17 college prospects will be in attendance at the 2025 NFL Draft, and on Monday, the league released a full list of which players are headed to Green Bay.

The attendee list includes each one of the top six players that come off of the board in the latest 2025 NFL mock draft from USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis – a group that includes Miami (FL) quarterback Cam Ward and cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter.

The number of players on this year’s group of attendees – 17 – represents an increase from last year’s total, when 13 players went to Detroit for the 2024 NFL Draft. The 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City also had 17 prospects in attendance.

Here’s the full list of players headed to Green Bay ahead of the first round next Thursday:

2025 NFL Draft attendees

Tyler Booker, G, Alabama
Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
Will Campbell, OT, LSU
Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State
Jaxson Dart, QB, Mississippi
Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State
Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
Shemar Stewart, Edge, Texas A&M
Cameron Ward, QB, Miami (FL)
Mykel Williams, Edge, Georgia

When is the 2025 NFL Draft?

The 2025 NFL draft is next week, during the final weekend of April. Fans can watch the draft on ESPN or NFL Network.

Thursday, April 24: Round 1, 8 p.m. ET
Friday, April 25: Rounds 2-3, 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, April 26: Rounds 4-7, Noon ET

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NEW YORK — Let’s hope the WNBA, and its new fans, learned something from the debacle of last season.

Barring some shocking turn or a kidnapping by aliens, Paige Bueckers is going to be the first pick of Monday night’s WNBA draft. She is a transformational player, one who will help drive attendance and attention to the Dallas Wings and the league overall.

What Bueckers is not is a “rival” of Caitlin Clark. Or Angel Reese. Or any other player, for that matter. (Not yet, anyway.) Nor is Bueckers some shrinking violet who needs protecting or hand-holding. She’s a hooper, and should be treated as such.

So should have Clark, and much of the drama last season was created by people who thought Clark needed to be shielded from both the physicality of the W and the expectations that have always accompanied star players.

“Obviously Caitlin had an unbelievable impact on the court, and her adjustment was quick and very, very productive. You saw how Indiana got hot and how dangerous they were late in the year, and a lot of that was a credit to Caitlin’s quick adjustment,” Wings general manager Curt Miller said last week. “I think the other thing that we all took notice of around our league is something as simple as security for our players and how to navigate the increased viewership, the increased fandom and how our players deserve to be protected and amplified at the same time.

“It’s a players-first league. Our job all around the league is to create an incredible environment for these players.”

That’s teams having their own practice facilities and flying charter, yes. But it’s also giving the players the respect and credit they deserve.

Approaching its 30th season, this is the golden era for the WNBA. It is finally seeing the interest and investment it has long deserved, and fans and sponsors alike are clamoring for more.

After 15 years with just 12 teams, the W begins an expansion boom with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries this season. Portland and Toronto begin play next year and there will be at least one more team, and likely several others, by 2028.

ABC will broadcast a record 13 games this season, CBS will air its first primetime game and ION will duplicate the Friday night doubleheaders that proved so successful for Unrivaled. A massive new media rights deal is coming next year.

And the popularity of the college game ensures the WNBA will keep growing. Last year, it was Clark and Reese arriving with hefty fan followings from their time at Iowa and LSU, respectively. This year, it’s Bueckers, who is fresh off UConn’s NCAA title run. Next year it’ll be Olivia Miles. Then JuJu Watkins and Hannah Hidalgo.

Are some players, like Clark and Reese, or A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, more popular than others? Sure. Just as LeBron James, Steph Curry and Nikola Jokic have star billing in the NBA. But every player contributes to the success of a league, and anything that negates or ignores that does a disservice to everyone.

The WNBA acknowledged that too late last year. It cannot make the same mistake again this year, or it risks alienating fans and players alike.

Bueckers has a different game and a different personality than Clark. There is more than enough room for both in the WNBA, and no one needs to be knocking one player down — or worse — in an ill-informed attempt to lift another up.

There’s likely to be an adjustment period for Bueckers, as there is for pretty much any rookie in any league. But she, like Clark, is ready for the W. All of it.

Here’s hoping fans, and the league, are, too.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

The burden was very real. Rory McIlroy made that obvious the moment he won the 2025 Masters and crumbled to the 18th green overcome with emotion.

It had been 11 years since McIlroy had last won a major and that included 10-straight years of coming to Augusta National Golf Club for The Masters tournament with a chance to complete golf’s career grand slam. It was the narrative that followed McIlroy to every major he entered in recent years, and even more so after he fell just short during a few final-round meltdowns, mostly recently at last year’s U.S. Open.

What McIlroy is willing to admit now, after he joined Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only men to win all four of golf’s majors, is how much doubt crept in as he watched other golfers from his generation win The Masters while he couldn’t seem to get over the hump there.

“As much as I like to say I’m not defined by my golf or my career, yeah, I am,’ McIlroy said in an interview with ESPN’s Marty Smith late Sunday night. ‘I think it’s hard because I came here in 2015 looking to win the career grand slam and Jordan Spieth wins his first major. And I just feel like a lot of my peers, I’ve watched over all the last decade win this golf tournament, and I’ve always just thought to myself, ‘When’s it gonna be my turn?’’

‘Sometimes I have to be reminded that you join this list of the five others that have won the career grand slam and I think that, to me, when I look back – hopefully, I’ve got quite a few years ahead of me and a long career left – but when I look back at my career and to have my name up alongside those other five in that club of winning the career grand slam, that’s probably going to be one of my proudest achievements in the game.”

McIlroy delighted the sports world Sunday by winning his first green jacket, besting Justin Rose in the first playoff hole after a wild final round of the 2025 Masters. McIlroy began playing alongside Bryson DeChambeau ‒ the golfer who took advantage of his missed putts to win the 2024 U.S. Open ‒ and promptly lost his two-shot lead with a double bogey on No. 1. McIlroy nonetheless built his lead back to four shots before his attempt to lay up on the par 5 13th wound up with a ball in the water and another double bogey. He then had the chance to win the tournament in regulation with a par putt on No. 18 that went just wide of the cup.

McIlroy told reporters ahead of Sunday’s final round that he planned to remain in a ‘bubble’ in between rounds and while on-course, in hopes of staying focused. But his mistake on No. 13 changed those plans.

‘When I made the 7 at 13, I needed to look at the (leaderboard). I needed to see where I was. I needed to see what the other guys were doing,’ McIlroy told ESPN. ‘I knew what Bryson was doing, but I needed to look at the board and I saw what Justin (Rose) was doing, what Ludvig (Åberg) was doing, so the bubble probably burst for a little bit and I was able to steady myself and make some really good swings coming in and I had a chance to win it in regulation. Didn’t quite happen, but again, I had to reset and I played a perfect playoff hole and I was able to get it done.”

But even McIlroy conceded, “I felt like I was trying to walk away from history at some point on the back nine.’

After it was over, though, he had gained new perspective on the toll the past decade took on him in pursuit of a green jacket that proved more elusive than he could have imagined when he won his first four majors in a four-year span (2011-14).

‘I think now that I’ve been able to do it, I maybe didn’t realize the burden I was carrying,’ McIlroy said. ‘I would show up here every year and I’d put my positive hat on and go in with the right attitude and I tried to do the right things and it never quite happened for me. And then I’d come back next year and I’d do the same thing.’

‘I just think time after time and year after year of doing that,’ he continued, ‘that burden sort of builds up and when I finally was able to do it and get over the line and win, I think that emotion that you saw was just 14 years of coming here and not getting the job done and just feeling that burden each and every year. It all just came out there on that last green.”

The 2025 NFL draft is nearly here, the start of Round 1 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, now just 10 days away. And while there’s almost no mystery at the very top of the first round, things could get very interesting at pick No. 2 and right down the line from that point.

It’s something of a misconception that players make stratospheric rises or suffer calamitous falls this time of year – off-field incidents notwithstanding – but some can get a bit of a bump with encouraging medical updates, while others might get a push up the board with an assist from the circumstances surrounding whichever team drafts them (the latest news emanating from New Orleans being a perfect example). And there are those smokescreens – and a little bit of misinformation can benefit some clubs if not always the young men that get ensnared by it.

With that in mind, here’s USA TODAY Sports’ latest first-round projection for the 2025 draft:

1. Tennessee Titans – QB Cam Ward, Miami (Fla.)

Sure feels like we’re effectively in fait accompli territory, the Division I record holder for touchdown passes (158) almost certainly bound for Nashville – especially after the Titans canceled a private workout with Shedeur Sanders after watching him perform at Colorado’s showcase earlier this month. But Tennessee clearly needs a quarterback with no viable options beyond Will Levis, who’s been inconsistent (to put it mildly) during his first two NFL seasons. Interesting to note, too, that Ward’s 2,329 passes attempted are at least 1,000 more than highly erratic Levis has thrown since he entered college in 2018 – Wards’ results typically much better, too, if not skewed by Levis’ NFL mishaps (26 turnovers in 21 games). Aside from his live arm and ability to make plays off schedule, one of Ward’s best traits is his ability to galvanize and lead a team, and the Titans will be his fourth since he graduated from high school.

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2. Cleveland Browns – CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado

Just imagine the possibilities. The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner could be the No. 2 receiver here behind Pro Bowler Jerry Jeudy, operating in an offense that now has veteran QB Joe Flacco back aboard to sling it – which he did at a very high level as an emergency replacement at the end of the 2023 season. On the flip side, with four-time Pro Bowl CB Denzel Ward doing the heavy lifting, Hunter could tag in to help cover the likes of Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins, Pittsburg’s George Pickens and/or Baltimore’s DeAndre Hopkins in a division loaded with talented wideouts. And with Flacco rejoining the roster, along with recently obtained Kenny Pickett, Cleveland can target a young quarterback atop Round 2…if not earlier.

3. New York Giants – OLB/DE Abdul Carter, Penn State

It seems increasingly likely that they won’t bypass a blue-chip prospect here – even at a position that isn’t necessarily a pressing need – to force the selection of a quarterback not named Cam Ward. The Giants are 13 years removed from their last championship, when they reigned supreme thanks to their NASCAR defensive packages. Adding Carter, the 2024 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year who led FBS with 23½ tackles for losses, might revive something akin to that given the G-Men already have Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux coming off the edge. But while Burns got an extension well in excess of nine figures last year, Thibodeaux, a first-round pick three years ago, hasn’t proven he’s worth that level of investment yet…though Carter very much appears like a player who will be.

4. New England Patriots – OT Will Campbell, LSU

Whether his intensely parsed arm length is 33 inches or a half-inch shy of that, we know this much – the two-time All-SEC selection is 6-6 and 319 pounds and would instantly become the best left tackle on the Pats’ roster if chosen. But even if he doesn’t blossom into a perennial All-Pro on QB Drake Maye’s blind side, it’s virtually a foregone conclusion that Campbell would excel even if he eventually has to make his professional home at guard.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars – RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State  

Not only is RB Travis Etienne heading into the final year of his contract, he’s also coming off his worst NFL season (812 yards from scrimmage in 15 games in 2024). If the Jags’ new regime really wants to do whatever it can to best support QB Trevor Lawrence, why not take perhaps the best running back to enter the league since Saquon Barkley in 2018? Jeanty, the 2024 Heisman runner-up, rushed for 2,601 yards – 28 shy of breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season NCAA record. If Lawrence is healthy and WR Brian Thomas Jr. continues to ascend, Jacksonville wouldn’t have to rely on Jeanty nearly as much as Boise State did – and especially if they can break him in as the early down player while permitting Etienne to focus on more of a third down role.

6. Las Vegas Raiders – DT Mason Graham

A former wrestler, the unanimous 2024 All-American is a relentless three-down player who’s equally effective against the run and pass and possesses both a high ceiling and floor. And even though the Silver and Black spent heavily last year to sign DT Christian Wilkins, who only played five games in 2024, new HC Pete Carroll’s best teams in Seattle rolled deep and talented on the D-line.

7. New York Jets – OT Armand Membou, Missouri

Their offensive line, which added LT Olu Fashanu in Round 1 a year ago, could be set for years by dropping Membou – his combination of size (6-4, 332) and speed was on full display at the scouting combine – into his familiar spot on the right side. Such a move would also mimic the successful roster-building approach new HC Aaron Glenn witnessed while with the Lions, whose rise has largely been predicated on their outstanding blocking.

8. Carolina Panthers – LB Jalon Walker, Georgia

This team desperately needs another difference maker on defense, and Walker could effectively plug a gap at edge rusher or as an off-ball linebacker – and maybe both if he were to be deployed by coordinator Ejiro Evero in the optimal situationally dependent scenarios. But considering Jadeveon Clowney, 32, is the only player on this roster who generated more than a dozen pressures in 2024 – and just 22 – Walker’s ability to get to quarterbacks might be his most-needed attribute here. Size (6-1, 243) is not among his selling points.

9. New Orleans Saints – QB Jaxson Dart, Mississippi

While it already felt like this organization could be heavily involved in the quarterback mix prior to Friday’s news about Derek Carr’s injured shoulder, it now seems like it’s almost incumbent on New Orleans to take a passer – especially since Carr’s contract structure was already rigged to make him an ex-Saint in 2026. And maybe Shedeur Sanders is the pick here, as many prognosticators have suggested. But Dart could very well be a better fit with rookie HC Kellen Moore, who’s spent recent seasons working with the likes of Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts – all, like Dart, who are more athletic and mobile than Sanders. An all-SEC selection last season after leading the conference in passing yards (4,279) and efficiency, Dart (6-2, 223) might still need a bit of time to get acclimated to the NFL, but the Saints have some other short-term options on their depth chart.

10. Chicago Bears – CB Will Johnson, Michigan

He’s providing a personal workout Monday in Ann Arbor – and that could carry a lot of weight given the shoulder, toe and hamstring injuries Johnson has dealt with over the past year. But if he looks like the player who was a first-team All-American for the Wolverines’ 2023 national championship squad, then he could (should?) be the first pure corner off the board. And the Bears could certainly use a better outside cover man opposite Pro Bowler Jaylon Johnson. Will Johnson has prototypical size (6-2, 194) and ball skills for the position, swiping nine passes (two of them pick-sixes) during three seasons at Michigan. 

11. San Francisco 49ers – DB Jahdae Barron, Texas

A Niners roster that’s had a significant reset this offseason – in part to accommodate the weighty contract that’s headed QB Brock Purdy’s way – had some notable nips and tucks in the secondary, S Talanoa Hufanga and CB Charvarius Ward both headed for greener (meaning a lot of money) pastures. Barron’s ability to flex between outside corner, the slot and safety would allow the 2024 Jim Thorpe Award winner to address one of these voids more than capably.

12. Dallas Cowboys – WR Matthew Golden, Texas

As good a player as CeeDee Lamb is, the wideout depth in Big D is woefully unproven beyond him. Golden glittered at the combine, his 4.29 40 the fastest among offensive players – and it not only makes him lethal but would open up the field further for Lamb. Golden led the SEC with nine TD grabs in 2024 after transferring from Houston. He’s not the biggest guy (5-11, 191), but his burst and ability to come up big in the clutch – watch the Longhorns’ CFP defeat of Arizona State – could make him the best of this year’s receivers.

13. Miami Dolphins – OL Grey Zabel, North Dakota State

Is it sexy? No. Is it early for an FCS lineman? Maybe. Is there anything more important for this team than safeguarding QB Tua Tagovailoa? Undoubtedly not – his availability issues in 2024 leading to another unraveled season. Zabel (6-6, 312), a Senior Bowl standout this year, can play every position on the offensive line. It stands to reason 2024 second-rounder Patrick Paul will get the first crack at replacing retired LT Terron Armstead, but Zabel’s versatility could make him an insurance policy. Barring that, he could immediately take over at left guard – for the next decade.

14. Indianapolis Colts – TE Tyler Warren, Penn State

More Rob Gronkowski than Travis Kelce – just in case you enjoy outlandish pre-draft comparisons – Warren (6-6, 256) would help this team both in the run game and as an intermediate threat down the field. That might make him the perfect piece to include given the amount of help this team’s quarterback(s) is likely to need. Warren, the Mackey Award winner in 2024, set a Penn State record with 104 receptions last season.

15. Atlanta Falcons – OLB/DE Mike Green, Marshall

Maybe you’d heard no ATL defender has managed a double-digit sack season since 2016? The unit showed improvement in 2024, but Grady Jarrett and Matthew Judon won’t be coming back. Green (6-3, 251), the Sun Belt’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2024, led the country with 17 sacks and, per the analytics website Pro Football Focus, had 32 hurries.

16. Arizona Cardinals – LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama

Is he an edge rusher? Is he an off-ball backer? Does it really matter given how few answers the Cards appear to have at those positions aside from recently signed OLB Josh Sweat? A first-team All-SEC standout in 2024, Campbell is recovering from recent shoulder surgery.

17. Cincinnati Bengals – DE Mykel Williams, Georgia

This team may not only lose DE Trey Hendrickson to a contract impasse, it’s already taken a hit at the position following Sam Hubbard’s retirement. Williams has the build (6-5, 260), toughness and talent to help out immediately – regardless of what happens with Hendrickson – on a unit that repeatedly collapsed last season. Williams had 14 sacks in three years with the Bulldogs, relatively impressive production given how deep their defense has been in recent years.

18. Seattle Seahawks – S Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina

OK, the Kyle Hamilton comparisons are probably a bit outlandish. That doesn’t mean former Ravens defensive coordinator (and current Seahawks HC) Mike Macdonald wouldn’t covet an athletic weapon like Emmanwori, an All-American in 2024 whose size (6-3, 220) will remind Seattle fans of former Legion of Boom S Kam Chancellor – though Emmanwori is a more explosive athlete. After running a 4.38 40 and posting a vertical jump of 43 inches, he was one of the combine’s 2025 stars. And given that speed, maybe not a surprise he returned half of his four picks last season for TDs.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – DE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M

His talent suggests top-five pick, particularly after he tested just about off the charts at the combine – 4.59 40-yard dash and 40-inch vertical leap at 6-5, 267 pounds. His production (4½ sacks total in three seasons with the Aggies) suggests Day 3 pick. But dig a bit deeper and you’ll find Stewart had 33 hurries in 2024 and was a hellacious run defender. And the Bucs need to give NT Vita Vea help up front, something he hasn’t gotten in ample supply from Logan Hall or Calijah Kancey.

20. Denver Broncos – RB Omarion Hampton, North Carolina

They somehow ranked 16th in rushing offense last season even though their top gainer was now-departed RB Javonte Williams, who had just 513 yards. Hampton could provide next-level production after rushing for 15 TDs and at least 1,500 yards each of the past two seasons for the Tar Heels to go along with 67 total catches. Big (6-0, 221) and fast (4.4 speed), Hampton is also durable and used to carrying a heavy load if asked.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers – QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

Could he really last this long on the draft’s first night? Sure. Would the Steelers really take him if QB Aaron Rodgers puts pen to paper first? Sure, why not plan for the present and future? Did there seem to be a good vibe in the Steel City after Sanders’ visit last week? Kinda – based on what anyone can truly glean from those encounters. But Sanders seems perfectly capable of bringing this offense to life given its receivers (DK Metcalf, Pickens) and a promising young line that should reliably protect the most accurate passer (71.8%) in FBS history.

22. Los Angeles Chargers – TE Colston Loveland, Michigan

It’s pretty easy to marry Loveland to the Bolts given his Wolverines connection to HC Jim Harbaugh and the team’s glaring need for a playmaker at tight end. Loveland (6-6, 248) is a huge target and averaged nearly 15 yards per catch during his first two years in Ann Arbor when J.J. McCarthy was throwing to him. The main question is whether Loveland will actually be available this late into Round 1.

23. Green Bay Packers – WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona

Yes, we know HC Matt LaFleur wants to “vomit” at the notion of No. 1 receivers. Yes, we know the Pack haven’t taken a wideout in the first round in 23 years. We’d also suggest the value of a big-bodied pass catcher like McMillan (6-4, 219), also an accomplished volleyball player, would be too much to pass up here – especially given uber-sized deep threat Christian Watson is only three months removed from a torn ACL as he heads into his walk year.

24. Minnesota Vikings – S Malaki Starks, Georgia

A cagey DB who can play deep, near the line or in the slot – think Derwin James or Brian Branch. And it feels like the 2025 season is shaping up as the final ride for Minnesota’s Harrison Smith, a six-time Pro Bowler who just turned 36.

25. Houston Texans – OT Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas

Laremy Tunsil is gone as QB C.J. Stroud’s blind side protector. Veteran Cam Robinson is a one-year patch – at best. Banks, an accomplished three-year starter for the Longhorns who won the Outland Trophy last season, would be a nifty long-term solution.

26. Los Angeles Rams – CB Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame

He picked off nine passes during his first two seasons with the Irish before a hip injury sidelined him in 2024. Now healthy – Morrison will work out next week for NFL teams – his ball skills, smarts and size (6 feet, 193 pounds) could reaffirm him as a Round 1 prospect, and certainly one who would fit well on a young Rams defense that could use help at corner.

27. Baltimore Ravens – OLB/DE Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College

This is one team that would probably love to have a bigger guy like Mykel Williams. Yet Ezeiruaku (6-3, 248) would hardly be a consolation prize, the 2024 ACC Defensive Player of the Year posting 16½ sacks (most in FBS) and 21 TFLs last season. And it’s not like a defense can ever have enough pass rushers, but the Ravens also need to plan ahead with OLBs Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh set to hit free agency in a year.

28. Detroit Lions – G Tyler Booker, Alabama

His combination of leadership and nastiness would seem to make him an ideal candidate for a Dan Campbell team – and, based simply on need, the Lions could use the help in the middle of their offensive line. Booker didn’t test well athletically at the combine (5.38 40-yard dash), but his intangibles could make him too enticing to forego in Round 1.

29. Washington Commanders – DT Walter Nolen, Mississippi

They’ve got a lot of money tied up in DTs Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw, yet neither has shown the consistent ability to be a disruptive player (aside from Payne’s Pro Bowl production in 2022). Nolen (6-4, 296), a 2024 All-American, has the talent to create a lot more havoc up the gut (10½ sacks and 2023 TFLs since 2023).

30. Giants [PROJECTED TRADE with Buffalo Bills] – QB Jalen Milroe, Alabama

It feels like New York has to get a quarterback in this draft, if not with the No. 3 pick. And with veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston now in the building, this could be a perfect scenario to redshirt and develop a raw but explosive and tantalizing talent like Milroe – and working with HC Brian Daboll, who was intrinsic to Josh Allen’s development in Buffalo, could be optimal for a player who needs to progress into a more accurate, polished passer … while also potentially cooling Daboll’s hot seat. Yet it’s starting to seem like Milroe is generating enough intrigue that Daboll and GM Joe Schoen might need to leverage their Bills connections and move up a few spots for Milroe to ensure they don’t miss out.

31. Kansas City Chiefs – OT Josh Simmons, Ohio State

How much longer can they continue to wing it at left tackle before QB Patrick Mahomes really gets frustrated – or worse? Simmons, a large (6-5, 317) and very strong man, likely would have been a top-10 selection had he not suffered a torn patellar tendon last season. He seems on track to be ready for the upcoming season but should easily be worth the wait if not – and that could mean productive time for recently signed OT Jaylon Moore to prove he can hold down a spot on the left or right side of K.C.’s evolving O-line.

32. Philadelphia Eagles – DL Derrick Harmon, Oregon

After a breakout 2024 season for the Ducks, Harmon (6-5, 313) could be a nice addition to the reigning champs’ rotation. And EVP/GM Howie Roseman values few things more than his D-line depth and talent – especially so after losing DT Milton Williams to free agency and beloved DE Brandon Graham to retirement.

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From the moment she first stepped foot on a college court, Paige Bueckers has been one of the biggest stars and most recognizable faces in women’s college basketball.

She was a three-time unanimous first-team All-American over her five seasons at UConn. In 2021, she became the first freshman to ever win several of the major national player of the year awards. She helped lead coach Geno Auriemma and the Huskies to four Final Fours.

The most recent of those trips to the national semifinals saw her end her decorated college career in storybook fashion, with a national title after a lopsided victory against South Carolina earlier this month.

Now, the next chapter of Bueckers’ career awaits.

The 2025 WNBA draft commenced on Monday night in New York, where the league’s 13 teams sought to find the franchise cornerstones and centerpieces to championship rosters they so deeply covet. There, Bueckers was the No. 1 overall pick to the Dallas Wings, where she’ll hope to energize what has largely been a moribund franchise going all the way back to its days as the Tulsa Shock.

While it’s long been the expectation that Bueckers would wind up in the WNBA, there are some questions about once awaits her when she gets there — including how much she’ll make.

With Bueckers now off to the WNBA, here’s a closer look at what her contract will look like:

Paige Bueckers contract details

As expected, Bueckers was the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft, going to the Dallas Wings.

With her selection atop the draft, Bueckers is set to earn just shy of $350,000 over the course of her four-year contract, which includes a base salary of about $79,000 for her rookie season. The players that go in the first four picks of the WNBA draft earn contracts that have the same format and payment scale.

Here’s the year-by-year breakdown of how much Bueckers is expected to earn in each year of her contract with the Wings:

2025: $78,831
2026: $80,408
2027: $88,449
2028 (fourth-year option): $100,510
Total value: $348,198

Bueckers, of course, will be able to earn money beyond what her contract offers, primarily through endorsements. She was believed to be one of the top earners in all of college sports through name, image and likeness (NIL) deals with, among others, Nike, Gatorade, Bose, Verizon and Dunkin’.

Unfortunately for Bueckers, she’s coming into the league at an inopportune time.

Once the collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA and the WNBA Players Union expires next season, player salaries are expected to grow considerably given the league’s rising popularity and the 11-year media rights deal the WNBA signed last year that will bring in at least $200 million a year. Depending on the specifics of the new CBA, Bueckers will likely earn much less than a player in her position will in the years to come.

Paige Bueckers WNBA draft

With Bueckers going No. 1 overall, here’s a look at how the rest of the first round of the 2025 WNBA draft transpired:

Dallas Wings: G Paige Bueckers, UConn
Seattle Storm: C Dominique Malonga, Tarbes GB
Washington Mystics: G Sonia Citron, Notre Dame
Washington Mystics: F Kiki Iriafen, USC
Golden State Valkyries: G Justė Jocytė, Lyon ASVEL
Washington Mystics: G Georgia Amoore, Kentucky
Connecticut Sun: F Aneesah Morrow, LSU
Connecticut Sun: F Saniya Rivers, NC State
Los Angeles Sparks: G Sarah Ashlee Barker, Alabama
Chicago Sky: F Ajsa Sivka, Tarbes GB
Chicago Sky: G Hailey Van Lith, TCU
Dallas Wings: G Aziaha James, NC State

Eastern Michigan University has hired Las Vegas Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby to serve as the assistant general manager for the football team, it announced Monday. In returning to his alma mater, he becomes the first active professional football player to join a college team’s administrative staff.

According to Eastern Michigan football’s social media announcement, Crosby will be tasked with scouting high school players and ‘boosting [their] NIL & recruiting game.’ ESPN also reported that the Raiders’ star will ‘serve as Special Assistant to the AD on fundraising, alumni relations and student-athlete support.’

Crosby played football for the Eastern Michigan Eagles from 2015 to 2018 and is a member of the school’s Ring of Honor. The school renamed its playing field at Rynearson Stadium ‘Crosby Field’ after the Raiders’ star made a $1 million donation.

Earlier this offseason, Crosby signed a three-year, $106.5 million extension that included $91.5 million guaranteed. At the time, it made the 27-year-old the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, a mark which has since been surpassed by Browns defensive end Myles Garrett and Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.

The Eastern Michigan Eagles finished the 2024 season with a 5-7 record, including a 2-6 mark in MAC play. According to 247 Sports, their 2025 recruiting class is ranked 108th in the nation, and they have one hard commit in the 2026 class: wide receiver Shawn Fishwick.

For millions of television viewers, Jim Nantz’s call of Rory McIlroy finally winning the Masters provided an iconic soundtrack to an incredibly memorable moment in golf history.

‘The long journey is over. McIlroy has his masterpiece,’ Nantz said as the now five-time major champion dropped to his knees in tears.

With the victory, McIlroy became only the sixth golfer to complete the career Grand Slam by winning each of the four major tournaments at least once.

Meanwhile, another familiar voice to golf fans was chronicling the action on radio.

‘Rory … back and through. And he’s made it! He’s done it!!’ exclaimed NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico, who was handling the play-by-play duties on SiriusXM Radio.

‘It’s a Grand Slam roar at Augusta National! Rory McIlroy, on his knees, bent down in emotion, clutching his head. He’s won the Masters. He’s won all the Grand Slam events. He’s the sixth in the history of the game to enter golf’s … greatest … group.’

While Nantz allowed the CBS television pictures to tell the story, Tirico gave his radio audience a vivid description of how McIlroy was overcome by emotion in the moments after sinking the winning putt.

As McIlroy shook hands with runner-up Justin Rose, Tirico also made sure to remind listeners that Rose had lost in a playoff at Augusta National once before.

From 2008 to 2016, Tirico was part of ESPN’s Masters TV coverage of the tournament’s first two rounds. He has been a staple of NBC’s golf coverage since moving to the network in 2016.

About USA TODAY Sports’ 30 Days to the NFL Draft series, which started March 25: Every five days, we will focus on a unique aspect of the 2025 draft, which is April 24-26.

Three years ago was the start of a lesson. It was a long lesson. It took years to learn. But it may have finally sunk in.

The lesson was that a team needs to be careful with its draft picks. It needs to understand their value. What they represent. They are a form of currency. They are the future. They are not to be trifled with.

The Cleveland Browns have learned this lesson in the most painful of ways. The most humiliating. The ugliest of ways. That lesson is particularly relevant now because we can officially say now (though unofficially before) that the team’s trade for Deshaun Watson is among the worst trades in the history of American sports.

The Browns got Watson and a 2024 sixth-round pick. The Texans got a 2022 first-round pick, 2023 and 2024 first-round picks, a 2022 fourth rounder, a third-round pick in 2023, and a fourth rounder in 2024.

‘We spent a tremendous amount of time exploring and investigating the opportunity to trade for Deshaun Watson,’ Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement in March 2022. ‘We are acutely aware and empathetic to the highly personal sentiments expressed about this decision. Our team’s comprehensive evaluation process was of utmost importance due to the sensitive nature of his situation and the complex factors involved. We also understand there are still some legal proceedings that are ongoing and we will respect due process.

‘It was pivotal that we, along with (general manager) Andrew Berry and (coach) Kevin Stefanski, meet with Deshaun to have a straightforward dialogue, discuss our priorities, and hear directly from him on how he wants to approach his career on and off the field. He was humble, sincere, and candid. In our conversations, Deshaun detailed his commitment to leading our team; he understands and embraces the hard work needed to build his name both in the community and on the field. Those in-depth conversations, the extensive evaluation process, his dedication to being a great teammate and devotion to helping others within the NFL, within the community, and through his charitable initiatives provided the foundation for us to pursue Deshaun.

‘We are confident in Deshaun and excited about moving forward with him as our quarterback and supporting his genuine and determined efforts.’

At the time, there were people inside the league who liked the trade. However, suffice to say there were a number of team officials who believed the Browns were making a huge mistake in giving up so much draft capital.

The primary mistake the Browns made (yes, there were several) was overvaluing Watson’s worth. Duh. The other was not respecting the value of such high draft picks.

It’s true you can find Hall of Fame players in the lower rounds of the draft. Tom Brady was a late-round pick. Those first rounders, however, can be the warp core of your franchise. If you hit on them, things can change generationally. It’s difficult to hit on them but a franchise needs to at least give itself a chance to do so.

What did the Texans do with those picks? As an ESPN story from last year noted, the Texans didn’t draft perfectly, but they got some good players with those picks (or some combination of the Browns’ and their own) like defensive end Will Anderson Jr., who was Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Tank Dell, a solid young receiver.

The NFL draft is an almost impossible thing for teams to decode. It becomes that much harder when you do what the Browns did.

Hopefully, lesson learned.

The Phoenix Suns are headed for the fourth coach in as many seasons under owner Mat Ishbia.

The Suns on Monday dismissed head coach Mike Budenholzer after just one season, a person with knowledge of the move confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly until the team announced the decision.

Budenholzer was Phoenix’s third coach in as many seasons – they fired Monty Williams after the 2022-23 season and Frank Vogel after the 2023-24 seasons – and he was expected to take a roster featuring Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal and make the Suns a competitor in the Western Conference.

That didn’t happen. The Suns, who had the highest payroll in the NBA this season, finished 36-46 and missed the playoffs, the play-in game format included. They lost nine of their final 10 games, including eight consecutive when they were in the playoff hunt with two weeks remaining in the regular season.

That might not be the only major change for the Suns. General manager James Jones has been with the team since 2017 but was not Ishbia’s hire, and it is expected that Durant seeks a new team though he has one season at $54.7 million remaining on his contract.

Budenholzer, who was born and grew up in Arizona and was a Suns fan, is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, winning the award in 2019 with Milwaukee and in 2015 with Atlanta. But he couldn’t find answers with the Suns. He led the Bucks to a title in 2021.

However, Budenholzer’s demanding style can be difficult to play for – he had a shelf life that expired with both Atlanta and Milwaukee despite success with both teams.

Durant, Booker and Beal played in just 37 games together, going 19-18, and Phoenix was one of the worst defensive teams in the league, ranking No. 27 and allowing 117.7 points per 100 possessions.

Ishbia wants a contender, but the constant change in coaching staffs and a poorly constructed roster have not resulted in success.