Sean Payton has his quarterback after the Broncos selected Oregon’s Bo Nix with the No. 12 pick in the NFL draft on Thursday. Here’s a look at how national analysts are grading the selection: Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski: D “With five quarterbacks already off the board, the Denver Broncos chose not to risk losing their guy. But they pulled the trigger on a second-round quarterback with the 12th overall pick. “At the very least, Nix is a better value than Michael Penix Jr., whom the Atlanta Falcons took at No. 8 overall. He also should be a good fit in Sean Payton’s offense. However, this w ..read more

What a difference one solid goaltending performance can make. Alexandar Georgiev redeemed himself after a rough Game 1, and the Avalanche evened the opening-round series Tuesday night with the Winnipeg Jets. Now the best-of-seven series is 1-1 and much of the discourse is about what the Jets need to do, not the Avalanche. Colorado has dictated the terms of engagement in this series. Winnipeg will want that to change, but can the Jets make it happen at Ball Arena? They did twice during the regular season. Here are the three keys for the Avalanche: 1. Keep cleaning up The Avalanche allowed five ..read more

Sean Payton has found his quarterback. The Broncos selected former Oregon star Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night. Nix is Denver’s first selection in the first round since they took Pat Surtain II at No. 9 in 2021. Nix is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in this year’s draft class, playing in 61 career games and recording 15,352 passing yards, 113 touchdowns and 26 interceptions. Nix, a four-star recruit and ranked the best dual-threat quarterback in the 2019 class by 247sports, spent three seasons at Auburn before transferring to Or ..read more

By DAVID BRANDT (AP Sports Writer) TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort played the riverboat gambler in his first draft last season, wheeling and dealing picks during the first round at a dizzying pace. This time around, he didn’t need to get fancy. The Cardinals selected receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. with the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night, hoping the Ohio State star can be the team’s leading playmaker for quarterback Kyler Murray. “Kyler’s awesome,” Harrison said. “You look at his record from high school and he’s always won, and that’s t ..read more

By STEPHEN WHYNO (AP Sports Writer) ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — The Washington Commanders selected Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night. The decision to go with Daniels, the AP’s college football player of the year for his stellar season with LSU, was made after Chicago led off by taking Southern California QB Caleb Williams as expected. Washington went with Daniels over North Carolina’s Drake Maye and Michigan national champion J.J. McCarthy. Daniels had for quite some time been the favorite to be chosen by the Commanders, though bu ..read more

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Caleb Williams, welcome to Chicago. The expectations are clear, become the franchise quarterback the Bears have craved for years and lift the founding NFL franchise to the top of the league. Other than that, there’s no pressure at all. The Bears did exactly as expected by taking Williams with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night after general manager Ryan Poles made a half-hearted attempt during the week to play things close to the vest by telling everyone to “tune in” as he smiled. The real mystery, of course, wasn’t whether they would kick off the festivities ..read more

DETROIT (AP) — The Latest on the first round of the NFL draft (all times local): Patriots pick Drake Maye at No. 3 With the first pick since parting ways with Bill Belichick, the Patriots picked quarterback Drake Maye at No. 3 overall. The former North Carolina star has the size, arm strength and athleticism teams in the league are looking for. Scouts rave about his ability make a variety of throws with accuracy. ___ Commanders select Jayden Daniels with second pick The Washington Commanders selected Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 pick overall. The 2023 Heisman Trophy made the most of his fifth ..read more

In the eighth inning of Thursday’s series finale against San Diego, the Rockies’ offense transformed into the Big Purple Machine. Colorado batted around in that frame to erase a five-run deficit, plating six runs in the process. After closer Justin Lawrence cemented the team’s largest comeback of the season with a save in the ninth, the result was a signature moment of positivity amid a spring full of struggles. Yes, the Rockies (7-19) have still yet to win a series in eight tries after splitting with San Diego, surpassing last season’s futility in that regard. But Thursday provided a glimmer ..read more

Live coverage of the 2024 NFL draft from The Denver Post, including live updates, picks around the NFL and selections from the Denver Broncos. THINGS TO KNOW Broncos QB Zach Wilson | Broncos new uniforms | Throwback uniforms | Unlucky 13 Broncos draft preview | Broncos mock draft | NFL mock draft | More Broncos news Broncos positions outlookOffenseQuarterbacks | Running backs | Receivers | Tight ends | Linemen DefenseLinemen | Edge rushers | Inside linebackers | Cornerbacks | Safeties Related Articles Denver Bro ..read more

By The Associated Press The WNBA draft is over, and superstars like No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark are heading toward surefire pro careers. Not all 36 selections from his year’s draft will have such assurances. The league has 144 coveted roster spots among 12 teams, and other options for pro careers in women’s basketball either in the U.S. or overseas are scarce. It’s a sharp contrast from men’s prospects who don’t make NBA rosters. They have more opportunities, including more overseas opportunities and playing in the G League. The NBA also has 30 teams with 15 players allowed on the regular season ..read more