Month: April 2023

Packers take 6 skill position players in 2023 NFL draft

The Packers drafted a half-dozen skill position players during the 2023 NFL draft.

Think the Green Bay Packers wanted to upgrade the skill positions in the 2023 NFL draft? Brian Gutekunst’s roster went into Thursday night with four running backs, five receivers and four tight ends, but by the end of Saturday, the Packers were up to five running backs, eight receivers and six tight ends.

The end result: one running back, three receivers, two tight ends and six new skill position players overall for first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love.

The Packers selected receivers Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks and Grant DuBose, tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft and running back Lew Nichols over three days of the 2023 draft.

The new, post-draft depth charts at the skill positions:

Running back (5)

Aaron Jones
A.J. Dillon
Patrick Taylor
Tyler Goodson
Lew Nichols III

Nichols, a 220-pound bruiser, rushed for over 1,800 yards in 2021. He also caught 71 passes during his collegiate career. He’ll have a chance to beat out Taylor and Goodson for the third running back spot, but a lack of special teams experience hurts his chances.

Wide receiver (8)

Christian Watson
Romeo Doubs
Samori Toure
Bo Melton
Jeff Cotton
Jayden Reed
Dontayvion Wicks
Grant DuBose

Reed (5-11, 187) is smaller than the Packers typically like, but he plays bigger and brings dynamic speed to the table. Wicks and DuBose are prototypical Packers receivers; over 6-0, over 200 pounds, athletic and with productive collegiate histories. If Wicks can recapture his 2021 form, he’ll be a steal. DuBose is an ascending player. Of the eight receivers now on the roster, seven were 2022 or 2023 draft picks. This young and inexperienced position group will be nothing if not competitive this summer, but the Packers need steps forward from the 2022 picks and a surprise or two from the 2023 picks.

Tight end (6)

Josiah Deguara
Tyler Davis
Austin Allen
Nick Guggemos
Luke Musgrave
Tucker Kraft

Musgrave and Kraft are both 6-5 with incredible athletic profiles. The Packers think both can play inline and hold up in the run game, and both have terrific potential as pass-catchers. An infusion of athleticism, versatility and pass-catching ability is exactly what this position group needed. There doesn’t appear to be much mystery here; the two roster holdovers and two rookies are the likely four on the first 53-man roster.

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Bengals WR room gets even faster with Auburn’s Shedrick Jackson

Another WR for the Bengals thanks to a signing in undrafted free agency.

The Cincinnati Bengals spent much of the 2023 NFL draft adding stunning athletes at key positions such as wide receiver.

Then the personnel department did it some more in undrafted free agency.

The Bengals agreed to sign Auburn wideout Shedrick Jackson, per AL.com, a 6’2″ wideout with some of the best athletic testing numbers in the draft, including a 4.31-second time in the 40-yard dash.

The Draft Network’s Damian Parson listed some of his positives:

Shedrick Jackson checks the boxes as a height and weight receiver prospect. He is well-portioned with a rocked-up frame. He uses his frame to his advantage versus smaller cornerbacks. His toughness shows as he works for yards after the catch. He has good play strength and contact balance after the catch.

The numbers:

There’s about to be an all-out fight on the back end of the depth chart after the Bengals added Charlie Jones and Andrei Iosivas in the draft to a depth chart that also has Stanley Morgran, Trent Taylor, Trenton Irwin and Kawmie Lassiter behind the big three.

Our whole undrafted free agency tracker is here.

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Steph Curry had a confident response when asked who could stop him after his 50-point Game 7

Nobody can stop Steph Curry, and he’s pretty okay with that.

After his monster performance in Game 7 that got the Golden State Warriors past the Sacramento Kings in the 2023 NBA playoffs, Steph Curry got asked the questions of questions.

The future Hall of Fame guard poured 50 points on the Kings in a series-deciding victory, and one reporter asked Curry point blank if anyone can actually stop him on the court.

Curry’s answer was classic: “Hopefully, we’ll never find out.”

If you’re on any of the NBA teams that aren’t the Warriors, you’ve been trying to unlock that answer since Curry entered the league in 2009. Golden State probably enjoys that no one has cracked the code yet.

The Warriors continue to push for NBA titles in part because of the ageless Curry, who still looks as sharp as he did when he entered the NBA.

He’s still one of the most feared scorers in the league, and by taking down a young, hungry Sacramento squad, his Warriors will still command the total respect of the rest of the league.

Bengals give UDFA RB Jacob Saylors notable signing bonus

The Bengals dished some cash to sign an UDFA.

The Cincinnati Bengals addressed the running back position once in the 2023 NFL draft, then followed up by doing so again in undrafted free agency.

According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, the Bengals gave East Tennessee State running back Jacob Saylors a $10,000 signing bonus to get him under wraps.

Saylors, 5’11” and 195 pounds, ran for 1,314 yards and 15 touchdowns last year on a 5.8 average over 226 attempts. On just 143 totes in 2021, he ran for 1,019 and 10 scores on a 7.1 average. He’s caught at least 19 passes in each of the last two seasons, too.

The Buccaneers standout will compete with the likes of Chris Evans and Trayveon Williams behind Joe Mixon and draft pick Chase Brown.

Our whole undrafted free agency tracker is here.

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Best pictures of former Michigan State basketball players in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs

Best pictures of former Michigan State players in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

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Saints second-round pick Isaiah Foskey made an important visit after being drafted

Saints second-round pick Isaiah Foskey made an important visit after being drafted, making time to visit a close friend’s family at the hospital:

This says a lot about Isaiah Foskey’s character. There was a delay when the New Orleans Saints drafted the Notre Dame defensive end on Friday night, between the team calling him to share the good news and Foskey’s first comments to local media on a conference call; the official word is that he was attending to a personal matter. Now we know what that is.

Foskey left his draft party to visit a close friend and their family at the hospital, making time for his high school teammate Gunnar Rask — they played on the defensive line together at De La Salle High School in Antioch, Calif., staying in touch once Foskey went on to the Notre Dame and Rask stayed in-state to become a Cal Golden Bear. Rask’s grandfather had been put on life support earlier in the day and Foskey wanted to offer what help he could in the family’s time of need.

Only then did he return to celebrate one of the greatest days of his football life with friends and family before speaking with the Saints media beat. It says a lot that no one would have known about this act of kindness if Rask hadn’t decided to share it himself. Foskey was known for his leadership skills at Notre Dame, and this is a good example of the strength of his character.

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WATCH: Draymond Green speaks to media after Golden State Warriors advance in NBA playoffs

WATCH: Draymond Green speaks to media after Golden State Warriors advance in NBA playoffs

You can talk all day about how he can be controversial, but I always love to listen to former Michigan State basketball star Draymond Green break down the X’s and O’s of the game of basketball.

That’s what Draymond did on Sunday night after the Warriors knocked the Kings out of the playoffs to advance to the second round, Green took the time to break down some of the strategy that was at play in Game 7:

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

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Twitter had varying reactions to Patriots’ Day 3 draft picks

There were mixed reactions from Patriots fans on Day 3 of the NFL draft.

The New England Patriots had a busy start to Day 3 of the 2023 NFL draft, selecting center Jake Andrews, kicker Chad Ryland and interior offensive lineman Sidy Sow with their first three picks in the fourth round.

There were mixed opinions on the heavy focus on the interior offensive line, rather than selecting a tackle or receiver.

But things started to take a turn in the sixth round with the Patriots selecting Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas. That’s when the excitement level started to jump again.

The Patriots addressed defense on the first couple of days and then turned to the offensive line, special teams and receivers on Day 3. Here’s what people were saying on Twitter after the final day of the NFL draft.

WATCH: Highlights from Michigan State basketball phenom commit Coen Carr at the Iverson Classic

Michigan State commit Coen Carr put on a show at the Iverson Classic

Michigan State basketball had two commits play at the Iverson Classic this weekend, Xavier Booker and Coen Carr. Of course, it was Carr who made the highlight reel clips; he is known for his high-flying style of play.

You can check out some of his insane highlights from that game below:

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

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Barber IndyCar recap with race winner Scott McLaughlin

RACER’s Marshall Pruett recaps the Barber Motorsports Park IndyCar event and then race winner Scott McLaughlin joins in to break down the key aspects of his victory for Team Penske in the No. 3 Chevy. Presented by: RACER’s IndyCar Trackside Report …

RACER’s Marshall Pruett recaps the Barber Motorsports Park IndyCar event and then race winner Scott McLaughlin joins in to break down the key aspects of his victory for Team Penske in the No. 3 Chevy.

Presented by: