If the phrase “lift with your legs” never made any sense to you, you’re not alone. Trying to follow this advice can feel awkward, unnatural, and ineffective—even though it’s not wrong, exactly. One 1993 study showed that even when warehouse workers had been trained to “lift with the legs,” and even when they said they were doing their best to follow the instructions, in most cases it was pretty much impossible to lift in the textbook manner.
Why everyone wants you to lift with your legs
The main point of lifting with your legs is to avoid one particular mistake: rounding your lower back so forcefully that you’re putting yourself at risk for a herniated disc. If you lift something by squatting down, with your back vertical, you avoid that mistake. This turns the lift into a squat: Your back doesn’t bend, but your legs and hips do.
Squatting with a weight makes a lot of sense if you’re picking up something heavy from, say, a table. Instead of hunching over with your torso, it’s better to bend your knees, hug the object, and then straighten your legs to stand up.
But when you’re picking something up off the floor, the squat doesn’t actually work very well, as those 1993 workers demonstrated. You need to actually get the item off the ground somehow, and most people don’t have the mobility to start a squat all the way from the floor. If you’re used to doing squats and deadlifts, you’ll notice another problem: Weights that are hard to squat (especially from a deep squat) are often a lot easier to deadlift, because your back and hips are stronger than your legs.
Realistically, it is not only fine but sometimes necessary to use your back in lifting. That said, you have to pay attention to how you are lifting with your back to be able to do it right. The constant quipping of “lift with your legs” is meant to bypass this problem—you can’t lift with your back incorrectly if you never lift with your back at all! But, again, we’re back to the problem where the “lift with your legs” advice doesn’t always give you all the tools you need for real-life lifting.
What you should actually do instead of lifting with your legs
In reality, you can move your body however you need to, as long as you keep your back roughly straight—stabilized by all those handy core muscles. I like how the Duke Environmental and Occupational Safety Office boils down lifting form to two simple rules:
Keep the load close to your body throughout the lift. Hug the load to your belly, which may mean kneeling on one knee or squatting asymmetrically, so that you’re almost straddling the thing you need to pick up.
Maintain your back’s natural curves, especially the arch in your lower back. Think of keeping your spine in the same neutral position as when you’re standing or walking.
That last one can be a little tricky to understand, but all it means is that you shouldn’t bend your back or torso in any dramatic direction. Don’t hunch over like a rainbow, or arch backward like, I don’t know, a banana. If you bend over, it should be by using your hips as a hinge, not by curving your back.
If you master those two rules, you’ll protect your back without having to mimic any unnatural, awkward positions. Sometimes you’ll see cheesy “lift with your legs” illustrations of lifting technique where a person squats to pick up a box, but then holds the box out in front of them—nobody does that, and it doesn’t even make sense. Your “power zone,” where you can lift the most, is with the object hugged to your belly. If you hug it to your chest or hips instead, that’s almost as good. Once you start holding it higher, lower, or out farther from your body, you can’t handle nearly as much weight safely. (This lifting guide has more illustrations showing how to pick up heavy boxes safely.)
Those two rules also explain why deadlifts are possible as a safe gym exercise: People who do those lifts make sure to keep their spine neutral, and the weight close to their body. There’s more than one way to safely lift.
The 2026 MLB season is almost here and that means you’re likely prepping for your fantasy baseball draft. One of the best ways to prepare is to do as many mock drafts as possible. Of course, sometimes it’s tough to find an accurate representation of your league settings by using the public mock draft lobby.
Not to fear! If you’re a Yahoo Fantasy+ subscriber, you have access to the Instant Mock Draft tool, allowing you to practice your draft in seconds. You can test different strategies, pick from various draft slots and experiment with roster construction as many times as you want, anytime, instantly. Now is a great time to subscribe to Yahoo Fantasy+, so you can use the wealth of tools for your draft prep
In this series, we’re going to be using the Instant Mock Draft tool to pick from each of the 12 slots in a 12-team fantasy baseball league. In this piece, we’ll be drafting from the No. 1 overall pick. Who will it be? Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani? Let’s get after it.
Can’t go wrong at the top: I went with Judge over the Dodgers’ slugger but I don’t really think you can go wrong with either pick with the No. 1 overall choice — it’s that close. I’m a Yankees fan (yeah, yeah, whatever), so that factored in. It’s never bad to have your team’s best player on your fantasy squad, especially when it comes to Judge. I think the Yankees’ star has a slightly higher ceiling and I wonder if L.A. decides to rest Ohtani a bit more late in the season with the playoffs top of mind.
Roster building blocks: We took a balanced approach after my initial pick. Lindor is on track to play on Opening Day despite the hamate bone surgery. To me, he’s in a great offensive environment and you could argue he should be going in the first/early second round. I’ll take that value. I like the idea of having an anchor starting pitcher and Sánchez is in his prime and is on a Phillies squad that should compete for the NL East title again.
Balancing risk vs. reward: We added another top-end ace in deGrom to pair with Sanchez. The two-time Cy Young winner appears back on track after a resurgent 2025. There’s always injury risk, especially with a pitcher who will turn 38 this season. But I’m fine taking that risk if deGrom ends up in the Cy Young conversation again. Langeliers was a reach but I wanted to make sure I grabbed a catcher in Scott Pianowski’s top tier. The position is pretty thin and Langeliers may be the best-hitting catcher behind Cal Raleigh.
Waiting on closers: Points-league scoring seems to devalue relief pitchers and closers in general, so I felt OK waiting at the position. We grabbed Yankees closer David Bednar, since we can expect him to get plenty of save opportunities so long as he keeps the job. Raisel Iglesias was my other closer add. If the Braves stay healthy and bounce back, he should get plenty of work.
Team building challenges: The corner infield spots caused me a bit of trouble with the positions thinner as the draft went on. The Cardinals could be pretty bad this season but there’s a lot to like about Burleson entering his age-27 season. He really improved last season and could have finished with 20+ HRs and 80+ RBI with an OPS over .800 had he not missed some time.
Shifting to upside: We took some shots on some sleeper pitchers, including Ryan Weathers, Shane McClanahan and Andrew Painter. Yahoo analyst Corbin Young wrote about Weathers in his top breakout candidates at SP for 2026. Again, the Yankees bias is real for me but Weathers feels like a great low-risk, high-reward type of pick late in drafts. Painter, a once top prospect, should get a chance to showcase his stuff at the next level. He’s still just 22 years old despite logging over 200 minor-league innings.
Takeaways with drafting No. 1: I love drafting from this slot in all fantasy formats (and it isn’t just because you get to pick one of the top players). Having the back-to-back picks at the turn allows you to plan ahead more, not worrying so much about ADP and where you’re selecting. You don’t have to fret as much about other managers sniping picks, which is also a plus.
When you’re able to add Judge (or Ohtani), you can put more of an emphasis on pitching and making some risk-reward picks on offense. Let Judge or Ohtani, plus your second pick, anchor your offense. Then, you can go out and grab your guys, your favorite sleepers, regardless of ADP and ranking.
The Houston Rockets have had players donning a total of 52 different jersey numbers (and have one not part of any numerical series for Houston assistant coach and general manager Carroll Dawson) since their founding at the start of the 1967-68 season, worn by just under 500 players in the course of Rockets history.
To honor all of the players who wore those numbers over the decades, Rockets Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who wore them since the founding of the team all those years ago right up to the present day.
With seven of those jerseys now retired to honor some of the greatest Rockets of all time to wear those jerseys, there is a lot of history to cover.
And for today’s article, we will continue with the 12th of 20 who wore the No. 9, guard alum Courtney Fortson. After ending his college career at Arkansas, Fortson went unselected in the 2010 NBA Draft, playing in other leagues until he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2012.
The San Antonio, Texas native played the first 4 games of his NBA career with LA, coming to an end when he signed with Houston later that year. His stay with the team lasted until he was cut that offseason.
During his time suiting up for the Rockets, Fortson wore only jersey No. 9 and put up 3.0 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Crosby failed his physical with the Ravens. Baltimore then chose to nix the deal that would send a pair of first-round picks in 2026 and in 2027 to the Raiders in exchange for the two-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler.
The Raiders put out a statement on social media announcing that the Ravens had backed out of the trade agreement.
This will send ripple effects throughout the NFL. Naturally, the Raiders made a series of moves with the idea that Crosby would be dealt to the Ravens.
At least for the moment, Crosby’s $35.7 million cap hit is set to be on the books for the Raiders at the start of the new league year, which officially arrives on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.
How motivated might the Raiders be to net the $30.6 million in cap savings that a Crosby trade would bring prior to the start of the new league year? Could all of this drastically alter the asking price on Crosby?
Would the Lions consider engaging in discussions with the Raiders to acquire Crosby? How spooked might everyone in the NFL be that Crosby failed his physical? And would that be enough to scare off the Lions?
Lions general manager Brad Holmes and Detroit are still in pursuit of a significant pass rusher to complement Aidan Hutchinson. Could they make a call to the Raiders and make their own big swing?
DENVER, COLORADO – JANUARY 16: Devon Toews #7 of the Colorado Avalanche fights for the puck against Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers in the third period at Ball Arena on January 16, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Colorado Avalanche are once again riding a five-game winning streak after beating both the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild via shootout last week, and they’ll look to make it six straight against an Edmonton Oilers team that simply can’t seem to keep the puck out of their own net.
Edmonton’s defensive issues — both in their own zone and between the pipes — have been a constant problem lately, resulting in a 4–6 record over their last ten games. It’s a frustrating stretch for a team that can score with anyone in the league, but one that continues to give just as much back the other way.
Meanwhile, Colorado continues to do what contenders do this time of year: stack wins.
Colorado Avalanche: 43-10-9
The Opponent: Edmonton Oilers (31-25-8)
Time: 8:00 p.m. MT
Watch: Altitude, Altitude+, ESPN+
Listen: Altitude Sports Radio, 92.5 FM
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche welcomed the return of Nazem Kadri the last time they were on home ice and were able to secure the victory despite not having Artturi Lehkonen or Gabe Landeskog in the lineup. Colorado has managed to stay afloat through the injuries thanks to its depth and elite top end — the club still sits among the league leaders in scoring while MacKinnon remains near the top of the NHL scoring race.
Landeskog’s injury has been covered at length due to its occurrence in a uniquely “uncomfortable” region of the body, but it still came as a surprise on game day. He was given the week-to-week distinction, but Landeskog has proven that nothing can keep him from playing hockey for long. Here he is at morning skate:
Lehkonen, on the other hand, has a bit of mystery surrounding his status. What was originally suspected to be an injury from wearing a puck up high has now shifted to speculation about other parts of the upper body. I’m sure we will get a Lehky update, either pre- or postgame, as most are eager to see what this Avalanche squad looks like when fully healthy.
Note: Both Landeskog and Lehkonen are listed as OUT as of right now.
MacKenzie Blackwood Scott Wedgewood
Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton’s struggles are pretty obvious, but it feels like every effort management makes to settle the issue just reaggravates the ineptitude.
Acquiring the services of Tristan Jarry hasn’t stemmed the goals-against tide. In fact, the Oilers continue to give up more than 3 goals per game, placing them in the bottom third of the league defensively.
Whenever you employ Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, scoring goals shouldn’t be an issue — and it hasn’t been. Edmonton sits among the NHL’s highest-scoring teams and boasts the league’s most dangerous power play, converting on more than 32.8 percent of its opportunities. That offensive firepower hasn’t consistently translated to wins because the defensive commitment simply hasn’t been there on a nightly basis.
Wayne Gretzky says Oilers will be fine and will play better down the stretch.
If Colorado can force Edmonton to play in its own end — something the Avalanche have done well during this current winning streak — the matchup could once again turn into a track meet. And while that might be Edmonton’s comfort zone offensively, it’s also exactly where their defensive problems tend to show up the most.
No. 21 Tennessee (13-4) ended a six-game homestand on Tuesday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Vols defeated Tennessee Tech (7-9), 20-2, in a run-rule decision.
Tennessee’s offense produced 17 hits, five home runs and four doubles against the Golden Eagles. Garrett Wright, Henry Ford, Reese Chapman, Nate Eisfelder and Manny Marin hit home runs for the Vols.
Taylor Tracey started for Tennessee and pitched three innings. He recorded six strikeouts and 55 pitches (35 strikes) against 13 batters.
Ethan Baiotto (1-0) earned his first win of the season. He pitched 1.2 innings in relief and struck out one batter.
Tennessee will next play Georgia in SEC play. The Bulldogs will host Tennessee for a three-game series at Foley Field in Athens, Georgia.
Game 1 between the Vols and Bulldogs is slated for Friday at 6 p.m. EDT (SEC Network+). Game 2 on Saturday is scheduled for 5 p.m. EDT (SEC Network), while a series finale will take place March 15 at 1 p.m. EDT (SEC Network+).
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Traditional bracket with reseeding. Note that the conference is solely going by the “NEC” initialism now.
Site
Higher seeds host on campus
Participants
New Haven (14-17, 9-9, 5th) is not participating as the Chargers are in their first reclassification year, so only one team missed the field of eight on record. That was Saint Francis (7-24, 5-13, 10th) did not qualify in the Red Flash’s final season as a D1 member.
Stonehill is finally eligible after completing their reclassification period. Le Moyne and Mercyhurst will participate but are ineligible for the automatic bid as they still working on theirs. The Dolphins will be eligible in 2027, Mercyhurst in 2028, with the Chargers joining them in 2029.
As for how these teams impact the auto bid, if one wins the championship, a losing eligible finalist will qualify (as Fairleigh Dickinson did after losing to Merrimack in 2023). But if both Le Moyne and Mercyhurst reach the final, the NEC went full Sickos mode. In the unlikely event there’s a Dolphin-Laker final, there will be a bonus game for the auto bid, featuring the two losing eligible semifinalists.
Gm. 1: (8) Chicago State (7-25, 5-13) 75, (1) LIU 79 Gm. 2:(7) Wagner 70, (2) Central Connecticut State (18-12, 12-6) 62 Gm. 3: (6) Fairleigh Dickinson (11-21, 8-10) 61, (3) Mercyhurst 70 Gm. 4:(5) Stonehill 81, (4) Le Moyne (15-17, 10-8) 71
Semifinals (Sat. 3/7)
Gm. 5: (5) Stonehill (12-21, 8-10) 51, (3) Mercyhurst 56 Gm. 6: (7) Wagner (14-17, 8-10) 56, (1) LIU 64 The winner of this game claimed the automatic bid, as Mercyhurst is ineligible.
Data originally posted by Bob Vetrone Jr. on Twitterin 2020 with my own additions for the seasons beyond.
1 seed (6): 2011, 2012, 2017, 2020, 2022, 2023
2 seed (3): 2015, 2016, 2019
4 seed (3): 2014, 2018, 2021
3 seed (2): 2013, 2025
6 seed (1): 2024
With the No. 1 and 2 seeds winning nine of the last 15 titles, mayhem potential is relatively low in the NEC. However, the winner of the 3/6 quarterfinal has won each of the last two titles.
The NEC champion has played in the First Four 12 times since the field expanded to 68 teams. In the 10 editions of the NCAA Tournament in which there was a single opening round game, the NEC only participated twice—wins by Monmouth in 2006 and Mount St. Mary’s in 2008. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean it will be one-and-done or even two-and-done for the conference rep, as FDU became the second 16 to defeat a No. 1 seed after losing in the NEC final and winning in Dayton.
LIU is the only conference member in the NET Top 200—barely, as they’re 193rd. There is little to no chance of the NEC champ avoiding the 16 line and a very slim chance they don’t play in Dayton again.
Chicago State, Le Moyne, Mercyhurst, New Haven, and Stonehill have never qualified for a D1 Tournament, and only the Cougars and Skyhawks are eligible to make it this time around. Saint Francis (2025, 16 seed, First Four) did not qualify in its last opportunity to make the Division I Tournament this season.
Spare a thought for former NEC member St. Francis Brooklyn. The Terriers were one of the four original Division I members that never qualified, until the school dropped athletics after the 2022-23 academic year.
Jacksonville, Fla. Wednesday, March 4 (UNF Arena and Swisher Gym) and Friday–Sunday, March 6–8 (Veterans Memorial Arena) PDF Bracket / BtB Primer Champion: Queens
NOTE: West Georgia participated but was ineligible for the automatic bid as the Wolves are reclassifying.
Higher seeds host Wednesday, Saturday, and Tuesday, March 4, 7, and 10 PDF Bracket / BtB Primer Champion: LIU
NOTES:
New Haven (14-17, 9-9, 5th) is not participating as the Chargers are in their first reclassification year, so only one team missed the field of eight on record.
Saint Francis (7-24, 5-13, 10th) did not qualify in the Red Flash’s final season as a D1 member.
Le Moyne and Mercyhurst are ineligible for the automatic bid as they are reclassifying.
Quarterfinals (Wed. 3/4)
Gm. 1: (8) Chicago State (7-25, 5-13) 75, (1) LIU 79 Gm. 2:(7) Wagner 70, (2) Central Connecticut State (18-12, 12-6) 62 Gm. 3: (6) Fairleigh Dickinson (11-21, 8-10) 61, (3) Mercyhurst 70 Gm. 4:(5) Stonehill 81, (4) Le Moyne (15-17, 10-8) 71
Gm. 5: (5) Stonehill (12-21, 8-10) 51, (3) Mercyhurst 56 Gm. 6: (7) Wagner (14-17, 8-10) 56, (1) LIU 64 The winner of this game claimed the automatic bid, as Mercyhurst is ineligible.
Lake Charles, La. Sunday–Wednesday, March 8–11 PDF Bracket / BtB Primer 2025 Champion: McNeese
NOTE: Lamar (12-19, 7-15, t-9th), Incarnate Word (12-19, 7-15, t-9th), Southeastern Louisiana (9-22, 6-16, t-11th), and East Texas A&M (11-21, 6-16, t-11th) did not qualify.
ESPN+ ($) will stream all games other than the first semifinal and championship.
First Round (Sun. 3/8)
Gm. 1: (8) Houston Christian (12-20, 8-14) 60, (5) New Orleans 73 Gm. 2: (7) Northwestern State (10-22, 8-14) 47, (6) Nicholls 61
Henderson, Nev. Wednesday–Saturday, March 11–14 Interactive Bracket 2025 Champion: UC San Diego
NOTE: Long Beach State (10-22, 6-14, 9th), UC Riverside (10-22, 5-15, 10th), and Cal State Bakersfield (8-24, 2-18, 11th) did not qualify.
ESPN+ ($) will stream all games before the second semifinal.
First Round (Wed. 3/11)
Gm. 1: (8) Cal Poly (14-18, 10-10) vs. (5) UC San Diego (22-10, 12-8), 9 Gm. 2: (7) UC Santa Barbara (18-13, 11-9) vs. (6) UC Davis (18-13, 11-9), 11:30*
Quarterfinals (Thurs. 3/12)
Gm. 3: Gm. 1 winner vs. (4) CSUN (19-12, 12-8), 9 Gm. 4: Gm. 2 winner vs. (3) Cal State Fullerton (17-15, 12-8), 11:30*
Huntsville, Ala. Tuesday–Saturday, March 10–14 PDF Bracket 2025 Champion: Liberty
NOTE: UTEP (11-20, 7-13, 11th) and Delaware (10-21, 6-14, 12th) did not qualify.
ESPN+ ($) will stream all games before the semifinals.
First Round (Tues. 3/10)
Gm. 1: (9) Missouri State (14-17, 8-12) vs. (8) FIU (15-16, 8-12), 6:30 Gm. 2: (10) New Mexico State (15-15, 8-12) vs. (7) Jacksonville State (15-16, 10-10), 9*
Quarterfinals (Wed. 3/11)
Gm. 3: Gm. 1 winner vs. (1) Liberty (25-6, 17-3), 6:30* Gm. 4: Gm. 2 winner vs. (2) Sam Houston (21-10, 13-7), 9
Quarterfinals (Thurs. 3/12)
Gm. 5: (5) Middle Tennessee (17-14, 11-9) vs. (4) Louisiana Tech (18-13, 11-9), 6:30 Gm. 6: (6) Kennesaw State (18-13, 10-10) vs. (3) Western Kentucky (18-13, 11-9), 9*
Semifinals (Fri. 3/13)
CBSSN will air both games.
Gm. 7: Gm. 3 winner vs. Gm. 5 winner, 12:30 Gm. 8: Gm. 4 winner vs. Gm. 6 winner, 3*
Norfolk, Va. Wednesday–Saturday, March 11–14 PDF Bracket 2025 Champion: Norfolk State
NOTE: Coppin State (7-24, 5-9, t-6th) will not participate as it is ineligible for the postseason due to APR violations.
ESPN+ ($) will stream all games before the championship.
Game numbering includes the women’s tournament.
Quarterfinals (Wed. 3/11)
Gm. 3: (7) Delaware State (7-22, 2-12) vs. (2) Morgan State (14-15, 10-4), 6
Quarterfinals (Thurs. 3/12)
Gm. 6: (5) South Carolina State (9-21, 7-7) vs. (4) Norfolk State (15-16, 8-6), 6 Gm. 7: (6) Maryland-Eastern Shore (9-22, 5-9) vs. (3) North Carolina Central (12-17, 8-6), 8:30*
Semifinals (Fri. 3/13)
Gm. 10: Gm. 6 winner vs. (1) Howard (21-10, 11-3), 6 Gm. 11: Gm. 3 winner vs. Gm. 7 winner, 8:30*
Gm. 1: (9) Wyoming (18-13, 9-11) at (8) UNLV (16-15, 11-9), 3 Gm. 2: (12) Air Force (3-28, 0-20) vs. (5) Nevada (20-11, 12-8), 5:30* Gm. 3: (10) Fresno State (13-18, 7-13) vs. (7) Colorado State (20-11, 11-9), 9 Gm. 4: (11) San José State (8-23, 3-17) vs. (6) Boise State (20-11, 12-8), 11:30*
Quarterfinals (Thurs. 3/12)
CBSSN will air all four games.
Gm. 5: Gm. 1 winner vs. (1) Utah State (25-6, 15-5), 3 Gm. 6: Gm. 2 winner vs. (4) Grand Canyon (20-11, 13-7), 5:30* Gm. 7: Gm. 3 winner vs. (2) San Diego State (20-10, 14-6), 9 Gm. 8: Gm. 4 winner vs. (3) New Mexico (22-9, 13-7), 11:30*
The NFL announced the full order of the 2026 NFL draft, so now we know the exact picks the Arizona Cardinals will have. That means we can start to do full seven-round mock draft simulations.
After a couple of days in free agency, we know what the Cardinals still need and what they might focus on in the draft.
Below, using Pro Football Network’s mock draft simulator, I give you my first seven-round mock draft simulation for the Arizona Cardinals.
Mock draft trades
The Cardinals made a few trades in the mock draft.
They traded the third overall pick to the Dallas Cowboys for their two first-round picks, Nos. 12 and 20.
They traded the 12th pick and the 34th pick to the Washington Commanders for the No. 7 pick, the No. 147 pick and a 2027 second-round pick.
They traded the 20th pick and pick No. 143 to the Miami Dolphins for picks Nos. 43, 75 and 87, as well as Miami’s 2027 second-round pick.
After the trades, the Cardinals had the following picks they used for players.
Round 1, No. 7 overall
Round 2, No. 43 overall
Round 3, No. 65 overall
Round 3, No. 75 overall
Round 3, No. 87 overall
Round 4, No. 104 overall
Round 5, No. 147 overall
Round 6, No. 183 overall
Round 7, No. 217 overall
They picked up two second-round picks for 2027.
Arizona Cardinals draft picks in 7-round mock draft
Round 1, No. 7 overall: Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey
They land an elite pass rusher, something they badly need. Pairing him with Josh Sweat makes things better, and pushes Zaven Collins and Baron Browning into more depth roles.
Round 2, No. 43 overall: Arizona State OT Max Iheanachor
This gives the Cardinals a starting right tackle, one who has size and athleticism.
Round 3, No. 65 overall: Miami CB Keionte Scott
The Cardinals’ new cornerbacks coach is Zac Etheridge, who coached Scott last season. Scott did a little of everything. He had two interceptions, both of which he returned for touchdowns, five pass breakups, five sacks and 13 tackles for loss. He also forced two fumbles.
Round 3, No. 75 overall: Georgia DT Christen Miller
He is a big (6-4, 321 lbs) and powerful against the run, and he has some upside as a pass rusher.
Round 3, No. 87 overall: Arkansas RB Mike Washington Jr.
He averaged 6.4 yards per carry and scored eight touchdowns, gaining 1,070 rushing yards. He is a big back at 6-1, 221 lbs.
Round 4, No. 104 overall: South Carolina S Jalon Kilgore
He is 6-1 and 210 pounds and can play deep safety, in the box, in the slot and on the boundary. He picked off eight passes and broke up 21 in three seasons.
Round 5, No. 147 overall: Iowa G Beau Stephens
The Cardinals like Day 3 offensive linemen. He is big and comes from an offensive line school.
Round 6, No. 183 overall: Miami QB Carson Beck
Beck started a ton of games for different schools. He won games. He has connections to the new Cardinals coaching staff. You’ll just be thrilled for a Gardner Minshew-Jacoby Brissett- Carson Beck QB room.
Round 7, No. 217 overall: Texas A&M TE Nate Boerkircher
Boerkircher is already a solid blocking tight end.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
HOUSTON, TEXAS – MARCH 07: Will Smith #16 of the United States in action during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B game between Great Britain and the United States at Daikin Park on March 07, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Team USA is 3-0 thus far in Pool B and can win the pool and advance to the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals with a win Tuesday night against 2-0 Italy. Will Smith is back in the lineup behind the plate and batting fifth.
