Thursday 26th April 2018

Our event of the day is the first day of the 2018 NFL Draft at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington. This is in a historical draft, since it is the first one to be held in an NFL stadium, as well as the first one to be hosted by the state of Texas. Ahead of the 2018 season, the 32 NFL franchises will meet over the next three days and for seven rounds to make 256 selections from the best players who played in College Football. 106 players have left College early and made themselves available for selection – the most ever in a draft. In the 83rd NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns hold both the first and fourth overall selection and will aim to significantly bolster their squad that finished the 2017 season with the franchise’s worst ever record of 0-16. 

The New York teams, the Giants and the Jets, have their choices at the second and third pick respectively. The Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, are among the teams with the fewest number of selections, just six in total, and will pick last with the 32nd pick in the first round. The Green Bay Packers have the most selections in the draft with 12. The experts suggest up to four quarterbacks will be selected in the top 12 picks, and the Browns are expected to pick one of them with the first overall pick, Sam Darnold of USC, Josh Allen of Wyoming, Josh Rosen from UCLA or Baker Mayfield from Oklahoma all could be the pick. However with team general managers open for all options and trade offers occurring, the draft is extremely unpredictable. What’s certain is we’re in for a very exciting NFL draft in Arlington.

Honourable mentions around the globe go to the Europa League semi-final first leg game between Arsenal and Atlético Madrid at the Emirates Stadium in London. The Gunners hope to win the competition and thus secure Champions League football next season. Arsenal beat West Ham United 4-1 at home on Saturday, while Atlético played out a goalless draw against Betis in Madrid. In Premier League Darts, Phase 2 continues with Week 12 matches at the Manchester Arena. In the NBA Playoffs, the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Boston Celtics at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee; while in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Washington Capitals face off with the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Capital One Arena in Washington. It’s Day 4 of the ATP Tour’s Barcelona Open at the Real Club de Tenis in Barcelona. It’s the opening day of the Volvo China Open golf in Beijing; as well as the 2018 European Judo Championships at the Tel Aviv Convention Center. The Cycling Tour de Romandie has the second stage from Delémont to Yverdon-les-Bains. In the NRL, the Rabbitohs clash with the Broncos at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney.

Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!

Fixture

Photos by NFL