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NFL

Rookie QB progress reports: How the 13 drafted look so far

Thirteen quarterbacks came off the board in the 2018 NFL draft, including five in the first round alone. How have they looked so far?

NFL Nation reporters offer early progress reports on their performances at rookie minicamps and organized team activities.

Round 1, No. 1 overall

The draft’s first overall pick is starting over. Mayfield spent a fair amount of time in rookie camp practicing taking the snap from center. In the first OTA practice open to the media, Mayfield threw three interceptions. In the second, his reps seemed to be reduced by a few. None of this means he can’t play; it shows that he’s learning the fundamentals and basics of playing in the NFL. — Pat McManamon

2 Related

Round 1, No. 3 overall

The key word: progress. After a rough start in OTAs, Darnold settled down in the second week, perhaps not coincidentally when he started getting reps with the first-team line. His arm talent is obvious. For Darnold, the biggest challenge is knowing where to throw the ball and getting it out on time. He’s getting more reps on a daily basis than vets Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater, and that should benefit him come training camp. He’ll get a shot to be the Week 1 starter, but it would take a spectacular preseason to nail down the job. — Rich Cimini

Round 1, No. 7 overall

Allen has practiced exclusively with the third team through the first two weeks of OTAs, behind AJ McCarron and Nathan Peterman on the depth chart. It has been a mixed bag so far for Allen, who was inaccurate on his first pass and later telegraphed an interception to cornerback Breon Borders during the two-minute drill in Thursday’s practice. Coaches gave Allen another shot at the drill, and he marched downfield and lofted an accurate fade pattern to wide receiver Cam Phillips for a touchdown. Allen’s off-the-charts arm strength has been evident in the velocity of the passes he has thrown; the accuracy seems to be a work in progress. — Mike Rodak

Round 1, No. 10 overall

So far, the scouting report on Rosen has been dead-on. He was hyped as the most NFL-ready quarterback in this year’s draft because of the combination of his intelligence and skill. From what he has shown during the limited practices open to the media, he’s both smart and talented. His arm has been live, especially on deep passes. It’s clear he can think through a play rather quickly and efficiently. From what his offensive linemen have said about him so far, he’s been displaying a maturity and confidence in the huddle that has been well received. — Josh Weinfuss

Round 1, No. 32 overall

Jackson remains a work in progress. He’s accurate in the middle of the field and shows good touch on deep passes. But he’s inconsistent when throwing outside the numbers. His passes tend to sail when targeting receivers along the sideline. What jumps out is Jackson’s speed. When he gets into the open field, he makes jaw-dropping cuts to elude defenders. The Ravens will get Jackson on the field immediately because of his explosiveness, but he isn’t close to competing with Joe Flacco for the starting quarterback job. — Jamison Hensley

Mason Rudolph joins Landry Jones and Joshua Dobbs on the depth chart behind Ben Roethlisberger. Shelley Lipton/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Round 2, No. 76 overall

Rudolph has shown off his arm strength, has a good touch on the deep ball and seems to be adjusting well to the offensive scheme. In OTAs, Rudolph hasn’t made any major mistakes but has played it relatively safe and overthrew a few receivers. The under-center exchanges were a problem early in rookie camp. Overall, Rudolph is about what the Steelers expected: an intriguing, down-the-road option. — Jeremy Fowler

Round 4, No. 108 overall

Lauletta was up and down at rookie minicamp and served as the fourth-string quarterback at OTA No. 1 behind Eli Manning, Davis Webb and Alex Tanney. There’s going to be a steep learning curve for Lauletta making the jump from Richmond to the NFL. His arm isn’t spectacular (as advertised), so everything else has to be perfect for him to succeed. But you can tell from talking to him that this is a smart young man who understands the game of football. — Jordan Raanan

Round 5, No. 171 overall

White is currently No. 3 on the depth chart behind Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush, but he has shown a live arm and has made good decisions. What has impressed Jason Garrett the most is the early command of the offense and the huddle. White is playing mostly with other rookies or inexperienced players, but he has picked things up quickly to where he can get people in the right spots. How he plays in the preseason games will determine whether the Cowboys carry three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, but so far, he has impressed coaches. — Todd Archer

Round 6. No. 199 overall

Falk has blended in well behind Marcus Mariota and Blaine Gabbert during his early opportunities. He has showed off accurate ball placement, particularly in short-yardage situations. Some development is needed, particularly with getting him comfortable taking snaps under center and moving in more of a pro-style offense, but early reviews are that Falk is coming along as expected for a sixth-round pick. He’s expected to spend 2018 as a developmental QB3 before eventually becoming Mariota’s long-term backup. He’s hopeful to expedite that timeline. — Cameron Wolfe

Round 6, No. 203 overall

As expected, Lee has been up and down, which pretty much summed up his career at Nebraska. He has had some issues taking the snap under center and air-mailed several easy passes, including a swing pass to a running back that should be an easy completion for an NFL quarterback. He also has been picked off twice. He seems destined for the practice squad. — Mike DiRocco

Round 7, No. 219 overall

Wearing the unusual No. 58 — as Bill Belichick hasn’t given rookies permanent jersey numbers — Etling accounted well for himself in the first practice open to reporters and then in a post-practice interview. He showed solid arm strength, which is something offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels noted as a strong trait, and seemed to get the players in and out of the huddle without issue. There’s obviously a long way to go at this point, but Etling seemed to take advantage of the expanded repetitions he wouldn’t have received if Tom Brady were present, as he worked behind veteran Brian Hoyer. Said Hoyer: “I can speak from my own experience, this isn’t an easy system to come into as a rookie. You get a lot thrown at you, and I think Danny is doing a good job.” — Mike Reiss

Round 7, No. 220 overall

The seventh-round pick from Florida International was the standout of the team’s rookie minicamp. Pete Carroll remarked afterward how McGough showed nice arm strength and accuracy in addition to the mobility the Seahawks had already seen plenty of on his college tape. The usual qualifiers apply. It was only a three-day minicamp with no veterans and no shoulder pads (those have been the only practices open to the media so far). McGough still has a lot to prove to unseat Austin Davis as Russell Wilson’s backup, but he’s off to a nice start. — Brady Henderson

Round 7, No. 249 overall

Woodside is firmly entrenched as the No. 3 quarterback for the moment, and that was clear during the second week of OTAs. During the practice open to the media, Woodside did not throw a pass, as all the reps went to Andy Dalton and No. 2 quarterback Matt Barkley. Woodside did get a scout-team rep at safety. — Katherine Terrell

Soccer

Zidane's Real tenure was historic, but benefitted from luck and good timing

One of the toughest things to do in life is to quit while you’re ahead. On Thursday, Zinedine Zidane did just that, sweeping Manhattan-sized stacks from the betting table, vaulting the door of a convertible, and squeaking his wheels in the direction of an Iberian sunset.

Related: Zidane leaves Real Madrid days after winning 3rd straight Champions League title

A piece of silverware was procured every 97.6 days on average during his tenure, and Real Madrid won each of the eight finals he reached. However, people are still sceptical of Zidane’s trophy-laden two-and-a-half-year reign at the helm of Los Blancos’ senior throng. Was he simply a man in the right place at the right time? Was he lucky?

Instant respect

Zidane inherited a side that had grown tired of Rafa Benitez’s tactics, a defence-first handler who tried to school Cristiano Ronaldo in how to hit free-kicks – that, unsurprisingly, didn’t go down well – and lacked the man-management skills of his predecessor, Carlo Ancelotti. Real Madrid was in need of a respected figurehead so, in January 2016, it appointed Ancelotti’s former No. 2 and the inconsistent boss of its Castilla outfit. Except he was much more than that.

Zidane, a man who orchestrated Real Madrid’s midfield during his playing days, respected the club’s history of championing singular talent and wore his reputation like a bullet-proof vest to president Florentino Perez’s notoriously trigger-happy ways. He unbuckled the squad from Benitez’s assiduous style, and the players listened to a man who had plundered a World Cup, European Championship, three league titles, and one Champions League triumph during his playing career. Just like when he played, Zidane set the tempo, created, and expected those around to sway freely to his rhythm.

Soon, Real Madrid would win 12 league matches in a row and hoist the Champions League trophy. According to his critics, however, this was Zidane’s first slice of luck. Real Madrid’s run in the knockout stages consisted of Roma, Wolfsburg, and the infantile version of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City – sluggish full-backs and all. By comparison, Atletico Madrid fended off PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich before falling to its city rival in the final on penalties.

In the following season’s tournament, Bayern Munich was in the ascendency in the quarter-finals until referee Viktor Kassai harshly showed Arturo Vidal a second yellow. Then, in extra-time, his assistants failed to acknowledge Ronaldo was in an offside position when he fired Real Madrid ahead on aggregate. In La Liga, if it wasn’t for December’s late winner in Barcelona from Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid wouldn’t have won the title. Los Blancos weren’t taking control of matches, instead relying on their stars and lapses in judgment.

‘Real Madrid walk on water’

In the recently concluded campaign, it appeared Zidane’s luck was running out. His ageing side was no longer netting late winners in domestic play, and instead, losing at the Bernabeu to Real Betis, Leganes, and Villarreal. There was even a draw against Fuenlabrada. Zidane’s days appeared to be numbered when Los Blancos lost the El Clasico 3-0 at home in January.

But Real Madrid continued to successfully toe the tightrope during its continental commitments. The capital club was clearly second best against Tottenham Hotspur in the group stages and was overwhelmed by Juventus in the second leg of their quarter-final meeting until Ronaldo converted a disputed, last-second penalty amid a flurry of Gianluigi Buffon expletives. Real Madrid, somewhat undeservedly, was in the semi-finals.

The following round’s tussle with Bayern Munich was an entertaining, if surprisingly low-quality affair. Marcelo’s defensive deficiencies were exposed by the excellent Joshua Kimmich, and the Brazilian also went unpunished when he handled in the box. It wasn’t until Bayern goalkeeper Sven Ulreich made a mindless error that Real Madrid took control in the second leg. How good Ulreich’s opposite number, Keylor Navas, was between the sticks was evident in the shot count over the course of the two fixtures: Bayern had 39 attempts on goal, Real Madrid had 16.

“Real Madrid walk on water. You can never rule them out,” reflected French publication L’Equipe.

The 2018 final against Liverpool was a quintessential performance by Zidane’s Real Madrid. Loris Karius’ blunders were preyed upon, and Gareth Bale roused himself from the bench to score arguably the best goal in a Champions League final. But the game’s turning point had come much earlier when Mohamed Salah was substituted in the opening stanza after bumping with Ramos; if Real Madrid wanted one player out of the game, it was the Egyptian.

Related: Super-sub Bale inspires Real Madrid to Champions League glory over Liverpool

Once again, Real Madrid was successful yet unconvincing – or perhaps just plain lucky.

A flawless exit – but what’s next?

Zidane knew that it couldn’t last. In three straight Champions League finals, he only started 13 different players. His signings have often been brought in as backups, and the Frenchman made it known when Alvaro Morata, James Rodriguez, and Mariano Diaz were offloaded last summer that he prefers to oversee a more concentrated ensemble. Now, with much of the thin group predominantly in or around their 30s, he has left a team in need of a revamp that (barring a splurge that would likely fall foul of Financial Fair Play) may take a few years – there are echoes of Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure from Manchester United.

Just as he had arrived, the timing of Zidane’s exit is flawless.

To say Zidane’s success is built on luck and featured no tactical nous would be churlish – he separated from a long-standing 4-3-3 and flitted through a range of schematics, and his substitutions often had a positive impact on games – but he isn’t a manager who needs time to enforce or instill a philosophy on a club. His tactics are simple but effective, his trust in his players to express themselves instrumental and almost instantaneous when it comes to results, and he, as one of the most artful midfielders to grace the game, is already an inspiration to those who work under him.

Players don’t need months to become accustomed to his approach, yet they will feel liberated. Zidane – Real Madrid’s second-most successful manager with nine trophies in little over 28 months, below Miguel Munoz’s count of 15 trophies in 14 years – has made history and should keep his reputation in club football intact, instead moving into the world of national team management. Didier Deschamps is sitting on the best crop of youngsters in international football at France but has habitually shown an inability to find the right combination. Deschamps could conveniently make a hash of France’s World Cup campaign, leaving his old club and international teammate to pick up the pieces later this summer.

And for Zidane, you’d expect everything to fall in its right place.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

NFL

As starting QB, Patrick Mahomes is going full K.C.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes’ social calendar was full during May in town. He was spotted at a Jason Aldean concert, threw out the first pitch at a Royals game and wore jorts and a sleeveless baseball jersey to a NASCAR race.

It’s not that Mahomes didn’t indulge in some Kansas City events last year, when he was a Chiefs rookie and the backup quarterback to Alex Smith. But seemingly every one of his outings is now celebrated on social media, and there’s little doubt that he’s taking over the town as he becomes the starter.

Mahomes tried last season to blend in with the surroundings. He walked precisely the delicate balance between being the first signal-caller picked in the first round by the Chiefs in 34 years and being the supportive No. 2 quarterback. Much has been made of how Smith was the perfect mentor for Mahomes, but it’s just as true that having Mahomes capably deflect attention away from himself benefited Smith in his final season in Kansas City.

Now the starter, Mahomes is still liberal with the compliments for his teammates and his new hometown. But he’s no longer deferential. The trade of Smith to Washington was hardly completed when Mahomes began bugging his teammates for throwing sessions, long before offseason practice started.

“He just took control out there on the first day,” tight end Travis Kelce said. “That’s the biggest thing is seeing that he does have control of the room at such a young age, knowing this is his first rodeo in the NFL. He’s not shy about taking the lead and that’s huge. It makes it easier on all of us to see the direction of where this can go and it’s easy to follow that.

“It’s exciting and it’s something I think we’re going to have to do together knowing Pat’s situation, him coming into a role with a lot of scrutiny at the quarterback position. It’s definitely going to be a team effort to try to get him rolling.”

Mahomes didn’t come to Kansas City with much experience at being the backup. He was a reserve for part of his true freshman year at Texas Tech, but he moved into the starting lineup before that season was finished and stayed there for his final two seasons with the Red Raiders.

Still, he knew enough to largely stay in his cocoon as a rookie, to be seen but seldom heard.

“That’s the same for every rookie,” Mahomes said. “Every rookie, you come in and you just try to work hard and kind of keep your head down, I guess you would say, and just try to prove to the team that you’re trying to do whatever is best for the team.

“As you gain some of that respect, as you go further in your career, you start talking more and people can really respect what you’re saying because they know you’re in the best interest of your team.”

Mahomes’ background helped him in this regard. He has been around pro sports most of his life. His father, Pat, pitched for 11 seasons with six teams in Major League Baseball.

“He grew up in that environment and understood sort of intrinsically a whole lot of what passes for etiquette in team sports,” said Mahomes’ agent, Leigh Steinberg.

Patrick Mahomes saw the field once during his rookie season, a Week 17 game against the Broncos when the Chiefs had already locked up the division. He completed 22 of 35 passes for 284 yards with an interception in that game — a win. Kyle Emery/Icon Sportswire

Steinberg is a longtime agent who has represented many of the NFL’s top quarterbacks. He said that keeping a low profile as a rookie was part of the plan for Mahomes.

“I talked through with him the process of maturation and process of integration that many of our quarterbacks have went through, whether it was Troy Aikman or Steve Young or Warren Moon,” Steinberg said. “We talked about how the first year the goal was to integrate into the team, and the only way to do that is to pay deference to the incumbent veterans and try not to go into the situation with a high profile.

“We intentionally didn’t do endorsements that would run in the Kansas City area even though they were offered. We didn’t want him to be on billboards and everything when he wasn’t even playing.”

The plan will change now that Mahomes is the starter.

He needs to take command of the locker room, one that already features established voices like those of Kelce and safety Eric Berry. That can be tricky for a young player, but Mahomes didn’t seem daunted by the task.

“I don’t see anything as intimidating,” Mahomes said.

“That just comes with the relationship you build with the guys off the field and on the field. Whenever you have respect for each other and you know that you’re trying to make the team the best you can, and you know he’s trying to make the team win, you can talk to each other and say things to each other and you respect that. That comes with all of this offseason work, the weight room, the running. If you’re giving it your all every single day, people will respect you and respect whenever you say anything on the field.”

Mahomes helped himself in the eyes of his teammates by the way he played as a rookie in practice and games. He showed uncommon ability to make difficult throws. He showed well in his one regular-season game in leading a winning field goal drive in the final moments.

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“He’s always been confident from the time I’ve known him,” Berry said. “He’s been sure of himself and he’s come out and made plays. So nothing’s really changed except now he’s with [the starters].”

Beyond that, the Chiefs needed to know whether Mahomes was as committed as Smith, who put in many hours in season and out. They’ll be watching his work habits, whether he’s logging the necessary classroom time and making the extra throws to receivers outside of practice.

So far, at least, they like what they see.

“It’s just his preparation,” Kelce said. “He was ready at any point in time to go into that game and try to win for us. It’s all based off his preparation and how he went about his week-to-week work.

“Every single throw, it means something to him. Every single play means something to him. He’s not going to just sit there or lie down knowing he’s got two 300-pounders in his face. He’s going to go ahead and try to make both of them miss — and still make a throw to get us in position to keep the ball going down the field.”

When the necessary work of the day is done, then Mahomes will inevitably head out to see a Royals game, a concert, an auto race.

That, too, is part of the process of becoming the starting quarterback for the Chiefs.

“The fans come out every single week and show passion and love for us and our team and what we’re doing here,” Mahomes said. “I want to be back in the community giving back and just being a part of it so I can show the same passion and love to them.

“It’s being able to be a part of the community. For me, I like being in the community of Kansas City. People are extremely nice and extremely passionate about the Chiefs and just about their culture. For me to just try to be a part of that and just immerse myself in the culture has been an awesome experience so far.”

Soccer

Pochettino, Klopp, Wenger? 5 contenders to replace Zidane at Real Madrid

Paris – The race to succeed Zinedine Zidane is on following the Frenchman’s shock resignation from Real Madrid on Thursday, only days after steering the Spanish giants to a third successive Champions League trophy.

Tottenham’s Argentinian manager Mauricio Pochettino tops the bookmakers’ list of favourites, with Chelsea handler Antonio Conte and former long-time Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger also in the mix.

AFP Sport looks at the potential candidates:

Mauricio Pochettino

As a former centre-back with Barcelona-based Espanyol, Pochettino has vast experience of Spain’s La Liga.

But it is the 46-year-old Argentinian’s coaching nous, man-management skills and consistency with Tottenham Hotspur that has hoisted him among the favourites to replace Zidane.

Under Pochettino, Spurs have secured three successive top-four finishes in the Premier League, allowing the London club to rub shoulders with the elite of European football on a regular basis.

But Pochettino has yet to win a trophy in any of his coaching stints, at Espanyol (2009-2012), Southampton (2013-2014) or Tottenham.

Pochettino signed a new, improved contract extension until 2023 last week and Spanish sports newspaper AS reported Friday that it does not contain any written agreement allowing him to leave if Real make an approach.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is a notoriously tough negotiator, but apparently has good relations with Real president Florentino Perez.

Antonio Conte

Amid claims that Chelsea’s players are fed up with his demanding training sessions and intense ways, Conte could soon be on his way out of the club, who have been linked to current Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri.

But whether the 48-year-old Italian is an adequate replacement for the taciturn Zidane, and the right choice for such a demanding club, is up for debate.

Conte enjoyed unbridled success with Juventus in Italy’s Serie A, leading the club to three successive domestic titles before joining Chelsea.

But in Europe, the Turin giants struggled, failing to reach the Champions League final in his tenure.

Conte led Chelsea to the Premier League title in his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge, in 2016-2017, but failed to repeat the achievement in a far less successful 2017-2018 season, in which only an FA Cup triumph saved his reputation.

Arsene Wenger

Wenger is available and has the name and the top-level experience, having coached Arsenal for 22 years in England’s Premier League and, less regularly, in Real’s favourite playground of the Champions League.

But would Real Madrid’s demanding fans back the 68-year-old Frenchman, whose last piece of silverware with the Gunners came in 2017 with the FA Cup? His last league honours date back 13 years to 2004, proving the steady decline during his long reign.

Wenger spent the intervening years trying, unsuccessfully, to replicate the success of his early campaigns.

Real, record 13-times winners of the Champions League including the last three years in succession, are used to winning trophies and fans will expect a coach with lofty ambitions.

Jurgen Klopp

Leading Liverpool to the Champions League final, and a 3-1 defeat to Real last Saturday, won’t have done any harm to Klopp’s chances of joining the Spanish giants.

But whether the easy-going, fan-hugging German fits the bill at Europe’s most successful club remains to be seen.

In coaching terms Klopp’s CV stands up to scrutiny: tactics, man management and unfettered enthusiasm for the game and his players are among his biggest attributes.

But the 50-year-old’s rate of success is less impressive.

Klopp led Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final in 2013, only to suffer defeat to Bayern Munich.

Three other runner-up places grace Klopp’s CV, including the English League Cup (2016), the Europa League (2016) and this season’s Champions League.

Jose Maria ‘Guti’ Gutierrez

In the absence of a standout favourite from outside the club, Real president Florentino Perez could opt to promote from within and push their under-19s coach Jose Maria Gutierrez, known as Guti, into the Real hot seat.

A former star midfielder for Real, who made over 500 appearances between 1995 and 2010, Guti’s intimate knowledge of the club would be a distinct advantage over his rivals.

As coach of Real’s under-19s, Guti enjoyed regular contact with Zidane and his successful methods.

On paper, the 41-year-old Guti is an outsider as he has yet to cut his coaching teeth at senior coaching level — although, prior to his appointment in 2016, the same could be said about Zidane.

The Frenchman, who made over 150 appearances for Real, became a sports director with Real in 2011 before becoming assistant to Carlo Ancelotti in 2013 and then heading the Real Madrid ‘B’ team.

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Soccer