Richard Childress Racing isn't cheating in NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series races at the drafting tracks of Daytona, Talladega and Atlanta — but they sure are hard to beat. Austin Hill won the season-opener at Daytona and was in position to win the next week at Atlanta before he spun on the final lap. Two of defending series champion Jesse Love's three career wins have come at superspeedways, and he won the pole for Saturday's race at Talladega on Friday. The pole was the eighth of Love's NOAPS career at a superspeedway. Hill will start sixth on Saturday, and it wouldn't be a surprise if the two RCR teammates are nose to tail early in the race. RCR's superspeedway speed stacks the deck against NOAPS competition "Our cars are so fast," Love said after his pole run on Friday. "It helps us when we can go to Atlanta and have a bunch of downforce in the car and still qualify good and then come here and have a bunch of raw speed. That allows me to make aggressive moves that would work for me and not for many others." Love earned his first career win at Talladega in April 2024. He's led a total of 125 laps in four starts at the 2.66-mile Alabama track, while Hill, the winner of the last two 'Dega races, has led 256 laps in eight starts. Love is yet to finish outside of the top 10 at what is arguably the most chaotic venue in all of NASCAR. "I can get a little bit further out than others and still not get passed," Love said. "I can generate bigger runs, have better restarts, save more fuel. The speed of the car stacks the deck. It's what we try to do here. Even when we don't quality good here, you'll still see me and Austin up front racing for the win." A win on Saturday would mean a lot for both RCR wheelmen. Despite being the defending series champ and third in the standings through 10 races in 2026, Love is winless on the season, while a victory for Hill could lift him out of a mini-slump that has seen him fall to eighth in points. Quotes provided by NASCAR Media.
Another day of the 2026 NFL Draft is in the books. Below, we take a closer look at Rounds 2-3, including the day's winner, what lies ahead for the two quarterbacks taken and more. Statement: Cleveland Browns won Day 2 The Browns were among the most active teams in the second and third rounds, adding three more players after making two Round 1 picks on Thursday. Cleveland began by double-dipping at wide receiver, selecting Denzel Boston, who had first-round potential, at No. 39, to join KC Concepcion, selected No. 24 the previous evening. In one of the night's biggest steals, the Browns landed safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren near the end of Round 2 at No. 58. Per Sports Info Solutions, he ranked as the second-best safety in the class and No. 22 overall prospect. For the second night in a row, Cleveland also won on the phone lines, too, executing advantageous trades. In addition to moving up for McNeil-Warren, in Round 3, it dealt No. 74 overall, acquired in the first-round trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, to the New York Giants for a 2026 fourth (No. 105), 2026 fifth (No. 145) and 2027 fourth. The Browns then packaged Nos. 105 and 145, along with a 2026 sixth (No. 206), in a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers for No. 86 overall, which they used to select offensive lineman Austin Barber, a potential starter as a rookie. For a team with plenty of work to do, Friday was a promising step forward. | TRUE Statement: The Houston Texans defense will be even better in 2026 The Texans moved up to select nose tackle Kayden McDonald at No. 36. For a defense that was already among the league's most dominant, it could possible make it even better in 2026. McDonald was the top defensive tackle prospect, according to SIS, which also ranked him No. 21 overall. At 6-foot-2, 326 pounds, the former Ohio State Buckeye can plug the middle of the defense against the run. Paired with edge-rushers Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter, he makes Houston's front four even more terrifying. The Texans also have three returning Pro Bowlers in the secondary, leaving them without any noticeable defensive weakness. | TRUE Statement: New Orleans Saints will have league's most improved offense After selecting wide receiver Jordyn Tyson at No. 8 in Round 1, the Saints further improved their offensive weaponry by adding tight end Oscar Delp in the third round. The former Georgia Bulldog ran a 4.49 40-yard dash at Georgia's pro day, which would have been the second-fastest among tight ends at the 2026 scouting combine. His 38-inch vertical would have been fourth. Per SIS data, Delp was dynamic with the ball in his hands last season, averaging 8.2 yards after the catch per reception. He produced a 53 percent positive play rate against man coverage, his speed and 6-foot-5 frame allowing him to exploit mismatches. The Saints finished 2026 ranked No. 28 in scoring, averaging 18 points per game. Their offense is in much better shape heading into 2026, giving it a chance for a big turnaround. | TRUE Statement: Carson Beck will start for the Arizona Cardinals in 2026 While no quarterbacks went in the second round, Arizona struck early in the third, taking Beck with the first pick of the round. The Cardinals have one of the league's worst quarterback situations, giving him a chance to start as a rookie. Jacoby Brissett put up serviceable numbers a season ago but is nothing more than a stopgap option, while free-agent addition Gardner Minshew is a below-average replacement. Beck is limited as a thrower, but after six collegiate seasons, including three as a starter, he won't have the learning curve of less seasoned prospects. Arizona won't be contending this year, making it perfectly reasonable to expect Beck to get a look as QB1 before next year's draft. The only question is how soon until he does. | TRUE Statement: The Pittsburgh Steelers have their quarterback of the future While Pittsburgh awaits Aaron Rodgers' decision, it selected former Penn State quarterback Drew Allar at No. 76 overall, the pick acquired in last year's trade sending wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. After the selection, the Steelers now have Allar and second-year quarterback Will Howard on their roster, giving the organization two young options as they search for a long-term solution. The problem is neither provides much optimism. Both project as backups with limited starter upside, suggesting the Steelers still haven't filled their biggest need. Maybe next year. | FALSE
There is nobody in the NFL better at wheeling and dealing than Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, and he showed that again on Friday night. The Eagles gave their pass-rush an immediate boost when he traded two third-round picks, including a 2027 pick, to the Minnesota Vikings for outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard. The Eagles also immediately signed Greenard to a four-year, $100 million contract extension. Along with netting two third-round picks, including a top-100 pick in this year's NFL Draft class, the Vikings also get some major salary-cap savings. Eagles pass rush gets immediate help with Jonathan Greenard trade The Eagles are a bonafide Super Bowl contender in the NFC this season, and you can never have enough pass-rushers and people who can get at the quarterback when you are in that situation. That is especially true for the Eagles after having previously lost Jalen Phillips in free agency earlier this offseason. Greenard was a Pro Bowl player during the 2024 season, and he has had two seasons in his career with at least 12 sacks. He was limited to just 12 games during the 2025 season for the Vikings and managed only three sacks in what was a down year statistically. While the sack numbers were not quite there, he has remained a consistent force when it comes to generating pressure off the edge and getting to the quarterback. An effective pass rush does not always need to result in a sack, and Greenard is a good example of that. He also recorded three passes defended and a forced fumble.
The New York Knicks are suddenly facing a 2-1 deficit in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal against the Atlanta Hawks, and coach Mike Brown did not exactly inspire a lot of belief that a comeback is in the offing. Many Knicks fans sharply criticized Brown for his comments following the Knicks’ 109-108 loss to the Hawks at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday. The coach said he had reassured his team that a 2-1 series deficit was not the end of the world and pointed out that the Oklahoma City Thunder fell behind 2-1 twice last season before going on to win the NBA title. “Oklahoma City was down 1-2 last year and they ended up winning it. I’m not saying we’re going to win it or anything like that,” Brown said. Fans suggested Brown’s comments were a sign of defeatism and a lack of fight. Brown’s point was that the Knicks are not done, and that other teams have come back and had success from similar positions. That last sentence sort of trampled all over that point. After all, the Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau last year in part because of the team’s failure in the Eastern Conference finals. Logically, Brown would be expected to at least match that progress. Brown’s handling of the series so far has been widely panned, and that was before their Game 3 loss. If the Knicks cannot come back to win this series, he is going to have a lot of questions to answer for failing to match Thibodeau’s achievements.
