Sports
Could Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe go in the first round of the NFL draft?
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Could there be a stunner brewing at the NFL draft?
It’s widely expected that University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward will be the first overall selection Thursday night by the Tennessee Titans.
But the real mystery lies in what happens next, and whether Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders doesn’t have to wait too long to hear his name called or if he’ll be waiting around for a team to pick him. Either way, he won’t in the green room. The son of Hall of Fame defensive back Deion Sanders declined an invitation to attend the draft, as did Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, whose name has been floating around lately as a potential first-round pick.
Here’s the potential stunner: Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe could blow up mock drafts everywhere and go in the opening round.
Analyst Rick Neuheisel, a former head coach in college and NFL offensive coordinator, believes the ultra-mobile Milroe will be drafted by someone in the first round, potentially the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21 or maybe even the Rams at 26 as an eventual replacement for 37-year-old Matthew Stafford.
“There is going to be an intrigue factor with Jalen Milroe,” Neuheisel said. “He ran 4.4, ran for a bunch of yards and had an unbelievable game against LSU. Single-handedly put Alabama on his shoulders.”
In a 2023 game, Milroe rushed for 155 yards and threw for 219 in a 42-28 victory over Louisiana State.
Meanwhile, Neuheisel thinks there’s a possibility the polarizing Sanders, who skipped throwing drills at the scouting combine, could tumble down the board a bit.
“I think the league thinks he needs to be humbled,” Neuheisel said. “I think they’re sitting there going, ‘I can’t coach him. And if he goes in the second round, maybe he’ll get it.’ ”
As for Dart, who began his college career at USC, Neuheisel wonders about his consistency in pressure situations.
“I really liked him when he was at USC,” he said. “It bothers me that [Ole Miss] lost to Kentucky [last season] having a chance to go down and win the game — they didn’t get it done.”
Neuheisel also pointed to Mississippi’s 24-17 loss to Florida last season when Dart had a pair of interceptions down the stretch.
Milroe, who is attending the draft, is the latest in a string of recent Alabama quarterbacks highly coveted by NFL teams. Jalen Hurts, coming off a Super Bowl MVP performance for Philadelphia, was drafted by the Eagles in the second round in 2020. That same year, Tua Tagovailoa was picked fifth overall by Miami. In 2021, Mac Jones went 15th to New England.
“I played at Alabama,” said Milroe, who will be attending the draft. “There’s something special about leading that script and understanding the history behind it.”
He does not appear in many mock drafts as a first-round pick.
“All I want to do is show what right looks like,” he said, “as a player and as a person.”
Neuheisel said Milroe’s ability to make plays with his feet, while remaining a threat to throw, is reminiscent of what Hurts did for the Eagles last season during Philadelphia’s championship run. That quarterback, along with superb running back Saquon Barkley, forced opponents to commit an extra defender to stop the run, therefore making themselves more vulnerable to the pass.
“It doesn’t make total sense for the Steelers given the fact that they let [quarterback] Justin Fields go, and he did that a little bit,” Neuheisel said of the Steelers, who have quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson on their roster. “But maybe Milroe has a better personality for it.”
He can envision either Cleveland, which has the No. 2 pick, or the New York Giants, who pick third, taking other players with those first selections then trading back into the end of the first round to draft a quarterback.
Milroe believes one of his strengths is he spent his entire college career at Alabama, whereas many top-notch quarterbacks bounce from school to school these days. Ward, for instance, played for three different programs, and Sanders and Dart are at two each.
But there are two ways of looking at that. Loyalty and continuity are important, yes, but so is the ability to adjust to different offenses, programs and locker rooms.
Joel Klatt, a draft analyst for NFL Network, said it’s important that Milroe showed he could be successful under two different Alabama coaches, Nick Saban and Kalen DeBoer.
“To me, I think that the NFL always looks at that in a positive light,” said Klatt, also lead college football analyst for Fox. “Can you master two different systems? Learn two different systems?
“Because if you’re just in one and you’re really good at it, people can look at that and say, `Well, can he do something different?’ Some of these offenses in college can be really quarterback-friendly, and they can build in wins for a quarterback that don’t need to be read post-snap.”
“The NFL likes it when players play in multiple offenses in college.”
Fellow NFL Network draft analyst Charles Davis said pro teams aren’t worried about a player’s history of transferring as long as that player has “shown an ability to adapt and grow.”
“Cam Ward went three places, thrived at every place he went,” Davis said. “Maturity. Change of location. Get along with new people. Adapt to new situations.”
Davis, who had covered the NFL for CBS but now is shifting to college football, said the value or detriment of switching schools is in the eye of the evaluator.
“I think the older the person evaluating, the more they like a guy who stays in one place,” he said. “That’s how we were raised — the loyalty aspect. Stay at one company, get a gold watch, you know, all those sorts of, ‘Oh, it showed loyalty to the school, the state. I like that.’ ”
College football and the perceptions surrounding it, he said, are in a state of flux.
“It’s like how long ago people were freaking out about guys opting out of bowl games? Yeah. No one’s worried about it anymore,” Davis said. “It’s just what we have now.”
Sports
Pirates star pitcher makes unfortunate history after being taken out in middle of perfect game bid
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Jared Jones was flirting with Major League Baseball history on Wednesday night — he got it, but it was not what he originally envisioned.
The Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher retired the first 18 batters he faced, but he was taken out in the middle of his perfect game bid after six innings.
Now, the Pirates certainly have their reasons — the 24-year-old Jones hasn’t thrown more than 81 pitches in eight starts since returning May 20 after missing all of last season while undergoing ulnar collateral ligament internal brace surgery on May 21, 2025. He was yanked with 77 pitches and likely would have needed more than 100 pitches to record the 25th perfect game in MLB history.
Jared Jones of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park on July 8, 2026, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
However, Jones left the game after getting zero run support, so when the Atlanta Braves tacked on three runs late for a 3-0 victory, Jones instead found himself in the wrong chapter of the history books.
According to Opta Stats, Jones became the first pitcher in the modern era (since 1920) to pitch at least six perfect innings and not record a win.
“It does suck. Something’s cool coming on, but I’m on what? My eighth start off of surgery? I completely understand it, and it is what it is,” Jones told reporters after the game.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (17) makes his way to the field to warm up before pitching against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
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Jones said he didn’t entertain attempting to complete the perfect game.
“Not with the pitch count,” he said. “Not really ever expecting to go nine right now, so that was never in my head.”
Joey Bart, traded to the Braves from the Pirates on June 18, followed a double by Mike Yastrzemski with a 422-foot, two-run homer to left-center field off a slider from Dennis Santana. Drake Baldwin added an RBI single to center in the ninth for good measure.
It was the second time in less than a week that a pitcher was taken out of the game with a perfect bid through six innings — the Miami Marlins took Eury Perez out after seven innings in which he had 92 pitches. Perez, too, is in the midst of returning from injury and has surprisingly found himself right in the postseason mix.
He was pulled for Lake Bachar to start the eighth, and the Marlins allowed eight runs to the Athletics in the final two innings, but held on to win 9-8.
Jared Jones (17) of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch during a MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds on June 27, 2026, at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The Pirates are 4.0 games out of the final wild card spot, which is held by the Marlins.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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WASHINGTON — The Dodgers are scheduled to visit the White House on July 23 to celebrate their latest World Series title.
“President Trump is excited to welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers BACK to the White House to celebrate their World Series championship!,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement to The Times.
The date falls on a scheduled off day in the middle of a nine-game East Coast road trip for the Dodgers. The team will play three games in Philadelphia against the Phillies July 20-22 before ending the trip with a three-game series against the New York Mets July 24 to 26.
The visit continues a tradition from the Dodgers’ two previous World Series championships. They were hosted by President Biden in 2021 and President Trump in April 2025.
After the Dodgers claimed their second consecutive World Series title with a dramatic Game 7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, a visit to the White House was planned, but it wasn’t until Thursday that a date was officially booked and confirmed.
Questions swirled around whether players would decline the visit this year after it did not happen during a scheduled visit to Washington in April.
Kiké Hernández said in 2018 he was unsure he would have gone had the Dodgers won the World Series the previous year. Mookie Betts said he was undecided and needed to talk it over with his family when last year’s visit was announced. After winning his first World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2018, Betts skipped their trip to the White House the following year during Trump’s first term.
Both players, along with every returning member of the 2024 team who was with the team during its road trip, participated in the visit. The only notable absence was first baseman Freddie Freeman, who remained in Los Angeles to nurse an ankle injury.
Manager Dave Roberts, who indicated in comments to The Times in 2019 he might not go to the White House if Trump was president, also participated in last year’s ceremony.
Asked at the Dodgers’ fan festival in January about the possibility of returning to the White House, Roberts told The Times’ Bill Shaikin: “For me, I stand by: I’m a baseball manager. That’s my job.”
“I was raised — by a man who served our country for 30 years — to respect the highest office in our country,” Roberts said. “For me, it doesn’t matter who is in the office, I’m going to go to the White House. I’ve never tried to be political. … For me, I am going to continue to try to do what tradition says and not try to make political statements, because I am not a politician.”
Clayton Kershaw, who retired after last season but was on Team USA for this year’s World Baseball Classic, told The Times in the spring that he was aware Dodgers fans are split over whether the team should visit the White House again this year, but he said he is looking forward to it.
“I went when President Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”
Times deputy sports editor Ed Guzman contributed to this report.
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All eyes were on Caitlin Clark on Wednesday night as she made her anticipated return from injury in a road matchup in Los Angeles.
But instead of a triumphant comeback, the Fever spent the entire night chasing the Sparks as Clark’s rough return fueled a 106-92 rout.
The superstar never found a groove, looking completely out of sync in her return from a back injury.
STEPHANIE WHITE GIVES CAITLIN CLARK STATUS UPDATE AHEAD OF FEVER-SPARKS, BUT HER NEXT MOVE RAISES QUESTIONS
Caitlin Clark huddles with teammates as the Indiana Fever battle the Sparks. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) ((Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images))
Much of that disjointed performance falls squarely on head coach Stephanie White, who kept Clark on a ridiculously tight leash by limiting her to just 16 minutes. The stop-and-go approach could have sabotaged any chance for the phenom to establish a rhythm.
Clark finished with just 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Her minus-16 plus-minus told the story.
The Los Angeles Sparks were severely shorthanded, taking the floor without stars Kelsey Plum and Cameron Brink.
MERCURY’S NOW-DELETED SOCIAL MEDIA POST MOCKING CAITLIN CLARK DRAWS SCRUTINY AFTER STAR’S INJURY
Yet while a depleted Sparks roster played to win, Indiana spent the night over-managing its biggest asset.
With Clark on a minutes restriction and Aliyah Boston out of the lineup, Kelsey Mitchell was forced to shoulder the entire offensive burden.
Mitchell did her part, pouring in 29 points while shooting 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Caitlin Clark orchestrates the Fever offense as Indiana battles the Los Angeles Sparks in primetime action. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) ((Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images))
But one hot hand couldn’t stop an efficient LA squad.
The Sparks shot 45% from three-point range, going 9-of-20 from deep to cruise to the 106-92 victory.
White’s next move is to sit Clark against the Mercury on Thursday while Boston returns.
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After Wednesday’s loss to a shorthanded Sparks team, it’s fair to question whether Indiana’s cautious approach is working. The Fever dropped to 12-9.
Caitlin Clark and Dearica Hamby face off as Fever and Sparks battle at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. (Photo by Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images) ((Photo by Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images))
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
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