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In 2004, when Ryder Cup captain Hal Sutton paired Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods together at Oakland Hills, it was considered bold.

Not because it was the No. 2- and No. 4-ranked players in the world playing together in one group, but because Mickelson and Woods had a rivalry that was considered unfriendly. The two didn’t say as much publicly, but it was known that they weren’t sharing bottles of wine or comparing calves off the course.

They were partners in two sessions and came away with zero points.

In hindsight, that rivalry now seems benign compared to what current Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker is dealing with when it comes to the feud between Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.

The fact that Mickelson and Woods were paired together at all shows how much more animosity there is between DeChambeau and Koepka, who have said we shouldn’t expect the two to play together at Whistling Straits. Koepka went as far to say that they won’t be hanging out at night or high-fiving after any victories, either.

They both agreed to put the feud aside for the week for the good of the team to try to help the United States to victory over Europe. But even that required a conversation with Stricker and the latter having to act like a parent warning their young children that if they act up in front of company, they’ll be grounded.

Whether we’ll actually see them put the beef aside, or if we’ll see two kids sent to their rooms yelling “He started it,” isn’t the point. It’s that it has gotten to a level that it needs to be addressed and the two will be forced to be civil in what is supposed to be the game’s greatest team event.

Even outside of the Ryder Cup, the clash has taken on such a wave of momentum that PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced a new rule geared toward fans yelling, “Brooksy” at DeChambeau during tournaments. Violations could get fans tossed from events.

How did it get to this point? What started this back-and-forth and why has it escalated to the point that the adults in the room had to step in to stop it?

It started with slow play

Before this all moved to social media, Koepka made a comment in January 2019 about slow play at the Dubai Desert Classic.

He didn’t mention DeChambeau by name, but at the time, DeChambeau was at the center of conversation for his methodical approach to each shot.

“I just don’t understand how it takes a minute and 20 seconds, a minute and 15 to hit a golf ball; it’s not that hard,” Koepka said at the time. “It’s always between two clubs. There’s a miss short, there’s a miss long. It really drives me nuts especially when it’s a long hitter because you know you’ve got two other guys or at least one guy that’s hitting before you, so you can do all your calculations, you should have your numbers.”

DeChambeau was asked about it, but responded subtly that a lot goes into a shot and there’s a lot of calculating he’s doing in 45 seconds.

Fast forward to August at the Northern Trust, when a video of DeChambeau taking more than three minutes to hit a 70-yard shot went viral.

Another video went viral that week, showing DeChambeau taking more than two minutes to read an 8-foot putt on the eighth hole. The video showed playing partners Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood visibly bored by the amount of time it was taking to read the putt, only to watch DeChambeau miss the birdie try and tap in for par.

Other players, including Luke Donald, Rich Beem, Joel Dahmen, Eddie Pepperell and Ian Poulter, criticized the video on social media and were vocal that the tour needed to step in and do something about the pace of play.

That, of course, caused DeChambeau to go on the defensive and talk about the criticism he has received. He believed it was unfair and pointed to different factors throughout a round that can contribute to slow play.

DeChambeau also noted that there were other players who were also habitually slow and that when people start talking about his slow play and how he is killing the game, it was unfounded criticism.

“Sure, Eddie Pepperell, not fair to say. I would love to speak to him personally and talk about it, because I played with him, actually, at WGC-Mexico. We can talk about that time that we played it in,” DeChambeau said at the time. “When you start personally attacking people on Twitter, it’s like, come on, dude. Let’s have some more, I was going to say something else, but let’s have some more balls and speak to me to my face about that.”

Koepka didn’t say anything more publicly about DeChambeau at the time, so whether or not there was something said behind the scenes or that made its way to DeChambeau through other channels, it’s unknown.

Something caused DeChambeau to confront Koepka’s caddie, Ricky Elliott, on the practice green. He told Elliott that if Koepka has something to say about his slow play, he should say it to his face.

Koepka said he found that ironic that DeChambeau didn’t go to his face to say it, but rather through his caddie, but he did not immediately go on the offensive. The two seemed to have worked something out at the time and had a private conversation on Sunday of the tournament about the brewing feud.

DeChambeau felt as though he was singled out by Koepka in his comments earlier in the year and that had snowballed into heavier criticism from multiple angles.

“It’s not just him. I know he feels singled out, especially when I’m speaking about it,” Koepka said at the time. “But it’s like I told him, I’ve mentioned his name once, and that’s it. There’s so many guys out here where it’s become an issue, and obviously him being probably the best player that’s relatively slow right now, he’s going to be on TV a lot more, so you’re going to catch a lot more of those type of instances.”

DeChambeau acknowledged the conversation and said it was productive. That the two talked about what Koepka had said and it was explained that it was a generalized comment, not meant to just single out DeChambeau or one person.

That conversation led to both golfers agreeing they should keep their comments internal, that they shouldn’t go public with criticism and should try to keep any disagreements or verbal spats in house.

“It was great. I said, ‘I think we got to start internally so we don’t have these issues come out in public and it creates a bad image for the PGA Tour,” DeChambeau said. “We never want that. So, it was great. We had a great conversation, and have a new level of respect for him.”

That conversation seemed to squash any potential issues that could move forward and they both even appeared on SiriusXM radio together with Pat Perez and Michael Collins, where DeChambeau admitted to his slow play on the greens. There was even some jovial banter between the two with DeChambeau saying Koepka would win in a fight and that, “He’d kick my ass.”

Problem solved, right? Nope.

It’s all about The Body

In January 2020, Koepka appeared in ESPN The Magazine’s The Body Issue with other athletes showing off their physique.

DeChambeau either didn’t know how livestreaming works or didn’t care, because he criticized Koepka’s body while livestreaming himself playing a video game on Twitch.

“I don’t know if his genetics even make him look good, to be honest,” DeChambeau said on video. “That Body Issue, he didn’t have any abs, I can tell you that. I got some abs.”

That went against what Koepka and DeChambeau had agreed upon previously, to keep any issues in-house and not make any statements public, so the choice of words was strange, to say the least. Especially given that on the platform, a video can be recorded and shared on social media.

Koepka responded.

That seemed like a light-hearted jab back at DeChambeau. Maybe DeChambeau’s criticism was made in jest, as well, but either way, we didn’t see much public bickering until July 2020, at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.

The tour had just returned from its pandemic shutdown and DeChambeau was featuring his new, bulked-up body and distance off the tee. He had everyone noticing how far he was hitting the ball, but some questioning how he gained so much weight so quickly.

DeChambeau had a confrontation with a cameraman during the tournament after hitting the sand in anger in a bunker. He felt the cameraman was focusing too much on him for too long to capture his outburst. The two had a conversation.

Koepka, who was not playing in the tournament, took notice.

Later in the month, at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, DeChambeau hit an errant tee shot near a tree and on top of a stick on the seventh hole. He called over a rules official to see if he could get relief because he believed his ball was resting on an anthill.

He was hoping for relief under the dangerous animal condition, by saying his ball was on a fire ant nest and the fire ants were potentially dangerous. Dangerous to what or whom, who knows.

He was not given relief.

During the second round of the tournament, Koepka hit a tee shot out to the left, in the rough near some trees, and joked to his caddie that he saw an ant. The discussion was picked up by cameras and microphones and, of course, went viral.

Koepka didn’t mention DeChambeau by name in the steroid tweet or his ant remark, but it can be surmised they were aimed at DeChambeau. Similar to his comment at the PGA Championship about his successful play.

He told a reporter in an interview that there’s no reason to be scientific with the numbers, that he’ll just go out and play. That might not have been targeted, but DeChambeau’s nickname is the Mad Scientist.

Things seemed to cool down for a while. Koepka complimented DeChambeau before the Masters in November 2020. DeChambeau was contemplating using a 48-inch driver for the tournament and Koepka said that length is always an advantage and that DeChambeau has done a good job working to hit the ball as far as he does.

One eye roll changes everything

The feud fizzled for a few months then went straight to a rolling boil in May when Koepka was being interviewed by Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis after his second round at the PGA Championship.

Koepka answered a question as the sound of DeChambeau’s spikes clanking against the cement get within Koepka’s earshot. He lost his train of thought, rolled his eyes and cussed on camera, saying, “I lost my train of thought, yeah, hearing that bulls—.”

Lewis tells Koepka they’re going to have fun with that blooper and Koepka said he wouldn’t care if it was released. Naturally, it was leaked by someone and went viral in no time.

DeChambeau saw the video and commented on an Instagram account that posted the incident, saying, “You know you can fix spike marks now.” He was seemingly referring to the metal spikes he was wearing while walking through the video.

What came next was a flurry of shots on social media as DeChambeau prepared to play in The Match, partnering with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers against Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson.

When the teams and event were announced, Koepka first tweeted at Rodgers about playing with DeChambeau.

Of course, DeChambeau had something to say.

Koepka then replied again with a video of DeChambeau hitting a tee shot while a fan calls him “Brooksy.” In the video, DeChambeau is seen saying, “Whoever is calling me Brooksy needs to get out of here.” Koepka noticed.

The initial tweet from Koepka has more than 110,000 likes. DeChambeau’s reply back has more than 28,000. Koepka’s video reply has more 46,000 likes, showing the reach of the feud online.

Trying to offer some levity, Justin Thomas replied with a GIF of Bill Hader eating popcorn while nodding his head yes. Thomas was all of us that day.

Mickelson tweeted at DeChambeau and Koepka, saying he felt like he was in the middle of something and should step aside. But with Phil being Phil, he added more fuel to the fire on his way out.

The fans have their say

That video tweeted by Koepka escalated the number of fans yelling “Brooksy” at DeChambeau.

It got to the point where three fans were tossed from the Memorial Tournament in June for shouting “Brooksy.” At the time, DeChambeau tried to play it off as best he could and said the chants weren’t impacting him and that the yells were flattering.

He tried his best to make it seem like it wasn’t a bother, but it didn’t stop the fans from doing it.

What probably made it even worse was that Koepka, who wasn’t playing in The Memorial, partnered with Michelob Ultra to give free beer to any fan removed from the tournament.

He started the video by saying, “What’s up guys, it’s Brooksy,” then went on to thank the fans for showing their support by yelling his name.

DeChambeau acknowledged that he saw the video giving away free beer and tried to turn it into a positive.

“I’m happy that there’s more conversation about me, because of the PIP fund,” he said at the time.

The PIP fund is the player impact program that will split a $40 million pot between the 10 golfers that receive the highest-impact score based on social media presence and engagements. So, more mentions equals a bigger opportunity for DeChambeau to get some of that $40 million.

As the feud continued to grow, more yells of “Brooksy” happened at events. Reporters started asking if it had gotten out of hand and if it was actually bad for the game.

Koepka was asked about the feud and the leaked video from his Golf Channel interview. He responded by saying he doesn’t regret anything and that he is OK with everything that he had done up to that point.

“I think it’s good for the game. I really do,” Koepka said. “The fact that golf’s on pretty much every news outlet for about two weeks pretty consistently, I think that’s a good thing. It’s growing the game.”

Growing the game or not, it was becoming bigger than it ever had been. With the Ryder Cup approaching and the idea of the two playing on a team together, Steve Stricker went from an observer to a captain who needed to ensure his players wouldn’t let it be a distraction during the event.

“Yeah, it’s not making my job any easier, you know,” Stricker said in June. “I haven’t talked to either one of them. I will have to at some point. We’ll see where it goes from there. Hopefully, they can put their differences aside for the week, be big boys and come together as a team.”

That month, at the Palmetto Championship, Koepka addressed the idea that it could negatively impact the team.

“I mean, there’s only eight guys that are playing, four guys are sitting, whatever,” He said. “I mean, I play with one other guy. I don’t understand, if let’s say I don’t play with Bryson or Bryson doesn’t play with me, he takes care of his match, and I would take care of my match, and I don’t know how that has any effect. What you do off the golf course doesn’t have any effect on the golf course.”

No regret here

A week later, at the U.S. Open on June 17, DeChambeau saw an opportunity as Koepka was once again being interviewed by Golf Channel. The interview was set up higher than the walkway where players were going by.

DeChambeau saw the cameras and jumped in the air, waving his arms, to video-bomb Koepka’s interview in more of a quiet fashion.

Koepka didn’t notice it live and didn’t acknowledge whether he saw it afterward, either.

But Koepka was asked about the genesis of the feud. He went back to the time DeChambeau approached Elliott and told him if DeChambeau has something to say, that he should say it to his face.

“We both agreed we’d leave each other out of it and wouldn’t mention each other, just kind of let it die off, wouldn’t mention each other’s names, just go about it,” Koepka said. “So, then he decided, I guess he was going on that little, whatever, playing video games online or whatever, and brought my name up and said a few things, so now it’s fair game.”

He was referencing the fact that DeChambeau took a shot at him on his livestream and made it as public as can be, rather than keeping it in-house. Oddly enough, DeChambeau said in July that he didn’t remember what was said in the conversation.

“We just had a conversation that I really don’t know what happened, because we haven’t really bantered back and forth until now,” DeChambeau said. “So, it’s like, why is this happening now?”

At the time of the conversation, DeChambeau had praised Koepka for talking and working things out. He might not remember the context of the conversation, but previously acknowledging that it took place and what the conversation was about made it seem as though he was on the same page as Koepka at the time.

Regardless of whether he remembered the conversation, the feud had gone full-tilt and was as public as it has ever been.

Koepka digs in on social media

In the beginning of July, DeChambeau parted ways with caddie Tim Tucker before the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit. Koepka took the opportunity to again throw shade and tweeted out his support for his own caddie the same day.

DeChambeau was introspective in a media session, telling reporters that he never wanted to be famous growing up. He just wanted to be a golfer. He said he’s human, so naturally he is impacted by things that are said and situations he has been in.

He acknowledged that he hasn’t approached certain situations in the past the best way and that he didn’t set out for this feud to grow into what it is.

“I’m somebody that doesn’t necessarily like controversy. I just like doing my own thing,” he said. “Do I like showcasing something unique and different? Yeah, but I guess what comes with that is controversy, and I guess that’s something that I don’t necessarily deal the best with sometimes.”

That didn’t stop Koepka, though.

On Thursday at The Open, DeChambeau said his driver sucked in an interview after having a poor performance off the tee. He blamed it on the build of the club itself and the physics in how companies create driver heads, instead of his swing.

Koepka pounced on another opportunity.

It’s not just the fact the Koepka says it. It’s the fact that he says it with a smile that shows you how much he’s enjoying taking shots, whether on television or on social media.

At that point, the clash had become somewhat one-sided in the public eye, with Koepka encouraging fans yelling his name at tournaments, tweeting jabs and saying whatever he wanted in interviews.

The captain steps in

Despite the fact that there hadn’t been much back and forth for a while, the Ryder Cup became a bigger point of emphasis in August. Would the two be able to be on the same team? Would they bicker the week of the Ryder Cup? Would it hurt the team chemistry?

Stricker had a conversation with both players and came away assured that the two would be able to quash the beef for the week and that it wouldn’t be a distraction.

“They said it’s not going to be an issue, and I believe them,” Stricker said. “I trust them. As far as I’m concerned, it’s been put to bed.”

Koepka acknowledged the conversation and said he’s willing to put it aside. DeChambeau has refused post-round interviews since before the Olympics, so he hasn’t given his perspective on the feud and the Ryder Cup. But Stricker has said both are on board.

All was well until three days later at the BMW Championship. After a 6-hole playoff, in which DeChambeau lost to Patrick Cantlay, a fan said “Great job, Brooksy,” as DeChambeau was walking toward the clubhouse.

According to ESPN’s Kevin Van Valkenburg, who witnessed the incident, DeChambeau spun around and yelled, “You know what? Get the f— out,” at the fan.

Van Valkenburg said DeChambeau had been dealing with the taunts all week and weathered the storm until that moment.

While Koepka may have agreed to pause the feud, his fans had not.

That moment caused the PGA Tour to get involved, creating a rule that will expel fans for yelling “Brooksy” at DeChambeau.

Now comes the actual Ryder Cup, with the two on the same team as the U.S. tries to bounce back from a rout three years ago in Paris at the hands of the European team. Will these two players on the same team hurt the team? Will fans at Whistling Straits be divided — not by U.S. vs. Europe but by Koepka vs. DeChambeau? Stricker believes he has the players on the same page.

It’s time see if the rivalry takes a break or another chapter of the feud is required.

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NFL experts debate the 2024 draft: Best picks and biggest head-scratchers

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9 mins ago

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May 6, 2024

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NFL experts debate the 2024 draft: Best picks and biggest head-scratchers

  • NFL experts

May 6, 2024, 06:30 AM ET

The 2024 NFL draft brought record-breaking trends, including six quarterbacks picked in Round 1 for the first time since 1983 and eight offensive tackles taken in Round 1, which ties 2008 for the most ever. Now that more than a week has passed since the draft concluded, our NFL experts have had time to assess the class.

We asked our analysts and insiders to answer some of the draft’s biggest questions. We’ll begin with their favorite picks and the biggest head-scratching selections — some of which don’t involve quarterback Michael Penix Jr. going to the Atlanta Falcons in the top 10. We’ll continue to update this story with a new topic every day this week, including rookie classes our analysts believe will make the biggest impacts, Rookie of the Year picks, fantasy sleepers and bold predictions.

Who were the best picks in this class? Which were the most puzzling? Our experts dive in on the top takeaways:

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Favorite picks | Biggest head-scratchers

Who was your favorite pick in the entire draft?

Stephania Bell, fantasy football analyst: Cornerback Quinyon Mitchell to the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 22. When a team fills a need with a standout prospect without breaking the bank to do it, it’s a winner. Mitchell is fast and agile and allowed no touchdowns in over 400 coverage snaps last season. He rose many draft boards in recent months … and yet, the Eagles were able to surprise the competition by snagging him here.

Matt Bowen, NFL analyst: Cornerback Mike Sainristil to the Washington Commanders at No. 50. A nickel corner with a playmaking mentality, Sainristil was one of my favorite defensive backs to study. He led Michigan’s defense last season with six interceptions and seven pass breakups. Look for him to play a disruptive role as a rookie in Dan Quinn’s defensive system.

Mike Clay, fantasy football analyst: Wide receiver Ladd McConkey to the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 34. The Chargers moved on from Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Austin Ekeler and Gerald Everett during the offseason, a foursome responsible for 55% of the team’s targets over the past two seasons. Enter McConkey, who is an excellent fit as a potential Allen replacement in the short-to-intermediate area for quarterback Justin Herbert. Even in a run-heavy offense, McConkey, who came out of Georgia, has a path to massive volume right out of the gate.

Jeremy Fowler, national NFL writer: Wide receiver Malik Nabers to the New York Giants at No. 6. For all the hand-wringing about the Giants’ quarterback outlook, the truth is New York quarterbacks haven’t had a true top-10 receiver since Odell Beckham Jr. Nabers might have the highest ceiling of any offensive player in the draft. Several teams in the top 15 coveted him. Give quarterback Daniel Jones a chance with a guy of this caliber, and see what happens.

Matt Miller, NFL draft analyst: Wide receiver Rome Odunze to the Chicago Bears at No. 9. Let’s give the Bears credit for not overthinking and simply drafting great players. With a rookie quarterback added in Caleb Williams, selecting a go-to receiver for him to learn and grow with was brilliant. It also helps that the two trained together, building chemistry in the pre-draft process. Odunze was my No. 3 overall prospect, which means Chicago drafted two of my top three players in this class.

Eric Moody, fantasy and sports betting analyst: Offensive lineman Graham Barton to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 26. As an ex-offensive lineman, it was a pleasure breaking down Barton’s film. He’s consistent and showcases maximum effort on every play without mental errors. Barton can play center, guard or tackle as a rookie, and I believe he’ll have a superior career to some of the names drafted ahead of him.

Jason Reid, senior Andscape writer: Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 8. I understand everything about the Falcons’ commitment to quarterback Kirk Cousins, the salary cap implications and the potential for strife within the locker room. But if the Falcons are right about Penix, none of that will matter in the long run. If a team believes it has identified a potential transformational player at the most important position in sports, well, it has to go get him. It’s that simple.

Jordan Reid, NFL draft analyst: Edge rusher Dallas Turner to the Minnesota Vikings at No. 17. Minnesota hasn’t drafted an edge rusher in the first two rounds since 2005 (Erasmus James). The team needed to replenish its talent off of the edge after losing Danielle Hunter in free agency. While the team signed Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel during free agency, Turner provides a high upside as a pass-rusher in Brian Flores’ defense. Turner led Alabama with 10 sacks and 45 pressures last season.

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Fantasy projections for the 2024 rookie NFL pass catchers

Check out Mike Clay’s fantasy projections for Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, Brock Bowers and Brian Thomas Jr.

Aaron Schatz, NFL writer: Wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to the Indianapolis Colts at No. 52. Analytics suggest there is no such thing as a “draft steal” because prospects drop from consensus for good reasons. That being said, Mitchell might have dropped due to off-field concerns, and Colts GM Chris Ballard spoke out against that. This was the No. 5 wide receiver in Playmaker Score but the No. 11 receiver off the board.

Mike Tannenbaum, NFL front office insider: Odunze. He has a legitimate chance to be the best receiver from this draft. Under the motto of “win for today and develop for tomorrow,” the Bears have Allen on a one-year deal, and Odunze has Terrell Owens‘ type of ability. Odunze had 1,640 receiving yards and 13 scores in 2023. This is ideal for Chicago.

Seth Walder, sports analytics writer: Defensive end Laiatu Latu to the Colts at No. 15. Because of medical concerns and the run on offense, the Colts managed to take the edge rusher who led FBS football in pressure rate in each of the past two seasons — yes, ahead of Will Anderson Jr. and Tyree Wilson in 2022 — at No. 15. The Colts might have landed a great one at a premium position in the middle of the first round.

Field Yates, NFL analyst: Odunze. The wideout falling to No. 9 was not a complete surprise, given the anticipated run on quarterbacks early, but it was also not a sure thing. The sixth-highest-rated player on my board could have been the first receiver taken in so many prior drafts, but the presence of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Nabers (the third- and fourth-rated players on my board) made him the third off the board in this class. But don’t be mistaken — Odunze will be an instant impact contributor as one the most polished prospects in the class.

Who was the biggest head-scratching pick of the draft?

Bell: Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 8. It is hard to justify spending this first-round draft capital when the Falcons had declared their nine-figure love for Kirk Cousins weeks earlier. The team did fulfill defensive needs — its most glaring hole entering the draft — in later rounds, but will the strategy of having two QBs capable of starting create less tension in the locker room … or more?

Bowen: Penix. The Falcons built depth behind Cousins with this selection and set up their QB room for the future. However, I saw this as an opportunity for the Falcons to add an impactful defensive player to new coach Raheem Morris’ system, with outside linebacker Dallas Turner and defensive tackle Byron Murphy II still on the board at the time of Atlanta’s pick.

Fowler: Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall to the San Francisco 49ers at No. 31. I’m not about to doubt coach Kyle Shanahan’s eye for offensive skill players, and I love Pearsall as a player. But his place as WR6 in this draft was unexpected. Most teams I spoke to pegged him as a Day 2 pick. Considering the 49ers still have Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk on the roster, bolstering the offensive or defensive line seemed like a sensible play.

Liz Loza, fantasy and sports betting analyst: Tight end Brock Bowers to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 13. I was stupefied by the Raiders’ selection of Bowers, and it’s not because of his talent level. He’s a potential generational talent with a do-it-all skill set who was expected to come off the board before the first half of the first round. However, Las Vegas spent an early second-round pick on Michael Mayer just a year ago and entered the draft with holes all along the offensive line. In the end, I suppose, the value Bowers presented was too great to pass on.

Moody: Quarterback Bo Nix to the Denver Broncos at No. 12. While he posted prolific numbers at Oregon during his final collegiate season, it’s worth noting that nearly 67% of his passes came within 9 yards of the line of scrimmage. Nix’s selection appears to reflect desperation on the part of a Sean Payton-led Broncos team in need of a quarterback upgrade. I felt like Denver could have traded down and still landed Nix.

Jason Reid: Offensive tackle Tyler Guyton to the Dallas Cowboys at No. 29. Look, I get that the Cowboys had a major need along their offensive line. And the fact that they moved to rebuild it in this draft makes sense. That established, Guyton, while possessing impressive physical tools, is a developmental player. There’s no sugarcoating that.

Jordan Reid: Defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro to the Falcons at No. 35. With Jer’Zhan Newton still on the board, it made more sense to take him there. Newton possesses more upside as a rusher and is an ideal interior defender who pairs perfectly with Grady Jarrett. Orhorhoro is unquestionably the better run-defender, but Newton’s combination of explosiveness and disruption would’ve made him the better pick.

Schatz: Penix. Look, I understand the importance of the quarterback position, leading to six quarterbacks chosen in this year’s top 12. You can talk me into the idea that Penix is a better prospect than J.J. McCarthy despite McCarthy doing better in my QBASE projections. But if all goes well, Penix is not going to take a snap in the NFL regular season until he’s 26 years old. The Penix pick isn’t that head-scratching; it’s the Penix pick in conjunction with the Cousins contract.

Walder: Defensive tackle Braden Fiske to the Los Angeles Rams at No. 39. This has little to do with the player and more to do with the circumstances of the pick. The Rams paid an obscene price to move up from No. 52, sacrificing a fifth-round pick and future second-rounder in the process — the most expensive Day 2 overpay in at least the past six drafts and a larger investment than their first-round pick (Jared Verse at No. 19), according to our draft pick valuations. And all this for a player who was at the beginning of his selection range, according to the Draft Day Predictor (in other words, this was a borderline reach).

Yates: Penix. I had a top-of-the-second-round grade on Penix, but quarterbacks always fly off the board earlier than the overall ranks indicate. This is about Atlanta investing in a player who will turn 24 on Wednesday at a position in which only one player will play after paying Cousins $100 million guaranteed in March. One of the great advantages of a quarterback on a rookie contract is the modest cost of his contract, which affords you the ability to spend elsewhere across the roster. The Falcons are not realizing that advantage with Cousins under contract and making $90 million over the first two seasons of Penix’s deal.

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Larson wins at Kansas in closest Cup finish ever

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May 6, 2024

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Larson wins at Kansas in closest Cup finish ever

  • ESPN News Services

May 5, 2024, 10:03 PM ET

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Kyle Larson came roaring around the outside of Chris Buescher on the final lap at Kansas Speedway, banging doors with him all the way to the finish line, only to be told by his team over the radio that everything he had given was not quite enough.

It wasn’t until Larson was in Turn 3 of the cool-down lap that he saw his spotter, Tyler Monn, dancing high above the track.

In the closest finish in NASCAR history, one that only became official with a grainy black-and-white photo at the line, the No. 5 car was declared the winner by a thousandth of a second — every bit as close as the Kentucky Derby a day earlier, and an even more dramatic finish than the three-at-the-line conclusion to the Cup Series race at Atlanta earlier this season.

“Had no clue if I won or not,” Larson said, “but honestly didn’t really care. I was like, ‘Man, that was frickin’ awesome.'”

Not so awesome for Buescher’s team, which had begun celebrating before the result became official. His crew chief, Scott Graves, asked to meet with NASCAR officials in their hauler. Shown the finish-line photo, he accepted the outcome.

“I don’t know what to say right now,” Buescher said, shaking his head while standing beside his No. 17 car. “I haven’t seen a replay other than just the picture, and I sure can’t see in that picture. That sucks to be that close.”

The edge-of-your-seat finish came after a caution for Kyle Busch‘s spin forced the green-white-checkered finish. Larson had pulled behind Buescher on the backstretch of the last lap, then came around him in the final corner. To the naked eye, Buescher looked as if he had edged ahead, and even Larson had started to congratulate his team on a strong second-place run.

A few minutes later, he was doing a celebratory burnout on the front stretch.

It was a brilliant start to a busy month of May for Larson, who will attempt to run the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day Memorial Day weekend. The win was his second of the season for Hendrick Motorsports, and it gave him a bit of retribution after finishing second to Denny Hamlin last week at Dover and in the spring race at Kansas a year ago.

Martin Truex Jr. finished fourth Sunday and Hamlin, who had the lead on the final restart, faded back to fifth place.

“Had a great view of the finish,” Hamlin said with a smile.

Making the finish an even bigger bummer for Buescher was the fact that he had overcome a big miscue midway through the race. He had just won the second stage and led the field to pit road when a crew member came over the wall early. The penalty sent him to the rear, and Buescher had to spend much of the final stage working his way back to the front.

Ultimately, Buescher’s team opted for a different pit strategy than the other leaders. So did Hamlin’s team, which had survived its own share of pit problems. And it might have worked out for both of them had the race finished under green.

Instead, the late caution forced the leaders to pit, and set up a finish that went down in NASCAR history.

Buescher later joked on social media that he should’ve replicated a move pulled in Pixar’s “Cars” to have gotten the edge.

“I mean, I’ll always remember this, for sure,” Larson said. “There’s definitely wins that you can kind of get lost in the distance a little bit, but when you finish and have the closest finish in Cup Series history, I don’t think you’re ever going to forget about it, even if it gets broken someday. Great to be on this side of it.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Stenhouse inks extension with JTG Daugherty

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9 mins ago

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May 6, 2024

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Stenhouse inks extension with JTG Daugherty

  • Associated Press

May 2, 2024, 02:40 PM ET

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has signed a multiyear contract extension with JTG Daugherty Racing, which he took to Victory Lane in the Daytona 500 two years ago, to continue driving the No. 47 car in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The team announced the deal Thursday. No details were provided.

“I knew both the team and I were capable of putting the No. 47 in Victory Lane,” Stenhouse said. “Although I wish it came sooner, winning the Daytona 500 last year proved that we can win together. We have a fantastic group of guys at the shop, great management, solid partners and an ever-improving program. I’m very excited to continue my relationship with the team. I think everyone will be pleasantly surprised to see what we have in store for the future.”

Stenhouse has a pair of top-10 finishes this season, including a fourth-place run two weeks ago at Talladega.

The three-time Cup Series winner will be racing this weekend at Kansas Speedway, where he finished in the top 10 for JTG Daugherty Racing in the spring race two years ago.

“I am looking forward to continuing with Ricky as our driver of the No. 47. He has been an asset to our team on and off the racetrack since joining us in 2020,” team owner Gordon Smith said. “Winning the Daytona 500 was a huge accomplishment for our small team, and I know we have more trips to Victory Lane in our future with Ricky at the wheel.”

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