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Thursday’s Hot Clicks: This NFL Draft Could Get Absolutely Crazy

Tonight could be wild. There are so many top-tier players available but seemingly no consensus on who should be first off the board. 
Dan Gartland|
Thursday’s Hot Clicks: This NFL Draft Could Get Absolutely Crazy
Thursday’s Hot Clicks: This NFL Draft Could Get Absolutely Crazy

Tonight could be certifiably bonkers

I’m not usually a big fan of the NFL draft—it’s usually pretty boring unless someone is smoking weed out of a gas mask—but I have a feeling the first round tonight could be wild. There are so many top-tier players available but seemingly no consensus on who should be first off the board. I can feel comfortable saying that at least one of the top four quarterbacks will have a slide like the guys on this list. 

Our MMQB team is the best in the business and has some fantastic pre-draft coverage, including Andy Benoit’s needs for every team, Jonathan Jones on how NFL teams build their own mock drafts in an attempt to feel out who will be available to them and Conor Orr on why Roger Goodell needs to knock it off with the hugs. And not to brag, but Albert Breer agrees with me about the potential for a quarterback slide. (I also enjoyed this list from Athlon Sports of the best ever NFL players by draft pick number.)

The draft also gives me an excuse to share one of my favorite things we’ve ever done on Extra Mustard: a mock NFL prospect interview based on real questions players get. 

(Click here if the quiz above doesn’t load.)

LeBron did it again

If you’re still a LeBron James hater, fix that. This series against the Pacers is more evidence why he’s the greatest player ever. 

Not only did he have his second 40-point double-double of the playoffs last night, he made as impressive a game-winning sequence as you’ll ever see. 

LeBron’s supporting cast gave him nothing last night. When 37-year-old Kyle Korver (19 points) is your second leading scorer, you know things are bad. Kevin Love was the only other Cleveland player in double digits with 11 points, and he shot just 2–11 from the field.

That’s almost as bad as the cast around Russell Westbrook and Paul George for the Thunder, who were the only OKC players to score more than seven points in a comeback win over the Jazz at home. 

Never give up

I have no idea what’s holding Jonny Venters’s elbow together at this point, but he’s back in the major leagues. 

He already had Tommy John surgery as a minor leaguer in 2005 and needed a second surgery in 2013, followed by a third Tommy John in 2014. He had a fourth surgery on his UCL in 2016 to reattach the ligament rather than fully replace it. 

The slew of operations kept Venters sidelined from 2012 until essentially 2017 (he pitched just four innings in 2016) but now he’s finally back in the major leagues at the age of 33. Venters was called up Wednesday and retired the only batter he faced in the Rays’ win over the Orioles. 

“Oh man, it was an amazing experience, just to get out there on a big league mound in a big league game,” Venters said after the game. “To be able to get an out and help this team win, it was a special thing that I’ll never forget the rest of my life.”

Bits & pieces

The man who orchestrated a $1.2 million fajita scam will serve 50 years in prison. ... This person wrote an angry letter to the FCC about swears on TV but sent it to the FC Cincinnati soccer team. ... Cops in California have arrested a 72-year-old man they believe was a serial killer in the 1970s and 80s. ... Our Jack Dickey wrote about what it was like to win almost $48,000 on Jeopardy!. ... Chris Paul and Aaron Rodgers are hosting an NBA vs. NFL golf tournament this summer. ... I still can’t get over this kid catching a foul ball with a glove full of popcorn.

Take this guy at No. 1

Baker Mayfield’s family spent three hours turning his bedroom into a carbon copy of Brett Favre’s so they could recreate this classic photo. 

Good point...

A tweet of a photo of an Instagram post of a screenshot of a tweet quoting another tweet

West Coast rappers do it, too

How did they think this would go?

The Handsome Pooper

Look at this kid’s face as he finds himself in the crossfire of Drake and John Wall’s trash talk

All hail Frederik Andersen

The Maple Leafs lost Game 7 to the Bruins last night, but can we just take a moment to appreciate Toronto goalie Frederik Andersen? Look at this scrambling stop he made in the first period. 

He made panicked saves like that all throughout this series, including these gems from Game 3 and Game 6. 

A good song

Email dan.gartland@simail.com with any feedback or ping me on Twitter. Click here for previous editions of Hot Clicks. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.

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Dan Gartland
DAN GARTLAND

Dan Gartland writes Sports Illustrated’s flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, and is the host of the “Stadium Wonders” video series. He joined the SI staff in 2014, having previously been published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a graduate of Fordham University, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).

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