NFL Draft Live Updates | Who will be the first pick?
By The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The NFL draft begins tonight! The Carolina Panthers are on the clock with the No. 1 pick and likely will choose between quarterbacks Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud. The events at Kansas City’s Union Station start at 1 p.m. Eastern and will include a red carpet and musical acts highlighted by Fall Out Boy. The draft will begin at 8 p.m. EST and can be viewed on NFL Network, ABC, ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Follow for live updates from Associated Press reporters across the country (all times EST).
What to know:
— When, where and how to watch the NFL draft.
— Mock Draft! See if your predictions are better than ours.
— Who is the favorite to be the top pick in the NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers?
___
12:45 p.m.
Who will steal the spotlight with a daring fashion statement at the NFL draft tonight? While top prospects in this year’s draft like quarterbacks Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson prepare their outfits for the big night, AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken looks back at some of the most memorable draft night ensembles since Deion Sanders made a splash with his track suit and gold chains in 1989.
___
11:45 a.m.
Bijan Robinson is expected to be the first running back selected in the NFL draft. How high he goes is the big question.
The Texas star has top-10 talent but NFL teams no longer place a premium on running backs, so he could still be on the board late in the first round. Only four running backs have been selected in the first round since Saquon Barkley was chosen at No. 2 by the New York Giants in 2018. None went higher than No. 24.
“Everybody has their opinions and understandably so because the running back position came to be one-dimensional, but if you have a guy who is really versatile and can line up as a receiver, in the slot and have as much effect (as a receiver) as at running back, that’s when the value really takes off,” Robinson told The Associated Press.
“I understand where people are coming from when they say: ‘If this was 20 years ago, you’d probably be the first pick in the draft.’ But I think if you have a guy who can do so many great things on the field and off the field, then that’s where the value grows a lot more.”
___
10 a.m.
The NFL draft will be held at Kansas City’s Union Station, where the league has built its largest stage complex for its second-biggest event behind the Super Bowl.
Once a fixture at Radio City Music Hall in New York, the draft has grown in popularity since it took to the road eight years ago in 2015. The event has become a major boon for the league, teams and host cities.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
