Sports
David Benavidez says he can KO world champion who has never been knocked down
David Benavidez steps up to the cruiserweight division in a daring challenge against unified champion, Gilberto Ramirez, on Saturday night.
However, there is a different world champion that ‘The Mexican Monster’ is eyeing up, believing he can register a statement stoppage win.
Having ruled and campaigned at super-middleweight for the vast majority of his career, the imposing Benavidez stepped up to light-heavyweight in 2024 and scored decision wins over Oleksandr Gvozdyk and David Morrell.
Those triumphs saw him elevated to WBC world champion and he defended that crown with his first knockout victory since moving to light-heavyweight, halting Anthony Yarde after seven rounds of action back in November.
Now, Benavidez continues to progress through the weight divisions as he makes the 25lb jump up to cruiserweight in a quest for legacy against ‘Zurdo’, but vows to move back down to light-heavyweight, regardless of the outcome.
Speaking to Boxing News’ Oscar Pick, Benavidez declared that he plans to return to 175lbs to face Dmitry Bivol, in a potential bid for the undisputed crown.
After having success against the Russian during their sparring sessions, Benavidez believes he has what it takes to stop the man who has never even touched the canvas in his career.
“For me, the hardest fight in the [175lb] division is [against] Bivol. He keeps his distance very well and has beaten everybody, but I know I can beat him.
“Not only can I beat him; I can knock him out. The last time we sparred [around seven years ago], I had him really hurt in the fourth round – I almost dropped him with a 10-punch combination.
“For me, stopping Bivol is the biggest statement I could possibly make.”
Whilst Benavidez hopes to secure a clash with his fellow light-heavyweight world champion, Bivol may instead be forced to accept a trilogy bout with Artur Beterbiev.
Sports
Bob Olinger Retires After Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle Success
Bob Olinger (4/1) won the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle on his final racecourse appearance at Punchestown today.
The 11-year-old son of Sholokhov delighted the thousands who descended on the County Kildare venue on Thursday as he claimed his 11 career success over jumps.
Bob Olinger lands the @Ladbrokes Champion Stayers’ Hurdle 🏆 pic.twitter.com/n3ATPJ6cSU
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 30, 2026
Ridden by jockeys’ title-chasing Darragh O’Keeffe, who rode a treble on the third day of the Festival to reduce the deficit between championship leader Jack Kennedy and himself to three, rode in the Robcour colours aboard Bob Olinger.
The Henry de Bromhead star received a tremendous reception from the crowd when he entered the winner’s enclosure a lap of the parade ring to applause from the crowd.
🗣️ “He read the script.”
Bob Olinger bows out with victory at Punchestown. Lovely stuff with owner @BrianAcheson pic.twitter.com/zmkOvsFgD4
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 30, 2026
Jimmy Du Seuil (9/1), trained by Willie Mullins and Paul Townend, took the runner-up position, three-quarters-of-one length behind the winner.
Teahupoo, in the same ownership as the winner, but trained in County Meath by Gordon Elliott and ridden by Jack Kennedy took third, three-and-a-half lengths further back, on ground that likely wasn’t ideal for him.
Sports
2026 Cadillac Championship Friday tee times: Round 2 groupings
The 2026 Cadillac Championship continues on Friday, May 1, with the second round at Trump National Doral. You can find full Cadillac Championship tee times for Friday’s second round at the bottom of this post.
Featured tee time for Round 2
Justin Rose is hoping this week’s return to Trump Doral sees him return to the winner’s circle. And there’s reason to believe he could do just that at this week’s Cadillac Championship. Rose won the 2012 WGC-Cadillac Championship at the Blue Monster course, host of this year’s Cadillac.
Rose already has one PGA Tour victory on the season, having captured the title at the 2026 Farmers Insurance Open in January. That represented the 13th win of his Tour career. He finished T3 at the Masters in early April.
Adding more intrigue is the fact that Rose announced a new club sponsorship with McLaren Golf this week, and he’s putting the new irons into play for the first time at Doral.
Whether that will help him top the likes of World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Alex Fitzpatrick at the Cadillac is yet to be seen.
Rose will tee off for the second round on Friday at 2:15 p.m. ET alongside Adam Scott.
You can watch Friday’s second round of the 2026 Cadillac Championship from 3-7 p.m. ET on Golf Channel. PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will provide exclusive early streaming coverage starting at 8:30 a.m. ET on Friday, in addition to featured group and featured hole coverage.
Check out the complete Round 2 tee times and groupings for the Cadillac Championship below.
Hoping to wager on the Cadillac Championship? Sign up for Fanatics Sportsbook with code “SUBPAR” to receive a special welcome offer.
With an ESPN+ subscription, you gain access to PGA Tour Live, where you can stream the best PGA Tour events live from wherever you want.
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2026 Cadillac Championship tee times for Friday: Round 2 (ET)
Tee No. 1
8:40 a.m. – Kurt Kitayama, Sudarshan Yellamaraju
8:50 a.m. – Michael Kim, Austin Smotherman
9:00 a.m. – Max Homa, Max Greyserman
9:10 a.m. – Ryan Fox, Alex Noren
9:20 a.m. – J.T. Poston, Jake Knapp
9:30 a.m. – Aldrich Potgieter, Chandler Blanchet
9:45 a.m. – Lucas Glover, Daniel Berger
9:55 a.m. – Nick Taylor, Nicolai Højgaard
10:05 a.m. – Alex Fitzpatrick, Nico Echavarria
10:15 a.m. – Corey Conners, , Michael Thorbjorsen
10:25 a.m. – Russell Henley, Si Woo Kim
10:35 a.m. – Andrew Novak, Sam Burns
10:50 a.m. – Chris Gotterup, Hideki Matsuyama
11:00 a.m. – Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland
11:10 a.m. – Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler
11:20 a.m. – Keegan Bradley, Shane Lowry
11:30 a.m. – Ryan Gerard, Jason Day
11:40 a.m. – Brian Campbell, Sam Stevens
11:55 a.m. – Matt Wallace, Patrick Rodgers
12:05 p.m. – Jhonattan Vegas, Bud Cauley
12:15 p.m. – Tom Hoge, Joel Dahmen
12:25 p.m. – Taylor Pendrith, Sahith Theegala
12:35 p.m. – Matt McCarty, David Lipsky
12:45 p.m. – Denny McCarthy, Ryo Hisatsune
1:00 p.m. – Andrew Putnam, Pierceson Coody
1:10 p.m. – Maverick McNealy, Sungjae Im
1:20 p.m. – J.J. Spaun, Ben Griffin
1:30 p.m. – Brian Harman, Harris English
1:40 p.m. – Sepp Straka, Harry Hall
1:50 p.m. – Akshay Bhatia, Ricky Castillo
2:05 p.m. – Cameron Young, Scottie Scheffler
2:15 p.m. – Justin Rose, Adam Scott
2:25 p.m. – Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth
2:35 p.m. – Gary Woodland, Jacob Bridgeman
2:45 p.m. – Min Woo Lee, Jordan Smith
2:55 p.m. – Keith Mitchell, Alex Smalley
Sports
Sydney Swans vs Melbourne Demons Tips, Odds and Teams – AFL Round 8 2026
SCG will play host to Sunday’s
Round 8 AFL game between Sydney Swans and
Melbourne Demons. The game kicks off at 3:15 pm with Sydney Swans heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Sydney Swans vs.
Melbourne Demons
game and give you our free tips and bets.
When: Sunday May 3, 2026 at 3:15 pm
Where: SCG
Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE
Sydney Swans vs Melbourne Demons Odds
Sydney Swans vs Melbourne Demons Preview
A genuine top-four test awaits as Sydney hosts Melbourne at the SCG. The Swans have set the benchmark offensively this season, combining scoring power with a disciplined defensive setup. Melbourne has impressed with recent wins, led by Kozzie Pickett’s influence, but faces a significant step up against Sydney’s balanced system. The Swans’ ability to apply pressure and convert inside 50 entries may stretch the Demons’ defence, particularly on the tighter SCG ground. Expect Sydney to dictate terms if their forward line fires.
Sports
Penrith Panthers vs Manly Sea Eagles Tips, Odds, Teams & Predictions – NRL Round 9 2026
CommBank Stadium will play host to Sunday’s
Round 9 NRL game between Penrith Panthers and
Manly Sea Eagles. The game kicks off at 6:15 pm with Penrith Panthers heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Penrith Panthers vs.
Manly Sea Eagles
game and give you our free tips and bets.
When: Sunday May 3, 2026 at 6:15 pm
Where: CommBank Stadium
Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE
Penrith Panthers vs Manly Sea Eagles Odds
Penrith Panthers vs Manly Sea Eagles Preview
Penrith remains the benchmark of the competition, responding emphatically last week to reaffirm their premiership credentials. Manly, however, arrives with renewed energy, unbeaten since a coaching change and playing with greater attacking freedom. While the Panthers’ system and consistency make them formidable, recent close calls highlight they are not untouchable. The Sea Eagles’ resurgence adds intrigue, and if they can match Penrith’s intensity early, they may keep the contest competitive deep into the second half.
Penrith Panthers vs Manly Sea Eagles Teams
Panthers team: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Thomas Jenkins 3. Paul Alamoti 4. Casey McLean 5. Brian To’o 6. Blaize Talagi 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Freddy Lussick 10. Lindsay Smith 11. Isaiah Papali’i 12. Luke Garner 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Jack Cogger 15. Scott Sorensen 16. Kalani Going 17. Billy Phillips 18. Izack Tago 19. Jack Cole 20. Luron Patea 21. Billy Scott 22. Sione Fonua
Sea Eagles team: 1. Tolutau Koula 2. Jason Saab 3. Clayton Faulalo 4. Reuben Garrick 5. Lehi Hopoate 6. Luke Brooks 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Brandon Wakeham 10. Kobe Hetherington 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Ben Trbojevic 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Jake Simpkin 15. Nathan Brown 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Siosiua Taukeiaho 18. Blake Wilson 19. Jackson Shereb 20. Joey Walsh 21. Simione Laiafi 22. Zach Dockar-Clay
Sports
Salvator Mundi wins G1 Novice Chase as Kopek Des Bordes crashes out at the last
Salvator Mundi (13/2) and Harry Cobden won a dramatic Grade 1 Barberstown Castle Novice Chase at Punchestown on Thursday evening.
The complexion of the race changes totally at the final fence as race favourite Kopek Des Bordes (4/11f) and Paul Townend fell when it looked as though they would head for victory.
Drama! Kopek Des Bordes exits at the second-last (seems to be OK) & Salvator Mundi picks up the pieces in G1 under Harry Cobden
pic.twitter.com/y421jo6dra
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 30, 2026
Cobden, who will be owner J.P. McManus’ retained jockey next season, got Salvator Mundi to rally bravely, and the Joe and Marie Donelly-owned French-bred ran out a 12-length winner over Irish Panther (15/2), who had lead the field for most of the two miles and 75 yards’ race.
“We probably got a little bit lucky.”@CobdenHarry on G1 glory for Salvator Mundi
pic.twitter.com/O7fIwBvqSG
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 30, 2026
The Kieran Buckley-ridden runner-up had 30 lengths to spare over the third-placed Jacob’s Ladder (18/1) representing the Gordon Elliott and Jack Kennedy team.
The post Salvator Mundi wins G1 Novice Chase as Kopek Des Bordes crashes out at the last appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.
Sports
Cardinals roll past Pirates, Paul Skenes
Apr 30, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Hunter Dobbins (40) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images JJ Wetherholt and Jordan Walker both homered during a three-run first inning off reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes and Alec Burleson went 3-for-5 with three RBIs as the visiting St. Louis Cardinals completed a four-game series sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 10-5 victory on Thursday afternoon.
Nathan Church added a two-run double and Wetherholt and Walker, who had three RBIs, each finished with two hits. Pedro Pages and Nolan Gorman also had two hits for the Cardinals, who finished with 14 hits. Gordon Graceffo (2-0) picked up the win with 1 1/3 innings of hitless relief.
Bryan Reynolds had two doubles and two RBIs and Brandon Lowe homered and also had an RBI double for Pittsburgh, which suffered its fifth straight loss.
Skenes (4-2), who flirted with a perfect game while allowing one hit over seven innings in his previous start at Milwaukee, took the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits over five innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out a season-high nine batters.
Wetherholt led off the game with his seventh home run, a 391-foot drive to right, to give the Cardinals a quick 1-0 lead. Ivan Herrera followed with an infield single and scored one out later when Walker lined a 2-1 sweeper into the left field bleachers for his ninth homer to make it 3-0.
The Cardinals extended the lead to 4-0 in the third when Burleson singled and advanced to second on a throwing error by shortstop Konnor Griffin. One out later, Gorman singled to right to drive in Burleson.
Pittsburgh cut the lead to 4-1 in the fourth on a bases-loaded walk by Spencer Horwitz but St. Louis answered with an RBI single by Burleson to go back up by four runs, 5-1, in the fifth.
The Pirates closed to 5-4 on a two-run double by Reynolds in the bottom of the fifth and Lowe’s 416-foot homer in the seventh. But the Cardinals broke the game open with five runs in the eighth off reliever Isaac Mattson, highlighted by Church’s two-riun double off the top of the fence in right-center and a two-run single by Burleson.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Punchestown Festival: Bob Olinger signs off with Champion Stayers Hurdle win
Bob Olinger rode off into retirement with victory in the Champion Stayers Hurdle on day three of the Punchestown Festival.
Ridden by Darragh O’Keefe, the Henry de Bromhead-trained 11-year-old (4-1) saw off Willie Mullins’ Jimmy Du Seuil (9-1) and pre-race favourite Teahupoo (5-4) who was seeking a third consecutive triumph in the race.
It capped a remarkable 11-win career that produced three at Cheltenham, as he rolled back the years to go out on a high.
Teahupoo led as they headed down the final stretch of the three-mile circuit, but Bob Olinger had closed the gap by the final fence and had more in the tank to open a gap.
While Jimmy Du Seuil applied late pressure, it just was not enough as Bob Olinger had three-quarters of a length to spare.
The Novice Chase went the way of Salvator Mundi (13-2) who took advantage of a fall from favourite Kopek Des Bordes.
With Mullins’ new retained jockey Harry Cobden onboard, it was a case of taking advantage of his stablemate’s misfortune two fences from home to claim the win.
Kopek Des Bordes seemed to be in full control before the fall with Salvator Mundi, who was on his coattails, galloping to a 12-length win from second place Irish Panther (15-2) and Jacob’s Ladder (18-1) in third.
Sports
“I Was In The Zone”: Shubman Gill Makes Satisfaction Clear As GT Thrash RCB In IPL 2026
Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Shubman Gill expressed satisfaction after the team’s four-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match on Thursday in Ahmedabad. Gill also lauded GT bowlers for a fine effort in restricting RCB to a subpar score of 155 in the first innings of the match, setting up an easy chase for the hosts. Chasing 156, GT completed the target comfortably in 15.4 overs, powered by quickfire knocks from Shubman Gill (43 off 18) and Jos Buttler (39 off 19). Rahul Tewatia (27 not out) and Rashid Khan guided the team home after a few middle-order wickets. Earlier, GT’s bowlers restricted RCB to 155 in 19.2 overs, led by Arshad Khan (3/22), with support from Rashid Khan (2/19) and Jason Holder (2/29).
With the win, GT are now placed fifth in the IPL points table with five wins in nine matches, having accumulated 10 points.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Shubman Gill said he was pleased with the win, crediting the bowlers for restricting the opposition to under 160 on a good batting surface.
On his batting, Gill mentioned he felt “in the zone” and wanted to take on the bowlers. He praised Rahul Tewatia for finishing the game, while noting the team lost a few more wickets than expected but benefited from contributions across the lineup.
“Feels very satisfying. On a wicket like this, restricting them to under 160 was a tremendous job by the bowlers. Our fielding was one of the things…in phases, we have not fielded well. Energy in the field was very nice. (On his batting) I was just feeling I was in the zone. Felt it is my day and wanted to take the bowlers on. (On Tewatia) He is a very important player, happy he finished the game. We lost couple more wickets than we would have liked. He got some nice runs and everyone got a hit in the middle,” Gill said.
Jason Holder was named Player of the Match for his impressive spell of 2/19 in four overs, along with three key catches, dismissing Rajat Patidar, Tim David, and Krunal Pandya.
Patidar’s dismissal stood out in particular. Off a short delivery from Arshad Khan, Patidar attempted a pull shot but got a top edge towards deep backward square leg. Holder sprinted to his right and completed a sharp low catch, even as Kagiso Rabada also charged at the ball.
While RCB players contested the decision, arguing that Holder had not been in full control and that the ball may have touched the ground, the umpires ruled it a dismissal.
Jason Holder said he was pleased with his overall performance and credited the team’s strong energy.
Speaking about his catch to dismiss Patidar, Holder noted he was aware of Rabada nearby but felt confident going for the ball. He added that he embraces whatever comes his way, is happy to take his chances, and contribute to the win.
“Happy things how went for me personally. Felt our energy was good from the start. (On his catch to dismiss Patidar) I did see him (Rabada), was just hoping to not run into him. He was in my peripheral but he was far enough for me to put in an attempt (to catch it). (On ball following him) I welcome it as it comes. Just happy to hold on to the chances. Happy to contribute and to get over the line,” he said at the post-match presentations.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Sports
NFL Draft grades: Why they’re often wrong but still useful
Every April, minutes after the draft ends, we all start pretending we know exactly what just happened. Draft grades go up almost instantly. Winners and losers get declared. Someone “crushed it.” Someone else “reached.” In that moment, we’re trying to project three, four, even five years into the future based largely on what we thought we knew about college players.
It’s a little silly. Maybe it’s very silly. But in a strange way, it’s also a useful exercise that can help us get closer to the truth.
That tension — between what draft grades pretend to be and what they actually are — sits at the heart of what I’m about to talk about. Because when I zoom out and look at my post-draft rankings from 2021-2025 (I’m not including 2026 because, well, it just happened, and we have yet to see any of the players take an NFL snap), a picture emerges.
It’s not crystal clear, but it’s at least a little less foggy. And it can offer insight into what teams are thinking in the moment — and why — and, with the benefit of hindsight, whether those teams got it right or very, very wrong.
Put another way: Draft grades aren’t meaningless, but maybe we’re collectively misusing them. They don’t tell you what will happen; for me, my post-draft grades reflect what I believed should happen based on the information available in that moment.
At their core, these grades are snapshots, not forecasts.
Before we get going, and because I think showing my work can be instructive, here are my days-after-draft grades from 2021-2025, which form the basis of this retrospective analysis: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. If you’re looking for how your team graded out in 2026, you can find my full 2026 draft grades here.
Feel free to reference them as you continue reading. Also feel free to point, gawk or laugh because, if nothing else, it’s a humble reminder that the draft is a crapshoot. None of us know how it will play out, but I also think that’s what makes it so much fun.
Why one ‘great’ class rarely changes everything
When I had the Patriots atop my 2021 rankings, it wasn’t because I knew Mac Jones would hit or that Christian Barmore would anchor the defensive line. (My pre-draft ranking for each player is in parentheses below.)
R1.15. Mac Jones, QB, Alabama (1.11)
R2.06. Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama (1.29)
R3.32. Ronnie Perkins, DE, Oklahoma (1.32)
R4.15. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Oklahoma (3.30)
R5.33. Cameron McGrone, LB, Michigan (4.15)
R6.04. Joshuah Bledsoe, S, Missouri (5.25)
R6.13. William Sherman, OT, Colorado (7.15)
R7.14. Tre Nixon, WR, UCF (PFA)
It was because, relative to my board, New England maximized value by landing a quarterback I viewed as a top-15 player, then following it up with Barmore and Ronnie Perkins at spots that felt like steals. At the time, that class represented alignment between value and need, projection and process.
Perkins, it should be noted, was one of my favorite players in the class. He was a juiced-up college pass rusher who struggled to get on the field in New England, in part because of injuries. He last appeared in an NFL game with Denver in 2023 and has been out of the league since 2024 without recording a sack.
To reiterate: We just don’t know.
The same dynamic showed up again in 2023. I had the Steelers at No. 1, and it was easy to see why: Broderick Jones in Round 1, Joey Porter Jr. early in Round 2, followed by Keeanu Benton and Darnell Washington. (Reminder: my pre-draft ranking for each player is in parentheses below.)
R1.14. Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia (1.14)
R2.01. Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State (1.15)
R2.18. Keeanu Benton, DL, Wisconsin (3.29)
R3.30. Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia (2.21)
R4.30. Nick Herbig, LB, Wisconsin (2.18)
R7.24. Cory Trice, CB, Purdue (3.22)
R7.34. Spencer Anderson, OG, Maryland (6.12)
It was a class built on value and physicality, with multiple players coming off the board later than I expected based on my big board — the kind of haul that signals a disciplined, coherent approach to team building: filling needs at the top while adding value and depth with subsequent selections.
Meanwhile, I had the Cowboys at the bottom.
R1.26. Mazi Smith, DL, Michigan (2.27)
R2.27. Luke Schoonmaker, TE, Michigan (4.19)
R3.27. DeMarvion Overshown, LB, Texas (4.29)
R4.27. Viliami Fehoko, EDGE, San Jose State (5.14)
R5.34. Asim Richards, OT, North Carolina (7.14)
R6.01. Eric Scott Jr., CB, Southern Miss (6.01)
R6.35. Deuce Vaughn, RB, Kansas State (7.30)
R7.27. Jalen Brooks, WR, South Carolina (UDFA)
They took Mazi Smith in Round 1, Luke Schoonmaker in Round 2 and DeMarvion Overshown a round later. My evaluation wasn’t that those players couldn’t play; it was that, relative to my board, the value didn’t line up (and I wasn’t a huge fan of Smith coming out of Michigan).
And yet, whether that class ultimately succeeded hinged far more on variables Dallas controlled — like how those players were developed regardless of where I had them slotted before the draft — and variables it didn’t.
That’s the balancing act. Draft grades measure process, not outcome.
And even when the process looks questionable, it can still work. The Rams were a perfect example. In 2021, I graded their class dead last largely because, in a group headlined by second-round pick Tutu Atwell, the value didn’t align with my draft grades; I had Atwell as a mid-fourth-rounder.
This is where it’s worth reiterating a few things: I’m one person evaluating these players throughout the pre-draft process — from the previous summer through last-minute 30 visits. I talk to league sources and gather intel on injuries and off-field concerns.
But I’m not in draft meetings. I’m not building a roster. I’m not operating with team-specific needs. The Rams were. And the fact that some guy named Ryan Wilson disagreed probably didn’t cause them to lose any sleep.
R2.25. Tutu Atwell, WR, Louisville (4.15)
R3.39. Ernest Jones, LB, South Carolina (5.15)
R4.12. Bobby Brown III, DT, Texas A&M (4.24)
R4.25. Robert Rochell, CB, Central Arkansas (4.25)
R4.36. Jacob Harris, WR, UCF (5.29)
R5.30. Earnest Brown IV, DE, Northwestern (7.15)
R7.05. Jake Funk, RB, Maryland (UDFA)
R7.21. Ben Skowronek, WR, Notre Dame (7.15)
R7.24. Chris Garrett, LB, Concordia University St Paul (UDFA)
But a couple of years later, that same organization found Puka Nacua in the fifth round of the 2023 draft, along with starters and contributors Steve Avila, Kobie Turner, Byron Young, Warren McClendon and Davis Allen. (I ranked the Rams’ class 10th-best in 2023.) The narrative shifts — not because the grading process was wrong, but because development, usage and organizational context filled in the gaps.
What five years of draft grades reveal
In the table below, you’ll see my post-draft ranking for every team from 2021-2025. You’ll also see, in the last two columns, each team’s winning percentage from 2022-23 and 2024-25.
It’s an effort to capture whether there’s any discernible relationship between a good (or bad) draft class and a better (or worse) record in the season or two that follows.
| TEAM | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Avg. Rank (2021-25) | 2022-23 Win % | 2024-25 Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 2 | 2 | 22 | 4 | 16 | 9.2 | 23.5% | 32.4% |
| Chiefs | 8 | 6 | 25 | 6 | 10 | 11.0 | 73.5% | 61.8% |
| Eagles | 6 | 3 | 9 | 19 | 21 | 11.6 | 73.5% | 73.5% |
| Steelers | 11 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 25 | 13.0 | 55.9% | 58.8% |
| Giants | 9 | 29 | 3 | 17 | 8 | 13.2 | 45.6% | 20.6% |
| Bills | 7 | 31 | 18 | 10 | 1 | 13.4 | 72.7% | 73.5% |
| Bears | 5 | 24 | 14 | 1 | 23 | 13.4 | 29.4% | 47.1% |
| Seahawks | 12 | 4 | 29 | 8 | 17 | 14.0 | 52.9% | 70.6% |
| Panthers | 10 | 1 | 27 | 21 | 11 | 14.0 | 26.5% | 38.2% |
| 49ers | 23 | 17 | 4 | 22 | 5 | 14.2 | 73.5% | 52.9% |
| Lions | 4 | 5 | 21 | 18 | 24 | 14.4 | 61.8% | 70.6% |
| Colts | 24 | 22 | 2 | 7 | 20 | 15.0 | 39.7% | 47.1% |
| Ravens | 31 | 11 | 19 | 5 | 9 | 15.0 | 67.6% | 58.8% |
| Raiders | 28 | 8 | 8 | 28 | 3 | 15.0 | 41.2% | 20.6% |
| Jaguars | 22 | 10 | 11 | 27 | 6 | 15.2 | 52.9% | 50.0% |
| Dolphins | 18 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 15.6 | 58.8% | 44.1% |
| Packers | 25 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 29 | 16.0 | 50.0% | 60.3% |
| Commanders | 20 | 21 | 23 | 2 | 15 | 16.2 | 36.8% | 50.0% |
| Falcons | 19 | 12 | 15 | 32 | 4 | 16.4 | 41.2% | 47.1% |
| Titans | 17 | 16 | 16 | 31 | 2 | 16.4 | 38.2% | 17.6% |
| Broncos | 3 | 28 | 6 | 26 | 28 | 18.2 | 38.2% | 70.6% |
| Jets | 14 | 9 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 19.6 | 41.2% | 23.5% |
| Browns | 13 | 20 | 7 | 29 | 31 | 20.0 | 52.9% | 23.5% |
| Chargers | 26 | 27 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 20.2 | 44.1% | 64.7% |
| Saints | 27 | 13 | 26 | 13 | 22 | 20.2 | 47.1% | 32.4% |
| Buccaneers | 29 | 32 | 17 | 11 | 12 | 20.2 | 50.0% | 52.9% |
| Vikings | 15 | 19 | 28 | 12 | 27 | 20.2 | 58.8% | 67.6% |
| Patriots | 1 | 26 | 30 | 30 | 14 | 20.2 | 35.3% | 52.9% |
| Rams | 32 | 23 | 10 | 9 | 30 | 20.8 | 44.1% | 64.7% |
| Cowboys | 30 | 14 | 32 | 23 | 7 | 21.2 | 70.6% | 42.6% |
| Texans | 21 | 18 | 31 | 24 | 13 | 21.4 | 39.7% | 64.7% |
| Bengals | 16 | 30 | 20 | 20 | 32 | 23.6 | 63.6% | 44.1% |
My draft grades for some teams, like the Dolphins, were neither spectacular nor disastrous; in the last six years, I never had Miami higher than 12th or lower than 20th.
Others, like the Patriots, had wild swings from No. 1 in 2021 to 30th in 2023 and 2024. Those shifts don’t solely reflect talent evaluation; they reflect philosophical shifts, risk tolerance and, at times, organizational instability.
And then there’s the myth that one great draft can fix everything, that a team is “one class away.” I’ve had teams like the Raiders or Titans with top-tier classes in recent years. (Las Vegas ranked eighth in both 2022 and 2023 and third in 2025 and 2026; Tennessee was second in 2025 and seventh in 2026.)
And yet they were still objectively bad football teams based on their records. The missing pieces weren’t talent alone; they were organizational alignment, quarterback play, coaching continuity and health.
And that brings me back to the core limitation of draft grades: I’m evaluating decisions as if every team is starting from the same place. They’re not.
Quarterbacks and context change everything
The NFL doesn’t stop once the draft ends. Rosters are ever-evolving, sometimes dramatically, between then and Week 1, and even more so over the next two or three seasons. Coaching staffs change. Schemes shift. Quarterbacks develop or regress. Injuries happen.
And those variables — the ones that actually determine success on Sundays — are largely unknowable at the time I’m handing out grades.
That’s why it’s both fun and instructive to look a little deeper. In searching for any correlation between my draft grades in one year and winning percentage over the next two seasons … well, it’s nonexistent. There is no correlation. None.
In other words, how a team “did” in April has very little immediate connection to how it performs in the fall.
That could be a function of my draft grades being off, which is fair. But anecdotally, I’d imagine most draft grades aren’t all that dissimilar because, at the end of the day, if a team fills needs with generally agreed-upon players taken in a certain range, it’s hard not to give that draft a thumbs up.
But I don’t think that’s an indictment of the grading process; it’s a reflection of how complex team building really is. You can see this more clearly when looking at individual teams.
I gave the Eagles, for example, strong draft grades early in the window (they had top-six classes in both 2021 and 2022), yet they remained dominant even as their grades fluctuated in subsequent years, winning 73.5% of their games from 2022-23 and 2024-25. Their success wasn’t tied to any single draft; it was the result of hitting on a quarterback, building along both lines, supplementing through free agency and maintaining organizational continuity.
Even within those strong classes, the limits of this exercise show up. Drafting DeVonta Smith and Landon Dickerson made perfect sense on paper in 2021 — elite talent at premium positions — but whether that class ultimately “hit” had less to do with those April decisions and more to do with how those players developed, how they were deployed and how the roster evolved around them.
I say it all the time: Put Patrick Mahomes on the Browns and let’s see how many Super Bowls he has. Cleveland took Myles Garrett No. 1 overall that year, and Garrett is one of the best players in the league and a likely future Hall of Famer. He’s also won one playoff game in nine seasons and has been part of teams that won five, three and zero games in a season. It’s an oversimplification, but that’s the point.
On the other side, teams like the Raiders and Titans illustrate the opposite dynamic. Even though I had both near the top in recent years, they’ve struggled badly in the standings, with win percentages hovering around 20% or worse in the 2024-25 window.
If draft grades were directly predictive, those teams should have been on the rise. Instead, they fell apart, which highlights an important truth: Acquiring talent is only one piece of the puzzle.
Quarterback play, in particular, distorts everything.
Teams like the Bills and Chiefs prove it. Despite draft grades all over the map, both franchises win consistently. The Chiefs, for example, followed an all-time great 2022 class — Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis, Isiah Pacheco, Jaylen Watson, Bryan Cook and Leo Chenal — with a much shakier 2023 haul that included Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Rashee Rice and Wanya Morris, a group that hasn’t come close to matching that impact for one reason or another.
And yet, Kansas City keeps winning.
The Bills tell a similar story: Their 2024 class, led by Keon Coleman, hasn’t delivered early returns, especially compared to a strong 2022 group that produced James Cook, Khalil Shakir, Christian Benford and Terrel Bernard after missing on Kaiir Elam in Round 1. But none of that has fundamentally altered their place in the standings.
The presence of a franchise quarterback raises the floor so dramatically that draft outcomes become marginal gains rather than existential turning points. When that position is stable, a “bad” draft rarely derails a season. When there is no franchise QB to lean on, however, even a “great” draft can’t save one.
Draft grades are useful — if we use them correctly
These grades, no matter how detailed, come from a single perspective — mine. My board, my positional values, my interpretation of traits and production. That doesn’t make them wrong, but it does mean they aren’t definitive.
Every evaluator has biases. Maybe you value route-running nuance over raw athleticism. Maybe you prioritize trench play more than others. Maybe you’re more skeptical of certain positions or archetypes. Those preferences shape how you see a class — and how you grade it. That holds true for me and my process, too.
Meanwhile, NFL teams are operating with entirely different information: medical reports, interviews, psychological profiles, probabilistic models, AI and scheme-specific requirements. What looks like a “reach” from the outside might be a perfect fit internally.
So when I assign a grade, I’m not declaring a universal truth about draft philosophy. I’m offering an informed opinion rooted in my process and based on my sources. It’s a data point, not a verdict.
And over time, those data points still matter.
They reveal patterns. They show which teams consistently align with sound process, which ones chase need over value, which ones deviate from their own tendencies. They highlight discipline — or lack thereof. When I layer those observations across multiple years, they offer a peek into organizational behavior.
What draft grades can’t do is predict wins and losses. There are too many variables. Scheme changes can redefine roles. Development paths diverge. Coaches get fired. And injuries can undo it all. For me, the lesson isn’t that draft grades are useless. It’s that they need to be contextualized.
They are snapshots of belief — a record of what we thought we knew, what teams appeared to value and how those decisions aligned with my evaluations and big board. They capture intent more than outcome.
And when we revisit them years later, they become something more meaningful. Not a scoreboard, but a lens. A way to examine process, question assumptions and better understand how unpredictable the path from draft weekend to on-field success really is.
So yes, draft grades are, in many ways, silly. They’re immediate, imperfect and often proven wrong over time. But they’re also insightful — not because they predict the future, but because they reveal how we try to make sense of it.
Sports
Manchester United Could Intensify Their Efforts To Sign This AC Milan Winger: Good Fit For Carrick?
In a recent report, Calciomercato stated that Manchester United could intensify their efforts to sign AC Milan winger Rafeal Leao. It has been mentioned that the Red Devils are eyeing a move to secure the services of the Portuguese wide player this off-season.
Leao’s Impressive Form In Serie A
Leao is having a productive campaign at the Italian club as he has managed to put in a run of impressive displays for them in Serie A. The 26-year-old has netted ten goals and secured three assists in 28 matches for AC Milan this season across all competitions.
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The Portuguese talent is currently among the most feared wingers in Serie A. Hence, Man United would do well to lure him to the Theatre of Dreams in this summer transfer window.
His current contract at Old Trafford will run out in the summer of 2028, which could make it difficult for the Red Devils to sign him on the cheap later this year.
MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 26: Rafael Leao of AC Milan reacts during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Juventus FC at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on April 26, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Will Leao Be A Good Fit For Manchester United?
Leao is a good dribbler with the ball at his feet and has got the vision to engineer some decent chances for his teammates in the final third.
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The Portuguese sensation is proficient at finding a yard of space for himself to get some strikes in at goal. Leao is primarily a left-sided wide player but can also function as a centre-forward if asked to do so. However, there are some question marks over whether he can adapt to the physical side and high intensity of the Premier League if the Red Devils to snap him up later this year.
We can expect Leao to add more firepower to Man United boss Michael Carrick’s frontline. He has what it takes to fight for a regular first-team spot at Old Trafford in the coming seasons.
At 26, Leao has got his peak years ahead of him, which makes him a decent fit for the Red Devils to consider in this summer transfer window. With all things considered, Carrick would be wise to go all out to bring him to the Theatre of Dreams at the end of this campaign. However, Man United have to be patient with his progress before they can get the best out of Leao at the Mancunian club.
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Drama! Kopek Des Bordes exits at the second-last (seems to be OK) & Salvator Mundi picks up the pieces in G1 under Harry Cobden
“We probably got a little bit lucky.”

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