April 25, 2026 3:53 am
The Steelers — who are still waiting for Aaron Rodgers to decide if he wants to run it back in 2026 — drafted Penn State’s Drew Allar in the third round of the NFL draft on Friday, turning to another nearby prospect a year after taking Ohio State’s Will Howard. Allar, once projected as a potential first-round pick during the early stages of his four-year run in Happy Valley, is very much like Howard: a tall, strong-armed presence in the pocket who is hardly considered a sure thing as a pro. Still, the Steelers saw enough to use the 76th overall pick on Allar, whose arrival gives the team another young arm to join a room that also includes veteran backup Mason Rudolph and — if he decides he wants to return for a 22nd season — Rodgers. Allar was one of four selections by Pittsburgh on Friday. The Steelers selected Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard in the second round, with Georgia cornerback Daylen Everette and guard Gennings Dunker from Iowa joining Allar as third-round picks.
April 25, 2026 3:32 am
Carson Beck ended up becoming the first player selected in the third round of the NFL draft after once being considered a potential top pick. The Arizona Cardinals took the polarizing Miami quarterback with the 65th overall pick on Friday night. He’ll join a quarterback room that includes veterans Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew and play for rookie coach Mike LaFleur. Beck was only the third QB selected in a draft that’s considered thin at the sport’s most important position. Fernando Mendoza went No. 1 to Las Vegas and Ty Simpson was selected 13th by the Los Angeles Rams. Drew Allar became the fourth quarterback selected when the Pittsburgh Steelers took him at No. 76.
April 25, 2026 3:43 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jayson Tatum continued to impress in his return from injury, scoring 25 points to help the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 108-100 on Friday night. Jaylen Brown also scored 25 points, giving Boston a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round series. Game 4 is Sunday in Philadelphia. Tatum made 5 of 9 three-pointers in just his 19th game this season after Achilles surgery. Philadelphia played without center Joel Embiid, who is recovering from an appendectomy. Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points for the Sixers. Boston’s strong 3-point shooting made the difference in the game.
April 24, 2026 4:28 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor in front of their hometown crowd with the No. 21 pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night. The Steelers’ offensive line could use some reinforcements after veteran guard Isaac Seumalo left in free agency and left tackle Broderick Jones – their first-round pick in 2023 – recovers from a neck injury that forced him to miss the last seven games of 2025. The 6-foot-5, 321-pound Iheanachor, started 31 games at Arizona State and was a second-team All-Big 12 Conference selection at right tackle. He was born in Nigeria, moved to the United States when he was 13 and started playing football in junior college.
April 24, 2026 4:23 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Fernando Mendoza’s journey from overlooked two-star recruit to the top of the NFL draft is complete after the Las Vegas Raiders took him with the first pick on Thursday night. Turning the Raiders into a contender is the next challenge for the Heisman Trophy winner who led Indiana to its first national championship. The 22-year-old quarterback wasn’t in the Steel City for the festivities, choosing instead to celebrate with family and friends at home in Miami. Mendoza’s selection was expected for months. The intrigue began at No. 2 with the New York Jets, who selected Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey over Ohio State edge Arvell Reese. Arizona took Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the third pick.
April 24, 2026 4:25 am
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jacob deGrom had his 62nd career 10-strikeout game and the Texas Rangers hit two homers in a 6-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. DeGrom struck out 10 over 5 2/3 innings Thursday night and is 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA in his six starts this season. Evan Carter hit a two-run inside-the-park homer for the Rangers, and Corey Seager hit a three-run homer off Pirates rookie Bubba Chandler. Oneil Cruz hit his eighth homer for the Pirates. Pittsburgh shortstop Konner Griffin, in his last game before turning 20, struck out to end the game against Peyton Gray, a 30-year-old pitcher in his big-league debut.
April 24, 2026 4:31 am
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said he is taking accountability for actions that have created a distraction for New England without addressing specifics about photos published recently of him with longtime NFL reporter Dianna Russini at an Arizona resort. Vrabel spoke for just over seven minutes prior to the start of Thursday’s NFL draft. He vowed to prioritize his family by beginning counseling this weekend and stepping away from the team for draft’s final day Saturday. Vrabel said at a news conference earlier this week that he’s had “difficult conversations with people I care about,” including his family, his coaching staff, team officials and players following the publication of the photos by the New York Post.
April 23, 2026 4:31 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Trevor Zegras, Rasmus Ristolainen and Nick Seeler scored three goals on four shots in the second period, pushing the Flyers to the brink of a sweep with a 5-2 Game 3 win against the Penguins. The Flyers won their first home playoff game in eight years on Wednesday night. Game 4 is Saturday night in Philadelphia. Dan Vladar stopped several shots despite an apparent hand injury. Erik Karlsson scored on a power play, but Noah Cates sealed the Flyers’ victory with another power-play goal. The Flyers and Penguins put a squeeze on the penalty box in Game 3 of the playoff series — try, 11 total players cramped inside their designated punishment areas. Both teams could have snapped a team photo after a melee broke out in the second period of their Eastern Conference first-round series. Penguins forward Bryan Rust slammed Travis Konecny to the ice behind the net and smothered the Flyers forward in a hit that sparked all the lines to join the fray. Konecny ripped off his helmet and dropped his gloves and beckoned Rust to fight him. The Flyers sent six players to the box and the Penguins five.
April 23, 2026 4:35 am
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Oneil Cruz had the hardest-hit homer in the majors this season, a three-run shot off the top of the right-field foul pole in the ninth inning that powered the Pittsburgh Pirates to an 8-4 win over the Texas Rangers. The Pirates took a 5-4 lead in the ninth when Nick Gonzales broke for the plate on pinch-hitter Jake Mangum’s one-out chopper to third base off Cole Winn. Josh Jung’s throw home pulled catcher Kyle Higashioka into foul territory, and Higashioka could not make the tag. Cruz followed with his 116.9 mph liner that bounced off the top of the foul pole and into the stands.
April 23, 2026 4:37 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Mark Vientos blooped a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning and the New York Mets snapped their 12-game losing streak, beating the Minnesota Twins 3-2 after getting one superstar back only to see another exit with a similar injury. Juan Soto went 1 for 3 with a single and a walk in his return from a strained right calf, but shortstop Francisco Lindor was removed with left calf tightness after laboring around the bases while scoring from first on Francisco Alvarez’s go-ahead double in the fourth. Byron Buxton tied it 2-all with a leadoff homer in the sixth against Mets starter Clay Holmes.
