April 28, 2025 4:36 am
ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons say defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s son was responsible for a prank call made to NFL draft pick Shedeur Sanders. The Falcons released a statement saying 21-year-old Jax Ulbrich “unintentionally” found Sanders’ phone number on an open iPad while visiting his parent’s home and later made the prank call. The Falcons say Jeff Ulbrich was unaware of the data exposure or the prank call until after the fact. Jax Ulbrich posted a public apology on social media. Sanders, a standout quarterback from Colorado, was perhaps the draft’s biggest story as he had to wait until the fifth round before being drafted by the Cleveland Browns. He received the prank call while waiting.
April 27, 2025 7:34 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Teoscar Hernández lined a tiebreaking homer to left field to lead off the eighth inning, Shohei Ohtani had a triple and two doubles, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-4 on Saturday night to snap a three-game skid. After Hernández took Colin Holderman (0-1) deep, pinch-hitter Kiké Hernández followed with a three-run home run against Joey Wentz, the eighth pinch homer of his career. The Pirates went ahead on 4-3 in the seventh on Bryan Reynolds’ RBI grounder. The Dodgers tied it in the bottom half on Ohtani’s run-scoringIn the bottom of the first, Ohtani doubled, Teoscar Hernández drove him in with a two-bagger and and Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier threw away Edman’s grounder for an error, allowing Hernández to score. double. Kirby Yates (1-0) worked a scoreless eighth. Oneil Cruz smacked Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki’s first pitch of the game over the center-field wall for his eighth homer of the season. Pittsburgh went ahead 3-2 in the fifth on Cruz’s 111 mph RBI single. Ohtani hit a one-out triple to right in the bottom of the sixth and scored on Freddie Freeman’s two-out single.
April 27, 2025 7:40 am
(WPXI) – The Pittsburgh Steelers picked up two new defensive players in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. Linebacker Carson Bruener went as the 226th pick. Bruener’s father is the West Coast scout for the Steelers. He recorded 305 tackles, one sack, four forced fumbles, five interceptions and nine passes defended during his four years at Washington. The Steelers selected cornerback Donte Kent as the 229th overall pick. Kent is also a punt returner. Kent is from Harrisburg, who made 234 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and two interceptions in the 53 career games he played in. As a punt returner as a senior, he averaged 13.6 yards per punt return. (Photo: AP)
April 26, 2025 4:10 am
GREEN BAY — He won’t even have to change team colors. The Pittsburgh Steelers have drafted Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the NFL Draft. The Steelers, who chose Defensive Tackle Derrick Harmon in the first round, did not have a second round selection. Johnson is listed at 6’1″ and 224 pounds. He ran a 4.57 40-yard dash in the NFL Combine. Steelers Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith called Johnson, a“Perfect fit. Regardless of whatever run scheme he is running — he ran multiple in Iowa — (he is) really impressive as a volume runner as the game went on. One of the more impressive stats you’ll see (is) what he averaged in the fourth quarter. I believe it was over five yards per carry. It might have been closer to six. We think he’s a great culture fit.”
April 26, 2025 4:16 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paul Skenes and his parents got a suite at Dodger Stadium on Friday night and handed out tickets for about 35 aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. “I was playing for free tonight,” he joked. Seemed like everybody Skenes knows from back home wanted to watch the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 22-year-old ace from nearby Orange County when he took the mound against the Los Angeles Dodgers and their own top pitcher, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Skenes outdueled Yamamoto, pitching five-hit ball into the seventh inning on a career-high 108 pitches. He retired Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts three times apiece, and he stranded Freddie Freeman after both of his hits. Skenes (3-2) got the victory in Pittsburgh’s 3-0 win over L.A., racking up nine strikeouts with no walks. Pittsburgh’s five hits off Yamamoto were all singles, but he also issued four walks — two in his 32-pitch first inning. While Yamamoto eventually settled in with an impressive mix of pitches, his teammates couldn’t help him out. The two teams play again today.
April 26, 2025 4:20 am
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Shedeur Sanders is still waiting to hear his name called in the NFL draft — after three rounds, 102 picks and five quarterbacks selected ahead of Coach Prime’s highly touted son. The Colorado quarterback was widely considered a first-round talent. But his stunning slide continued Friday night when his name wasn’t called in the second or third round. Sanders was arguably the most recognizable player in the country entering the draft — largely because of his father, Deion Sanders, the Pro Football Hall of Famer and innovative, outspoken Colorado coach. Few if any mock drafts had Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe or Dillon Gabriel getting picked before Sanders, but that’s what happened.
April 26, 2025 4:23 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers first-round draft pick Derrick Harmon’s mother, Tiffany Saine, died shortly after Pittsburgh selected the defensive lineman from Oregon with the 21st overall pick. Harmon said after he was drafted that he planned to visit his mother, who he said was on life support. Saine had endured several brain surgeries and a stroke in recent years. Harmon pointed to his mother as an inspiration for him to keep going as he made his way from Michigan State to Oregon.
April 25, 2025 4:35 am
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Zach Neto hit a tiebreaking homer leading off the eighth inning and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 on Thursday night to avoid a three-game series sweep. Neto, who missed the first three weeks of the season recovering from right-shoulder surgery, lined an 81 mph sweeper from Pirates reliever Chase Shugart over the wall in left to snap a 3-all tie and finished with three hits. Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz homered for the second straight game.
April 25, 2025 4:29 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers gave their defensive line a boost, selecting tackle Derrick Harmon from Oregon with the 21st overall pick in the NFL draft. While the Steelers remain in the market for a quarterback, they opted to pass on Colorado star Shedeur Sanders, who met with the team before the draft and received glowing reviews from head coach Mike Tomlin. Pittsburgh is hoping the 6-foot-4, 313-pound Harmon can help a defensive front that was frequently manhandled near the end of the season and gave up 299 yards rushing to Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and company in a first-round playoff loss to Baltimore.
April 25, 2025 4:27 am
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Cam Ward went from zero-star recruit to No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. Travis Hunter cost Jacksonville a premium. Jaxson Dart was selected before Shedeur Sanders. While Ward, Hunter and Abdul Carter went 1-2-3 as expected, Sanders wasn’t picked at all in the first round. Sanders was passed over by every team that had a need for a potential franchise quarterback, even though some draft analysts had him rated higher than Ward. The New York Giants had two chances to take Sanders and went with Penn State edge rusher Carter with the No. 3 pick, bolstering an already strong pass rush. The Giants then moved back into the first round and selected Dart, a quarterback from Ole Miss, at No. 25.
