Latest news with #WiththeFirstPick
NBC Sports
10-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Aidan Hutchinson: I'm exactly where I need to be coming off of injury
Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson said in May that he was fully cleared to return from the broken leg that ended his 2024 season after five games and that announcement marked the end of a long rehabilitation process. During a recent appearance on the With the First Pick podcast, Hutchinson was asked if going through that rehab left him feeling as prepared for the coming season as he did going into his first three years with the Lions. 'I'm exactly where I need to be,' Hutchinson said. 'Every year I've been able to improve on my own physical attributes along with the mental ones, so I feel like every year I take a step. Despite having that rehab this offseason, I feel like I'm in the perfect spot and exactly where I need to be going into Year 4.' Hutchinson became eligible for a contract extension this offseason, but has not signed one yet. Showing that he hasn't missed a beat because of the injury would be a good way of assuring that a big one comes his way sooner rather than later.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Lauds Ant Edwards' Work
Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Lauds Ant Edwards' Work originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Anthony Edwards has become well-known for working hard in the offseason. It has been the key to his personal growth over the years, as evidenced by his development from a non-shooter to the most prolific three-point shooter in the 2024-25 season. Advertisement Before the 2025 Playoffs ended, Edwards vowed that he would work hard in the offseason. He is delivering on that promise by working out alongside the NFL's Minnesota Vikings in the offseason. Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images The Timberwolves are in for a massive 2025 offseason. This involves significant Kevin Durant trade rumors moving to Minnesota, but that has not taken away from Edwards' hard work behind the scenes. Most people are not aware of what Edwards does during the offseason. However, the Minnesota Vikings' general manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, has revealed that Edwards is working with the NFL team during his offseason from the NBA. Advertisement Related: Paul George Sends Strong Message About What Anthony Edwards Must Improve On Adofo-Mensah Is In Awe Of Edwards' Work Ethic Everyone in the state of Minnesota will know Anthony Edwards because he is the best player on the Timberwolves. He is proud to represent the state, and he is doing well as one of the best players in the NBA. Despite his bombastic nature, Edwards is quite a humble player. He loves giving his teammates credit for wins, even though he had the standout performance. After the Timberwolves' loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, he vowed that he would work harder than anyone else. That is happening with his workouts with the Vikings, as Adofo-Mensah detailed. The Vikings' general manager shared some insights about Edwards during an interview with CBS. Advertisement "You know what? Anthony Edwards just came through yesterday. He was doing some offseason work. In person, for him to move like that, not until you walk up to him, you won't notice how big he is," Adolfo-Mensah said on CBS' With the First Pick podcast. "He would be pretty interesting as a big-bodied wide receiver, maybe an H-back. He's a talented athlete, and it was so cool to see him up close. He had the same type of personality that Justin (Jefferson) had." Edwards Is Locked In For The NBA 2025-26 Season With the Timberwolves offseason in full swing, the players have nothing to do but work hard and relax during their downtime. They are watching the NBA Finals between the Thunder and the Indiana Pacers, which will serve as their motivation. The Thunder had a resounding victory over them, so they are ensuring that won't happen again. Of course, the Timberwolves front office must step up and help the team, but the players will also do their best to work hard and improve their game. Advertisement Edwards is one of those players because he is the superstar, but he still needs some work on his game. He could be more diverse with his offense. There is so much room left to grow for Edwards, and he is doing everything he can to close the gap between the Timberwolves and the Thunder. Related: Anthony Edwards Hailed As A Potential Top-100 Player Ever By Gilbert Arenas This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
18-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Mock draft watch: Breaking down CBS Sports 'Build the Perfect Draft' for the Lions
Mock draft watch: Breaking down CBS Sports 'Build the Perfect Draft' for the Lions The CBS Sports "With the First Pick" podcast crew offered up their "perfect" 7-round Lions mock draft. How did they do? It's always good to get some outside perspectives on the Detroit Lions and what they might do in the 2025 NFL Draft. The well-credentialed "With the First Pick" podcast on CBS Sports offered its insight on what Detroit might do. In their team-by-team "Build the Perfect Draft" series of seven-round mock drafts, CBS Sports analysts Ryan Wilson and Chris Trapasso tackled the Lions with a little under a week to go. The duo sort of painted by numbers in terms of picking out a position of need ahead of the actual player for each round and then finding players who fit. It's sort of the opposite approach of how Brad Holmes and the Lions go about their business, yet the picks here do a pretty good job of identifying Lions fits. Here's what they chose: 1st: Tyler Booker, OG, Alabama. The choice here went against their stated desire to bolster the defense, and it's because of positional scarcity; the DL and EDGE group is quite a bit deeper than the interior OL, notes Trapasso, and Booker's stylistic fit in Detroit is easy to see. The Lions do need a ready-to-roll guard. 2nd: C.J. West, DT, Indiana. Chosen after discussions about Shemar Turner and Omar Norman-Lott, this is quite a bit earlier than West is generally projected. Both Wilson and Trapasso compared him to Lions star Alim McNeill, and this is the range where McNeill was selected too. 3rd: Femi Oladejo, EDGE, UCLA. Trapasso smartly notes the similarity between Oladejo and Tampa Bay's Yaya Diaby, a late convert to pass rusher who has become a good NFL pass rusher--and did so under new Lions DL coach Kacy Rodgers. My personal take: flip Oladejo into the 2nd and drop West to this third-round spot and it seems more realistic. 4th: Tory Horton, WR, Colorado State. Wilson talked up his physicality on the outside and how well he handled being the focal point of the CSU offense before being hurt. 6th: Jordan Hancock, S, Ohio State. They looked hard for a safety who can feasibly play in the slot as well as split-safety looks, and settled on Hancock over a few other candidates who were more box-safety types. 7th: Fadil Diggs, EDGE, Syracuse. "No Lions fan would be upset with double-dipping at EDGE", notes Trapasso, and Wilson points out Diggs' impressive size and pass-rush style as a fit. 7th: Moliki Matavao, TE, UCLA. Solid TE3/TE4 prospect who can block fairly well and offers upside as a receiver. They only looked at TE here despite striving to land "best player available". Overall, this wound up being a draft that most Lions fans could embrace, even if it unfolded a little unconventionally.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Top pass rusher falls to Jaguars in CBS Sports 2025 NFL mock draft
A potential No. 1 pick and the top pass rusher in the 2025 NFL draft class fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a recent mock draft from CBS Sports. Recently, on the 'With the First Pick' podcast, a year-round draft podcast over at CBS Sports, draft analysts Ryan Wilson and Mike Renner alternated picks and put together a first-round mock draft. And somehow, Penn State's Abdul Carter fell to the Jaguars at pick No. 5. Below is how the first four picks ahead of Jacksonville played out, pushing Carter down several spots: (trade with Titans): QB Cam Ward Cleveland: IDL Mason Graham Giants: CB/WR Travis Hunter Patriots: OT Will Campbell The Jaguars already have Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker on the edge, but this would be an easy pick to make for Jacksonville, and you figure out playing time and the rotations afterward. Listed at 6-3 - 252 pounds, Carter had a huge 2024 season, totaling 66 pressures and 13 sacks. He also graded out well against the run by PFF's metrics. Compared to the rest of his position group, Carter was second in pressures, fifth in sacks, and fourth in pass rush win rate. He also had the ninth-mos run stops as well. This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Top pass rusher falls to Jaguars in CBS Sports 2025 NFL mock draft
USA Today
25-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Top pass rusher falls to Jaguars in CBS Sports 2025 NFL mock draft
A potential No. 1 pick and the top pass rusher in the 2025 NFL draft class fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a recent mock draft from CBS Sports. Recently, on the 'With the First Pick' podcast, a year-round draft podcast over at CBS Sports, draft analysts Ryan Wilson and Mike Renner alternated picks and put together a first-round mock draft. And somehow, Penn State's Abdul Carter fell to the Jaguars at pick No. 5. Below is how the first four picks ahead of Jacksonville played out, pushing Carter down several spots: Jets (trade with Titans): QB Cam Ward Cleveland: IDL Mason Graham Giants: CB/WR Travis Hunter Patriots: OT Will Campbell The Jaguars already have Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker on the edge, but this would be an easy pick to make for Jacksonville, and you figure out playing time and the rotations afterward. Listed at 6-3 – 252 pounds, Carter had a huge 2024 season, totaling 66 pressures and 13 sacks. He also graded out well against the run by PFF's metrics. Compared to the rest of his position group, Carter was second in pressures, fifth in sacks, and fourth in pass rush win rate. He also had the ninth-mos run stops as well. 'I'm taking the best player here,' said Renner. 'I'm shooing positional need because if you're the Jaguars you'll find that elsewhere. Just get talent on this roster.' On both sides of the football, a priority for new head coach Liam Coen this offseason will be improving the Jaguars play at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Defensively speaking, the Jaguars ranked 32 in ESPN's pass-rush win rate metric and 27th in run-stop rate.
