UNM's Jerrick Reed II (9) prepares to tackle Houston Baptist's Dee Bowens. (Journal file) For Jerrick Reed II, five minutes made all the difference. Saturday afternoon, Reed, a former standout safety at New Mexico and projected day three NFL Draft pick, was surrounded by friends and family at his draft party back home in Olive Branch, Mississippi. The fourth and fifth rounds were over. The sixth was a little over halfway complete. And Reed hadn't heard his name called. "You see the next guy, another safety, another safety, another safety," Reed told the Journal. "You just wonder like, ‘man ..read more

UNM Jerrick Reed II (9) defends in coverage vs. UTEP running back Reynaldo Fllores (3) during action last September at University Stadium. (Chancey Bush/Albuquerque Journal) On Thursday night, 31 players were selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Jerrick Reed II was not one of them. His name did not scroll across the bottom of screens as one of the best available players. No team was likely even thinking about the former New Mexico safety throughout the first round. But as draft cards were filed and picks exchanged, one of the biggest weekends of Reed's life started. "It's a lit ..read more

It took the Carolina Panthers until this week to decide which quarterback they'll select with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night. They're not saying, but oddsmakers believe it'll be Alabama's Bryce Young. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner is an overwhelming favorite to go first, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Ohio State's C.J. Stroud has dropped from favorite to having the third-best odds behind Kentucky's Will Levis. Florida's Anthony Richardson is a longshot. The Panthers traded four picks, including No. 9 overall and a first-rounder next year, along with wide receiver ..read more

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Zach Gentry (81) warms up before an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Pittsburgh, PA. (AP Photo/Matt Durisko) Albuquerque native Zach Gentry is set to return to his second home. As first reported by NFL Network's Tom Pelissero on Sunday, Gentry, 26, re-signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers after starting 13 games and playing a career-high 577 offensive snaps in 2022. Contract details were not available at the time of publication. Selected by Pittsburgh in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Gentry has started 26 of 40 games and notched 39 receptions f ..read more

A 522nd Special Operations Squadron MC-130J Commando II aircraft flies over New Mexico on Jan. 4, 2012. Two such aircraft from Cannon Air Force Base will perform a ceremonial flyover before the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens football game on Saturday, Dec. 17, at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. (Source: Cannon Air Force Base) Before the Ravens and Browns quarterbacks start airing it out Saturday, Cannon Air Force Base pilots will be putting on a little air show of their own. Two MC-130J Commando II aircraft from the Clovis-area base are set to perform a flyover during the nati ..read more

Believe it or not, I've been on the verge of tears after a loss in fantasy football. On more than one occasion a loss in fantasy football has ruined my entire week. I've felt numb when a top player goes out with an injury for the entire season. I've been told I take it too seriously. But would you believe fantasy football saved my sportswriting career? It's true. After graduating from high school in 1992, it took me six years to finally earn an Associate of Arts degree at Citrus Community College in Glendora, California and transfer to Fresno State. With the Bulldogs, I believed I found my ni ..read more

I've often wondered if I ever had the highly coveted Grays Sports Almanac from Back to the Future. How much would I wager to win a guaranteed winning sports bet? At which point would I stop? Would I let greed consume me? Well, meet my friend Jay. He had something of a similar situation when he traded away quarterback Tony Romo in 2011. Instead of money, Jay went for a unique wager: to have his fantasy football rival bow in front of him. When I watch the video recorded in front of the league at the 2011 draft day, I still cringe. Dependable quarterbacks are rather easy to come by in the Total ..read more

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Pittsburgh tight end and Eldorado High alumnus Zach Gentry greets Steelers fans during pregame warmups before an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photos/Reed Hoffmann) On Monday, Zach Gentry flies to western Pennsylvania for his fourth NFL training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 2015 Eldorado High graduate, selected in the fifth round (No. 141 overall) by Pittsburgh in the 2019 draft, was an All-Big Ten selection as a senior at Michigan in 2018, and is considered a rapidly improving tight end in the NFL ..read more

A portrait of Don Perkins is displayed on the west entrance of University Stadium in Albuquerque on Thursday. The UNM Lobos and Dallas Cowboys great and longtime Albuquerque resident Don Perkins has died at 84. (Chancey Bush/Albuquerque Journal) Copyright © 2022 Albuquerque Journal Don Perkins came to Albuquerque from Waterloo, Iowa, in the fall of 1956, among the first African Americans to play football for the University of New Mexico. He became one of the most decorated Lobos of all time as a fleet, powerful running back, then went on to an eight-year career with the Dallas Cowboys that e ..read more