Rams could prioritize defense early in draft, says NFL GM

Rams could prioritize defense early in draft, says NFL GM originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

An anonymous NFL general manager says the Los Angeles Rams could prioritize defense with their first-round pick in the draft.

The general manager told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that the Rams will go away from the wide receiver expectations and will look for a pass rusher early in the draft.

"But one GM believes the Rams will look at pass rusher somewhere early in the draft because of rising contract costs for veteran rushers," Fowler wrote. "( Byron Young is a 2027 free agent and Jared Verse enters his third season.)"

Fowler also added that the Rams have been linked to USC star wide receiver Makai Lemon. Lemon is still very much a possibility for the Rams; however, there is a chance they go another route given their unpredictability.

Edge Rusher Could Elevate Rams Defense

A pass rusher is not at the top of Los Angeles' position needs to be addressed. At the top of that list are a wide receiver, an offensive lineman and a linebacker.

Those are by far the Rams' biggest needs; however, adding a pass rusher wouldn't hurt either. Potentially selecting a pass rusher is far from an urgent need; still, it is a premier position in the sport. Even with the current group, which is a solid one, getting an elite pass rusher could take the Rams' defense to another level.

On top of that, rotational depth matters, which is something the Rams didn't have last season. Chris Shula's defense works best when the front stays fresh and the pressure comes in waves. If an edge rusher is there for the taking, the Rams may take a bite, depending on how things play out.

A wide receiver or offensive lineman is at the top of the list, but a pass rusher may not be so far off.

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Shams Charania: Reporting for Inside the NBA -- Spurs' Victor Wembanyama conducts cardio work Wednesday as he works through concussion protocol: “I’m told Victor Wembanyama was able to participate in cardio work here late Wednesday, because his symptoms didn't worsen. He wasn't feeling worse than he did when he suffered that concussion, and as of right now, my understanding is he is hopeful that he'll be able to travel with the team to Portland on Thursday, but whether he's able to clear concussion protocol in time to play in game 3 on Friday in Portland is an obvious question in jeopardy for the Spurs, because there are guidelines and protocols when it comes to the concussion policy. 48 hours after solving the concussion is when Victor would be able to, without restrictions, participate in activities. Within 24 hours you're able to have at least light activity, which is what he was able to do today because his symptoms didn't worsen. So that is the one good piece of news for the spurs that he was able to come in and do that. But overall, this is a process that's going to be seen by not only the Spurs medical staff but the League concussion protocol director. And he has to check boxes every single day, he has to clear neurological exams every single day. And what we know about the Spurs is they're going to always err on the side of caution, especially with someone like Victor Wembanyama. And what we also know with concussions, it's not always a straight line. So the Spurs are taking this day by day. We'll know more on Thursday about whether he'll be able to play on Friday.”

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Reporting for Inside the NBA -- Spurs' Victor Wembanyama conducts cardio work Wednesday as he works through concussion protocol: pic.twitter.com/v5akihX2j9

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 23, 2026

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Victor Wembanyama hopeful to travel to Portland, Game 3 availability uncertain

EDMONTON, AB – For the first time in nine long arduous years, the Anaheim Ducks have won a Stanley Cup Playoff game.

After the Edmonton Oilers erased a two-goal Ducks lead with just over six minutes remaining, Cutter Gauthier netted his second goal of the game with just under five minutes to play, and Ryan Poehling locked down the game with an empty-net strike to capture Game 2, 6-4, on Wednesday at Rogers Place.

With the series tied 1-1, Anaheim returns home on Friday for Game 3 for the first playoff game at Honda Center since 2018.

“It's a huge honor,” Gauthier said of being the man to snap the drought. “It's been a long, long time that the Ducks made it to the playoffs. So being in this position, we're super happy and grateful, but we're not gonna take it for granted either. So, every single night we go in and we have a game against these guys, we're gonna give it our all. And you're going to see that Friday night as well.”

Gauthier–Anaheim’s leading scorer from the regular season and a 40-goal man–got his first strike of the series on the power play, part of a three-point game. Alex Killorn responded to a personally subpar Game 1 with a three-point night, including a power play goal and shorthanded assist.

The Ducks went 2-for-3 on the power play with Killorn and Gauthier’s tallies, and Anaheim also shut down all four Edmonton power plays, including a shorthanded marker from Ryan Poehling.

Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl netted a goal and an assist for four points in the first two games of this series. Zach Hyman and Connor Murphy scored their first goals of the playoffs. Connor McDavid–the NHL’s regular-season points leader–was held scoreless for the second straight game.

Lukas Dostal made 33 saves in his first career playoff win, and the Ducks first playoff victory since the 2017 Western Conference Final. Connor Ingram made 22 saves in the loss.

“It's huge,” Dostal said. “Obviously, it's been a long time coming for this organization, so I'm also very glad that we can get a first win, but obviously it's a long series. They have a good team, but we show some resilience today. Guys played unbelievable.”

For the second time in two games–and as it was in 49 of 82 regular season games for the Ducks–Anaheim trailed on the opening goal, as Leon Draisaitl got the benefit of a bounce in front nine minutes in.

Draistaitl threw the puck in front, and as Dostál had overcommitted a bit, the cross-zone feed deflected off Drew Helleson’s skate and by the Ducks netminder, 1-0.

Unlike Game 1, however, Anaheim kept up their early pace and struck back nearly four minutes later, as Gauthier hit the scoresheet for the first time in the series.

Gauthier–who was second in the league in shots per 60 minutes in the regular season but registered just one on net in Game 1–came out firing and wired a wrister around a Beckett Sennecke screen to level the game on the power play, 1-1.

Dating back to the regular season, Anaheim has now scored power play goals in six straight games.

Dostál was sharp late in the period negating several Connor McDavid opportunities.

The second period was fast and furious, but the Ducks set the pace with goals in all three man-power situations.

Following two dominant possession shifts by Anaheim’s fourth and first lines, Jacob Trouba roped a shot to the far corner of the Edmonton net to put the Ducks in front, 2-1, less than three minutes into the period.

Three minutes later, Alex Killorn scored on the power play. Gauthier battled the puck down the right wall to Killorn, whose centering pass deflected off an Edmonton stick, off Ingram’s pad and right back to Killorn for the rebound goal, 3-1.

Edmonton got one back six minutes later, as Kasperi Kapanen held in a Trouba clear attempt at the blue line. Draisaitl found Connor Murphy, who blasted a shot around layers of traffic in the slot, 3-2.

The Oilers had a chance to tie on the power play with five minutes left in the period, but that’s where the Ducks completed the man-power trifecta.

McDavid made a spinning backhand pass attempt in his own zone that went nowhere near an Edmonton player, and Killorn jumped on it at the blue line. The 36-year-old fed a frame-perfect pass to Ryan Poehling in front, who deflected in the Ducks fourth goal, 4-2.

Edmonton responded once more with the fifth total goal of the period, as the Oilers worked the puck around and Zach Hyman tipped home a Mattias Ekholm point shot, 4-3.

Despite the late strike, Anaheim took a one-goal lead into the third period for the second time in two games this series.

Unlike in Game 1 where the Ducks sat back and attempted to simply defend the one-goal lead, the Ducks had a controlled push, still getting opportunities but not getting too far out of position.

Anaheim couldn’t capitalize, and eventually, it was a push too far that Edmonton sprung the other way.

The Ducks second line had a controlling shift with extra effort from Beckett Sennecke, and Pavel Mintyukov intercepted a clear from Edmonton at center ice. Mintyukov then tried to thread a breakout, but McDavid knocked it down and sent the Oilers the other way.

In the Ducks zone, Killorn couldn’t clear the ensuing play, and Matt Savoie won the battle. Josh Samanski, a rookie in his playoff debut, nailed the far corner to tie the game, 4-4, with 6:09 remaining.

However, Anaheim did not let up, as Gauthier hit the go-ahead goal and eventual game winner with less than five minutes remaining.

Jess Warner Judd does not remember much about that night in Rome.

It has been a long and difficult journey since, but the 31-year-old speaks with admirable ease about the traumatic events which have led her to a London Marathon debut in 2026.

"I'm very lucky to have had sort of a second chance at running. It's a second chance I just didn't think I'd probably have," Warner Judd tells BBC Sport.

"I remember having really horrible discussions after trying to restart my track season and it quickly not happening. The doctors, who were brilliant, saying that I would probably have to retire if I kept trying before I had therapy, because my body wasn't going to cope."

The distressing details of what unfolded at Stadio Olimpico are recalled vividly by her husband Rob, who witnessed it all from the stands alongside Warner Judd's father and coach, Mike, in June 2024.

Less than 10 months had passed since Warner Judd celebrated one of her proudest achievements, placing eighth in the world over 10,000m, but it became evident early in the European Championship final that something was amiss.

The noticeable lack of co-ordination. The veering out into lanes two and three. The distress increasingly visible across her face.

"It got to the point around five or six kilometres in when Mike and I had got as close as we could to the track and were shouting at her to stop," says Rob.

Warner Judd struggled on until, with 600m to go, she collapsed.

It was not until late into the night that Rob and Mike were finally able to visit Warner Judd. In hospital but unaware of the seriousness of what had occurred, she apologised for not being able to finish the race.

She had suffered a seizure, caused by undiagnosed epilepsy. Another had followed once she had been taken off the track on a stretcher, this time so severe that she had to be sedated.

"That really hit home that it was a very, very serious scenario," says Rob.

"It also hit home that there are more important things to life than running. At that point, I was like, I don't care if she never races ever again, as long as she's OK."

The first indication had arrived a few months earlier when, at a low-key 10,000m race in California, Warner Judd failed to cross a finish line for the first in her career.

She had suffered a similar mid-race seizure there but, because epilepsy is difficult to diagnose and seizures are often the only symptom, subsequent medical tests were unable to identify the cause.

This time, Warner Judd got an answer when she was diagnosed with focal epilepsy, meaning her seizures typically start in one side of the brain and cause unusual feelings, sensations or movements.

Unsure then what the future might hold, her journey back has proven far from straightforward.

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With an Olympic Games on the horizon, Warner Judd attempted an immediate return to running but soon discovered that her body was not up to the task.

For an athlete with an 800m personal best below two minutes, it took her a demoralising 12 minutes to run her first mile.

But even once she was physically able to resume normal training, her epilepsy under control with the help of medication, it became clear that she had not moved on mentally.

Warner Judd recalls feeling like she was "having a panic attack" upon returning to the track, and required a year of therapy to fully process her trauma.

"It was really difficult to love running again," says Warner Judd.

"Going for a run used to be my safe space, to clear my head and feel better. Then to have that association between racing and having a seizure... I was so scared of that happening again.

"It realigns your aims and perspective on life. Coming back to running, I just wanted to do it for me.

"If I run well and achieve good things, great. But that's very much a secondary goal. You never know when it will get taken away, so I want to enjoy it the best I can."

Warner Judd has settled in to her new home in Rob's home town of Clitheroe. The couple moved to Lancashire last year, accompanied by cocker spaniels Bruce and Bernie, and rabbits Bea and Bailey, after Warner Judd completed her PhD in regenerative medicine at Loughborough.

The pair train together on the surrounding hills and country lanes - Rob is also running this year's London Marathon - while Warner Judd has quickly grown fond of her part-time job at a local supermarket.

For Rob, the difficulty is often striking a balance between concern for his partner's wellbeing while, he says, "also acknowledging she has to push herself at times".

While Warner Judd's return to elite-level athletics is itself remarkable, her marathon debut in New York in November suggests much more is to come.

Although it may have taken her family time to accept the idea of targeting the 26.2-mile distance, she exceeded all expectations by clocking two hours 24 minutes and 45 seconds on the challenging course.

Placing seventh, Warner Judd, who maintains her only goal was to finish, crossed the line two seconds behind Olympic champion Sifan Hassan and within five minutes of winner Hellen Obiri.

It took just 24 hours for Warner Judd to reverse her claim that she would never do another - and she could not turn down the opportunity to race in London.

And so on Sunday, little over a marathon away from her home town of Canvey Island, in Essex, Warner Judd will complete a full-circle moment when she lines up in Greenwich Park, 14 years after winning her fourth Mini London Marathon.

As for a return to the track? While that once felt impossible, Warner Judd is leaving the door open.

But, following a rollercoaster two years during which she feared her time in the sport might be over, it will only happen on her terms, when she is ready.

"I really want to go back to it," Warner Judd says.

"But before, I wanted to go back to prove that I could do it. I think that part has gone now.

"Now, I want to go back if I'm going to enjoy it and I feel I can run well.

"I do feel like there's unfinished business there. It's not goodbye forever - just for now."

NFL Draft salary by pick: How much every 2026 rookie will make from Rounds 1-7 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

As the NFL salary cap continues to skyrocket, so will the contracts for its rookies.

Since 2011, the league has used a rookie wage scale for the contracts of every player selected in the draft — depending on the slot a player is taken at, there are already specific salary parameters in place over a four-year deal. The higher a player is drafted, the more they will make over their rookie deal in total.

In 2026, a rookie deal is expected to top $50 million in total value for the first time as the salary cap has continued climbing. Plenty of money is on the table for each 2026 rookie, with estimates available for how much each pick will be making.

Here's a breakdown of how much the rookies from the 2026 NFL Draft class are expected to make on their first deals.

MORE 2026 NFL DRAFT:

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How much do first-round draft picks make in NFL?

There are 32 picks in the first round of the NFL Draft, and each slot carries a specific value for how much the drafted player's contract will be worth over four years — every drafted player receives a four-year deal. For players taken in the first round, they also get a team fifth-year option in their contract.

Throughout the draft, every pick will carry a slightly smaller overall contract value than the previous one. The figures are determined by the NFL's salary cap, which moved up to $301.2 million in 2026.

In 2026, the No. 1 overall pick is set to earn a total of $54,565,500 over four years, according to Spotrac, with an estimated $9,921,000 in their first season and $17,361,750 by the final season of the deal.

In contrast, the No. 32 overall pick, which ends the first round, is estimated to receive $16,168,614 over their four-year rookie deal, per Spotrac, with an estimated $2,939,748 in Year 1 and $5,144,559 by Year 4.

NFL salary by draft pick

Here's a look at the expected total contract value and Year 1 salary for the first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, according to Spotrac.

NFL DRAFT RANKINGS 2026:QBs | WRs | TEs | EDGE | RBs

NFL rookie salary scale by round

Based on the NFL's rookie wage scale, there is a significant drop off from Round 1 to Round 2. Not only do Round 2 players, and any remaining draftees, not receive a team fifth-year option, but their expected total contract value drops by a few million dollars, and only first-round picks have their contracts fully guaranteed. Later-round picks typically have partially-guaranteed deals.

In 2026, the drop off in financial value from Pick No. 32 ($16,168,614) to Pick No. 33 ($12,937,488) is around $3.23 million over the life of the four-year deal, per Spotrac. Then, from Round 2 on, the pay scale steadily decreases until reaching $4,359,258 over the four-year deal, which is given to Picks No. 248 through No. 257 to close the draft.

Here's a look at how the four-year contract value and 2026 rookie salary varies for the first and last pick of each round in Rounds 2-7, per Spotrac:

• Round 2, Pick 33: $12,937,488 total value, $2,352,270 in 2026
• Round 2, Pick 64: $7,722,792 total value, $1,404,144 in 2026
• Round 3, Pick 65: $7,274,960 total value, $1,322,720 in 2026
• Round 3, Pick 100: $6,599,626 total value, $1,199,932 in 2026
• Round 4, Pick 101: $5,482,354 total value, $1,194,339 in 2026
• Round 4, Pick 140: $4,993,306 total value, $1,072,076 in 2026
• Round 5, Pick 141: $4,781,518 total value, $1,019,130 in 2026
• Round 5, Pick 181: $4,604,883 total value, $974,971 in 2026
• Round 6, Pick 182: $4,565,698 total value, $965,175 in 2026
• Round 6, Pick 216: $4,440,874 total value, $933,969 in 2026
• Round 7, Pick 217: $4,417,085 total value, $928,021 in 2026
• Round 7, Pick 257: $4,359,258 total value, $913,565 in 2026

NFL rookie minimum salary

The minimum base salary for an NFL rookie in 2026 is $885,000. That is an increase from $840,000 in 2025, per Spotrac.

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