A Maryland factory worker accused of killing three coworkers and injuring two other people in a Thursday shooting was charged with dozens of felonies, including murder, authorities said Friday.
Joe Louis Esquivel, 23, of Hedgesville, WV, was hit with a slew of murder, attempted murder, assault and weapons charges in connection with the Smithsburg massacre, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
He was behind bars with no bond Friday night, officials said.
Esquivel went to his car to get a gun after working a full shift at Columbia Machine, Inc. Thursday. He returned to the concrete product factory’s break room and allegedly opened fire on fellow workers around 2:30 p.m., according to authorities.
After allegedly killing Mark Frey, 50; Charles Minnick Jr., 31; Joshua Wallace, 30, and critically injuring another colleague, Esquivel fled in his Mitsubishi Eclipse before he was stopped by state police about ten miles away, police said.
Esquivel is now behind bars and being held with no bond.AP
A shootout with two Maryland State Troopers ensued. Esquivel allegedly struck one of them, and he was shot when they returned fire, officials said. Both were hospitalized and expected to survive.
A search of the alleged murderer’s West Virginia home turned up additional firearms, sheriffs said.
The identities and conditions of the injured Columbia Machine worker was not released.
Shakira and Gerard Piqué have called timeout on their relationship.
After 11 years together, the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer and the soccer player have announced their split. “We regret to confirm that we are parting ways,” they said in a joint statement to E! News on June 4. “For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect their privacy. Thank you for your understanding.”
Shakira, 45, and Gerard, 35, who first met in 2010 while filming her “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” music video and went public with their romance in 2011, are parents to sons Milan, 9, and Sasha, 7.
In a recent interview with E!’s Daily Pop, the star of NBC’s new competition series Dancing With Myself spoke about Milan and Sasha’s musical interests. “They play a little bit of drums and keyboards, but I don’t know how much of dancers they’re gonna be,” she shared. “The little one claims that he’s a dancer, too, but we’ll see, we’ll see. They’re still very little.”
Pseudonymous crypto trader Capo says that BitcoinBTC/USD is poised to hit a new 52-week low as another sell-off event is insight.
The prediction comes as the crypto market is showing signs of weakness, and as Bitcoin has managed to trade above $28,400, slightly higher than its 52-week low of $26,910.
Capo has warned that the support area around $28,000 is flashing signs of demand exhaustion, as BTC has revisited the price level six times quickly.
$BTC
Nothing bullish here. That support won’t hold for long. pic.twitter.com/dXHuG9E9IJ
— il Capo Of Crypto (@CryptoCapo_) May 27, 2022
“Almost the entire market except BTC has made a new low after yesterday’s bounce, showing that it was a bull trap. BTC new low incoming,” he said.
Once Bitcoin takes out its immediate support, Capo predicts a sharp decline to his bear market target of between $21,000-$23,000.
Also Read: Billionaire Mike Novogratz Says Bitcoin Will Lead Next Rally: Here’s Why
Earlier this month, the crypto strategist accurately predicted that Bitcoin would take out the key psychological price level of $30,000.
$BTC
Why do I think the 30k level won’t hold?
-It has been tested many times, so it’s weaker now. This is the 5th test
-There’s not enough demand at this level (heatmaps prove this)
-It comes from a deviation from the range high + bear flag
-Selling pressure is still high pic.twitter.com/pTGtsobtqv
— il Capo Of Crypto (@CryptoCapo_) May 10, 2022
Capo said, “BTC broke the $30,000 support zone, which was the main pivot of the bull run. This is a zone, not a level. It’s between $29,000-$31,000, taking all the wicks. Now it’s testing that zone as resistance.”
Capo also highlights that Bitcoin has broken down from a bear flag and is en route to his bear market target.
“The minimum target of the bear flag hasn’t been reached yet $23,000. You can also see this on altcoins, where some of the main targets haven’t been reached yet,” he added.
MSG’s CEO James Dolan has experienced an exhilarating last few days in watching his other Garden team, the Rangers, stage rally after rally to come back from a 3-1 deficit and advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A handful of Knicks were at Game 7, including coach Tom Thibodeau and Immanuel Quickley, and perhaps a future one in Donovan Mitchell.
Dolan would love if some of that Rangers’ luck can spill over Tuesday to the pingpong balls that will roll in Chicago when the Knicks are again participating in the NBA Draft Lottery.
After a much-needed one-year hiatus, the Knicks are back at the consolation table — this time with senior executive William Wesley sitting on the dais to represent the woebegone franchise.
For a team with the lowest combined winning percentage over the past 21 seasons, the Knicks have been seated at their share of lotteries.
With the Knicks’ late run (12-11 after the All-Star break), they worsened their odds for the top pick when they finished 37-45 to earn the 11th seed.
William Wesley, left, and Leon RoseCharles Wenzelberg/New York Post
The strong likelihood is remaining at 11. But on the bright side, the Knicks might be due after failing to move up in the lottery since winning the epic first “frozen envelope” event in 1985.
Will “The Curse of Patrick Ewing” finally be broken? Even Ewing, sitting on the dais in 2019, couldn’t get the Knicks off their lottery schneid when they fell from No. 2 to No. 3.
With the 11th seed, the Knicks have a 2 percent chance of winning the top overall pick with sources indicating Auburn power forwards Jabari Smith as the player they liked most during the college season.
The Knicks own a 9.4 percent chance of gaining a top-four pick and snazzy combo guard Jaden Ivey of Purdue would be high on their list if they pick anywhere from second to fourth. Most likely the Knicks won’t move up at all. They have a 77.6 percent of staying at 11 and a 12.6 percent chance of falling to 12.
Wesley, a key executive who is considered to have the most influence on president Leon Rose, traveled to almost every road game this season. He can often get animated on the sidelines when things go badly. It will be interesting to see his reaction if the Knicks slip to No. 12.
The intriguing prospects available in the 11 range include versatile small forward Jeremy Sochan of Baylor, two-way shooting guard Johnny Davis of Wisconsin and wing Bennedict Mathurin of Arizona.
When Rose and Wesley are involved and with their ties to John Calipari, all eyes are on Kentucky players so point guard TyTy Washington and shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe can’t be discounted. Sharpe didn’t play a game for Kentucky as he joined during the school year and opted for the draft.
The Knicks need a true point guard and the draft is light in that department. The best point guard available didn’t play in college — Dyson Daniels of the G-League Ignite.
Another fascinating prospect is Memphis one-and-done center Jalen Duren, but sources believe he’ll be too much of a project for Thibodeau to sign off on.
After the lottery, the draft combine will be held in Chicago where some players stage games, but the top lottery guys normally just do measurements and interview with clubs. Thibodeau was impressed with shooting guard Quentin Grimes at last year’s combine and the Knicks took him at 25 after trading back.
The Knicks will have a big contingent in Chicago, but Rose likely won’t talk to the media. He hasn’t spoken to the press since September. The former agent gave a season-ending interview to the Garden-run MSG Network and he wasn’t asked about the upcoming draft.
Urgent measures to break the Russian blockade of grain exports from Ukraine’s ports, including by trying to open routes through Romanian and Baltic ports, will be discussed by G7 foreign and agriculture ministers at meetings in Germany.
The grain exports blockade is fast becoming one of the most urgent diplomatic and humanitarian crises in Ukraine. On Tuesday, the US president, Joe Biden, said the US was working on solutions “to get this food out into the world so that it could help bring down prices.”
G7 foreign ministers are meeting in the Baltic Sea resort of Weissenhaus north-east of Hamburg, and the agriculture ministers in Stuttgart.
Cem Özdemir, the German agriculture minister and a Green party member, has for months been looking with the EU at alternative train routes through Poland and Belarus to Baltic ports, but the different train gauges between Ukraine and Poland, a pre-existing backlog of traffic and the shortage of suitable rail wagons all count against this option.
By one Ukrainian estimate, only 20% of the exports Ukraine normally sent through the Black Sea ports by ship could ever be transported by rail to the Baltic ports. The cost of road transport has risen five-fold in the past year.
Before the war, most of the food produced by Ukraine – enough to feed 400 million people – was exported through the country’s seven Black Sea ports. In the eight months before the conflict began, close to 51 million metric tonnes of grain passed through them, according to the UN World Food Programme. The trade was worth $47bn (£38bn) a year to Ukraine.
Graphic
The Ukrainian minister of agricultural policy and food, Mykola Solsky, has studied options ranging from Gdansk or further east to the port in Klaipėda in Lithuania and three ports in Latvia. The Baltic ports have lost trade from Russia and Belarus, including of potash, so currently have spare capacity.
The Romanian port of Constanța has also taken some shipments of Ukrainian grain, but ships then carrying the grain towards Turkey would probably need to stay within Romanian waters.
The UN has also discussed whether a humanitarian corridor can be opened through Belarus to take the grain to the Baltic ports since the track gauge between Ukraine and Belarus is uniform.
The UN World Food Programme’s David Beasley, who has been sounding the alarm for weeks, warned: “Right now, Ukraine’s grain silos are full. At the same time, 44 million people around the world are marching towards starvation. We have to open up these ports so that food can move in and out of Ukraine. The world demands it because hundreds of millions of people globally depend on food that comes through these ports.”
Typically, Ukraine would export around 5 to 6 million tonnes of grain and 700,000 tonnes of oilseeds through the Black Sea ports a month. There is an estimated backlog for export of anything between 15 and 20m tonnes according to the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club.
Markiyan Dmytrasevych, Ukraine’s designated deputy agrarian minister, said exports by rail could be expanded to between 600,000 tonnes to 1 million tonnes, but that it would take 18-24 months to clear the current inventories, and that’s before any new crop has been added. In April only 560,000 metric tonnes were exported by rail from Ukraine.
Roman Slaston, director general of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club, said: “We need plan “A” which is unblocking Ukraine ports, and we are constantly saying and delivering that message … This might soften the global crisis which may arise from hunger.”
After the port city of Odesa was struck by Russian missiles on Monday, Ukraine’s president Volodymr Zelenskiy warned: “Without our agricultural exports, dozens of countries in different parts of the world are already on the brink of food shortages. The poorest will be hit the hardest. The political repercussions of this will be terrible.”
David Miliband, the International Rescue Committee chief executive, said: “At the moment, I think it’s at least equally likely that the sanctions on Russia get the blame for the rising food prices as does the invasion of Ukraine. There is a huge contest to be won for public opinion globally.”
Signs already exist that Russian diplomacy is trying to shift the blame. Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, claimed on a visit to Oman that Ukrainian authorities were refusing to let ships carrying wheat out of their ports and had mined the areas around ports. Ukraine said the accusations were absurd.
In 2020, Ukraine was the world’s fifth-largest exporter of wheat, with low- and middle-income countries being important beneficiaries. The main export destinations were Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Lebanon.
In Egypt, where a third of the population lives below the official poverty line and relies on state-subsidised bread, flour prices have risen by 15%. General inflation for April was just over 13%.
In the month after the conflict started, export prices for wheat and maize rose by 22% and 20% respectively, on top of steep rises in 2021.
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Solsky said these rises were likely to continue since Ukrainian farmers’ sowing campaign has been delayed by as much as a fifth because of a lack of herbicides, colder weather, diesel fuel and the movement of vehicles because of curfews. Farmers have switched from spring crops to sunflower and soya beans. It is estimated that about a fifth of Ukrainian agricultural land is now in Russian hands.
Marcos leads unofficial tally by wide margin over rivals
Philippine stocks fall, but peso up following election
About 400 anti-Marcos protesters rally outside poll commission
Poll body dismisses appeals seeking to disqualify Marcos
MANILA, May 10 (Reuters) – The Philippines woke to a new but familiar political landscape on Tuesday, after an election triumph by Ferdinand Marcos Jr. paved the way for a once unimaginable return to the country’s highest office for its most notorious political dynasty.
Marcos, better known as “Bongbong”, trounced bitter rival Leni Robredo to become the first candidate in recent history to win an outright majority in a Philippines presidential election, marking a stunning comeback by the son and namesake of an ousted dictator that has been decades in the making. read more
Marcos fled into exile in Hawaii with his family during a 1986 “people power” uprising that ended his father’s autocratic 20-year rule, and has served in congress and the senate since his return to the Philippines in 1991.
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Marcos’s runaway victory in Monday’s election now looks certain with about98% of the eligible ballots counted in an unofficial tallyshowing he hasnearly 31 million votes, double that of Robredo.
An official result is expected around the end of the month.
“There are thousands of you out there, volunteers, parallel groups, political leaders that have cast their lot with us because of our belief in our message of unity,” Marcos said in a statementstreamed on Facebook, while standing beside the Philippine flag.
Though Marcos, 64, campaigned on a platform of unity, political analysts say his presidency is unlikely to foster that, despite the margin of victory.
Philippine stocks (.PSI) fell 3% on Tuesday before paring losses. The drop tracked weaker global equities, though analysts cited uncertainty over what policies Marcos might follow.
“Investors would like to see his economic team,” said Jonathan Ravelas, chief market strategist at BDO Unibank in Manila. The peso currency , meanwhile, rose 0.4% against the dollar.
Many among the millions of Robredo voters are angered by what they see as a brazen attempt by the disgraced former first family to use its mastery of social media to reinvent historical narratives of its time in power.
Thousands of opponents of the senior Marcos suffered persecution during a brutal 1972-1981 era of martial law, and the family name became synonymous with plunder, cronyism and extravagant living, with billions of dollars of state wealth disappearing.
Students and activists gather outside the Commission on Elections to protest its unofficial tally of the national elections, showing presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on course to win the presidency, in Manila, Philippines, May 10, 2022.REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez
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The Marcos family has denied wrongdoing and many of its supporters, bloggers and social media influencers say historical accounts are distorted.
STUDENTS STAGE PROTEST
Around 400 people, mostly students, staged a protest outside the election commission on Tuesday against Marcos and citing election irregularities.
The Commission on Election (Comelec), which said the poll was relatively peaceful, also upheld on Tuesday its dismissals of complaints filed by different groups, including victims of martial law, that had sought to disbar Marcos from the presidential race based on a 1995 tax evasion conviction.
One of the petitioners, Akbayan, a leftist group, said it will appeal the decision at the Supreme Court, describing it as “both a colossal and institutional failure.”
A big win for Marcos was securing President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, as his vice presidential running mate. She won more than three times the number of votes compared with her nearest rival and also likely broadened the Marcos appeal in many areas.
Human rights group Karapatan called on Filipinos to reject the new Marcos presidency, which it said was built on lies and disinformation “to deodorize the Marcoses’ detestable image”.
Marcos, who shied away from debates and interviews during the campaign, recently praised his father as a genius and a statesman but has also been irked by questions about the martial law era.
As the vote count showed the extent of the Marcos win, Robredo told her supporters to continue their fight for truth until the next election.
“It took time to build the structures of lies. We have time and opportunity to fight and dismantle these,” she said.
Marcos gave few clues on the campaign trail of what his policy agenda would look like, but is widely expected to closely follow outgoing President Duterte, who targeted big infrastructure works, close ties with China and strong growth. Duterte’s tough leadership style won him big support.
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Additional reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Ed Davies and Raju Gopalakrishnan
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The ocean views from the most expensive mansion to ever sell in Encinitas, CA.
Rancho Photos
A $23.5 million modern mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Southern California is set to officially hit the market on May 14, and in doing so become the most expensive home ever up for sale in the town of Encinitas, California — a coastal community about 26 miles north of San Diego.
The home’s eight-figure asking price is more than double what it sold for less than six years ago.
“Coupled with the high demand for luxury housing that we have seen over the last few years in San Diego and such a rare offering, we believe it is priced where it should be,” said Kelly Howard of Compass, one of the co-listing agents on the property.
The bluff-top home at 532 Neptune Ave. is called Crescent House, named for one of its luxury amenities: a crescent-moon-shaped infinity pool that surrounds a round concrete terrace.
A crescent-moon shaped infinity pool wraps around a circular terrace.
Rancho Photos
The home already broke the local price record when it traded hands in 2016 for $11.1 million after just 28 days on the market. That sale remains the highest ever achieved in Encinitas history, according to Multiple Listing Service records provided by Howard, who also represented the listing for that record-breaking sale.
“We are confident this house will break its own record,” he said.
If the glass, concrete and titanium structure reminds you of fictional billionaire Tony Stark’s oceanfront mansion in Marvel’s “Iron Man” films, that may be because it’s the work of architect Wallace Cunningham.
Razor House
Gary Kasl – Douglas Elliman Realty
Cunningham also designed the ultra-modern Razor House, located less than 20 miles to the south, in La Jolla. The cutting-edge design is believed by some to be one of the real-life inspirations for Stark’s fictional Malibu home, which was created by an illustrator and brought to life with computer-generated imagery.
“Nothing comes close to the Crescent House, except maybe the Razor House,” said Howard.
Both of the homes designed by the award-winning architect feature dramatic curves, striking edges and massive panes of glass that deliver jaw-dropping views of the Pacific Ocean.
The facade of the Razor House blends glass and concrete to deliver sharp lines and dramatic curves.
Gary Kasl – Douglas Elliman Realty
A view of the mansion perched atop a bluff overlooking the ocean.
Rancho Photos
Crescent House, meanwhile, has been featured in Architectural Digest magazine in 2005 and on the Season 3 premiere episode of HBO’s “Westworld.”
The mansion spans more than 6,300 square feet, across two levels, with four bedrooms, four full baths and two half baths according to the listing. Just about every room leverages its perspective of sky and ocean with floor-to-ceiling windows.
Primary bedroom
Rancho Photos
A stunning staircase twists up to the second level, designed by the architect to look like the skeleton of a giant dinosaur with vertebrae and ribs made of stainless steel.
A sleek steel-and-glass staircase twists upward connecting the home’s two levels.
Rancho Photos
Cunningham told Architectural Digest the house was built to deliver “the sense of being on a ship at sea.” That’s evident in the living area, where, at certain angles, the home appears to be floating over the ocean.
A sofa in the living area delivers a front-row seat to impressive ocean views.
Rancho Photos
Beyond the walls of glass are tiered terraces that put you even closer to the sea.
Multi-level terraces offer several spots to take in the view.
Rancho Photos
The current owners live in Florida full time, and after six years of holding onto the home, are ready to sell.
If the couple scores their asking price, the sale would deliver a price-per-square-foot of more than $3,700, almost four times the $928 average for luxury homes sold in the county, according to the quarterly Elliman Report. The report defines luxury homes as those at the top 10% of the market.
“San Diego’s luxury market has seen a serious increase in price since this Crescent House last sold,” listing agent Howard said.
Howard believes increased demand in the market, plus pedigree design and what he says is an above-average lot size for the bluff-top street, all work in the sellers’ favor and will help command a premium for the property.
The owners also made some upgrades, including commissioning the original architect to add two state-of-the-art fire features and equipping the mansion with smart home infrastructure, Howard said.
A modern fire feature adjacent to one of the home’s outdoor seating areas.
Rancho Photos
Howard told CNBC new coastal building regulations make replicating a house like this on this site impossible, which further justifies the 112% price increase over 2016, he said.
The mansion’s primary bathroom features twin vanities with mirrors that appear to float above the sinks.
Rancho Photos
Historical sales data suggests it’s not as crazy a jump in value as it may seem.
Back in October 2016, the last time Crescent House sold, the median sale price in Encinitas was just over $1.2 million, according to data compiled by the Greater San Diego Association of Realtors. Last month, that number topped $2.4 million, marking a similar doubling in less than six years.
Whether the home can command its full asking price is yet to be seen, but the ask is more than nine times Encinitas’s average home price, and finding a buyer willing to pay a record-breaking price isn’t always easy.
“The discriminating buyer that connects with it and understands it will be willing to pay for it,” said Howard.
The tiered outdoor terraces offer breathtaking views of the ocean, multiple dining areas, and an outdoor seating area with a fire feature.
Few were more interested in last week’s NFL draft than college football coaches.
They have coached those whose names were called in Las Vegas and game-planned against them. They have seen players rise from the high school ranks to the highest level of the sport. College coaches ultimately aren’t making decisions on draft weekend, but they have a distinct viewpoint on good picks, bad picks, surprises, sleepers, trends and how players project with certain teams.
After launching draft confidential last year, I reached out to more than 25 college coaches for their thoughts on the 2022 NFL draft. I spoke to head coaches in every Power 5 conference, as well as coordinators and position coaches who followed the draft like the rest of us, but could analyze players, position groups and team fits from direct experience.
Most coaches spoke anonymously, but Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell and Kentucky’s Mark Stoops also discussed the impressive draft performances by their respective programs. The 2022 draft seemed to diverge from those of previous years. Quarterback picks were delayed, Georgia had arguably the greatest draft output ever and teams prioritized wide receivers, cornerbacks and pass rushers, while backing off on running backs, tight ends and some linebackers.
“It was a terrible draft,” a Power 5 coach said. “Is this not the least-hyped draft in the history of the NFL? Not a great year for top-end guys.”
Another Power 5 coach noted that NFL teams displayed more patience than in other years, especially with certain positions.
“I don’t think teams are taking reaches, drafting guys because of positions, as much as letting them go to where they fall,” the coach said. “They’re trying to work through different options of what they’re willing to give to get the right guy, and if there’s not, they’re not going to overselect or overpay.”
Here’s an evaluation of the 2022 NFL draft through the eyes of college coaches. (Note: Coaches are identified by the roles they held during the 2021 season.)
Jump to: Georgia and Dean | Pickett and QBs | OLs, WRs, DBs | Fickell and Stoops | Best drafts |Big 12 defense | Sleepers
Georgia’s national championship celebration extended into draft weekend, as the program had 15 players selected, the most ever in a seven-round draft. The team set records for the most first-round picks from a single unit — the defense had five, beginning with No. 1 overall selection Travon Walker — and the most in the first six rounds (all 15).
The Bulldogs accounted for 5.7% of all draft picks. The only teams with more selections in a single draft — 1984 Texas (17) and 1946 Notre Dame (16) — did so in drafts that included more than 300 picks (this year, there were 262).
“If Georgia didn’t win the national championship, that defensive staff should have been fired,” a Big Ten coach joked. “You’ve got backups getting drafted.”
Coaches understood the reason for the run on Georgia players, although some questioned Walker as the first Bulldog off the board. His numbers for 2021 — six sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, 37 total tackles — didn’t jump out as much as those of teammates drafted behind him.
“The kid that went first, I can’t believe that,” a Power 5 offensive coordinator said. “A lot of really good GMs out there were probably laughing behind closed doors. The cardinal rule of drafting that early is you don’t ever project. That’s where every mistake has been made.”
Linebacker Nakobe Dean’s prolonged and painful wait — through the first round and well into the third, when the Philadelphia Eagles drafted him — became one of the top stories of the draft. Coaches who saw Dean become an All-American at Georgia and lead one of the most dominant defenses in recent memory shared in the surprise that he wasn’t selected earlier.
“He literally does not allow you to run the football in the SEC,” an SEC offensive coordinator said of Dean. “If you put Nakobe Dean on an edge, he would be more productive and better than [former Georgia player and first-round pick] Jermaine Johnson ever will be. That’s what’s so amazing to me about that league [the NFL]. They get so many resources and so much money, and you’re not going to take Nakobe Dean?”
Dean’s health situation and measurables — he measured 5-foot-11 and 229 pounds — likely contributed to the drop. An assistant who faced Georgia this year noted, “People don’t like short linebackers in the NFL,” but thought Dean would go early in the second round.
A Power 5 defensive coordinator attributed Dean’s situation to changes in the NFL and how teams are assessing linebackers.
“Teams want versatility,” he said. “They want length and speed, so if you’re Dean and you’re 5-11, they want to see that Tampa Bay linebacker [Devin White] speed. And he didn’t run a 40. With the wideouts now, it’s such a passing league and you’re paying DBs because you’ve got to stop the wideouts. Everything is about the pass. Your top-paid positions are quarterback, tackle, D-end and corner/wideout.”
Kenny Pickett headlines mostly unmemorable QB class
After several quarterback-centric drafts, this year featured only one QB in the first round for the first time since 2013, and none in the second round. Quarterbacks once pegged as potential top-10 picks, such as North Carolina’s Sam Howell, fell to Day 3. The draft fittingly ended with Iowa State’s Brock Purdy, who passed for more than 12,000 yards, getting the Mr. Irrelevant label as the final selection.
A Power 5 coach attributed two factors to the poor quarterback showing: An underwhelming 2017 quarterback recruiting class and the transfer portal. Other than Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Stanford’s Davis Mills, the 2017 quarterback class hasn’t really materialized in the NFL. Some struggled in college — Hunter Johnson (Clemson/Northwestern), Tate Martell (Ohio State/Miami/UNLV), Lowell Narcisse (LSU, UTSA) — while others are still looking for a breakthrough, such as Penn State’s Sean Clifford and LSU’s Myles Brennan.
“You get to that top 10, man, it’s bad,” the coach said. “For some, it’s a byproduct of the portal. And it goes back to, they never developed. It’s unbelievable. Their best football was in high school and on the [7-on-7] circuit throwing with no defensive linemen hitting them.
“Just horrible. We were looking at it before the draft and were like, ‘Look at all these misses.'”
Coaches said a lack of size also hurt this year’s quarterback draft class. They felt the right quarterback went first in Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, who will stay in the same city and facility with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who selected him No. 20 overall.
“Pickett was by far the one true NFL guy,” a Power 5 coach said Friday. “I don’t think the rest of them are first-round guys. It would have been a stretch.”
“Super-competitive guy, playmaker,” an ACC coach added of Pickett. “He’s tough and obviously, being at Pittsburgh will be good for him. He does fumble a lot, and that’s probably the one thing that could get him.”
Several coaches expected Ole Miss’ Matt Corral to be next, but the Atlanta Falcons went with Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder at the end of the third round, which also featured Liberty’s Malik Willis (Tennessee Titans) and Corral (Carolina Panthers).
“He plays scrappy,” an SEC coordinator said of Corral. “He reminds me a lot of Drew Brees, more athletic, just makes plays happen even though he doesn’t look like he should.”
Another defensive coordinator familiar with Corral noted size concerns but said he can make any throw, using different arm slots and not always needing a clean pocket to make plays.
“He’s a little bit of a gambler with the ball — that might scare some people,” the coach said. “But he can make some plays. There’s no doubt.”
After the 2020 season, Howell was widely projected as a top-five pick for the 2022 draft. But he lost many of the weapons that helped him to consecutive 3,500-yard passing, 30-touchdown seasons.
Howell was first off the board in the fifth round, going to the Washington Commanders. Several ACC coaches noted his toughness and how he had less to work with in 2021.
“I was more impressed with Kenny Pickett, but Sam Howell makes enough throws, has enough competitiveness, and he’s got enough of a frame even though he’s not tall and big,” an ACC defensive coordinator said. “He’s put together and can take a hit. He’ll be able to stay in the NFL for several years.”
Seventh-round quarterback selections are long shots, but some coaches believe Kansas State’s Skylar Thompson could latch on with the Miami Dolphins.
“He’s more prototypical, size-wise,” a Group of 5 defensive coordinator said. “If he wouldn’t have gotten hurt so much, he would have been a higher pick, because he kind of fit all the stuff they’re looking for.”
First-round intrigue with O-line, receivers, DBs and more
The first round was largely defined by record selections for Georgia’s defense (five) and the wide receiver position (six in the first 18 picks). But college coaches noted a pattern with offensive linemen — not so much the number but the players selected.
As expected, the big-school stars came off the board first: NC State tackle Ikem “Ickey” Ekwonu to the Carolina Panthers at No. 6. Alabama’s Evan Neal followed at No. 7 to the New York Giants, then Mississippi State’s Charles Cross (No. 9, Seattle Seahawks), Texas A&M’s Kenyon Green (No. 15, Houston Texans) and Boston College’s Zion Johnson (No. 17, Los Angeles Chargers). None was a major surprise.
“Evan Neal was the best guy we faced all year,” an SEC West defensive assistant said. “Cross was really good, too, a big, long guy. In the [Mike] Leach offense, you get plenty of opportunities to pass-set.”
But the end of the first round brought a run on offensive linemen from smaller schools: Trevor Penning (Northern Iowa, No. 19 to the New Orleans Saints), Tyler Smith (Tulsa, No. 24, Dallas Cowboys) and Cole Strange (Chattanooga, No. 29, New England Patriots). Several coaches were surprised New England didn’t wait longer for Strange. A Power 5 coach who watched Penning at the Senior Bowl came away surprised that the Saints were so aggressive to select him.
“He’s a good player, but boy, even at the Senior Bowl, he was hitting late, he caused several fights,” the coach said. “The Chattanooga kid surprised me to go that high, that was probably a stretch. And the one the Cowboys took [Smith], that one didn’t make a lot of sense to me.”
A Power 5 coordinator was more bullish on Smith, calling him, “Elite-elite,” while an AAC defensive coordinator said Smith can be dominant with his footwork and size (6-foot-5, 324 pounds).
“Particularly in the O-line position, there’s so much projection taking place,” an SEC coach said. “There’s room for really, really good evaluation, and it’s still an imperfect process.”
Coaches thought the selection order of receivers made sense: USC’s Drake London (No. 8, Atlanta), Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson (No. 10, New York Jets), Ohio State’s Chris Olave (No. 11 to New Orleans) and Alabama’s Jameson Williams (No. 12, Detroit Lions).
Several coaches marveled that Wilson, Olave and Williams all once occupied the same receiver room at Ohio State, before Williams transferred to Alabama. A Power 5 defensive backs coach said Olave’s speed is deceptively good — “Watch him on tape is one thing, but seeing him in games is another,” the coach said, but noted that Alabama’s John Metchie III is the best route runner of the bunch. Metchie, who tore his ACL in the SEC championship against Georgia, slipped to the second round before Houston selected him No. 44 overall.
Coaches linked the surge in receivers drafted in the early rounds to an increase in NFL-ready players from college, schematic changes in the NFL and less willingness to pay established pro wideouts.
“There might have been a little statement made: ‘Hey, we don’t believe you receivers are worth $20 million. We’re going to trade you and start over with a kid who’s going to cost us $3 million,'” a Big Ten coach said. “Think about what Tennessee just did. They went and got a rookie receiver [Arkansas’ Treylon Burks] who they think is going to be comparable for $3.5 million, and [Philadelphia] is paying $22 million a year [for former Titans star A.J. Brown].”
Coaches generally agreed with the selection order of cornerbacks, as Houston picked LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. at No. 3, followed by the New York Jets selecting Cincinnati’s Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner at No. 4.
Several coaches also singled out Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie (No. 21, Kansas City Chiefs).
“Really smart football player,” a Pac-12 coordinator said. “He’s going to pick up that scheme. The Chiefs really wanted some physicality in the secondary.”
Some defensive front players who had fluctuated in draft projections ended up going late in the first round, including Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson (No. 26, New York Jets) and Utah’s Devin Lloyd (No. 27, Jacksonville). Both had been pegged as potential top-10 picks earlier in the pre-draft process.
An offensive coordinator who faced Lloyd was surprised he dropped in the first round, adding, “It’s too bad he went to Jacksonville; they can’t get out of their own way.”
“I think he’ll be very good,” the coach added. “He’s got great talent, and everything it takes to keep getting better and be a great pro. Very squared away, smart guy.”
Fickell, Stoops break down strong draft classes
Georgia’s historic draft picks dominated attention, and LSU, one of the most consistent NFL producers, finished second in players selected with 10, despite a 6-7 record last season. But the No. 3 team on the draft podium wasn’t Alabama, Ohio State or Oklahoma. Cincinnati, which last year became the first Group of 5 program to reach the College Football Playoff, finished with nine draft picks.
The Bearcats’ output marked the most draft picks for a non-Power 5 school since Houston had nine in 1975, and broke the team record of six set in 2009.
“You used to sell a dream, something you couldn’t really see, and now you can sell some reality,” Cincinnati’s Fickell said Saturday night. “These kids see better than they hear. You try to tell them what it’s going to be like, but now all of a sudden, you can put the reel behind it.”
As expected, Gardner headlined Cincinnati’s draft, but the team also produced Ridder, who went No. 74 overall to Atlanta. Cincinnati had six players drafted off its signature defense. Cornerback Coby Bryant, the Thorpe Award winner, went in the fourth round to Seattle.
But the Bearcats also had wide receiver Alec Pierce taken in the second round (Indianapolis Colts), while running back Jerome Ford went in the fifth (Cleveland Browns).
“You do sometimes get those stereotypes, and to have it well-rounded, it shows the whole program,” Fickell said. “Georgia’s a whole program, but people start to talk, ‘They’re a defensive team, they have five guys [picked] in the first round.’ The well-roundedness helps your program in a lot of ways.”
Coaches that scouted or faced Cincinnati weren’t surprised with the draft success. Gardner jumped out, but so did players such as Pierce and Ford, who one AAC defensive coordinator singled out for their play. Even coaches in Cincinnati’s future league, the Big 12, took notice of the big draft weekend.
“How they develop them, it’s obvious, but they’re getting Big Ten-type guys over there,” a Big 12 coach said. “Guys are going to Michigan State, going to Michigan or going to Cincinnati. That’s what it looks like. They’ve been able to make that push.”
A Mountain West coach added: “I saw all those Cincinnati guys at the Senior Bowl and that was super impressive, their overall athleticism.”
The SEC’s draft list featured the usual programs up top, but Kentucky generated an impressive output with four picks in the first five rounds. The Wildcats had two second-round selections in wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson and defensive end Joshua Paschal, while center Luke Fortner led off the third round and All-America tackle Darian Kinnard followed in the fifth.
“We’re not a team loaded with four- and five-star recruits,” Stoops said. “We have to develop our players. Our players embrace that. We have some things in place that really make our players very self-aware of their strengths and their weaknesses, and we work extremely hard at it. I’m proud of them and our staff and the way we develop our players.”
Kentucky is starting to enter a desirable group of teams — Iowa, Wisconsin, Utah — that outperform their recruiting rankings on draft weekend. The recruiting ceiling for Kentucky could be higher, too, as the team signed ESPN’s No. 15 class for 2022.
The Wildcats had four draft picks in the first five rounds three times in team history, but twice since 2019. UK’s offensive line continues to be a consistent source for the NFL, but the emergence of players such as Robinson can help perception. Quarterback Will Levis likely will be on the draft radar for 2023.
“That says a lot because a few years ago, it was mostly defensive guys,” Stoops said. “We’ve always had a strong offensive line, but it’s nice to see the skill, Wan’Dale going so high. It is starting to balance out.”
Added an SEC assistant: “The brand of football Kentucky plays is special.”
Drafting by Ravens, Jets, Seahawks, Chiefs stand out to coaches
College coaches mostly view the draft through an individual player prism, but some also note which NFL teams collect the best hauls.
The Ravens’ draft impressed many. Baltimore added 11 players, starting with Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton and Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum, regarded as the best college prospects at their respective positions. Hamilton had been projected in the top five for much of the season but fell to No. 14, likely because of a midseason injury and a slower 40 time.
“The problem is when the 40 time and the film don’t coincide,” a Power 5 coach said. “I honestly don’t think a lot of people really understand what game speed is. Hamilton, you can’t tell he’s not fast enough. He’s instinctive. He looks like a 400-meter runner, he’s got a long stride, so it looks like he’s not running fast, but he’s covering a lot of ground.”
Linderbaum, the Rimington Trophy winner and an All-American, had to overcome some concerns over measurables, namely his shorter arms, but still went No. 25 overall.
“That guy’s a 10-year-plus pro, he’s like [former All-Pro] Jeff Saturday,” a Big Ten coach said. “He’s so athletic and tough, and he’s proved it year after year after year. You can overanalyze. It’s like, ‘Guys, don’t overthink this. It’s not that complicated.’ They talk about short arms. I don’t care. I get it for an offensive tackle, the arm length. For a center, it’s an absolute overreach to criticize him.”
Coaches also praised Baltimore for selecting Michigan defensive end David Ojabo in the second round. Ojabo, who had five forced fumbles and 11 sacks during a breakout 2021 season, was projected in the first round until rupturing his Achilles’ tendon at pro day. He reunites with Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who held the same role at Michigan last season.
“That was justice,” a Power 5 defensive assistant said. “If Mike Macdonald didn’t pick him, I’d look at him like, ‘Come on, man.'”
Baltimore’s later selections also were popular, including Iowa State tight end Charlie Kolar and Daniel Faalele, the 400-pound Minnesota offensive lineman, in the fourth round.
“He’s gotten better every year and he’s still learning how to play football,” a Big Ten offensive coordinator said of Faalele. “He’s a big human being, and he’s a good athlete. That’s a pretty interesting pick. They stacked up picks, and that wasn’t an accident.”
Several coaches praised the Jets’ draft class, which led off with Gardner, Wilson and Johnson in the first round, but also included Iowa State running back Breece Hall and Louisiana offensive tackle Max Mitchell.
“The Jets were outstanding,” a Power 5 coach said. “Got essentially one of the top pass rushers, one of the top tackles, one of the top running backs.”
Seattle drew good reviews from college coaches, as it landed two potential impact offensive linemen in Cross and Washington State’s Abraham Lucas, as well as Cincinnati’s Bryant and Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III in the second round. Coaches liked Seattle’s other second-round selection, Minnesota defensive end Boye Mafe, who had seven sacks and 10 tackles for loss in 2021.
“He’s a player,” a Power 5 coach said of Mafe. “He got some pub during the draft prep, but he was really underrated coming into it. I remember turning on his film, watching him and was like, ‘He’s going to be an issue,’ and he was.”
Kansas City added several bruising defenders whom coaches liked, including McDuffie and Purdue end George Karlaftis III in the first round, as well as Cincinnati safety Bryan Cook and Wisconsin linebacker Leo Chenal.
“He can change the game,” a Big Ten coach said of Karlaftis. “When [NFL teams] draft that position, they worry about pass defenders that can’t be run defenders, but he can be both. I think he’ll be exceptional in the league.”
After losing Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins, the Chiefs bolstered their receiving corps with Western Michigan’s Skyy Moore in the second round. Moore had 95 catches last season.
“He’s legit, a real guy,” a MAC coach said. “And he landed into a great situation. You’re a receiver and you’re going to play with Patrick Mahomes, that’s a win-win.”
Coaches also credited the Colts, Giants, Packers and Titans for strong drafts.
Big 12 gets defensive in draft
No league experienced a more noticeable shift in style of play last fall than the Big 12, which had four defenses rank in the top 25 in points allowed. The draft reflected the change, as 15 of the league’s 25 draft picks came on defense, including seven of the first nine.
“The league’s changed,” a Big 12 coach said. “Everybody wants to still believe that narrative [about Big 12 offenses], but it’s a defensive league.”
Several coaches called Baylor safety Jalen Pitre, a second-round pick of Houston, as one of the draft’s best selections. An offensive coordinator who faced Baylor described Pitre as “a super-disruptive force” who had to be accounted for on every snap.
“He’s one of the best players I remember coaching against,” the coach said. “He’s a little undersized for the NFL, but wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him be a great player.”
Oklahoma led the league with seven draft picks, five on defense, including linebackers Nik Bonitto and Brian Asamoah and tackle Perrion Winfrey, who, as a Big 12 coach noted, “can be really dominant when he wants to turn it on.”
The league’s collection of linebackers and edge rushers stood out. In the third round, the Buffalo Bills drafted Baylor’s Terrel Bernard, who drew good reviews despite being undersized (6-foot-1, 224 pounds). Oklahoma State standout linebackers Malcolm Rodriguez (Detroit) and Devin Harper (Dallas) went in the sixth round. Oklahoma end Isaiah Thomas (Cleveland) — “A guy that will play for a while,” a Big 12 coach said — went in the seventh.
“He’s got such instincts and such a low center of gravity with pop, leverage,” a Big 12 coach said of Rodriguez. “He’s going to find his way to play [in the NFL]. How fast he is and how smart he is, he was the heart and soul of that defense.”
Coaches make sleeper picks
The selection of potential sleeper selections is an integral part of post-draft analysis. Coaches take part in the fun, too, identifying players outside of the top-50 picks who could turn out to be very wise choices for their new employers.
“The NFL draft is all about the value picks you’re going to get in rounds three through five,” a Big 12 coach said.
Here are some of their sleeper picks:
Purdue wide receiver David Bell (third round, Cleveland):The Boilermakers’ star was one of the most polarizing draft prospects entering the weekend. He dominated in the Big Ten, recording 232 receptions for 2,946 yards and 22 touchdowns in three seasons with the Boilermakers.
But poor pre-draft testing, especially in the 40-yard dash, cast doubt about his NFL potential.
“David Bell is a long-term NFL guy,” a Big Ten coach said. “I know he didn’t test well, but I could care less. He catches everything. He just gets open. I know he’s not fast or this or that. He is really, really good.”
Added another Big Ten coach: “He’s a possession guy who will be really good in the league.”
Washington State offensive tackle Abraham Lucas (third round, Seattle):Teams taking local/regional prospects became a theme for this draft, and the Seahawks delivered with Lucas, a native of Everett, Washington. A former Washington State assistant said the buzz inside the program was that Lucas, a first-team All-Pac-12 performer at right tackle, could end up being a better pro than former Cougar Andre Dillard, a first-round pick of Philadelphia in the 2019 draft.
A Pac-12 defensive coordinator said Lucas isn’t overly skilled and could struggle with speed rushers in the NFL, but his massive frame (6-foot-6, 315 pounds) will help him.
“Man, is he long-levered and a big body, and he actually moved well at the combine,” the coach said. “That surprised me. He’s so long that he can cause problems for some people.”
Arizona State running back Rachaad White (third round, Tampa Bay): This year’s running back draft class wasn’t overly deep, especially after Hall and Walker, but coaches liked Tampa Bay’s pickup of White, who eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards and had 456 receiving yards last season. He also showed big-play ability during the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
“You still see a lot of guys in the league that are third-, fourth- and fifth-round picks that end up making it, and he’s one of those guys,” a Pac-12 coach said. “He’s a physical runner, he’s a pass-protector and has a chance to be an every down back, even if he’s a No. 2 back.”
Maryland safety Nick Cross (third round, Indianapolis): Cross emerged as a playmaker for Maryland, leading the team in interceptions in two of the past three seasons and finishing his career with six picks and 15 pass breakups. He recorded the fastest 40 time among safeties at the combine (4.34 seconds).
“He stood out,” a Power 5 coach said. “The Cross kid could really run. He played freeform.”
Texas Tech wide receiver Erik Ezukanma (fourth round, Miami) and Memphis wide receiver Calvin Austin III (fourth round, Pittsburgh):A Big 12 coach noted that the 2022 draft was “big-time saturated” at positions such as wide receiver. But the first-round push for pass-catchers opened up midround values for players. Ezukanma, who recorded remarkably consistent numbers his past three seasons at Texas Tech, will join former Red Raiders star wideout Wes Welker, the new Dolphins receivers coach.
Austin had consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards and one punt return touchdown.
“He’s little but he is so dynamic,” an AAC defensive coordinator said of the 5-foot-9, 162-pound Austin. “His catch radius is really good for his size. He can do so many things, and he’s legit, legit fast. Since Tyreek Hill and those guys have been doing some damage, a guy like him might.”
BYU running back Tyler Allgeier (fifth round, Atlanta):Another potential value pick at running back, Allgeier was prolific and productive in a pro-style system at BYU. In the past two seasons, he recorded 2,736 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns on 426 carries, while adding 42 receptions.
“I’m surprised he lasted that long,” said a coordinator who faced Allgeier. “He’s a good all-purpose player, good blocker, a good receiver and obviously a good runner. And he’s durable. He ran for a ton of yards.”
Miami (Ohio) outside linebacker Dominique Robinson (fifth round, Chicago Bears): Robinson had an interesting path to the NFL, as he started at Miami early in his career before becoming a reserve. He had 2.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss in 2021, but has a profile of skills that coaches think could project well to the NFL.
“He was a good player on tape, a guy who can really get to the quarterback,” a MAC coach said. “It will be interesting to see how that turns out.”
LSU guard Chasen Hines (sixth round, New England):Patriots coach Bill Belichick started and ended the Patriots draft with offensive linemen, adding Hines and Michigan’s Andrew Stueber late. Hines started two seasons at guard for LSU after serving as backup center on the Tigers’ national title team in 2019.
“His best football is ahead of him,” a Power 5 coach said. “He reminds me of [former LSU offensive lineman] Damien Lewis with Seattle. Chasen is built the same way, has that same ability.”
Cal safety Elijah Hicks (sixth round, Chicago): Few players showed more excitement about getting drafted than Hicks, who waited until the end of the seventh round to hear his name (No. 254 overall). Hicks had 213 tackles and five interceptions in 46 starts for Cal, earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors last year.
“He’s a good player. I was surprised he went that low,” a Power 5 offensive coordinator said. “He’s not real tall, like 5-11. They probably like taller safeties, but I like him a lot.”
Qantas Airways Ltd is set to announce a landmark order for Airbus SE A350-1000 jets capable of nonstop flights from Sydney to London as part of a wider deal with the European planemaker, industry sources told Reuters.
The multibillion-dollar order, to be unveiled in a Sydney airport hangar on Monday, brings the Australian carrier a step closer to launching record-breaking direct flights of nearly 20 hours on the lucrative “Kangaroo route” by mid-2025.
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Qantas has touted plans for the world’s longest commercial flights for more than five years, but delayed its “Project Sunrise” due to the coronavirus pandemic.
FILE PHOTO: A model of Airbus A350-1000 jetliner is displayed at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China, in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, China September 28, 2021. REUTERS/Aly Song
The deal is a breakthrough for veteran Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce who has described nonstop Sydney-London flights as the Holy Grail for the 101-year-old carrier.
UNITED AIRLINES PLANS EXPANSION OF FLIGHTS BETWEEN US, EUROPE
The Australian airline launched the route in 1947 with Lockheed Constellations, when it took several stops and 58 hours of flying. Today’s one-stop flights take almost 24 hours.
Alan Joyce, Chief Executive of Australia’s biggest airline Qantas Airways Ltd. REUTERS/David Gray (REUTERS/David Gray / Reuters Photos)
The expansion comes days after Boeing Co further delayed development of its 777X jetliner, which had at one stage been in contention to allow direct flights from Australia’s east coast to London and New York.
An Airbus-owned A350-1000 was flying on Sunday from Toulouse to Perth, tracking service FlightRadar24 showed.
BOEING SAYS 141 JET ORDERS IN LIMBO AMID WAR IN UKRAINE
Qantas, which has said it would make a significant announcement on Monday about the future of its network, declined to comment. Airbus also declined to comment.
On Sunday, the West Australian newspaper said, without citing sources, that the Qantas order would include 12 A350s, 20 A321XLRs and 20 A220s as well as purchase rights for 106 more airplanes spread among the different types.
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Qantas in December selected Airbus as the preferred supplier for a major order to renew its ageing narrowbody fleet, in a blow to its incumbent supplier Boeing.
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An airBaltic A220 was parked in Sydney on Sunday, FlightRadar24 showed. That destination is not on a normal route for the European carrier. Australia has no A220 operators at present.
(Reporting by Jamie Freed in Sydney and Tim Hepher in Paris; Editing by William Mallard and Clarence Fernandez)
“It’s so fun and you get to hang out with people that you love and admire and you get to be a part of a conversation that is so privileged,” he said. “You get to experience all the firsthand, visceral [parts of] being a part of that community and the dynamics.”
But have no fear, Garfield stans, there’s still new material from Andrew coming down the pipeline.
The actor is set to star as devout detective Jeb Pyre, who searches for answers to a gruesome murder in a Mormon community in Under the Banner of Heaven, which airs on FX starting April 28. The series was adapted from a best-selling nonfiction book by Jon Krakauer.
“I thought it was just such an incredible study of fundamentalism leading to such horrific acts and how human beings can justify terrible violence in the name of God and love,” Andrew said about the show. “I found it really compelling and important.”