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Why Mel Kiper Jr. moved Oregon's Josh Conerly Jr. into first round in latest mock draft

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Why Mel Kiper Jr. moved Oregon's Josh Conerly Jr. into first round in latest mock draft


Mel Kiper Jr. felt bad about not having Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. in the first round of his mock draft last month. ESPN’s lead NFL draft analyst changed that in his latest prognostication, forecasting the former Ducks left tackle to the Houston Texans.

Conerly is among several offensive linemen Kiper moved up in his latest two-round mock. Kiper said changes were made because players like Conerly were safer selections at a position of need for several teams compared to less certain skill position players.

How Oregon’s Josh Conerly Jr. performed at the NFL combine

As for why the Texans, who had a formal meeting with Conerly at the NFL combine and are scheduled to host him on a top 30 visit? Kiper cited the organization’s rebuilding efforts in the trenches this offseason, including signing tackle Cam Robinson and guard Laken Tomlinson.

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“Josh Conerly Jr. is a developing left tackle,” Kiper said on a conference call Wednesday. “He has his best football ahead. He’s got really good feet and balance in pass pro. To me, he’s the kind of guy that showed against some pretty good pass rushers what he could do. Throw out the Mike Green one play at the Senior Bowl, overall he had a really good year at Oregon and is going to keep getting better and better.”

Kiper is the latest analyst to project Conerly as a first round pick in this month’s draft, joining ESPN’s Field Yates and NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein.

Oregon pro day highlighted by reunion of quarterbacks, recent stars

James Crepea covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.



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Sting leads to arrests of two Oregon men accused of luring minors, police say

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Sting leads to arrests of two Oregon men accused of luring minors, police say


Two Oregon men were arrested this month after undercover officers posed as minors in online stings, the Lincoln City Police Department reports.

On March 13, Mitchell Isham, a 58-year-old resident of McMinnville, was arrested after offering to meet with a minor for sex. Unbeknownst to Isham, the minor he initiated a sexually graphic conversation with was, in reality, an undercover officer posing as a minor.

Isham was arrested and booked into the Lincoln County Jail for two counts of Luring a Minor and two counts of Online Sexual Corruption of a Child in the 2nd Degree.

Also on March 13, Richard Brotherton, 63, of Amity, was arrested after initiating a sexually graphic conversation with an undercover officer posing as a minor. Brotherton was arrested and booked into the Lincoln County Jail for Luring a Minor.

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LCPD Officers were assisted by the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office and the McMinnville Police Department.

On March 19, a Lincoln County Grand Jury issued a True Bill Indictment against Isham and Brotherton for the crimes. A “True Bill Indictment” is a formal indictment returned by a grand jury when they find sufficient probable cause to believe a person has committed a crime, authorizing the case to proceed to trial.

The Lincoln City Police Department encourages parents to monitor their children’s social media activity and discuss with them the possible dangers of communicating with strangers online. These investigations are conducted in a continuing effort to protect our children from predators who target children for sexual exploitation and to reduce crime and further enhance the safety of our community.



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Texas ‘generational talent’ Booker scores 40 in March Madness rout of Oregon

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Texas ‘generational talent’ Booker scores 40 in March Madness rout of Oregon


AUSTIN, Texas — Oregon was simply helpless against Madison Booker.

Texas’ three-time All-American forward did anything she wanted as she scored a career-high 40 points in a rollicking 100-58 win over Oregon on Sunday that earned the No. 1-seeded Longhorns a trip to the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year.

Drive for layups? Easy. Her go-to mid-range jumper? Breezy. Step out for 3-pointers? Swish.

Booker set a Texas school record for most points in an NCAA Tournament game.

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It’s still 10 points shy of the overall tournament record of 50 set by Drake’s Lorri Bauman in 1982. But give her time. She’s got at least one more game coming up in Fort Worth, and if the Longhorns are going to play for their first national championship in 40 years, she could get four more.

Booker carried the Longhorns to the Elite Eight as a freshman and to Final Four last season.

“She’s a generational talent,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said.

Texas forward Madison Booker (35) drives to the basket against Oregon forward Ehis Etute (35) during the second half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 22, 2026, in Austin, Texas. Credit: AP/Eric Gay

And an unselfish one. Schaefer often has to tell his star player to go get her shot instead of making the extra pass to a teammate.

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“I want her to hunt to go get a bucket,” Schaefer said.

That side of her is emerging now that it’s time to start collecting trophies.

Booker came in to the tournament averaging 18.9 points. She set her previous career high of 31 just a couple of weeks ago against Mississippi in the Southeastern Conference tournament, which Texas won.

The previous Texas tournament scoring record of 32 was set by Clarissa Davis in 1986 and Heather Schreiber in 2003. The 1986 team won the national title. The 2003 team made the Final Four.

“Coach Schaefer has pushed me into taking a big role, being aggressive on the offensive end,” Booker said.

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She was dominant from the start against Oregon, scoring 14 points in the first quarter. Bookers’ final stat line included 14-of-21 shooting, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and no turnovers.

“I’ve never seen that. I’d like to see it again,” Texas senior guard Rori Harmon said. “I saw the look in her eyes when she came in. I saw something special coming today.”



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Dylan Raiola received blessing of Marcus Mariota to wear No. 8 jersey

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Dylan Raiola received blessing of Marcus Mariota to wear No. 8 jersey


When the Oregon Ducks’ spring football roster was officially released earlier this month, a lot of eyebrows raised at the fact that Nebraska Cornhuskers transfer quarterback Dylan Raiola was changing his number from No. 15 to No. 8.

While Raiola had often mimicked the stylings of Patrick Mahomes — who also wears No. 15 — throughout his career at Nebraska, the switch to No. 8 — famously worn by Oregon Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota — was interesting, to say the least.

In a “Meet the Flock” video released by the football program on Saturday, giving a closer look at the QB room, Raiola opened up about the number change and revealed that he received permission from Mariota and Dillon Gabriel to wear the number at Oregon.

“The last two people to wear it, if you look at Dillon Gabriel and Marcus Mariota,” Raiola said. “So before I even thought about wearing it, I called Dillon, and I asked him. And then I actually asked him if I could have Marcus’ number, and I called Marcus. I was blessed with the opportunity to wear it.”

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While Raiola’s football journey has taken him all across the country, with stops in Texas, Arizona, Georgia, and Nebraska, it all started in Hawaii, where he was born and spent the early years of his life. During that time, Mariota’s legend grew in Eugene and Hawaii, as he became the first Duck and the first Hawaiian-born player to win the Heisman.

“I’m from Hawaii. I lived there for about nine or 10 years, so I call that home, and I always go back there and visit,” Raiola said.

Whether or not the number change means that Raiola is going to start trying to play in a similar fashion as Mariota did is yet to be seen, but Oregon fans everywhere would be thrilled to see him have similar success down the road.

Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.  



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