Matthew Judon explained who he would draft for the Patriots
The New England defender noted that "you can't have enough offense" as he advocated for the team to draft a wide receiver.
The Red Sox lost to the Orioles 5-4 on Monday. Chris Sale allowed five runs in five innings pitched. Boston will face Baltimore again this evening at 6:35 p.m.
Also tonight, the Celtics host the Hawks at 7:30 p.m. for Game 5 of the first-round playoff series. Boston leads Atlanta 3-1, and can punch their tickets to the next round with a win.
Elsewhere, the Revolution will play Hartford Athletic tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the U.S. Open Cup.
Matthew Judon makes his pick: The NFL Draft begins on Thursday (April 27) at 8 p.m. The Patriots appear set to enter the night holding the 14th pick, which could lead down several pathways.
New England edge rusher Matthew Judon discussed the draft in an interview with NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah earlier in April. Asked who he would pick if given the choice, Judon shared a possibly surprising answer.
Instead of adding a fellow defender, the 30-year-old had a specific wide receiver in mind.
“You can’t have enough offense,” said Judon. “I like Quentin Johnston from TCU. I think he’s a long, rangy guy. He has exceptional hands. He can catch anything, and he can stretch the field. I believe he was good against man, he was good against press, he was good every year he was at TCU and all he did was make big plays in big time games.
“I think that’s eventually somebody you can’t leave 1-on-1 and I think as he grows into the offense, he’s just going to make our offense boom even more and he’s going to be a deep ball threat,” Judon added. “I think he’ll be good matched up with Tyquan [Thornton] because those are two fast guys.”
Johnston entered the draft following his junior season in which he caught 60 passes totaling 1,069 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He posted six catches for 163 yards (and a touchdown) in TCU’s 51-45 win over Michigan in the CFP Semifinal matchup.
At 6-foot-3, Johnston has drawn comparisons to Alshon Jeffery. He possesses both size and a capacity to generate big plays.
Trivia: What former Patriots wide receiver ranks in the top five in all-time TCU football history for both receptions and receiving yards?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: He was a Patriots fourth-round pick in 2013.
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A view of the New York Daily News back page: The reported full terms of the Aaron Rodgers trade from the Packers to the Jets was (finally) revealed on Monday.
On this day: In 1950, the Celtics possessed the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Instead of selecting local college star Bob Cousy from Holy Cross, newly installed Boston head coach Red Auerbach chose Bowling Green center Chuck Share.
Yet it was the Celtics’ second-round selection that would prove to be more consequential. With the 12th overall pick (the first of the second round), Boston chose forward Chuck Cooper from Duquesne.
Cooper, a 1950 second team All-American, became the first Black player in NBA history to be drafted. His legacy far surpasses his career statistics (he played in Boston from 1950 through 1954), as he helped to brake the league’s color barrier.
The 1950 draft ended up being foundational for the eventual Celtics dynasty, though in a roundabout way. Electing to not pick Cousy, who he dismissed as a “local yokel,” Auerbach eventually ended up with the point guard anyway following the dispersal draft when the Chicago Stags folded.
Another future Celtics Hall of Famer, Bill Sharman, was also not initially targeted by Boston. Drafted 16th overall by the Washington Capitols, Sharman was traded to the Celtics a year later for Share.
Daily highlight: The Red Sox lost, but Rafael Devers smashed an American League leading ninth home run (that might not have actually landed yet).
Trivia answer: Josh Boyce
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