Packers add four players on the second night of the NFL Draft
A night after addressing a need along the offensive line, the Green Bay Packers went about filling holes on the defensive side of the ball.
GM Brian Gutekunst grabbed Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper with pick No. 45, a selection the team got from New Orleans after trading back from No. 41. Then, with the second pick of the round, the team tapped its favorite college, Georgia, to add safety Javon Bullard with pick No. 58.
https://twitter.com/packers/status/1784012369934340476
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Cooper is a sideline-to-sideline linebacker. With the Aggies he racked up 83 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and eight sacks in 2023. An AP first-team All-American, Cooper could step into a significant role in new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley's defense, especially with De'Vondre Campbell now in San Francisco.
https://twitter.com/QuayWalker_/status/1784014448631619909
Bullard is just the latest addition from Athens, joining Walker, Devonte Wyatt and Eric Stokes as Bulldogs the Packers have taken in the first two rounds since 2021. A two-time national champion, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Bullard was a second-team All-SEC pick in 2023, after collecting 56 tackles, two interceptions and five pass breakups. He, like Cooper, could immediately find a place in the defense alongside free agent addition Xavier McKinney.
https://twitter.com/cravejaaye/status/1784049364194799996
Green Bay flipped back to the offensive side for its first pick in the third round, selecting USC running back MarShawn Lloyd at No. 88. The 5-foot-9, 220-pound Lloyd, who ran a 4.47 40-yard dash at the combine, spent his first three years at South Carolina before joining the Trojans last season. He thrived in Los Angeles, running for a career-best 821 yards (7.1 ypc) and nine touchdowns. He also had 232 yards receiving on just 13 catches.
https://twitter.com/RobDemovsky/status/1784057819056034156
https://twitter.com/zachkruse2/status/1784057652995137714
With their final pick of the night, No. 91 overall, the Packers took Missouri linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper. A finalist for the Butkus Award (best linebacker), Hopper had 55 tackles, 6 TFLs and three sacks as a senior, earning second-team All-SEC honors.
As it stands, the Packers own eight pcks over the final four rounds that will get going late Saturday morning.
The Camp: Latest on the QB battle, pass rush showing promise, NFL Draft over/under
Wisconsin is nearing the end of spring. Zach and Jesse discuss the latest on the quarterback battle between Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke, the new faces at outside linebacker causing issues on the edge, how big of a role is the lack of depth on the OL playing in the success of the pass rush and do the Badgers have a first-round pick on their roster right now.
Brewers take advantage of Pittsburgh mistakes in 3-2 win
William Contreras had three hits and an RBI as Milwaukee snapped a two-game losing streak with a 3-2 win at Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.
The Brewers got all of their offense in the third inning, with Contreras driving in the first run before a pair of bases loaded mistakes by the Pirates brought in two more. That included Rhys Hoskins getting hit by a pitch and Blake Perkins drawing a walk. Hoskins was the second batter that Luis Ortiz hit in the inning. The frame also included a throwing error from Rowdy Tellez.
Milwaukee's pitching staff, especially the bullpen, made sure those runs would be enough. Bryce Wilson did give up a 2-run homer in the bottom of the third to Bryan Reynolds, but four relievers -- Bryan Hudson, Edwin Peguero, Trevor Megill and Joel Payamps -- held the Pirates to just one hit over the final 4 1/3 innings. Payamps earned the save, his fourth of the year.
Contreras raised his batting average to .359, the third-best mark in the the majors, while Sal Frelick had a couple hits for the Crew.
The Brewers will look to salvage a split of the four-game series on Thursday with first pitch coming at 11:35 a.m.
The Camp: Transfer OL commits, Tyler Van Dyke puts together best day of spring
Wisconsin landed a transfer along the offensive line. Zach and Jesse discuss the addition of Vanderbilt's Leyton Nelson. The guys also get into QB Tyler Van Dyke putting together his best performance of spring, how the tight ends are coming along, the one thing that S Austin Brown believes can make the defense better than last year and more.
Bucks get 35 points from Damian Lillard in Game 1 win over Indiana
Damian Lillard went off in the first half and Milwaukee weathered a tough third quarter to beat Indiana 109-94 on Sunday in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series.
Playing without star Giannis Antetokounmpo, Lillard picked up the slack. The eight-time All-Star dropped 35 points in the first two quarters, hitting six 3-pointers and helping the Bucks to a 27-point lead at the break. He didn't score in the second half, but the damage had already been done.
The Pacers did put together a run in the third quarter, getting to within 12 heading into the fourth. But Milwaukee answered with a 16-6 run to open the quarter, essentially putting the game away.
Khris Middleton finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Bobby Portis had 15 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out. Brook Lopez was also in double figures with 11 points. He added four rebounds and three blocks.
Pascal Siakam had a game-high 36 points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers.
Antetokounmpo sat out with a calf injury. His status for later in the series is up in the air.
The Bucks and Pacers will meet again on Tuesday in Game 2 at Fiserv Forum.
The Swing: Chucky Hepburn in the portal, where Greg Gard and the Badgers go from here
Chucky Hepburn is in the transfer portal. Zach and Jesse talk about the decision, what it means for Wisconsin now and how the Badgers go about potentially replacing their starting point guard in the portal.
Wisconsin PG Chucky Hepburn entering the transfer portal
Wisconsin's outlook for next season just took a significant hit.
ESPN is reporting that three-year starting guard Chucky Hepburn is entering the transfer portal.
https://twitter.com/jeffborzello/status/1781017212863578525
Hepburn, who stayed at Wisconsin last season despite being approached by several schools in an effort to get him to transfer, has been a starter for the Badgers since he walked on campus. He's started all 103 games he's played in, helping Wisconsin to a Big Ten title as a freshman and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. Though his role as a scorer took a step back this past season, he was a member of the Big Ten's All-Defensive team and averaged a career-high 3.9 assists to just 1.2 turnovers.
His departure leaves Wisconsin in a tough position. They were expecting to return four starters and all their key reserves from a team that finished fifth in the Big Ten this past season. They were also in the hunt for several players in the transfer portal, including Hepburn's good friend in Omaha forward Frankie Fidler. The duo reportedly wanted to play together again after winning a state title in high school and Fidler visited Madison earlier in April. Now, with Hepburn in the portal, it's possible that will happen someplace other than Wisconsin.
With Hepburn out of the picture, it would seem to open the door for true freshman Daniel Freitag to step into his role as the starting point guard. The 4-star recruit was ranked as the No. 10 point guard in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite, and led his high school to the Minnesota 2A state title in March.
Wisconsin also figures to be active in the portal looking for a replacement, something coach Greg Gard mentioned in a statement released by the Badgers on Thursday.
"We have a lot of love for Chucky. He’s been a big part of our program. In today’s college basketball, players are making transactional decisions all over the country at every level. There’s no time to complain about the system in place. We’re dedicating all of our energy right now into finding the next fits for our program. In fact, minutes after talking to Chucky about this I was already pursuing another talented point guard who is in the portal. This is the reality of college basketball today."
Hepburn is the fourth scholarship player from Wisconsin to enter the portal, joining AJ Storr (Kansas), Connor Essegian and Gus Yalden.
Brewers get late offense, great defense to beat San Diego 1-0
Milwaukee avoided being no-hit and being swept in a 1-0 win over San Diego on Wednesday afternoon.
Michael King had not allowed a hit when Willy Adames broke it up with a single in the seventh inning. Then, in the eighth, Brice Turang singled and stole second, leading to the Padres going to the bullpen in Wandy Peralta. Blake Perkins took advantage, singling in the lone run of the game as Turang beat the throw home.
https://twitter.com/Brewers/status/1780674179051704813
Joel Payamps came on in the ninth and retired the side to get the save, his second of the year.
The Padres nearly broke the 0-0 tie in their half of the eighth, getting the go-ahead run to third base with two outs. It appeared a run would score when Fernando Tatis Jr. got some soft contact to the third base side, but Abner Uribe came off the mound, grabbed the ball and ripped it to first just before falling down and got the out to escape the inning.
https://twitter.com/Brewers/status/1780671440573915208
Uribe picked up the win in what was a bullpen game for the Crew. Bryce Wilson, Bryan Hudson, Edwin Peguero, Urbie and Payamps combined to allow no runs on five hits.
Turang's steal in the eighth was his ninth of the year, which leads MLB.
The Brewers win allowed them to escape a three-game sweep. They will get Thursday off before opening up a series in St. Louis against the Cardinals on Friday.
The Camp: Transfer portal in full swing, DL depth, QB competition, movement in the CB group
Wisconsin saw a second player enter the transfer portal. How many could end up going in the next two weeks? And what positions could the Badgers target in the portal? Zach and Jesse discuss that, the latest in the QB competition, some movement at cornerback and more.
Bucks reportedly preparing as if they won't have Giannis to start the playoffs
Milwaukee is preparing to begin its first-round playoff series against Indiana without Giannis Antetokounmpo.
ESPN reported Tuesday morning that the two-time MVP is not expected to be available when things get going on Sunday at Fiserv Forum, but might be ready to return later in the seven-game series.
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1780240763286347959
Antetokounmpo went down against Boston on April 9th with what turned out to be a calf strain. He missed the final three games of the regular season. The team issued a statement that said he would be treated and evaluated daily.
Milwaukee, the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, was facing a tough challenge even with a healthy Antetokounmpo. The sixth-seeded Pacers beat the Bucks four of the five times they played and feature an up-tempo offense that challenges Milwaukee's troublesome transition defense.
Game 1 of the series is on Sunday. A tip time has not been set.
