The NFL draft is upon us this week, and several players from the West will hear their names called over the three-day event.

This year’s Draft will be held in Pittsburgh, PA, and runs from April 23–25. It will be broadcast on NFL Network, ESPN, ABC, and ESPN Deportes.

Coverage starts at 5 p.m. PT on Thursday, and continues at 4 p.m. on Friday, and at noon on Saturday. Streaming is available on NFL+, ESPN App, Hulu, and Disney+

Here we take a closer look at some of the players who will get selected, as well as some who may latch onto an NFL team as a preferred undrafted free agent (UDFA).

writes about various topics for SuperWest sports, including stats and records, college sports, and motorsports. He also founded and runs the Sports and Entertainment Research Center (SERC).

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With 13 medals between them, Alex ‘Tattie’ Marshall and Paul Foster headline the Scottish bowls team for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer.

The vastly experienced duo will team up in the men’s pairs event, which they won at Glasgow 2014.

On his eighth Games selection, Marshall, who has seven medals in his collection, said: “It is always such an honour and privilege to be selected to represent Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games.

“To have another opportunity to be a part of a home Games is also not lost on me, and I know that Paul and I will give it our very best to try and win a medal for the team.”

Marshall’s niece Beth Riva, who won 2025 World Championship mixed pairs with Jason Banks last year, will join Caroline Brown in the women’s pairs.

Banks will also make his Team Scotland debut in the singles event.

For the first time in Games history, all of the bowls and para bowls will be played indoors at the SEC Centre.

In the para team, Pauline Wilson, Garry Brown, Robert Barr and his director Sarah Jane Ewing are all aiming for repeat golds after topping the podium at Birmingham 2022.

You won’t have a problem finding an NFL mock draft this week, but hardly any directly connect the Minnesota Vikings to Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. The draft’s top playmaker is expected to fly off the board in the Top 8 on Thursday night, but according to CBS Sports, there’s a slight chance he slides to No. 9, where the Vikings could trade up to get him.

This is the dream mock draft and trade for Vikings fans.

Of course, the theory is a long shot, but Love in purple would change everything.

Love, in Theory, Would Be a Home Run for the Vikings

How much would you trade to get Love?

Tom Fornelli: Vikings Trade, Grab Love at Pick No. 9

Fornelli didn’t disclose the trade details — more on that in a minute — but he did theorize a swap between the Kansas City Chiefs and Kevin O’Connell’s team.

He explained Love to Minnesota, “Love may not go fourth overall, but his slide ends here. The Vikings have a need at running back and nine picks in this draft. Rather than sitting back and hoping he falls, they get aggressive and snap him up.”

Fornelli later picked Tyson for Kansas City at No. 18: “After moving down from No. 9, the Chiefs are still able to land a WR who can be a difference-maker in Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson.”

And there you have it: Love to Minnesota, and Tyson to Kansas City, per Fornelli.

The Trade Price

The problem, so to speak, is that trading up to Pick No. 9 is still pretty damn expensive. Here’s a look at what the trade might look like, though Fornelli didn’t offer specifics:

Losing the 2nd-Rounder will hurt, as Minnesota has one of the NFL’s oldest rosters entering the draft and needs all the young picks it can get to fix that. For Love, though, he might ease the pain.

Love’s Skill Set

An exceptional prospect, Love stands at 6’0″ and 214 pounds with verified 4.36 speed — a profile that immediately jumps out as a playmaker with staying power in the big leagues. Over his last two seasons at Notre Dame, he amassed 2,497 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns, adding five more scores through the air. ESPN ranks him as the top player in the class.

CBS Sports‘ Dave Richard on Love: “Does he resemble Travis Etienne Jr.? Yes, but he’s a bit bulkier and clearly stronger. Does he run wild like Jahmyr Gibbs? Sure, but he’s not as polished a pass catcher as Gibbs was coming out of college. He could eventually reach that level, but the better comp for Love is Clinton Portis — a smaller running back with blazing speed, underrated physicality and good hands.”

“Love is a fantastic runner with a skill set that gives him the potential to be a three-down back as soon as his rookie year. Whether a coaching staff actually gives him that workload remains to be seen, but if he’s an early Round 1 pick, it’s easy to justify. Love deserves that kind of role because of his unique explosiveness and speed, especially when paired with the physicality he’s capable of playing with — and still improving.”

The Vikings haven’t drafted a running back in Round 1 since Adrian Peterson, nearly 20 years ago.

Richard added, “Working in an offense built on zone-scheme runs would only enhance his upside. It wouldn’t be surprising if Love becomes one of the league’s top running backs, much like former early Round 1 picks Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs.”

Actual Suitors for Love

All things considered, the Love angle for the Vikings is a pipe dream. He won’t make it past the first seven picks. He’s that dynamic.

In all likelihood, he’ll end up with one of these teams:

• Tennessee Titans (Pick No. 4)
• New York Giants (Pick No. 5 or 10)
• Washington Commanders (Pick No. 7)

The Arizona Cardinals, too, at Pick No. 3 could swerve and nab him. CBS Sports‘ Brad Crawford noted Monday, “The Arizona Cardinals are considering selecting Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love at No. 3 overall in this week’s NFL Draft if the franchise is unable to trade down and acquire more picks, per ESPN — an unexpected early shockwave that could have ripple effects within the top 10.”

“Saquon Barkley was the last running back to go inside the top five in 2018 and, like Love, was considered a transcendent prospect at the position. Love’s versatility separates him from others in this cycle — a legitimate weapon in the passing game who can turn check-downs into chunk plays as a multi-dimensional threat.”

Here’s to hoping that Love tumbles down the board and somehow lands in Minnesota. It would reshape Vikings football for the next half-decade.

For years, Stephen A. Smith’s many football blunders have been easy enough to explain away.

He’s not an NFL guy (remember when he said the three key players for a game were three guys who weren’t playing in the game?)

Stephen A. Smith falsely claimed the Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since 2022, but Golden State reached the second round in both 2023 and 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)

He’s definitely not a college football guy (remember when he called Jalen Milroe Jalen “Milroy” multiple times and then read the wrong stat line after a College Football Playoff game?).

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ESPN forces him into those conversations because First Take has to talk football, and Smith knows that football is the most popular sport in the country and he needs to be seen as an authority (even though he isn’t).

But Monday’s latest mistake is a lot tougher to excuse, because this time Smith wasn’t talking about the NFL or college football. He was talking about the Golden State Warriors, one of the defining NBA dynasties of the last decade.

In other words, he was talking about the sport and the league that’s supposed to be his bread and butter.

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While discussing whether Steve Kerr has coached his last game with Golden State, Smith confidently stated the Warriors “haven’t been back to the playoffs since that championship in 2022.”

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr looks on during a game against the Sacramento Kings. (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)

That’s not even close to true. Not only did Golden State make the playoffs last season, but they also reached the postseason in 2023. Last year, the Warriors made the playoffs, beat the Rockets in seven games and advanced to the second round before losing to the Timberwolves. In 2023, they beat the Sacramento Kings in the first round and before losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.

So, Smith wouldn’t even have been right if he said they haven’t won a playoff series since 2022. But he didn’t say that. He said they didn’t make the playoffs in any of the past four years, except they did it twice.

Yikes.

This is not an obscure piece of NBA trivia that Smith could be easily forgiven for not knowing. Perhaps he was too busy playing solitaire on his phone and just missed two of the past three NBA postseasons. That’s a tough look for the guy who fancies himself as the No. 1 NBA analyst in the country.

And it’s a terrible look for ESPN, as they keep selling Smith as one of the faces of their NBA coverage.

Stephen A. Smith made a brutal gaffe while talking Warriors playoff history

If Smith made this kind of mistake while talking about the NFL, nobody would be shocked. At this point, sports fans practically expect him to butcher football analysis. It’s almost endearing that a guy with the ego of Smith can be so consistently wrong while also delivering every “fact” with the utmost confidence. It’s part of the Stephen A. experience.

But this one hits differently because the NBA is where he’s supposed to at least know the basics. This is where Smith prides himself as being an authority figure.

Stephen A. Smith incorrectly stated the Golden State Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since their 2022 championship, despite the team reaching the postseason twice since then. (Candice Ward/Imagn Images)

And yet he couldn’t keep the recent playoff history of the Warriors straight. The team whose head coach is in the news every other week. The team that has won four championships since 2014. Arguably one of the most important franchises in the NBA over the past 15 years.

Yes, Golden State missed the playoffs in 2024 after getting bounced in the Play-In Tournament (although they won 46 games that season). And yes, it fell short again this season. But that’s a lot different from acting like Steve Kerr has spent four years wandering the basketball wilderness since winning that 2022 title.

He hasn’t. In fact, the team is 175-153 in the past four regular seasons.

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The Warriors made the second round in 2023. They made the second round again in 2025.

Before burying Steve Kerr on national television, maybe Stephen A. Smith could take 10 seconds to confirm whether the Warriors were actually, you know, in the playoffs.

Moses Itauma is fast becoming one of the most exciting fighters in the sport and the Kent-based phenomenon looks set to be mandated for a shot at the heavyweight throne.

Itauma has fought on 14 occasions since his 2023 debut and has rose into title contention with wins over Demsey McKean, Mike Balogun, Dillian Whyte and, most recently, Jermaine Franklin Jr – who he halted after five rounds of action last month.

In the post-fight interview following that win, promoter Frank Warren unveiled plans for Itauma to return to action in July and then challenge for the heavyweight crown at the end of the calendar year.

Currently, the WBA route seems to be the most likely option, especially if Oleksandr Usyk chooses to vacate or is stripped of the title and reigning WBA Regular champion Murat Gassiev is elevated to full world champion.

Alternatively, the IBF title is another that Usyk may either relinquish or lose; consequently meaning that the winner of Frank Sanchez versus Richard Torrez Jr. could either be upgraded or positioned for a vacant title shot.

Yet, despite fans’ demand for a clash between Itauma and Usyk, it seems as though he could attempt to dethrone a different reigning champion, due to his ranking as the number one contender with the WBO.

Speaking to ThaBoxingVoice, WBO President Gustavo Olivieri revealed that Itauma is likely to be named as their mandatory challenger and ordered for a shot at the victor of Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois.

“In light of Moses’ recent victory, against a well-rated contender in Franklin, I will formally recommend that he be designated as the mandatory challenger of the heavyweight division in the WBO.

“If they [the committee] vote, which I presume and expect that that is going to be the vote, Moses will be designated as the mandatory. Now, the question is, when will the mandatory be enforced, in other words, called?

“That remains to be seen; it could be called immediately after the Wardley-Dubois fight or thereafter, that is a discussion that the committee has.”

Current champion Wardley and Itauma train out of the same gym, and Wardley has said that the only situation in which a fight between them would become a serious conversation is if they held all the belts and could fight for undisputed. Should he beat Dubois, fans can expect Itauma to pursue one of the other titles.

However, if Dubois becomes a two-time champion on May 9 by beating Wardley, there is nothing standing in the way of Itauma looking to enforce his mandatory position.