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Under the radar 2026 NFL Combine draft prospects who could become Fantasy Football sleepers
Under-the-radar prospects with Year-1 upside and Dynasty stash appeal
Harrison Smith looked set to retire as he left the field on the final game of the 2025 season. There was a planned moment for teammates and fans alike to show their appreciation to the “Hitman”. An official retirement announcement has yet to come, but finding Smith’s successor is a major priority for the Minnesota Vikings.
Whether he decides to go again for another year or the expected retirement finally comes, the Vikings still need to find his long-term successor. Josh Metellus carved out a kind of hybrid role on Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ defense. He is better suited to that role and should remain in it for the Vikings to get the best out of him.
Bryan Cook’s Skill Set Aligns with Flores’ Defensive Structure
That leaves the Vikings looking for someone to team with Metellus, and there are two obvious places to look. Free agency or the draft, Pro Football Focus thinks they have the perfect answer in Bryan Cook.
A two-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs, Cook has played four seasons with the Chiefs since being drafted in the second round of the 2022 draft. His rookie contract is finished, and Cook will be looking to cash in on a good four years in the league.
What Can Cook Bring to Minnesota?
Cook comes from an aggressive, blitz-heavy scheme that also deploys unique blitz packages in Steve Spagnuolo’s Kansas City defense. So he should smoothly transition into the Brian Flores defense in Minnesota. Most importantly, Cook has played particularly well in coverage when the Chiefs’ defense blitzes, something the Vikings have had problems with in their secondary.
Pro Football Focus names Minnesota a top landing spot for Cook, a perfect fit, and a place where he can become the successor to Smith. Here is what PFF had to say in a recent article.
There are nuances to playing solid coverage behind an aggressive defensive front, and Bryan Cook showed he is well-equipped to handle the role this past season, earning an 80.3 PFF coverage grade when the defense blitzes.
Grading out above the 90th percentile as both a safety and in the slot, Cook also possesses the versatility to be a central piece that allows Flores’ scheme to shine. His skill set is in a similar vein to that of the longtime veteran leader of the Vikings’ defense, and impending free agent, Harrison Smith.
Cook is arguably the best safety available in free agency this year — Kamren Curl is the other top safety available — and won’t come cheap. Minnesota has work to do to get its salary cap in a place where this deal could get done. It would be worth doing for a player who should fit seamlessly into the team and improve it.
Cook turns 27 as the 2026 season begins, so he has plenty of football ahead of him, making him a long-term investment for the team if the Vikings make this move.
Proud UK Viking. Family Man. Enjoy writing about my team. Away from football an advocate for autism acceptance.
Now, should you never adjust? Should you never seek inspiration? No, of course not. And Gerard does speak from a much better place than, say, the 14-handicap who’s writing this article.
But middle of the clubface is all that you want.
That’s easy to draw, too.
To end things here, though, let’s let Gerard keep going. On Wednesday, he had a few other shareable thoughts.
Gerard on the grind
“I think there’s no easy route in this profession. You kind of have to go earn every single step. I kind of feel like that’s something that I was raised on from my parents and kind of put into my DNA through my coaches, college coaches and teammates kind of growing up. It’s not going to be easy. It’s not going to be a walk in the park. You’re going to go earn it, and there’s a lot of really good players who want it really badly. If you want to compete with those guys, you’re going to have to want it just as bad, if not more, and be willing to put in the effort.
“I think kind of going from junior golf, working hard, trying to get my way into college, getting to college, being the smallest fish in a big pond, figuring out how to score on more difficult courses, learning to be a more complete individual on and off the golf course, and then turning pro, starting all over again, lowest rung, working your way up, finding success at each level, gaining experience, and then making it to the pinnacle of golf here on the PGA Tour, it just teaches you resilience. It teaches you a lot of preparation and time management skills.
2026 Cognizant Classic Thursday tee times: Round 1 groupings
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“But you have to want it because if you don’t want it, there’s a million other guys sitting at home this week not playing that want it just as bad if not more, and they would trade anything to be in the spot that I am right now.
“If I’m not willing to put in the work, someone else will. There’s a limited amount of jobs up here for a reason, and someone will come take mine.”
Gerard on using launch monitors
“I think TrackMan is a great tool. You can use it to fit golf clubs. You can use it to make sure your numbers are going where they should be. Sometimes it’ll even tell you if a club is broken, like if you’ve cracked the face on a driver.
“I’m a very feel-oriented player. I feel like I try and hit shots. I don’t try and play math. TrackMan, obviously I have one, but I use it in a way that’s basically conducive to me hitting a number or hitting a golf shot, and then I would go look at it for the distance or the height or something if I’m looking at something in particular.”
Kieran Maguire, football finance expert
Given United have no European football this season and no cup ties at Old Trafford, the less than 4% fall in matchday revenue over the six-month period is arguably impressive, especially when you consider they played only 10 home games compared to 15 in the same period last year.
The credit goes to a deliberate strategy of hiking season ticket and matchday prices, and shifting towards premium ‘matchday experiences’ rather than simply selling tickets to watch football.
It is a policy that has frustrated parts of the fanbase, but the demand for these packages gives the club’s hierarchy the commercial justification to press on.
Wage costs are also falling. A wave of significant redundancies over the past year cut the payroll, while high earners like Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund have been moved off the books – temporarily at least – via loans.
Strip away the positives and the core problem remains. United spent more cash than they generated in the three months to 31 December and, with heavy transfer market activity on top, added £25m to their existing debt pile while their cash balance fell by £50m.
There is also a cost lurking in the background. The sacking of Erik ten Hag and his backroom staff in 2023-24 landed United with a £14.5m bill. The dismissal of Amorim will bring its own severance costs, but those will not show up until the third-quarter results later this year.
A strong finish to the Premier League season could change the narrative significantly.
Champions League qualification would deliver a substantial cash injection, although it comes with a catch.
Many United players have contractual wage increases triggered by participation in European football, meaning higher revenues would quickly be offset by a sharply rising wage bill.
For United, as ever, there is no simple fix.
Beau Greaves created history by becoming the first woman to hit a nine-dart finish on the PDC ProTour.
The 22-year-old hit perfection in her Players Championship 6 clash with Mensur Suljovic in Leicester.
She hit consecutive 180s and then finished by taking out 141, pinning a double 12.
The Doncaster thrower looked overwhelmed after the leg, with Suljovic offering her a handshake.
She managed to compose herself to claim a 6-5 victory in the last 32, winning a final-leg decider.
Greaves has been the flagbearer for the women’s game in recent years, seeming almost invincible on the women’s tour while also beating Luke Littler on her way to the World Youth Championship final.
Greaves, who went on to lose to David Sharp in the third round, said: “I couldn’t believe I’d hit it! I just about hit the treble 19 and then I was quite confident that the double 12 was going in.
“I couldn’t stop smiling because I couldn’t wait to tell my dad, even though I knew he’d be watching it.
“I’ve narrowly missed hitting one a few times so it was nice to finally hit one. It’s nice to be the first woman to hit one on the PDC ProTour, I’m glad it was on the stream as well.
“It was hard to get back into the game after I’d hit it, I was shaking afterwards. It was nerve-wracking but I managed to get the win in the end.
“I’m enjoying my start to life on the PDC ProTour. I’ve been struggling in patches with a bit of tension in my throw, but I’m playing well and enjoying it.
“You’re playing the best players in the world so if you lose a game, it’s just a case of your opponent playing better than you on the day.”
Gerwyn Price finished off a classy day in Leicester with a destructive 8-1 win over Andrew Gilding in the final.
A host of big names – such as Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen and Littler – were absent from the tournament.
The Iceman averaged 98.68 and landed two ton-plus checkouts in a dominant performance to get his hands on his first Players Championship title of the season.
Price knocked out Jonny Clayton and Kevin Doets on his way to the final.
Tony Bellew has predicted a scenario where, in the wake of Oleksandr Usyk’s retirement, there is one man who comes along and mops up all the titles.
Usyk was crowned the undisputed king of his division in 2024, cementing his status with back-to-back points victories over Tyson Fury.
Then, after being forced to relinquish his IBF strap, the Ukrainian became a three-time, two-weight undisputed champion by stopping Daniel Dubois in round five of their heavyweight rematch.
Since extending his unblemished record in July, though, Usyk has once again vacated a world title, this time enabling Fabio Wardley to be elevated from ‘interim’ to full WBO champion.
As a result, Wardley will now defend his prize against Dubois on May 9, while Usyk – holding three of the four major belts – resumes his status as the bona fide heavyweight king.
But then, when the 39-year-old ultimately hangs up his gloves, many believe that heavyweight prodigy Moses Itauma will step in to take his place.
Itauma has not quite proven himself at the highest level, with his best win arguably coming against a faded Dillian Whyte in August, but the 21-year-old is nonetheless ranked No.1 with both the WBO and WBA.
Speaking with Football Blog, Bellew names the precocious talent as an undisputed heavyweight champion in waiting, capable of collecting all the titles once Usyk retires.
“Oleksandr Usyk’s just going to walk away into the sunset, and he’s going to go, ‘I’ve had enough’.
“When he does, you will find them all scavenged towards the belts, and then you will find lesser champions and then somebody else will come along. Hence, Moses Itauma, and he will clean up again. And then you will have a reigning, undisputed unified champion again.”
Before anything else, Itauma must first get past Jermaine Franklin on March 28, with the durable customer expected to take him past round two for the first time in nine fights.
Sports
Rick Pitino takes blame for St. John’s dreadful performance in historic loss to UConn: ‘It’s all on me’
No. 15 St. John’s suffered a historic 72-40 loss to No. 6 UConn on Wednesday in one of the most lopsided defeats of Rick Pitino’s coaching career. The Red Storm went the final 17:28 without making a field goal and scored their fewest amount of points since 2013. During that stretch, St. John’s missed 24 consecutive field goals and scored just 14 points in the second half after trailing 41-26 at halftime.
The Red Storm shot 6 of 36 (16.7%) on 2-point field goals against UConn, which was the worst field goal percentage by a top-15 team in a game over the last 20 seasons. The 40 points St. John’s scored were the fewest points a Pitino-led team finished with in his coaching career. The previous low was 43 points, which happened in 1981 against UCLA when Pitino was coaching Boston University.
“It’s all on me,” Pitino said. “I’m very disappointed in our performance offensively, especially. Sharing the ball, moving the ball. It’s all on me. But we will get ready for Villanova. We are still playing for a league championship. Doesn’t matter whether you lose by 1 or 40, league championship is still at stake. Obviously, we have to make our corrections and move on.”
Pitino did not attend the standard post-game press conference, but took questions from a small group of reporters after the loss. That session lasted just over a minute. In the final question with reporters before walking away, Pitino was asked to clarify what he meant by the loss being “all on him,” in which he responded that he would be making his corrections and “moving on.”
Entering the week, St. John’s was one of the hottest teams in college basketball. The Red Storm had won 13 consecutive games while being at the top of the Big East standings with a 15-1 record. The lone loss in conference play (outside of Wednesday) was against Providence at home.
“I don’t know what it is,” Pitino said when asked if the UConn crowd played a factor. “All I know is we didn’t play good offense. We did things we have never done. And again, that’s something I got to question about myself and I will question it because the team did not do the things we have done in the last 13 games. Give them the credit. We will move on and get ready for Villanova.”
St. John’s finishes the regular season against Villanova, Georgetown and Seton Hall. The Red Storm can clinch at least a share of the Big East regular season title for the second consecutive year under Pitino by winning those final three games.
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New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill was booed by fans attending the NJ Devils hockey game at the Prudential Center on Wednesday.
The game marked the NHL return of Team USA Olympic hero Jack Hughes since he scored the winning goal against Canada in the gold medal game on Sunday.
Sherrill was in attendance to welcome Hughes and other Olympic players back to stateside ice, but when she was announced by the PA spokesperson for the ceremonial puck drop, the Newark crowd erupted in relentless boos for her and her husband, Jason Hedberg.
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Jack Hughes #86 of the New Jersey Devils during a pregame Olympic Ceremony with New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Devils Owners David and Allison Blitzer on Feb. 25, 2026 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images)
Still, Sherrill went on to make a social media post that included photos of her, Hughes and other players, celebrating the gold medal. Sherrill was mocked in response, as many critics pointed out how loudly she was booed.
“You managed to somehow get booed loudly during the most festive thing at the Rock ever,” one X user wrote.
Another user wrote, “Didn’t everyone boo you?”
Sherrill has been a target of criticism from patriotic Americans dating back to her 2025 campaign, when it was revealed she was kept from participating in her Naval Academy commencement due to disciplinary action involving midshipmen stealing test answers in a particularly challenging electrical engineering course required for all non-engineering majors.
Sherill downplayed her involvement, saying, “I didn’t turn in some of my classmates, so I didn’t walk but graduated and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy, serving for nearly ten years with the highest level of distinction and honor.”
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill presents the state flag to Jack Hughes #86 of the New Jersey Devils in a pregame welcome home ceremony on Feb. 25 in Newark, New Jersey, following Team USA’s gold medal win. (Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
Just this week, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against New Jersey and Sherrill, accusing the state of expanding its sanctuary policies and obstructing federal immigration enforcement through a new executive order.
Still, Sherill’s presence didn’t stop anyone at the Prudential Center from celebrating Hughes and company on Wednesday.
Prior to the puck drop against the Buffalo Sabres, the Devils honored all of their Olympians from 2026, including those who represented foreign nations. No one received a warmer reception from the crowd than Hughes, as fans chanted “U-S-A!”
Hughes nearly broke down in tears while addressing the crowd.
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“I’m so proud and I’m so happy that the men’s and women’s USA hockey teams brought gold medals back to the United States of America,” Hughes said to the crowd. “You guys are making me emotional, but I’m so proud to represent the New Jersey Devils organization. And I’m so, so proud to represent the great state of New Jersey – so proud.
“From the bottom of my heart, all of my teammates, USA teammates, we just want to thank you guys for all the love and support. We feel it.”
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Feb 25, 2026; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas (1) steals the ball from Texas A&M Aggies guard Josh Holoway (1) during the first half at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images Billy Richmond III scored 23 points, Darius Acuff Jr. posted 17 of his 22 points in the last nine minutes, and No. 20 Arkansas moved closer to a double bye in the Southeastern Conference tournament with a 99-84 victory over Texas A&M on Wednesday in Fayetteville, Ark.
Malique Ewin had 18 points and nine rebounds and Trevon Brazile added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Razorbacks (21-7, 11-4 SEC), who are 15-1 at home.
Acuff had seven assists and five rebounds as Richmond logged his fourth straight 20-point game. The Razorbacks have won five of their past six contests.
Reserve Zach Clemence rang up 22 of his career-high 29 points in the second half and Rashaun Agee had 17 points for the Aggies (19-9, 9-6), who trimmed a 17-point deficit to four with 11 minutes remaining before the Razorbacks regained command.
Arkansas made 13 consecutive field goals to pull away down the stretch and wound up 20 of 29 (69%) in the second half.
The Razorbacks made 29 of 33 free throws while the Aggies went 16 of 23. Richmond and Ewin were 6 of 6 and Acuff was 7 of 9.
D.J. Wagner’s layup gave Arkansas a 52-35 lead five minutes into the second half before Texas A&M crept back. Rylan Griffen’s 3-pointer cut the Razorbacks’ lead to 59-55 with 10:54 remaining.
Acuff hit a jumper, Meleek Thomas sank a 3-pointer and Acuff assisted on a Ewin dunk and made another jumper to push the Razorbacks’ lead to 76-64 with 7:18 left. The Aggies never were closer than nine the rest of the way. Arkansas is two games ahead of a four-team pack in fifth place in the SEC with three games to play. The top four teams in the regular season earn a double bye in the tourney.
The Razorbacks will play SEC leader No. 7 Florida (22-6, 13-2) in Gainesville, Fla., on Saturday. The same day, the Aggies will oppose Texas (17-11, 8-7).
Agee had a 3-pointer and a dunk as Texas A&M scored 11 of the first 13 points, but Arkansas countered with a 16-0 run that included nine points from Richmond to take an 18-11 lead they never lost.
The gap grew as large as 15 before Texas A&M scored the final six points of the half to trail 37-28. –Field Level Media
Sports
When is the Champions League last-16 draw? Date, start time, qualified teams and how to watch online
The Champions League knockout rounds are set to be mapped out this week as the draw for the last-16, quarter-finals and semi-finals takes place in Nyon, Switzerland.
The midweek play-off games will send eight more sides into the round of 16 to join the top eight from the league phase. Five Premier League teams – Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City – have already qualified for the knockout rounds, with Newcastle set to join them via the play-offs.
The outline of the draw has already been made, with teams grouped into small four-way pools of possible opponents based on their league placings.
Arsenal, who finished top of the league phase, are facing either a Bundesliga or Serie A team, with both Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta progressing from the play-offs.
Manchester City could meet Real Madrid or a rematch with the fairytale story of Bodo/Glimt, one of Liverpool and Tottenham will meet Atletico Madrid; while Chelsea and Newcastle could draw each other.
When is the draw?
The Champions League last-16 draw will take place in Nyon at 11am GMT (12pm local time) on Friday 27 February.
How to watch online
The draw will be streamed live on Uefa’s website, YouTube channel and Champions League app.
Which teams have qualified for the last-16?
The top eight sides in this season’s Champions League league phase await in the knockout rounds. They are:
- Arsenal
- Bayern Munich
- Liverpool
- Tottenham Hotspur
- Barcelona
- Chelsea
- Sporting CP
- Manchester City
Who has advanced via the play-offs?
The teams who finished between ninth and 24th in the league phase went into the play-offs. The second legs are being played this week:
- Atletico Madrid 7-4 Club Brugge (after two legs)
- Newcastle 9-3 Qarabag (after two legs)
- Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2-0 Olympiacos (after two legs)
- Bodø/Glimt 5–2 Inter Milan (after two legs)
- Galatasaray 7–5 Juventus (after two legs)
- Monaco 4–5 Paris Saint-Germain (after two legs)
- Benfica 1–3 Real Madrid (after two legs)
- Dortmund 3–4 Atalanta (after two legs)
Who can each team draw?
The teams have been grouped into seeded couplets according to how they finished in the league phase, so, for example, Arsenal (who finished top) or Bayern Munich (who finished second) will play the winners of either Bodo/Glimt v Inter Milan or Benfica v Real Madrid.
Teams from the same national league can play each other in the knockout rounds.
Here are the possible last-16 draw permutations:
Barcelona and Chelsea will be drawn against:
Liverpool and Tottenham will be drawn against:
- Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray
Sporting and Manchester City will be drawn against:
- Bodo/Glimt or Real Madrid
Arsenal and Bayern Munich will be drawn against:
- Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen
What are the match dates?
The last-16 ties will take place in mid-March. Here are the remaining round dates:
Round of 16: 10/11 & 17/18 March 2026
Quarter-finals: 7/8 & 14/15 April 2026
Semi-finals: 28/29 April & 5/6 May 2026
Final: 30 May 2026 (Budapest)
Who is favourite to lift the trophy?
Here’s the latest odds from UK bookmakers on who will win the Champions League this season.
Arsenal – 7/2
Bayern Munich – 9/2
PSG – 7/1
Manchester City – 7/1
Barcelona – 8/1
Liverpool – 9/1
Real Madrid – 10/1
Odds provided by BoyleSports
Sports
Oscar De La Hoya sees only one winner in Mayweather vs Pacquiao rematch: “I feel bad for him”
The rematch between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao has been confirmed, with the return of ‘TBE’ now official — and Oscar De La Hoya, who has shared the ring with both men, believes one fighter holds a clear advantage heading into the bout.
Mayweather and Pacquiao faced off in the ‘Fight of the Century’ back in 2015, where the American claimed a unanimous decision victory in a technical and tactical battle that was deemed as lacklustre by most observers.
‘Money’ would fight on two more occasions before hanging up the gloves, whilst Pacquiao fought up until 2021, before making his comeback against Mario Barrios back in July, when he drew with the WBC welterweight world champion.
Now, over 11 years on from their initial encounter, the two are set to run it back at the combined age of 96, topping a Netflix bill on Saturday, September 19.
When discussing the possibility of a rematch with talkSPORT, six-division world champion De La Hoya, who lost to both men during his spectacular career, explained why he believes Mayweather will once again come out victorious.
“I think that Mayweather will take it.
“One thing with Mayweather that you have to understand is that he has always taken care of himself and his body; physically and mentally. He has always been very sharp, he is always staying in the gym and doing something physically.
“That is the big advantage that he has – he is an athlete, a world-class athlete. Watching Pacquiao’s last fight, you kind of feel bad for him, even though he did win by pulling off a surprise draw against a world champion.
“Still, you tend to kind of feel bad because it is not the same Pacquiao, it is definitely not the same Pacquiao that I faced, that’s for sure, the one that put me on my stool in the ninth round!”
Before he can fully focus on Pacquiao, Mayweather will first compete in an exhibition bout against Mike Tyson, reported to be in the Democratic Republic of Congo on April 25, kicking off what will be an extremely lucrative two-fight year for the undefeated legend.
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