04/23/26 07:12:00
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04/23 07:11 CDT NFL teams are almost on the clock as draft night in the Steel
City has arrived
NFL teams are almost on the clock as draft night in the Steel City has arrived
By ROB MAADDI
AP Pro Football Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) --- Put aside the mock drafts because it's time for the real
deal.
The NFL draft is here in the Steel City.
A total of 257 players will live out a dream and hear their name called over
the course of the next three days, culminating a long journey that required a
ton of hard of work and plenty of sacrifice.
The first round kicks off Thursday night when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell
takes the stage inside the main theater outside Acrisure Stadium and announces
the Las Vegas Raiders' selection with the No. 1 pick. Fernando Mendoza, the
Heisman Trophy winner who quarterbacked Indiana to its first national title, is
the consensus favorite for the Raiders. It would be a downright stunner if he's
not headed to Las Vegas.
The poised and polished Mendoza will get a chance to learn from Kirk Cousins
and play for part-owner Tom Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champion who is
ready to impart some of his wisdom.
While 16 other players will enjoy the on-site festivities and have the
opportunity to give Goodell a giant hug on stage, Mendoza is spending the night
with his family in Miami. His mother, Elsa Mendoza, has multiple sclerosis so
traveling is difficult.
"I've done so much traveling this year, it's a lot easier for my mom and her
health is at the forefront," Mendoza said. "We need to hop on a plane the next
day for whatever team drafts me and to be there with the village that's poured
into me --- friends, family, coaches, mentors --- to be there with all of them
and to share the start of this NFL journey, it's going to create the best
memory for our family."
Mendoza would be the fifth No. 1 pick in the last nine in-person drafts - 2020
was held virtually - to skip the spectacle and celebrate privately with family
and friends. Travon Walker (2022), Trevor Lawrence (2021), Baker Mayfield
(2018) and Myles Garrett (2017) were the others.
The biggest question is who goes No. 2 to the New York Jets. Will it be Ohio
State's Arvell Reese or Texas Tech's David Bailey? They're considered the two
best edge rushers in the draft. Or will the Jets pull off a surprise?
After Mendoza, it could be a while until another quarterback is selected.
Alabama's Ty Simpson is expected to be the next one. He's among the group of
players in attendance and there's a chance he might have to wait until Round 2
on Friday night.
"I can't control how people think," Simpson said Wednesday. "All I can control
is how I play and how much of a player I can be so wherever I go, whoever gets
me, I'm gonna make sure that's what I do wherever that is."
The first round should be about an hour faster than it's been because the time
between picks was shortened from 10 minutes to eight minutes.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
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