Making (dollars &) sense of NFL draft
Hurting Embiid showered with boos, rips refs and guarantees series victory
The NFL draft is just a few days away, with the first round kicking off Thursday.
My top-10 mock draft is heavily driven by the current betting markets, which are constantly fluctuating leading up to draft night.
Bettor’s Guide to the Top 10
1. Bears: QB Caleb Williams, USC
I’m surprised sportsbooks are still offering odds on Williams, who is 1/200 across the market. The Bears get their franchise quarterback of the future.
2. Commanders: QB Drake Maye, North Carolina
The odds for this pick have continued to fluctuate, and you can now find Maye priced as low as +120 to be the selection for the Commanders. Jayden Daniels remains the favorite, but I’ve remained hesitant to buy in on the smoke. Washington has done an excellent job keeping this close to the vest, and Maye is my QB2 in this class.
3. Patriots: QB Jayden Daniels, LSU
— A trade down here is possible, and de facto GM Eliot Wolf told reporters that the team is “open for business.” However, I believe the Patriots will stay in this spot and pick a quarterback. While J.J. McCarthy could surprise here, Daniels would be the favorite if Maye goes No. 2.
4. Cardinals: WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
The Cardinals are building around Kyler Murray, and they desperately need a top-end wide receiver for him to throw to. Harrison demands respect from opposing defenses and would be the best wide receiver in Arizona since Larry Fitzgerald.
5. Vikings (trade with Chargers): QB J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
Malik Nabers remains the favorite for this selection, but the Vikings have been a prime trade-up candidate since they acquired the Texans’ first-round pick. McCarthy has been one of the biggest risers in the pre-draft process, and Minnesota would be an ideal landing spot. I’d consider a bet on McCarthy being the No. 5 pick at +450 on FanDuel, with other books pricing this as low as +250.
6. Giants: WR Malik Nabers, LSU
With the top three quarterbacks off the board, the Giants pivot. New York hasn’t had a Pro Bowl receiver since Odell Beckham Jr. in 2016. Nabers and Rome Odunze both have that kind of upside, but Nabers is the favorite for this pick, currently priced at +150 on DraftKings.
7. Titans: OT Joe Alt, Notre Dame
The Titans should be thrilled if Alt falls to them. Alt, who is -175 to be the No. 7 pick, is the best offensive tackle prospect in this draft class and would significantly upgrade a Tennessee offensive line that badly needs help.
8. Jets (trade with Falcons): WR Rome Odunze, Washington
I view this Atlanta pick as a prime trade-up spot. The Bears would be thrilled to take Odunze at No. 9, and the Jets know they need to jump Chicago to get their guy. Odunze is an elite contested-catch receiver and underrated route runner who fills a need for New York with limited talent at wide receiver outside of Garrett Wilson.
9. Bears: Edge Jared Verse, Florida State
If the Jets jump the Bears for Odunze, Chicago would likely look to address a clear need at the edge. Dallas Turner and Laiatu Latu currently dominate the market for the first defensive player drafted. Still, Verse is a better fit for Matt Eberflus’ 4-3 scheme and doesn’t have the medical red flags that Latu does. He is priced as low as +300 to be the No. 9 pick on BetMGM.
10. Falcons (trade with Jets): Edge Laiatu Latu, UCLA
Over the last week, we’ve seen the market steam toward Latu in multiple ways. For my money, Latu has the best film of any defensive player in this class and is an incredibly polished pass rusher. If Latu’s medicals check out, he’s a top-10 talent.
Jacob Wayne analyzes the NFL for Action Network.
Down 2-0 on a questionable knee with an even more questionable team around him, Joel Embiid is doing his best Joe Namath. Or Mark Messier.
“We should be [up] 2-0. So we’re good. We’re going to win this series,” Joel Embiid said Monday night after Philadelphia’s epic collapse in a 104-101 first-round Game 2 loss to the Knicks at the Garden. And just for extra emphasis, he predicted it again.
“We’re going to win this. We know what we’ve got to fix. We did a better job today, so we’re going to fix it. But we’re the better team and we’re gonna keep fighting.”
Embiid didn’t let a knee injury or the endgame incompetence from his team dampen his confidence. Unless he was trying to convince himself.
Embiid — listed as questionable with a left knee injury, and still in doubt minutes before tipoff —- eventually suited up and didn’t just start, but starred.
Showered by chants of “Fu-k Embiid! Fu-k Embiid!” the center poured in a game-high 34 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
This despite the knee injury that required midseason surgery, sidelined him for 29 games and forced him off the floor briefly in Saturday’s Game 1 loss.
But in Monday’s Game 2 with his Sixers leading by five with 28 seconds left to play, they folded. They gave up a Jalen Brunson 3-pointer, and — after trying to call timeout but not being given one — watched Tyrese Maxey turn the ball over.
Even after forcing a missed 3-pointer by Donte DiVincenzo,
Embiid & Co. couldn’t corral the rebound. Naturally, they let the Knicks outfight them for it, and this time DiVincenzo didn’t miss his next look from deep for the lead.
It was a bitter end to Embiid’s night.
“Thats f---ing unacceptable to lose a game like this, especially in the playoffs,” said Embiid.
“Everybody on the floor was trying to call a timeout, myself included, Nico [Batum], coach on the sideline, but they didn’t give it to us. But forget about a timeout. There’s a bunch of fouls. Like I said, that’s f---ing unacceptable.”