangers 0
Final Vegas 4 Winnipeg 1
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