Good Morning, Stumpers!

Last night was a very odd NFL Draft, I’m not really sure there’s many other ways to describe it. Either way, there’s another 6 round of fireworks to go. We’ll give our instant reactions to the first round in our highlighted story of the day. While the draft was rolling, we also had the NBA Playoffs going on in the background and it was a wild night. That’s just a SMALL taste of all the good stuff you’ll get in today’s Friday edition of The Daily Stump.

Today’s Rundown

What’s in today’s edition?

• 🏈 NFL Draft Round 1 Reactions

• 🏀 NBA Playoffs Notes

• 🐍 Kobe Jersey Sells for $7 Million

• 🏆️ Evan Mobley Takes Home Defensive Player of Year Award

On This Day

On This Day…

💥 Some Names Get Called

The NFL Draft is really a who’s who of elite NFL players, big time busts, and guys who you forget were high picks. It’s one of the most unique things in sport, every team thinks they “won” the draft, but really, it’s rare that you ACTUALLY get what you think you’re getting.

On this day in NFL history, four players heard their names called as the first pick of their respective NFL Draft Days.

1993: Washington State QB Drew Bledsoe was the first pick of the draft by the New England Patriots. He’s most famous for being the guy Tom Brady took over for.

2009: Georgia QB Matthew Stafford was the first pick by the Detroit Lions. An NFL legend, Stafford still plays in the league and was the face of Detroit sports for years.

2013: Central Michigan OT Eric Fisher was the first pick by KC Chiefs. He was a solid player for plenty of years, but never quite elite.

2019: Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray was the first pick by the Arizona Cardinals. The jury is still out on this one, we’ve seen flashes.

Today’s Trivia

🧠 Test your sports knowledge…

Yesterday’s Trivia Answer: B. No! Sheduer FELLLLLLLL. When there is smoke, there is fire.

Before We Dive In…

👀 Yesterday’s Must See’s

• 🧀 Matthew Golden had the Packers faithful JUICED UP

• 🥳 Emeka Egbuka was HYPED after his named was called

• 🔥 EVERYTHING was falling for the Grizzlies in the first half

• 🏒 Simon Benoit wins it in OT for the Maple Leafs

🔍️ Stump Spotlight

DRAFT. DAY.

🔥 Our Hot of the Press Reactions

Cleveland pulls a Cleveland… or did they?: The obvious selection for Cleveland at No. 2 overall was Travis Hunter, far and away the top prospect in this draft. But instead, the Browns moved back to #5 in a trade with the Jaguars, who went up and got their guy. The Browns selected Michigan DT Mason Graham instead, solidifying their defensive line and bringing Myles Garrett some much needed help. To me, the Browns got a deal they couldn’t refuse from Jax in the form of some really strong picks, including a 2026 1st Round Pick. With the QB crop being MUCH more fruitful next year, this positions the Browns to be a buyer next season. There is a LOT of holes on this Browns roster, and like it or not, Travis Hunter was NOT going to be the answer to the future of this franchise.

Two guys who fell to the perfect places: There’s always some guys who fall in the draft for one reason or the other, or maybe no reason at all. This year, that comes in the form of the 14th and 15th pick in the draft. The Colts needed a TE bad, and they got a franchise guy in Penn State star Tyler Warren, who was expected to go 7th to the Jets or 10th to the Bears. The very next pick, the Atlanta Falcons kept Georgia defensive stud Jalon Walker in state. Walker was projected to go as high as a top-5 pick, but fell all the way to 15. These squads got steals.

When there’s smoke, there’s fire: The Shedeur Sanders story got more and more odd as we got closer to the draft, and that oddness reared its ugly head on draft night. Sanders, who was many people’s top rated QB in the draft, has officially fallen out of the first round. When Sanders didn’t go ninth to the New Orleans Saints, it was kind of known he would fall a little. But when Sanders was passed on by the Steelers at 21, things started to really get concerning for the Sanders camp. I won’t sit here and pretend like I know why he fell, but I reckon it has to do something with the media spotlight he would draw and the question marks surrounding what Deion’s role would look like, cause we all know he isn’t someone to hold back his opinion. Think Johnny Manziel and his fall in the draft. Obviously, none of this means that Sanders won’t be a great NFL QB, but it does mean one thing: when there’s question marks, NFL GMs aren’t willing to risk their jobs on it.

Word of the night — Patience — Until it Wasn’t: There was only one trade all night along until the 25th pick came around. Teams were just waiting for their turn, being patient, letting the board come to them. Then, chaos ensued. The Giants traded into the first round and snagged their QB of the future. No, not Sanders. Jaxson Dart. There was SO much smoke around which QB the Giants would take, if they even took one. Dart rose up draft boards throughout the last couple of weeks, and it’s clear that the Giants wanted Dart over Sanders because of his mobility and arm strength. Then, the Falcons jumped into the very next pick via trade, selecting James Pearce Jr., arguably the top pass rusher in the draft, not named Abdul Carter, after racking up 13.5 sacks last season. Everyone was shocked when the Falcons passed on a defensive lineman with their first pick of the draft, but they got their guy with the 26th pick.

The Hot Stove

🏆️ Cavs’ Mobley Takes Home DPOY

For NBA casuals, you may not even really know who Evan Mobley is. But soon, you will, he’s making sure of it. Evan Mobley beat out Warriors’ Draymond Green and Dyson Daniels of the Atlanta Hawks. He becomes the first Cavalier to win this award after a season full of lockdown defensive plays, big time blocks, and showing his wide array of defensive skills. Mobley, despite his massive 7 foot frame, has shown time and time again that he can guard all 5 positions on the court, seamlessly switching onto smaller players and refusing to be outdone. A vital piece of the Cavs core, Mobley has had a breakthrough year, averaging 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1 steal, and 1.6 blocks on the season. Mobley is expected to be named to his first All-NBA team this year, cementing his status as one of the best in the league. While this is all fine and dandy, I’m sure Mobley has his eyes set on bigger things, perhaps like making a run to the NBA Finals.

🐍 Kobe Jersey Sells for $7 Million

There’s not many players in the history of sports that will move the needle more than Kobe Bryant, and that was true again yesterday. A jersey that was photo-matched to seven games in Kobe Bryant’s 1996-97 rookie season for the Lakers — including his preseason debut, regular season debut, and NBA media day — sold for $7 million at auction yesterday. The jersey was last sold at auction in 2012, but sold for only $115,242. This time around, it set a new record for any Bryant sports collectible, eclipsing the $5.85 million spent on a game-worn, signed jersey from his 2007-08 MVP year. The jersey is the fourth-most expensive game-worn sports jersey of all time behind Babe Ruth’s $24 million jersey, Jordan’s $10.1 million “Last Dance” jersey, and Diego Maradona $9.3 million “Hand of God” Argentina uniform from the 1986 FIFA World Cup. Leave it to Kobe Bryant to move the needle.

🏀 NBA Playoffs - CINEMA

Knicks def. Pistons, 118-116 (NYK Leads 2-1): The Knicks went on the road and did what they were supposed to do as a 3 seed! KAT and Jalen Brunson each had 30 points as well as 20-pieces from OG and Bridges! It was a full fledged affair to help lead the Knicks to victory! Detroit will no doubt come out with a sense of urgency in Game 4!

Thunder def. Grizzlies, 114-108 (OKC Leads 3-0): Man. What can’t this thunder team do?! How about a 29-point comeback for ya. The Grizzlies came out like a team possessed in the first half, and then it all flipped when they were cursed by the God of Thunder! OKC is a wagon!

Clippers def. Nuggets, 117-83 (LAC Leads 2-1): This was the least exciting game of the night. My guess is the NBA scriptwriters asked both teams to chalk this one as a blowout because of the fact that the game was on NBA TV. Nugs will prob comeback and make it 2-2 (maybe, hopefully) and then we’ll have a series. Ugly game!

⬇️ Quick Links

• 🤕 Tatum doubtful for game 3

• 🤝 Bucks and GM Jon Horst reach extension

• 🤔 Jaguars think Hunter can “change the game”

• 🤲 USC recruit, NBA son Arenas in induced coma after crash

What To Watch

🏀 NBA Playoffs - Round One

• NBAtv: Pacers @ Bucks (8:00 PM)

• TNT: Celtics @ Magic (7:00 PM), Lakers @ Timberwolves (9:30 PM)

⚾️ Major League Baseball

• MLB Network: Phillies @ Cubs (2:20 PM), Orioles @ Tigers (6:40 PM), Braves @ Diamondbacks (9:40 PM)

• More To Watch: Mets @ Nationals (6:45 PM), Red Sox @ Guardians (7:10 PM), Angels @ Twins (7:40 PM), Pirates @ Dodgers (10:10 PM), full schedule

🏒 NHL Playoffs

• ESPN+: Capitals @ Canadiens (7:00 PM), Kings @ Oilers (10:00 PM)

• TBS: Hurricanes @ Devils (8:00 PM)

⚽️ Soccer

• NWSL: Houston Dash vs Utah Royals (8:00 PM), Orlando Pride vs Angel City (8:00 PM on PRIME)

• Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germaine (2:45 PM)

⛳️ Zurich Classic of New Orleans is LIVE from the great state of Louisiana and TPC Louisiana in Avondale, LA! Day TWO!

The Moment You’ve Been Waiting For

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