The NFL draft will get cracking in four days, and with the event so close you can taste, we take one final look at the weekend rumor mill before showtime.

Minnesota has roster questions to solve, and the rumor mill keeps supplying new angles.

The Minnesota Vikings have a handful of roster needs in mid-April and nine picks to address them.

Three Late-April Storylines for the Vikings’ Next Moves

The Purple Rumor Mill for Sunday, April 19th.

Rumor: Don’t rule out a rookie punter for the Vikings.

Punter chatter has stayed quiet since Minnesota signed Johnny Hekker in March, but the team will still put in its rookie homework.

NBC Sports’ Ryan Fowler tweeted Thursday, “The Minnesota Vikings will hold a private workout with Elon punter Jeff Yurk tomorrow morning, per source. The FCS’ all-time leader in yards per punt and a two-time first-team FCS All-American, Yurk averaged 58.6 yards per punt at Hula a few months back.”

And there you have it. Minnesota provided a special teams clue for next Thursday’s draft. A punter is in play, even if the new guy might come from undrafted free agency.

Yurk likely won’t require a draft pick; he profiles as a post-draft addition through undrafted free agency. If Minnesota wants to stir competition at punter, Georgia’s Brett Thorson would enter the mix as the top prospect in the class. Some pundits expect Thorson to be picked in the middle rounds, believe it or not.

Rumor: The Vikings are a trade landing spot for cornerback Kenny Moore II.

Credible reporting suggested this week that the Indianapolis Colts would trade Moore II, and it didn’t take long for Minnesota to make the cut as a possible landing spot, courtesy of SI.com‘s Albert Breer.

Breer wrote, “As for potential landing spots, I think Dallas would be one, with the nickel being an important piece in new coordinator Christian Parker’s defense and the Cowboys having a hole after Jourdan Lewis’s departure to the Jaguars last year. The Vikings are another potential fit, with Moore’s versatility meshing, at least on paper, with how DC Brian Flores builds his defense.”

“Those teams being in the NFC should also make them likely suitors, assuming Indy would rather not help out a conference rival. Moore, who will turn 31 in August, is in a contract year, so that’ll drive down his value some. But if the price was a Day 3 pick on the higher end, and I had a need like Dallas and Minnesota, I’d probably do it.”

Do the Vikings need Moore II? Not really — unless the plan leans into a much deeper cornerback room than last year’s thin setup.

Right now, the group includes Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, James Pierre, Dwight McGlothern, and Zemaiah Vaughn. That unit could use a dependable CB4, but Moore II probably sits above that kind of role.

Rumor: Adam Thielen is eyeing the booth for his next career move.

Vikings.com’s Rob Kleifield reported Thielen’s next career path this week, noting, “Last month, the Vikings organization celebrated the amazing careers of C.J. Ham and Adam Thielen. This month, Thielen took a baby step toward what could wind up being a focus in his life after football. Thielen was one of 24 players who got ‘suited and booted’ for the NFL’s annual broadcasting and media workshop in Los Angeles last week.”

“Thielen was picked from a pool of 90 applicants, and he participated alongside the likes of LB Demario Davis and WR Brandin Cooks. Alumni of the workshop include All-Pro Maurice Jones-Drew, as well as Super Bowl Champions Jason McCourty and Jason Kelce. Thielen sounded hesitant about a career in media during his retirement ceremony, alluding to the frequent traveling, but he stated his desire to be involved with the game in whatever is next.”

This sounds right up Thielen’s alley, truth be told.

The Athletic’s Vic Tafur on the details of Broadcast Bootcamp: “It’s tough to get a spot at the workshop, which was first held in 2007. There were 90 applicants for 24 spots in this year’s program. Each player was asked to answer questions to make sure this is something he is serious about and then asked to submit reels.”

“Some players sent in old interviews at their lockers. They were told this was their chance to be their own content creator and their reels should reflect what they want to do in the space. After the reels were screened, players were ranked 1-90, with no clear-cut criteria.”

Kleifield even teased Thielen doing some Vikings draft content next week.

Giants 4-round mock draft after blockbuster Dexter Lawrence trade with Bengals originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

With just days to go before the 2026 NFL Draft, the New York Giantspulled off a blockbuster trade with the Cincinnati Bengals that jettisoned star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.

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The deal saw the Giants send Lawrence to the Bengals for the No. 10 overall pick, which was no doubt more than anyone was expecting them to get. Now, Big Blue stands armed with two first-round picks, with the other coming at No. 5 overall.

With needs on both sides of the ball, the Giants can now take care of the offense and defense with blue-chip prospects inside the top 10 of the draft later this week.

And that’s exactly what we have them doing in our new mock draft in the wake of the Lawrence trade with the Bengals.

Giants 4-round mock draft after Lawrence trade

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Round 1, Pick 5: LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State

ESPN’s Jordan Raanan mentioned Styles as one of three players the Giants like with the No. 5 pick, and it’s not hard to see why.

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“Staying at No. 5, the three players who seem to be most squarely on their radar are Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles and  (Ohio State safety Caleb) Downs,” Raanan wrote.

Styles is a freak athlete with sideline-to-sideline speed and great length. He’s a strong tackler, good in run defense and has shown elite skills in coverage after posting an 87.4 Pro Football Focus grade in that area last season.

The Ohio State product can wear the green dot and will be a leader in New York’s defense for a decade.

Round 1, Pick 10 (via CIN): WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State

The Giants were one of the teams to attend Tyson’s workout, which was his last opportunity to quell fears about his injury history. By all accounts, Tyson did manage to do that.

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“I think Jordyn Tyson goes much higher than earlier expected,” ESPN’s Matt Miller said. “Teams are comfortable with the INJ history. Conversation for him starts at 5 but he’s off the board no later than 16.”

If not for his injury history, Tyson would likely be the undisputed No. 1 receiver in this class. The 6-foot-2, 203-pound pass-catcher can line up anywhere on the field, is a polished route-runner and can even block.

After losing Wan’Dale Robinson in free agency, the Giants need another weapon for quarterback Jaxson Dart across from star wideout Malik Nabers. Not only would Tyson check that box, he could very well provide an upgrade over Robinson.

Round 2, Pick 37: DT Kayden McDonald, Ohio State

The loss of Lawrence will leave a void in the middle of the Giants’ defense, hurting both the pass-rush and run defense. Making matters worse, New York was already weak upfront, even with Lawrence on the roster.

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While McDonald isn’t much of a pass-rusher, he showed improvement in that area last season with a career-high three sacks. He really shines as a run defender, with the Ohio State product posting the best PFF grade in the nation in run defense.

Once viewed as a first-round pick, the belief is most teams now have him with a second-round grade because of his lack of pass-rush prowess.

That’s just fine for the Giants, as McDonald can provide the kind of boost to the run defense from Day 1 that New York needs.

Round 4, Pick 105: CB Tacario Davis, Washington

The loss of Cor’Dale Flott leaves the Giants with a big void after the team failed to adequately address the position in free agency, leaving a potential starting duo of Paulson Adebo and uninspiring free-agent signing Greg Newsome outside.

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After taking a step back in 2024, Davis rebounded with a strong showing after he transferred to Washington. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound cornerback gave up a passer rating of just 50.6 in coverage, notched a personal bests two interceptions and he showed out in the run game with an impressive PFF grade of 81.8.

Davis can offer some competition for Newsome on the boundary, and it’s not crazy to think he could win that competition in Year 1.

Match Details

Fixture: (2) Ben Shelton vs (4) Flavio Cobolli

Date: April 19, 2026

Tournament: Bavarian International Tennis Championships

Round: Final

Venue: MTTC Iphitos e.V. tennis club in Munich, Germany

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Clay

Prize Money: €2,561,110

Live Telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Sky Sports | Canada – TSN

Ben Shelton vs Flavio Cobolli preview

Second seed Ben Shelton will face off against fourth seed Flavio Cobolli in the final of the 2026 BMW Open on Sunday, April 19.

Shelton started his season with a quarterfinal run at the ASB Classic and followed it up with another quarterfinal finish at the Australian Open, where he lost to Jannik Sinner. He then went on to win the Dallas Open and reached the quarterfinals in Houston before arriving in Munich. There, he defeated Emilio Nava, Alexander Blockx, Joao Fonseca, and Alex Molcan 6-3, 6-4 to reach the final.

Meanwhile, Cobolli’s standout result this season is his title run at the Mexican Open. He also made the semifinals of the Delray Beach Open, losing to Sebastian Korda, but hasn’t had many other notable results. In Munich, he beat Diego Dedura, Zizou Bergs, Vit Kopriva, and Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-3 to set up a clash with Shelton.

Ben Shelton vs Flavio Cobolli head-to-head

Shelton leads Cobolli 3–2 in their head-to-head. Cobolli won their first two meetings in Geneva and Washington in 2024, while Shelton has taken the last three in Acapulco, the Canadian Open, and the Paris Masters in 2025.

Ben Shelton vs Flavio Cobolli odds

(Odds via BetMGM)

Ben Shelton vs Flavio Cobolli prediction

Shelton plays with clear intent. The serve sets the tone, the forehand follows, and he looks to finish points before rallies really take shape. When he’s confident, everything happens quickly and on his terms.

Cobolli is more about structure and balance. He moves well, absorbs pace, and is comfortable building points rather than rushing them. He’s willing to stay in rallies and wait for openings instead of forcing them.

The key is whether Shelton can keep control early. If he’s landing first serves and dictating with his forehand, Cobolli may struggle to settle. But if rallies extend, Cobolli’s consistency and movement can start to make things uncomfortable. The American’s firepower gives him the edge, but he’ll need to stay disciplined to avoid letting the match drift.

Pick: Shelton to win in straight sets.

Ben Shelton vs Flavio Cobolli betting tips

Tip 1: The match will have over 21 games.

Tip 2: Shelton to win at least one set with a score of 7-5 or better.