With players like Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Garrett Wilson entering the league in recent years, Ohio State has become a factory for NFL wide receivers.

Marvin Harrison Jr. might be the best of the bunch.

The Arizona Cardinals selected Harrison with the fourth overall pick on Thursday, making him the first non-quarterback to come off the board.

With several teams still looking for their future quarterbacks, some experts thought the Cardinals could trade the No. 4 pick, but they ultimately stayed put to take Harrison.

The son of the eight-time Pro Bowl receiver and Indianapolis Colts great, Harrison Jr. spent three seasons at Ohio State. In his last two seasons in Columbus, he totalled 144 receptions for 2,474 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Harrison is a two-time All-American and won the Fred Biletnikoff Award last year as college football’s best receiver.

With good athleticism and a 6-foot-4, 205-pound frame, Harrison checks all the boxes to project as a No. 1 NFL receiver.

In a pre-draft interview with ESPN on Thursday, Harrison said his goal is to be “the best receiver to ever play.”

Harrison joins a Cardinals team that is looking to recover from a 4-13 season and wants to build around quarterback Kyler Murray.

The Washington Commanders are confident that they have found their franchise quarterback.

With the second overall pick, the Commanders selected LSU’s Jayden Daniels, one of the most electric dual-threat quarterback prospects in recent memory.

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner led LSU to a 10-3 season last year and threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns with only four interceptions. He added 1,134 yards on the ground and 10 rushing touchdowns.

On Wednesday, Daniels downplayed reports that he was unhappy with the Commanders conducting a group interview with other top quarterback prospects.

“I'm blessed to go wherever I'm called,” Daniels told reporters. “Whoever calls my phone, whoever gives the card to the Commissioner that says my name, I'm blessed to go and they're going to get my all.”

Daniels later clarified that he was “one hundred percent” heading to Washington.

Despite gaudy production in his senior year, scouts were split on Daniels’ professional prospects, with some wondering if he possesses the pocket passing skills required for the NFL.

At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Daniels is larger than most dual-threat prospects, and his ability to avoid turnovers his senior year was very promising.

But Daniels’ Heisman season is an outlier among his five seasons in college – three at Arizona State and the final two at LSU.

In his first 43 NCAA games, Daniels had a 143.8 passer rating. That number skyrocketed to 208.0 last season.

Due to his extended college career, Daniels will celebrate his 24th birthday during his rookie season in the NFL, making him significantly older than fellow top quarterback prospects Caleb Williams and Drake Maye.

Daniels joins a Commanders squad that went 4-13 last season with Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett at quarterback.

Dan Quinn replaces Ron Rivera as Washington’s head coach, and former Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury will take over as the Commanders’ offensive coordinator.

The New England Patriots hope they now have their franchise quarterback after selecting North Carolina’s Drake Maye with the third overall pick in Thursday's NFL draft. 

Maye was the third straight quarterback selected after the Chicago Bears took Caleb Williams at No. 1 and the Washington Commanders chose Jayden Daniels second.

Since Tom Brady departed New England following the 2019 season, the Patriots used Cam Newton as their primary quarterback the following season before drafting Mac Jones 15th overall in 2021.

Jones had a strong rookie season with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions but tailed off to 24 TDs and 23 picks combined the past two seasons and was traded to Jacksonville in March. 

Maye likely won’t be the Patriots’ starting quarterback at the start of the 2024 season after veteran signal caller Jacoby Brissett was signed to a one-year contract in March. Brissett has appeared in 79 NFL games with 48 starts and figures to serve as a mentor to Maye.

There is also the belief that Maye simply won’t be NFL ready in a few months and would be best served to sit a season, like what Patrick Mahomes did for the Chiefs in 2017.

Maye was the ACC Player of the Year in 2022 in his first season as a full-time starter at North Carolina, also being named the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. He broke Mitchell Trubisky’s school record and set an FBS freshman record with 4,321 passing yards and tied Sam Howell’s mark for passing touchdowns with 38 and threw just seven interceptions. He also displayed his mobility with nearly 700 yards rushing and seven scores. 

This past season wasn’t as productive for Maye, who before the season lost offensive coordinator Phil Longo and receivers Josh Downs and Antoine Green to the NFL. Maye was still named to the Second Team All-ACC team as he passed for 3,608 yards with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 12 games.

Maye has all the physical tools to succeed in the NFL, namely excellent arm talent and good mobility for someone of his size (6-foot-4, 223 pounds). He made a host of impressive touch throws in college and understands where to deliver a ball for a receiver to make a play on it. 

There are some issues with Maye’s footwork and his tendency to trust his arm strength almost too much and force some throws. His weaknesses, though, seem like the kind that can be improved upon rather quickly and sitting for a full season - or at least most of one - would help greatly in this area. 

Maye has drawn comparisons to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers. 

He isn’t quite the natural athlete that Allen is and probably doesn’t have Hebert’s arm strength, but it’s not far-fetched to think Maye could put up similar numbers to those two at the next level given the right coaching and situation. 

The Chicago Bears believe they've found their franchise quarterback.

In what had been expected for months, the Bears selected Southern California's Caleb Williams with the first overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday.

Williams had widely been viewed as a generational quarterback and the most complete QB prospect in decades.

He now arrives in Chicago to take over a franchise that has been starving for an elite signal-caller.

He joins the Bears after staring at USC, where he won the 2022 Heisman Trophy as the top collegiate player in the United States.

After throwing for 4,537 yards with 42 touchdowns and five interceptions in 14 games in 2022, he threw for 3,633 yards with 30 TDs and five picks in 12 games last year.

In his two seasons with the Trojans, he completed 67.5 per cent of his passes and averaged 9.20 yards per attempt.

Williams is the total package – possessing exceptional arm strength and overall athleticism, able to make plays with his arm and his legs. Groomed from a young age to be pro quarterback, Williams processes opposing defences at a high level, making good decisions with his reads and throwing an accurate, deep ball.

The Bears had zeroed in on Williams after meeting with him in Los Angeles in March, followed by his visit to Chicago's practice facility earlier this month. The Bears were the only NFL team Williams visited, and the only quarterback Chicago hosted, making it blatantly obvious the team was going to draft him first.

The Bears also made it clear they were in the market for a quarterback after trading Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers in mid-March.

Fields was the 11th overall pick of the 2021 draft, and though he was well liked by his team-mates and the fanbase and had the ability for dazzling, highlight-reel plays, he was an uneven passer and was unable to elevate Chicago's offence.

The Bears ranked 27th in passing offence with an average of 182.1 yards per game in 2023, while going 7-10.

Williams steps into a solid situation with Chicago, as he'll team with new running back D'Andre Swift, a pair of proven wide receivers in DJ Moore and off-season pickup Keenan Allen, and has the luxury of joining a team with a formidable defence.

The Bears' trade for Moore last off-season helped the franchise draft first overall for the first time since 1947.

Chicago traded away last year's top pick to the Carolina Panthers for Moore and four draft picks – one of which turned out to be the No. 1 pick they used to draft Williams.

A day before the NFL draft, one of the league's best edge rushers has requested a trade.

Three-time Pro Bowler Trey Hendrickson has asked to be traded from the Cincinnati Bengals on Wednesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Hendrickson, who is set to make $14.8million this season and $15.8million in 2025, is reportedly seeking a long-term deal - something that hasn't been worked out with the Bengals.

His request to be traded comes at an intriguing time with the draft set for Thursday, as another team could be looking to make a deal with Cincinnati for the established pass rusher.

The 29-year-old is coming off a career year, registering a personal-high 17 1/2 sacks to tie with Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Josh Allen for the second most in the league.

Hendrickson's 16 tackles for loss were tied for 10th in 2023, and his 53 sacks since the start of the 2020 season rank third behind T.J. Watt (62) and Myles Garrett (58).

A third-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in 2017, Hendrickson signed with the Bengals in 2021, and has been named a Pro Bowler in each of his three seasons in Cincinnati.

Hendrickson's request for a trade comes a little more than a month after wide receiver Tee Higgins asked to be traded.

Higgins, who had the franchise tag placed on him by the Bengals on February 26, did say earlier this month, however, that he intends to play for Cincinnati in 2024.

Fellow Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase had the fifth-year option on his rookie contract picked up on Wednesday.

Chase, the 2021 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, has 268 receptions for 3,717 yards and 29 touchdowns in his first three seasons - the team leader in each category since 2021.

The Detroit Lions have locked up one of their most important players for the foreseeable future by agreeing to a reported four-year, $120 million extension with wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.

St. Brown, who was entering the final season of his rookie contract, confirmed the news Wednesday with a video message on his Instagram account.

"I can't wait. I'm here, four more years!," St. Brown announced. 

One of the NFL's most productive receivers since entering the league as a fourth-round draft pick of the Lions in 2021, St. Brown will now be among the highest-paid players at his position. NFL.com reports the contract, which runs through 2028, includes $77 million in guaranteed money for the largest sum ever for a wide receiver.

The deal's $30 million average annual value is tied for the highest among wide receivers, matching the four-year, $120 million extension Tyreek Hill received from the Miami Dolphins in 2022. 

St. Brown earned first team All-Pro honours with a brilliant 2023 campaign in which he finished in the NFL's top three in receptions (119) and receiving yards (1,515) and recorded a career-high 10 touchdown catches in 16 games.

The 24-year-old added 22 catches for 274 yards and a touchdown in three post-season games to help the NFC North champion Lions advance to the conference title game for the first time since 1991.

St. Brown's 315 career receptions are the third-most by any player in NFL history through his first three seasons, eclipsed only by Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson's 324 from 2020-22 and Michael Thomas' 321 with the New Orleans Saints from 2016-18. 

The two-time Pro Bowler is also one of just three receivers in league history with 90 or more catches through his first three seasons, joining Thomas and Odell Beckham Jr. (2014-16).

Zach Wilson has a chance to restart his career in a new setting after the Denver Broncos reportedly traded for the former starting quarterback from the New York Jets on Monday, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

The Broncos are also acquiring a seventh-round pick in this year's NFL draft, and the Jets will receive a sixth-rounder.

New York will also pay part of Wilson's $5.5million salary next season.

Wilson arrives in Denver after never living up to expectations with the Jets after the franchise selected him second overall in the 2021 draft.

He went 3-10 as a rookie in 2021, and things didn't improve in 2022, leading to his benching.

The Jets had seen enough and decided to move on from Wilson, trading for Aaron Rodgers prior to the 2023 season. Wilson, though, got another chance to start after Rodgers tore his Achilles on his first drive with New York in the season opener.

He was unable to take advantage of that opportunity, however, throwing for eight touchdowns and seven interceptions in 12 games in 2023. His 77.2 passer rating ranked 30th out of 32 qualifying QBs last season.

In 34 career games, he has completed 57.0 per cent of his passes for 6,293 yards with 23 TDs and 25 picks.

Among the 30 quarterbacks with a minimum of 700 pass attempts since 2021, Wilson ranks last in completion percentage and QB rating (73.2), and 29th in both touchdown passes and yards per attempt (6.34).

In Denver, he'll likely get a chance to compete for the starting QB job after the Broncos released Russell Wilson in early March.

The only other quarterbacks on Denver's roster are Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci, but the team could also decide to select one in Thursday's draft.

The Philadelphia Eagles locked up wide receiver DeVonta Smith through the 2028 season on Monday.

Philadelphia exercised its fifth-year option on Smith for the 2025 season and agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension that runs through 2028.

Smith’s extension is reportedly worth $75million, including $51million in guaranteed money.

Philadelphia selected Smith with the 10th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft after he won the Heisman Trophy with Alabama in 2020.

Smith was the first wide receiver to win the Heisman since Desmond Howard in 1991 and first non-quarterback or running back to capture the honour since cornerback Charles Woodson in 1997.

Smith has caught 240 passes for 3,178 yards and 19 touchdowns in 50 regular-season games while adding 27 receptions for 405 yards and a TD catch in five postseason contests.

From cherished American superstar to villain whose murder trial captivated a global audience, OJ Simpson’s fall from grace was startling.

Simpson, nicknamed ‘The Juice’, has died at the age of 76 after losing his battle with prostate cancer, leaving behind four children.

Before the low-speed car chase by police and ‘Trial of the Century’ that began the unravelling of his reputation, Simpson was a darling of American sport who had also carved out a successful acting career.

He was raised in a low income neighbourhood in San Francisco and joined a local gang but his athleticism offered a route out and he found his purpose in gridiron.

A prolific running back, he starred for USC and in 1968 won the Heisman Trophy awarded to the outstanding player in college football. Inevitably, he was first overall draught pick the following year.

Progress in his first couple of seasons at the Buffalo Bills was slow but his impact grew and he went on to become one of the most successful operators in his position, winning the NFL’s most valuable player in 1973 and being inducted into the hall of fame in 1985.

He became the game’s highest paid player and lucrative commercial deals also followed as companies looked to leverage his charisma and popularity, while his acting career included parts in blockbusters ‘Towering Inferno’ and ‘The Naked Gun’.

For all his film presence he was little known outside the United States but that changed for all the wrong reasons when he was arrested in 1994 for the murder of his former wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman.

Brown and Goldman had been found stabbed to death in LA and once police had filed charges, Simpson refused to turn himself in and was pursued in an extraordinary car chase that was at low speed because he had a gun pointed to his head.

The event was televised live to millions and projected his notoriety worldwide, with the broadcasting of his subsequent murder trial only intensifying interest in this fallen star.

He was acquitted the following year but a civil lawsuit found him liable for the deaths, resulting in an order to pay £26.7million pounds to the victims of the families. Only a fraction of that amount was actually paid.

Arrests followed for a variety of offences in the early 2000s and his lowest point eventually came in 2007 when he was charged with armed robbery and kidnapping.

He served nine of a 33-year jail sentence and upon his release he continued to live in Las Vegas, looking increasingly frail when in public but active on social media. Simpson always maintained his innocence of the murders.

OJ Simpson has died of cancer at the age of 76.

Simpson was a running back for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers from 1969 to 1979, before being acquitted of murder in a trial in the mid-1990s.

News of Simpson’s death was announced by his children on his X account.

“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” read a statement.

“He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace. -The Simpson Family”

Louis Rees-Zammit is determined to make the Kansas City Chiefs’ playing roster after admitting his NFL dream could be over in a heartbeat.

The former Wales rugby star returns to the United States on Wednesday to begin pre-season training after signing a three-year contract with the back-to-back Super Bowl champions.

However, Rees-Zammit is only guaranteed to be paid for the first year and has revealed that if he fails to impress, he can be jettisoned immediately.

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As NFL salaries are made public, it has emerged he will be paid £634,000 if he is picked in the 53-man roster for the upcoming season but only £199,500 if he remains in the practice squad. The total contract could be worth as much as £2.27million.

“As a rookie you sign a three-year deal and you get guaranteed money. So if you get injured or you get cut, you’re still guaranteed that money,” Rees-Zammit told The Rugby Pod.

“But you can get cut at any point so it’s bit of a cut-throat sport. I could go to pre-season now, not do well and just get cut straight away.

“You’re not guaranteed the three years at all – and no one is. I just need to make the 53-man squad now. I’m ready to show everyone what I can do.”

Rees-Zammit has been busy studying the Chiefs’ playbook on his iPad, revealing that they will have 1,000 plays for a season with 80 of them used in any one game.

The 23-year-old’s most likely path to actually playing in the NFL is as a kick-returner – a role set to increase in influence next season following a change to the rules – but he will also be tried at running back and wide receiver.

“The new kick off rules this year are absolutely massive. That’s where my main position will be and I’ve got to fight to start in that position this year,” he said.

“And then within the offence it’s about how quick I can learn the playbook. We’ve got a plan to put me in various positions, play out the backfield at running back, be a slot receiver. Just being able to use me as much as possible and be creative with me.

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“It’s going to take a lot and a bit of time to do that and all the coaches know that, so there’s no pressure.”

Rees-Zammit has already had contact from quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, the Chiefs’ biggest stars.

“Pat and Travis both messaged me. Pat’s my best mate now! They said welcome to KC and if I ever need anything then let me know. I’m so excited to meet everyone and get training,” he said.

The Jacksonville Jaguars and star pass rusher Josh Allen have agreed to a five-year contract worth $150million, including $88million in guaranteed money.

Jacksonville placed the NFL's non-exclusive franchise tag on Allen in March, meaning he would have earned $24million in 2024 if he signed the tender.

Allen has instead been rewarded following the best season of his career since the Jaguars selected him seventh overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.

The two-time Pro Bowler set personal highs with 17.5 sacks, 33 quarterback hits and 17 tackles for loss while also forcing two fumbles and recording the second interception of his career.

Allen’s 17.5 sacks were a franchise record and tied for the second most in the NFL last season.

The Houston Texans have added another prominent player to an already-talented roster by agreeing to acquire four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs in a trade with the Buffalo Bills, multiple outlets reported Wednesday.

Houston will send a 2025 second-round pick to Buffalo in exchange for Diggs, one of only two players with over 100 receptions in each of the past four seasons. According to NFL.com, the Texans will also receive a 2024 sixth-round selection and a 2025 fifth-round choice from the Bills.

Diggs joins 2023 breakout performer Nico Collins and impressive 2023 rookie Tank Dell to form potentially one of the league's strongest collection of wide receivers for quarterback C.J. Stroud, last season's NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The reigning AFC South champion Texans have already made a few splash moves this offseason by signing elite pass rusher Danielle Hunter in free agency and landing four-time 1,000-yard rusher Joe Mixon in a trade with the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Buffalo, on the other hand, appears to be going through a bit of a reset after losing in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs in each of the past three seasons. The Bills released three key starters - cornerback Tre'Davious White, safety Jordan Poyer and center Mitch Morse - earlier this offseason in order to clear salary cap space.

Diggs' departure also continues an offseason shuffling at the wide receiver position for Buffalo. The Bills lost deep threat Gabe Davis to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency while signing veteran Curtis Samuel.

Acquired from the Minnesota Vikings in 2020 in another blockbuster trade, Diggs put together a highly productive four-year tenure in Buffalo while helping the Bills reach the playoffs in each of those seasons. The 30-year-old's 445 receptions since 2020 are the most in the NFL, and only Diggs and Las Vegas Raiders star Davante Adams have surpassed 100 catches in each of the last four seasons.

Diggs amassed 107 catches for 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023, his sixth consecutive season with at least 1,000 receiving yards.

The Texans will have Diggs under contract until 2027, as he'll be entering the first season of a four-year, $96 million extension he signed with Buffalo in April 2022. The nine-year veteran will have a cap hit of around $19 million this season, while the Bills will incur a cap charge of just over $31 million with the move. 

Vontae Davis, the former Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts cornerback, has died suddenly at the age of 35.

His former teams and team-mates came together to play tribute to Davis, a two-time Pro Bowl player in 2014 and 2015, after he was found unresponsive in a Fort Lauderdale residence.

No cause of death has been announced, with the investigating Davie Police Department reportedly suggesting no foul play is suspected.

The Colts, where Davis played between 2012-17, said on X: “We are devastated to hear of Vontae Davis’s passing. He will be deeply missed, and we send our prayers to his family and loved ones.

“He was a standout player in his six seasons with the Horseshoe, but he was an even better team-mate who carried a smile and positive energy every day.”

The Dolphins, who gave him his NFL break after his college football success with Illinois, posted: “We are heartbroken by the sudden passing of former Dolphins CB Vontae Davis and extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

Those who shared the field with Davis also took to social media with their own marks of respect, with Kenny Moore II declaring: “It hurts to see the news OG. You a legend VD.”

Reggie Wayne, the retired wide receiver and former colleague at Indianapolis, wrote: “Sad Day. It was a pleasure wearing the horseshoe with you homie. Rest easy Champ.”

Davis, brother of Super Bowl winner Vernon, ended his professional career in 2018 by retiring midway through a game for the Bulls.

Former Wales rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit has signed for Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs.

Rees-Zammit, who announced his decision to leave rugby union in January, impressed the Chiefs during his time on the NFL’s international player pathway, with running back and wide receiver his designated positions.

The Chiefs said on their official website: “The Kansas City Chiefs made an international splash on Friday with the addition of former European rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit to the roster.”

The 23-year-old, who visited several NFL franchises, including the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos, said in a video posted by the Chiefs on X that he had “just signed and can’t wait to go”.

Rees-Zammit’s next goal is to win a place on the Chiefs’ final roster for the new season, joining their star players like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce in targeting a third successive Super Bowl.

The former Gloucester, Wales and British and Irish Lions wing stunned the world of rugby in January by quitting the sport in an attempt to secure a contract with an NFL team in 2024.

That dream moved a step closer when he impressed during last week’s pro day that forms part of the international player pathway.

The Chiefs added: “Rees-Zammit participated in the international player pathway program workout earlier this month, which provided the former rugby star with an opportunity to show NFL scouts what he could do.

“His workout included a 4.44-second 40-yard dash, which would have ranked fifth among tailbacks at the 2024 NFL scouting combine.”