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  • Colorado players in transfer portal: Wave of Buffaloes exit program as Deion Sanders aims to reshape roster

    Colorado players in transfer portal: Wave of Buffaloes exit program as Deion Sanders aims to reshape roster

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    Colorado enjoyed what was considered a wildly successful spring game this past weekend under first-year coach Deion Sanders, but despite that, the Buffaloes roster is poised to look massively different by the time fall rolls around. On Monday, a slew of players hit the transfer portal with the exodus including everyone from star players in 2022 to once-promising prospects who are now looking for new homes away from the Coach Prime era in Boulder. More players followed the Monday departures on Tuesday.

    Wide receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig is one of the highest-profile players to make the decision to leave Boulder. The junior made waves on Saturday by catching three passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns during the first spring game for coach Deion Sanders. One of those passes was a 98-yard score from transfer quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder from Inglewood, California, was the Buffaloes second-leading receiver last season with 23 catches for 359 yards and three touchdowns.

    Fellow wide receiver Jordyn Tyson also announced Monday that he is hitting the portal after a successful first season in Boulder. Tyson finished last season as the top receiver on the roster with 470 yards on 22 receptions after joining the program from Allen (Texas) High School. 

    Deion Smith, last season’s top running back, also entered the portal on Monday. The 6-foot, 190-pound senior led the team with 393 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns last season. He had 653 yards rushing and four rushing…

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  • 2023 NFL Draft: Texas’ Bijan Robinson not concerned with being drafted high, calls process a ‘blessing’

    2023 NFL Draft: Texas’ Bijan Robinson not concerned with being drafted high, calls process a ‘blessing’

    Texas running back Bijan Robinson is one of the most intriguing players in what promises to be an unpredictable draft. CBS Sports’ No. 5 prospect rushed for 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2022, and is considered to be a first-round pick on Thursday despite the fact that he plays a position NFL teams don’t seem to value as highly as they once did. 

    CBS Sports NFL Draft expert Chris Trapasso has Robinson being selected No. 5 overall by the Atlanta Falcons, while CBS Sports NFL Insider Pete Prisco has the 21-year-old going with the second-to-last pick in the first round, No. 30 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles. While pundits may disagree on how long Robinson will have to wait to hear his name called on Thursday night, he’s called the draft process a “blessing,” pointing out to CBS Sports this week that God doesn’t gift everyone this kind of opportunity. 

    “Not at all man,” Robinson replied when asked if it matters to him whether he’s drafted high or not. “I know that I’m gonna be blessed to be at the right team and the best team that God has for me. Wherever I go, I’m gonna embrace the city, embrace the teammates, embrace everybody anywhere I’m at. For me, it’s just an exciting opportunity to be able to get to play on a team and bring your skillset and your personality to the coaches, to the teammates and to the city as well. I’m excited to go wherever. Whoever picks me up, I’m ready to go and I’m ready to be there.”

    AUSTIN, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 03: Bijan Robinson #5 of the Texas Longhorns reacts after a rushing touchdown in the third quarter against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 03, 2022 in Austin, Texas.
    Tim Warner / Getty Images

    Just nine running backs have been selected in the top 20 picks of an NFL Draft…

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  • Florida State or Clemson? ACC power rankings and key question for each team after spring practice

    Florida State or Clemson? ACC power rankings and key question for each team after spring practice

    The seismic shifts rippling through college football haven’t yet reached the Atlantic Coast Conference so far as its membership lineup is concerned. But there are changes afoot in the ACC nonetheless as the 2023 season approaches.

    For one thing, the Atlantic and Coastal divisions are no more. But beyond that structural alteration, a changing of the guard on the field might be in the offing as well.

    In the end, it might indeed be Clemson raising the championship trophy once again, but the Tigers’ grip has loosened a bit in recent years. But if the door is indeed ajar, is anyone else positioned to barge through it?

    With spring practice wrapped up, here’s a look at how we think the conference stacks up with the biggest question for each team.

    1. Florida State

    Will the offensive line hold up?

    The biggest reason for the program’s decline in prior to last season was a leaky front that couldn’t open holes or prevent quarterbacks from getting pounded. That unit appears to be a lot deeper now, and with incumbent quarterback Jordan Travis and receiver Kentron Poitier ready to shine next to star Johnny Wilson. The Seminoles will look to hit the ground running and avoid the early skid that effectively eliminated them from the championship picture in 2022.

    Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis (13) run with the ball against Florida during the second quarter of their 2021 game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

    2. Clemson

    Where will the big passing plays come from?

    Cade Klubnik is now firmly entrenched as the starting quarterback, but the dynamic plays from the wide-outs that have largely been missing over the last couple of seasons were again absent in the spring. The defense should be fine as usual, and the running back room has plenty of options as well, but the Tigers might need to hit the portal for some long pass catchers to…

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  • Three-year cash flow for quarterbacks reveals how badly Patrick Mahomes needs a new deal

    Three-year cash flow for quarterbacks reveals how badly Patrick Mahomes needs a new deal

    Chiefs G.M. Brett Veach recently said that, after Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert do new deals, the Chiefs will take another look at the contract signed three NFL seasons.

    They frankly shouldn’t have to wait that long.

    The Mahomes deal was grossly team-friendly from the get go. Someone apparently wanted to be able to claim that Mahomes had signed the first half-billion-dollar deal in league history. To get there, other things were sacrificed.

    Specifically, early-year cash flow was sacrificed.

    With the Jalen Hurts contract signed and finalized, and with the numbers now available to be scrutinized, the major quarterback contracts can be compared as to one of the key factors for evaluating contracts — the amount of money actually paid to the player in the first three years of the contract.

    Per a source with knowledge of the numbers, here’s the three-year cash flow for the current high-end quarterback deals:

    1. Aaron Rodgers: $150.8 million.

    2. Deshaun Watson: $138 million.

    3. Dak Prescott: $126 million.

    4. Matthew Stafford: $120 million.

    5. Russell Wilson: $119 million.

    6. Daniel Jones: $112.5 million.

    7. Kyler Murray: $107.8 million.

    8. Jalen Hurts: $106.3 million.

    9. Josh Allen: $92.3 million.

    10. Patrick Mahomes: $63 million.

    Take a look at those numbers. Look at the names. With all due respect to the others, Mahomes should be at the very top of the list.

    Whatever Burrow or Herbert will get doesn’t change that. It’ll only make it more conspicuous, because it likely will drop Mahomes to No. 12. If/when Lamar Jackson gets a deal with the Ravens, Mahomes will fall to No. 13.

    Yes, Mahomes has every right to take whatever contract he wants. And, yes, he continues to have a great team around him, given the money he’s not taking. But to be tenth out of 10 and likely on his way to No. 12 or No. 13 of 12 or 13 on the list of quarterback cash flow, the Chiefs probably should fix this, regardless of whether Mahomes is banging on anyone’s…

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  • Colorado players in transfer portal: Wave of Buffaloes exploring exit after Deion Sanders’ spring game debut

    Colorado players in transfer portal: Wave of Buffaloes exploring exit after Deion Sanders’ spring game debut

    Getty Images

    Colorado enjoyed what was considered a wildly successful spring game this past weekend under first-year coach Deion Sanders, but despite that, the Buffaloes roster is poised to look massively different by the time fall rolls around. On Monday, a slew of players hit the transfer portal with the exodus including everyone from star players in 2022 to once-promising prospects who are now looking for new homes away from the Coach Prime era in Boulder. 

    Wide receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig is one of the highest-profile players to make the decision to leave Boulder. The junior made waves on Saturday by catching three passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns during the first spring game for coach Deion Sanders. One of those passes was a 98-yard score from transfer quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder from Inglewood, California, was the Buffaloes second-leading receiver last season with 23 catches for 359 yards and three touchdowns.

    Fellow wide receiver Jordyn Tyson also announced Monday that he is hitting the portal after a successful first season in Boulder. Tyson finished last season as the top receiver on the roster with 470 yards on 22 receptions after joining the program from Allen (Texas) High School. 

    Deion Smith, last season’s top running back, also entered the portal on Monday. The 6-foot, 190-pound senior led the team with 393 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns last season. He had 653 yards rushing and four rushing touchdowns during his four seasons with the Buffaloes.

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  • NFL Draft 2023: Full list of Eagles picks, plus potential fits, first-round trades, more

    NFL Draft 2023: Full list of Eagles picks, plus potential fits, first-round trades, more

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    The Philadelphia eagles have a rare opportunity to capitalize on the 2023 NFL Draft, thanks to having two first-round picks in an offseason following a Super Bowl appearance. Philadelphia holds the No. 10 and No. 30 overall picks in the draft, the first team since the New England Patriots in 2008 to have a top-10 draft pick the year following a Super Bowl appearance. 

    Philadelphia has interviewed plenty of offensive and defensive linemen amongst its top 30 visits in recent weeks, so that could be the direction the franchise will lean toward at No. 10. The Eagles have also conducted pre-draft interviews with running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, adding even more intrigue Philadelphia could take them 10th. 

    With no picks from the fourth through sixth rounds, the Eagles are also candidates to trade down and acquire more picks for Day 3. Philadelphia has four premium picks on Days 1 and 2 (two in the first round, one in the second, one in the third) and five premium picks in 2024 (one first, two in the second, and two in the third — one is a projected compensatory). 

    The Eagles will certainly be active in the 2023 NFL Draft. Here are their selections heading into Thursday night: 

    More Eagles pre-draft stories

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  • USA TODAY Sports’ SEC power rankings following spring practice season

    USA TODAY Sports’ SEC power rankings following spring practice season

    Florida football wrapped up its spring practice season on Thursday, April 13, with the conclusion of the annual Orange and Blue game — the pinnacle of the program’s intrasquad scrimmages. Since then, the remainder of the Southeastern Conference’s member schools also wrapped up their spring schedules after the Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers played theirs last Saturday.

    The SEC has at least four — and potentially as many as six or seven teams – with legitimate playoff hopes, including the Tennessee Volunteers and even possibly the Texas A&M Aggies who cratered in 2022. Unfortunately, things still are not looking great for Billy Napier’s Gators.

    With spring football ostensibly in the rearview mirror, take a look at how Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports ranks the conference schools along with his biggest question for each respective team ahead of the 2023 season.

    Georgia Bulldogs

    Joshua L. Jones-USA TODAY NETWORK

    Who is the starting quarterback?

    The competition to replace Stetson Bennett continues past the end of spring practices even as junior Carson Beck seems to stack some distance between himself and competitors Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton. For Kirby Smart, the possible benefits to extending this competition are to push Beck to raise his game before the season opener and to give all three quarterbacks the chance to get more comfortable with any changes new coordinator Mike Bobo has made to Georgia‘s offense. But Beck remains the heavy favorite to draw the starting nod.

    Alabama Crimson Tide

    Vasha Hunt/AL.com

    How do the new coordinators mesh?

    For all the hubbub around this offseason’s coaching moves — Bill O’Brien and Pete Golding are out, Tommy Rees and Kevin Steele are in — don’t ignore just how often this has happened to Alabama and coach Nick Saban. Including his debut season in…

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  • 5 takeaways from GM Andrew Berry’s pre-draft press conference

    5 takeaways from GM Andrew Berry’s pre-draft press conference

    As he does every year, general manager Andrew Berry sat down with the media to give his pre-draft press conference. With the 2023 NFL draft now less than a week away, the Cleveland Browns will be looking to maximize their eight draft picks despite not having a first or second round pick.

    He discussed free agency, his philosophy on making trades, the Browns’ draft board, and more. What can we take away from Berry’s presser? We highlight five points that stood out as he and his team prepare to welcome another group of young players to the Browns.

    We dive in here. All quotes can be found in the transcript provided for Berry’s presser.

    The Browns are not looking for day-one contributors in the draft

    “I think every general manager in this sport has to have a foot in the present and a foot in the future.”

    Despite the public perception, the NFL draft is meant to add talent for the future. In some cases, teams even ease in first round picks into their starting lineup to make their transition from the college level to the NFL level stress-free. And for a team that does not have a single pick in the top 70 of the 2023 NFL draft, Andrew Berry is looking for players who can bring value to the roster further down the road than the 2023 season.

    “Ideally, you want to be in a position as a roster where you’re not relying on rookies to have major roles… We really want to make sure that as we’re in this lifecycle of the team, we’re in a position where younger players can maybe intergrade into the NFL and develop in the NFL at maybe more of an appropriate pace.”

    The Browns addressed their starting roles in free agency so that no rookie selected in the middle rounds is forced to start right away. A defensive tackle may find a rotational role. An edge rusher will contribute on a rotational basis, and a wide receiver will do the same if selected. However, outside of injuries, the Browns will not put a rookie in a position to see significant snaps like Alex Wright had…

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