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Entering the seventh round, the 257th and final selection of the 2025 draft belonged to the Chiefs. Kansas City traded up in the round, however, in a deal that left New England in position to wrap up the event.
The Patriots have selected cornerback Kobee Minor at No. 257. As a result, the Memphis product has the distinction of being this year’s Mr. Irrelevant.
Like many other prospects in this year’s class, Minor spent time at multiple schools during his time in college. He started out at Texas Tech, making a total of 23 appearances with the Red Raiders. After three seasons in the Big 12, Minor transferred to Indiana and played there for one year. In 2024, he was on the move once more, playing at Memphis.
Minor set new career highs across the board during his lone season with the Tigers. He posted 38 tackles (including seven for a loss), along with a pair of sacks, six pass deflections and two forced fumbles. Given his size — 5-11, 188 pounds — however, it very much remained to be seen entering the draft if his name would be called. Now, Minor will turn his attention to competing for a roster spot in New England.
The Patriots focused on a number of areas during the draft, but this pick is the only one including the cornerback position. The team’s depth chart will be topped by returnee Christian Gonzalez along with free-agent acquisition Carlton Davis in 2025. New England also has the likes of Marcus Jones and Alex Austin in the fold. Minor will look to carve out a role among that group (presumably on special teams, of course) during training camp. If he is unable to do so, he will be a practice-squad candidate to begin the campaign.
More must-reads:
- Patriots make the right call selecting LSU's Will Campbell
- Patriots were sold on Will Campbell after he 'punched' Mike Vrabel
- The 'One-and-done NFL head coaches' quiz
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Observations from Dallas Cowboys' first padded practice: Tyler Booker handles business, late-round rookie impresses, and more
The Dallas Cowboys got one step closer to regular season form by wearing pads for the first time in training camp. Below are some of the main takeaways from Sunday's practice in Oxnard, California, starting off with a couple of notes on rookies. Jaydon Blue's skills translate with pads on Blue was turning heads early in camp but it's always hard to tell the difference between a tackle or a big play when defenders are essentially playing tag instead of hitting players. Well, Blue looked promising even in pads, with the play below being the highlight of the day as he jukes Markquese Bell to break free for the extra yardage. The fifth-round rookie also showed off his speed as a receiver more than once. Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders are seeing the most playing time with the starters but Blue is off to a great start. Tyler Booker stacks highlights vs. Osa Odighizuwa It was a good day for the Cowboys' first-round rookie and projected starting right guard Tyler Booker. The play that stood out the most was a reach block on Osa Odighizuwa that sent the defensive lineman to the ground, opening a hole for Javonte Williams. ln a play-action play, Booker joined forces with center Cooper Beebe to take Odighizuwa out of the play. After a double block sent the defender to the ground, Booker blocked Odighizuwa with fully-extended arms to keep him away from Dak Prescott. Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer said ahead of practice that Booker had hit a bit of a wall leading to him working with the second-team the day before. He sure bounced back. Cowboys showing off a jumbo package Schottenheimer and offensive coordinator Klayton Adams have said the Cowboys will run a physical offense. In short yardage situations, that might mean running six offensive lineman onto the field. Asim Richards and Saahdiq Charles have both been used as a sixth OL/TE at practice. Below is a play where Charles even motions from one side to the OL to the other. The personnel grouping below includes fullback Hunter Luepke leading the way for the running back. Terence Steele participates in pads Earlier in training camp, right tackle Terence Steele suffered an ankle sprain that knocked him out of practice, raising concern for his availability moving forward. That concern is turning out to be short-lived. Steele was back Sunday, a major development for the first practice in pads. However, he didn't participate in team drills. Even so, the Cowboys appear to have dodged a major bullet as the injury was a high ankle sprain, which can be a headache for players. Steele wore tape on his ankle Sunday.
Lakers' Luka Doncic Going Viral for Shocking Body Transformation
The Los Angeles Lakers have been very invested in getting Luka Doncic into better shape this offseason. After how poorly he played defense and how tired he looked against Minnesota in the playoffs, it has been their top priority. Doncic has never been the most fit player in the league. He is still one of the best players in the league, but he could be a lot better if he were less tired at the end of the season. So far this offseason, it looks like Doncic has been committed to the training program that the Lakers put him on. He looks like an entirely different player. More news: NBA Insider Reveals Why Bradley Beal Spurned Lakers for Clippers A video of Doncic has been circulating online, showing off his body transformation. The Lakers would be thrilled if Doncic were able to stay this fit all year long. He needs to be able to play better defense now that he is the face of the franchise, and that could be abetted by improved lateral quickness. A big reason why the Lakers lost to the Timberwolves in the playoffs is because of their inability to stop guards from penetrating the paint. The starting backcourt is not a good defensive one. Doncic isn't the only one to blame for poor perimeter defense. Austin Reaves isn't the best defender, either. The difference with him is that he at least tries to be in the right spot on defense. At times against the Wolves, he was too tired to actually stay in front of some of the players who were attacking him. A large part of Minnesota's game plan was to get Doncic switched on to Anthony Edwards. More news: Massive 5-Team Blockbuster Trade Sees Lakers' LeBron James Shipped for $238 Million All-Star The Lakers would be in a great position to contend for a title if Doncic could stay in shape for an entire season. Based on this video, he has a renewed commitment to doing that. Doncic likely has extra motivation to show the Dallas Mavericks what they decided to trade away. He wants to prove them wrong for deciding to get rid of him. After he was traded to the Lakers, Doncic averaged 28.2 points per game, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game. He shot 43.8 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. More news: Former Lakers Guard Signing in Israel to Continue Career For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.
Hype around Yankees prospect Spencer Jones creating unrealistic expectations
The most intriguing baseball player not currently in the major leagues might be New York Yankees prospect Spencer Jones. That's not only because of the impressive numbers he has put up in Triple-A, but also because of his perceived value in trade talks ahead of Thursday's MLB trade deadline. That trade speculation, and the Yankees' reported expectations for what that trade value is, might be doing him more harm than good when it comes to his future in the big leagues. With the Yankees in need of significant help to make another World Series run, Jones is one of the prospects that has been speculated as a potential trade chip. But according to baseball insider Jon Heyman, the Yankees are only willing to trade him for one type of player: a Paul Skenes type. Since Skenes is not likely to move, and since the handful of players on that level are also unlikely to move, it probably means that Jones is going to remain with the Yankees organization. It's a long-winded way of saying he is almost untouchable in trade talks. That, frankly, seems to be an absurd position for the Yankees to take, assuming it is their position. Not because Jones isn't a good prospect, but because they might be setting an unrealistic expectation for the type of player he is or can become. He is far from a sure thing or a can't-miss prospect. His power is prodigious, and in 19 games since his promotion to Triple-A, he has already hit 13 home runs with a 1.407 OPS. Those numbers jump off the page at you and make him the type of player a team and front office (and fans) can dream on. It's exciting, and it's encouraging in an era where power and home runs are one of the first things teams look for with hitters. But there is something else in Jones' game that also jumps off the page, and it is far less encouraging. It is the strikeouts. As in, he strikes out ... a lot. A concerning amount. For his career (entering play on Sunday), he had already struck out 469 times in 1,310 minor league at-bats. That is a strikeout rate over 35%. His Double-A strikeout rate was an even more concerning 40.22% over the past two-and-a-half seasons. It reached as high as 42% during the 2024 season. While that number has come down a bit since his promotion to Triple-A, it's such a small sample size of games and at-bats that it's hard to know if it's a real improvement or just a random hot streak. While strikeouts have become far more accepted in the major leagues in this era, especially for power hitters, there still has to be some concern and tempered expectations for a guy who misses the ball that much in the minors. The opposing arms and the quality of pitches he sees are only going to get tougher as he takes the next step into the major leagues. There is also the fact he is 24 years old and has only played 19 games above Double-A ball. Not to mention the fact the Yankees — the team that would know him better than anybody — do not seem to be in a rush to promote him to the big league club. If the Yankees really thought that highly of him and really believed in him being a difference-maker, he might already be an option for them. There are red flags here. This is not to say that Jones won't be good. It is also not suggesting that the Yankees should trade him for just anybody. It is simply saying he shouldn't be an almost untouchable trade asset for a team trying to win a World Series right now. He's an intriguing prospect with big flaws that could ultimately hold him back.
Two Rivals Emerge as Trade Suitors for Penguins' Erik Karlsson: Report
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been a team that opposing sides have been watching all offseason long. Pittsburgh has a few veteran players who could be on the move via trade, and it could see the front office be very active. With the Penguins in full rebuild mode, the team seems to be looking ahead to the future. One player that has been discussed in different deals is veteran defenseman Erik Karlsson. Karlsson still has two years remaining on his current contract, including this upcoming season. The veteran is owed $11.5 million in each year, so any team that would trade for him would need to take on his high salary. According to NHL insider Shayna Goldman, the options for the Penguins in any potential Karlsson trade have started to dwindle. But the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators were mentioned as potential options to land the star defender. Last season with the Penguins, Karlsson scored 11 goals and 42 assists over 82 games. Karlsson showed impressive production for Pittsburgh, and he could be a valuable asset to any team that would trade for him. At this point in his career, Karlsson likely wants to play for a contending team. Both the Hurricanes and Senators could provide him with this, with both sides making the playoffs last season. Pittsburgh could likely net some strong future assets in any Karlsson deal, giving them more of a path forward. Trading for a player like Karlsson could be risky due to his age, but this could also be a move to help push a team over the hump in the quest to win a Stanley Cup title.
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