Event of the Day: NFL Draft

Our event of the day is the 2019 NFL draft, which this year is being held in Nashville, Tennessee. Today will see the all important first round take place before Friday and Saturday sees the ensuing rounds 2 to 7 that’ll draw the draft to a close. There will be 254 entrants in this year’s draft on the look out for a professional contract from the 32 teams who will be hoping to snap up the league’s next big star. After recording a woeful record of 13 losses and just three wins last term, it is the Arizona Cardinals who have the honour of kicking off proceedings in Nashville, as they have the number one pick. Many are expecting quarterback Kyler Murray of the Oklahoma Sooners to go first for the Cardinals. Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury will be excited by the possibility of coaching the highly-rated QB who threw for 42 touchdowns last year which saw him pick up the coveted Heisman Trophy. Whoever the Cardinals opt for, they will be hoping for a better outcome than the last time they were given the honour of the number one pick back in 1958, on which occasion they drafted King Hill who played just 12 games for the then Chicago-based outfit. This year’s draft is saturated with defensive talent, which bodes well with San Francisco 49ers, who will make the number two pick in the first round.

The 49ers gave up 435 points during last year’s regular season, only four teams gave up more, and with Jimmy Garoppolo’s timely return to fitness, they could now turn to improving on the defensive side of the ball as they look to return to the Super Bowl for the first time in eight years. There are several exciting prospects they could opt for, including Alabama’s defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. The 6-foot 3 defender is not only dominant at the line of scrimmage, recording 19 and a half tackles for a loss last year, he is dangerously quick and ran a 4.83 second 40-yard dash which will no doubt send fear throughout the league’s roster of quarterbacks. However, the current favourite for the number two pick is Nick Bosa from Ohio State after his dominant displays at the defensive end position and his ability to sack the quarterback. There will be many twists and turns and no doubt trades as well; get ready for one of the most exciting nights of the American sporting calendar.

Honourable mentions around the globe go to the NBA where the San Antonio Spurs take on the Denver Nuggets at the AT&T Center. With Denver currently boasting a 3-2 lead in the series, Spurs must find the win tonight if they are to prolong their stay in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Nuggets will hope to emulate their game 4 performance where they were dominant at the AT&T Center, running out 117-103 winners. Elsewhere, there is an intriguing clash in the Indian Premier League, as the Kolkata Knight Riders welcome the Rajasthan Royals to Eden Gardens. In the darts, the Unibet Premier League takes to Birmingham tonight where Rob Cross will take on the mercurial Gerwyn Price. PSV Eindhoven will look to keep pace with Ajax in the Eredivisie as they do battle with Willem II at the Koning Willem II Stadion. Finally, the Snooker World Championship continues today where Jack Lisowski will take to the table with last year’s Quarter-finalist Ali Carter. In the NHL, it’s the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs second round - the St. Louis Blues meet the Dallas Stars and the Boston Bruins take on the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!

Fixture

Photos by NFL

 

See what else is happening in the world of sport

Fixture calendar