01-08-2020, 05:46 AM
At midnight on Thursday evening, the 2016 draft gets underway. Despite a glorified picking first in the school playground style, the draft has become a showpiece event for the sport, and rightly so.You can watch the first round live on Sky Sports 1 from midnight on Thursday. Here’s a beginner’s guide on what to look out for...Quarterback crucialThis is one to ease you in to proceedings, as we know that quarterbacks will be selected with the first two picks of the draft. Los Angeles Rams made the bold move of trading up from the 15th pick in the first round to number one, followed by Philadelphia Eagles moving from eighth to second.They each gave up a multitude of picks in this years and next years draft to Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns respectively for the privilege of picking the top two quarterbacks in this years class, Jared Goff or Carson Wentz. Jared Goff, quarterback for the California Golden Bears, is the other top prospect in the draft A franchise quarterback is always seen as the quickest way to turn a team’s fortunes around and both the Rams and Eagles are besotted by the top two signal callers this year, hence the trades to ensure they land one.Goff is seen as the most pro-ready, but Wentz supposedly has greater potential, so it will be fascinating to see in which order theyre selected.And if, by some incredible shock, only one or none of those quarterbacks are picked, well that will be fun to watch too!First RoundThursdays draft covers just the first in a total of seven rounds. For 2016, only 31 of the 32 teams in the NFL gets a pick in the first round, rather than the usual 32.This anomaly is due to New England Patriots selection being forfeited as punishment for their participation in the Deflategate scandal, where they supposedly deflated footballs to gain an advantage over Indianapolis Colts in a playoff win on their way to success in Superbowl XLIX. Tom Brady (L), pictured during the controversial 2015 AFC Championship Game As a result - barring a trade - the Patriots first pick will be in the second round, 60th overall.As for the other teams, what number they pick at is based on their performance in the previous season, from worst to first. So as Super Bowl winners, Denver Broncos are last to pick at 31, while Tennessee - holders of the worst record in the 2015 season - were due to pick first overall before their blockbuster trade with Los Angeles. Speaking of which...Blockbuster tradesJust because there has already been some jostling for premium positions with those trades made by the Rams and Eagles, it does not mean weve seen the last of them either in the hours before Draft Day, or as it is unfolding. Colin Kaepernick struggled in 2015 for the San Francisco 49ers and is supposedly seeking a trade Trades will almost certainly take place as teams look to guarantee that the player they want is available by the time they pick, and the surest way to do that is to leapfrog up the order by offering lower round picks, or even players in exchange for the privilege to pick higher.Big names such as San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick have all been touted as possible trade bait, and any such moves will cause quite the stir in Chicago.Chicago making noiseChicago hosts the draft again. It’s the second time straight for the Windy City, rewarded for doing a sterling job last year when staging the first NFL Draft outside of New York since 1963. Graphics show the Chicago Bears pick is coming in during the 2015 Draft Look out for local Bears fans to stamp their own unique imprint on proceedings. Some of the best moments of Draft days past have been the ‘colourful’ reactions by the New York fans to picks by their beloved Giants and Jets, so Chicago’s selection with the 11th pick will be worth watching.Tears on the telephoneSomeone will cry. In fact, almost all of them cry. Keep your eyes peeled when the camera cuts to a tearful giant in the green room hugging their family and agent as it should give you a headstart on who the selection with the next pick will be.Things don’t always go to plan, though, as some are left sitting anxiously, waiting for the phone to ring with the cameras circling and the room emptying. Alex Smith (far left) was selected first, ahead of Aaron Rodgers (third left) in 2005 Even Green Bay Packers’ great Aaron Rodgers wasn’t selected until the 24th pick in the 2005 Draft.For those who choose not to attend, the entertainment is provided when the camera cuts to them with their friends and family assembled in their living room, who realising they’re on TV, bundle on the player picked like they are trying to sack a quarterback.Character issues versus the unknownA player’s talent is always the main pull towards them being a top pick. But sometimes their questionable character can see them drop down the pecking order, and similarly some unknown players or ones with bags of potential but have yet to produce consistently, can go higher than expected. Where would Riyad Mahrez be drafted now in comparison to before the Premier League season? Consider if you will, Eden Hazard versus Riyad Mahrez in a Draft-style scenario before this years Premier League. Who would have been picked higher at the start of the season, and who would you pick now?Follow the 2016 NFL Draft on Sky Sports 1 from midnight on Thursday and via our live blog here at http://www.skysports.com/nfl Also See: Making sense of the Combine Ram-Titans: A good deal? 2015 Draft: Non first round surprises 2015 Draft: Hits and misses Blake Countess Jersey Retro . The Tournament of Champions, which starts Friday, is his first event since a freak accident in Shanghai two months ago. Snedeker was on a Segway scooter during a corporate outing at Sheshan International when he took a tumble and injured his left knee. Jordan Bernstine Jersey Retro . Niese pitched seven steady innings on a rainy Tuesday night and Daniel Murphy had three hits to lead New York to a 6-1 victory over the Phillies. https://www.cheapjerseyslines.com/ .J. -- The Houston Astros had the No. Rod Rutledge Jersey Retro . "Ive got a lot of work to do on this team and the sooner that I can get back to my office and start that work, itll be better," he said straight-faced as the rest of the room erupted in laughter. Randy Coffield Jersey Retro . So it was understandable if he was a little shaky early in his return to the Texas Rangers rotation. He spent most of the outing searching for his best stuff, but still managed to shut down the struggling Minnesota Twins offence.The Toronto Blue Jays appear to be looking to upgrade their pitching staff, though theyre not tipping their hand too far. Speaking with reporters on Friday, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said that once pitcher Masahiro Tanaka signs with an MLB club, some moves could follow for Toronto. "I think once something happens with Tanaka, some things could break. Whether anything happens with us, nobody knows." When asked what general manager Alex Anthopoulos and the Blue Jays management was looking for in the free agent market, Gibbons said they "may be looking at some different pitchers." However he stopped short of saying the Jays need to bring in another player on the mound. "We like the group we have here, we said that all last year, we just didnt play as well as we expected to. As far as the talent we have and players on the field, were very satisfied. Everybodys looking for pitching, there are verry few teams who are satisfied where theyre at.dddddddddddd." As to whether or not the Jays will attempt to make a play for Tanaka, Gibbons said only that the Jays had looked in to him. "Theyre feeling around, seeing whats going on with him but I think most of the teams out there have at least put out some feelers on him. Hes going to make a lot of money, I know that." Gibbons said he knows fans were disappointed by the teams 74-88 record and that the team must improve. "I expect us to be much better this year just with the guys we have, whether there are any more additions or not." Gibbons did point out, however, that theres still time to make moves before the season begins on March 31. "Well see...there are still a couple months before the season starts. Were not sure whats going to happen," said the manager. "I like this group, we like this group." ' ' '