MON SIX

Beck, who some refused to believe could be the third quarterback drafted, became exactly that whenhe was selected by the Arizona Cardinalswith the first pick in the third round (65th overall) on Friday night. He’ll enter a Cardinals franchise that expects to have Jacoby Brissett as a bridge starter in 2026, but will be motivated to get a look at Beck if he earns it. With the 2027 expected to be loaded with first-round quarterbacks, I think Arizona will try to get a look at Beck at some point as a rookie starter if he proves worthy, if only to know whether the franchise will need to go back to the draft well in next year’s deeper class. For Beck, that potentially means stepping into an offense with No. 3 overall pick Jeremiyah Love at running back, first team All-Pro tight end Trey McBride, and Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr. at the wideout spot.

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NFL Draft: Best players still available|Draft Guide|Round 2-3 grades

Among the first three quarterbacks drafted — including the Las Vegas Raiders’ Fernando Mendoza andLos Angeles Rams’ Ty Simpson (who is stuck behind reigning league MVP Matthew Stafford)— you could argue that Beck is the winner in terms of surrounding pieces and potential immediate opportunity. It will be worth keeping an eye on next season.

As for Allar, it’s my understanding that his drafting by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round (76th overall) has no impact whatsoever on the team’s hope that Aaron Rodgers returns for 2026. Right now, it’s my belief that Rodgers is coming back and that new head coach Mike McCarthy will let Allar and Will Howard battle it out with Mason Rudolph to determine who fills out the rungs under Rodgers on the depth chart. Assuming a Rodgers return, it’s likely the fourth quarterback in that mix is eventually cut or traded — and that player willnotbe Allar.

I think the hope is that Rodgers comes back in 2026 and that Allar finally puts his considerable raw talent together under the tutelage of McCarthy, with an eye on him succeeding Rodgers whenever that time comes. And if Rodgers doesn’t return, I think Allar will be given the opportunity to show whether he deserves to be in a QB competition with Rudolph and Howard.

However it ultimately unfolds, the point for Allar is that there will be some kind of opportunity in Pittsburgh. It might be this season, in 2027 or beyond. But it will eventually be there, and that’s all you can ask for as a third-round draft pick.

In the second round, the Eagles added to the offense again, this time at tight end with a player who could succeed Dallas Goedert at the position. That would be Vanderbilt TE Eli Stowers, who has a lot of potential as a pass-catcher at the next level.

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The Yahoo Sports’ Draft Live crew discussed the pick of Stowers at No. 54 overall and how he fits into the offense in Philadelphia.

Nate Tice wanted to hate Stowers but after further review, he couldn’t. Tice called Stowers a “freak” athlete multiple times. Jets first-round pick Kenyon Sadiq was a popular mock to the Eagles prior to the draft. The veteran Goedert is most likely entering his final year with the franchise, so adding Stowers gives Philly that replacement.

Charles McDonald called it the “perfect” situation for Stowers to fall into at the draft if he can figure out the blocking side of the job; he was a converted QB. Matt Harmon chimes in to add that Stowers tested very well at the combine. Though, Harmon does think we’ll have to wait and see before we get meaningful production from Stowers in the NFL.

Yahoo fantasy football analyst Justin Boone hadStowers as his TE2 among rookies for dynasty leagues going into the draft (behind Sadiq).But Boone also had Stowers 10th overall, meaning he could end up going in the first round of dynasty drafts depending on the format. As for Goedert,Boone has him as the TE9 in fantasy pre-draft, a rank that could see some movement with the Stowers pick.

The astronaut from Gaithersburg, Maryland, wasannounced last weekas the spacecraft commander for NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 mission expected to launch later this year.

Here's what to know about Watkins.

Who is Jessica Watkins?

Watkins was born in 1988 in Gaithersburg, Maryland, located about 25 miles northwest from downtown Washington DC.

It was in Maryland where she first had dreams of going to space. While attending an after-school program at Judith Resnik Elementary School in Gaithersburg as a 9-year-old, she learned the school was named after the second American woman who went to space.

“I learned that you could go into space as a career, and I was definitely hooked,” she toldStanford Magazine in 2022.

She later moved to Lafayette, Colorado, which she considers her hometown, according toNASA.

After graduating with her bachelor's degree from Stanford University, Watkins received her doctorate from UCLA in 2015.

"Jessica Watkins has been shaping the future of space exploration since her days at UCLA,"the university said.

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What experience does Jessica Watkins have with NASA?

A geologist by training, Watkins was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017 after working on Mars rover science teams.

She first left earth in2022as the mission specialist on NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 mission, logging 170 days in space.

It was a historic mission for Watkins, who became the first Black woman to live and work at the International Space Station.

"I think it really is just a tribute to the legacy of the Black women astronauts that have come before me, as well as to the exciting future ahead," Watkinssaid during an NPR interview.

NASA said her mission duties included "maintaining the space station and contributing to science experiments that not only might improve life on Earth, but also allow researchers to learn more about the effects of long duration spaceflight on the human body."

In addition to her spaceflight experience, Watkins was named to NASA’s Artemis team, a group of astronauts eligible for future missions to the Moon.

Her experience will now bring her back to the ISS. Watkins will join Luke Delaney, Joshua Kutryk and Sergey Teteryatinikov to replace the Crew-12 mission at the space station.

NASA said the mission is targeted for September.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Meet the NASA astronaut from Maryland picked for Crew-13 space mission

The lawsuit filed inCaliforniaThursday alleges that Trader Joe’s deceived customers into believing its French Roast Low Acid whole bean coffee had significantly more caffeine than it did.

"It is so common that it is now cliché that coffee drinkers depend on the caffeine contained therein to provide them with the energy they need to get through the day,” the lawsuit said, according to several media outlets.

But when the coffee was tested, it was found to contain half the caffeine of a regular blend, according to the lawsuit.

The French Roast Low Acid coffee has 51 percent of the caffeine of Trader Joe’s Dark French Roast coffee and 45 percent of the caffeine of Trader Joe’s House Blend coffee,NBC Newsreported, citing the lawsuit.

The Independenthas reached out to Trader Joe’s and the customer’s attorney for comment.

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It’s standard not to indicate the amount of caffeine in coffee on a product’s label “unless some process is used to reduce the amount of caffeine,” the lawsuit said.

“For example, full caffeinated coffee does not have any special labeling denoting that it is fully caffeinated, but 'decaf' and 'half-caff' coffees are labelled as such," the lawsuit said.

Trader Joe’s customers claim the French Roast Low Acid coffee "does not disclose that it is 'decaf' and 'half-caff' coffee.”

Since the coffee is not labeled as such, customers were led to “purchase the product believing that it is fully caffeinated when it is not."

The lawsuit seeks to bar Trader Joe’s “unlawful sales and marketing” of the product, according to theNew York Post, as well as monetary damages.

Trader Joe’s is also facing a separate lawsuit, in which aPortland woman claims she found a fingertipfrom a rubber glove in the grocery chain’s orange juice.

Julee O’Neil was “concerned that the human hand that was in the tip of the glove was also severed and was part of the pulp she had been periodically drinking,” the lawsuit said, according to multiple outlets.

Livramento has been a regular — when healthy — in Thomas Tuchel’s England squads this season and is valued because of his ability to play both at right back and left back.

He sustained what Newcastle manager Eddie Howe described Friday as a “bad injury” in the 2-1 loss to Bournemouth last weekend and has already undergone an initial scan.

“He is due to have another scan at the weekend to determine the full extent of his time out,” Howe said. “We will wait and see whether he plays again this season.”

The Premier League finishes on May 24 and England’s final World Cup squad must be submitted by May 30.

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England’s first-choice right back appears to be Chelsea’s Reece James, who is currently injured, whileTuchel has been overlookingReal Madrid's Trent Alexander-Arnold. Burnley's Kyle Walker retired from international duty in March.

It leaves Jarell Quansah and Ezri Konsa – naturally center backs – and Ben White, who hasn’t been a regular starter for Arsenal, as other potential right-back options.

The World Cup begins June 11 and takes place in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

That will be up to the players, and time will determine whether it’s a pedestrian group, maybe one that winds up exceeding expectations … or even falling short of what already seems set as a low bar. Regardless, it’s never too early to give a microwaved assessment of something that probably can’t be fairly judged until at least 2029 – so let’s (prematurely) label the winners and losers of the 2026 draft’s first round:

2026 NFL Draft Round 1 grades:Analysis for every pick

1. Las Vegas Raiders – QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft brings franchise‑defining moments as teams make their selections from the top of the board.

See how picks 1 through 32 came off the clock as the next generation of NFL talent enters the league.

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New York Jets – OLB/DE David Bailey, Texas Tech

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Arizona Cardinals − RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

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Tennessee Titans − WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State

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New York Giants − LB Arvell Reese, Ohio State

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Kansas City Chiefs (from Browns) − CB Mansoor Delane, LSU

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Washington Commanders − LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State

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New Orleans Saints − WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State

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Cleveland Browns (from Chiefs) − OL Spencer Fano, Utah

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Giants (from Cincinnati Bengals) − OL Francis Mauigoa, Miami (Fla.)

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Dallas Cowboys (from Dolphins) − S Caleb Downs, Ohio State

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Miami Dolphins (from Cowboys) − OT Kadyn Proctor, Alabama

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Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta Falcons) − QB Ty Simpson, Alabama

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Baltimore Ravens − G Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers − DE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami (Fla.)

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Jets (from Indianapolis Colts) − TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon

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Detroit Lions − OT Blake Miller, Clemson

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Minnesota Vikings − DL Caleb Banks, Florida

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Carolina Panthers − OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia

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Philadelphia Eagles (from Green Bay Packers via Cowboys) − WR Makai Lemon, USC

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Pittsburgh Steelers − OT Max Iheanachor, Arizona State

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Los Angeles Chargers − DE/OLB Akheem Mesidor, Miami (Fla.)

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Cowboys (from Eagles) − DE Malachi Lawrence, Central Florida

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Browns (from Jacksonville Jaguars) − WR KC Concepcion, Texas A&M

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Chicago Bears − S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon

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Houston Texans (from Bills) − G Keylan Rutledge

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Dolphins (from 49ers) − CB Chris Johnson, San Diego State

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New England Patriots (from Texans via Bills) − OT Caleb Lomu, Utah

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Chiefs (from Rams) − DT Peter Woods, Clemson

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Jets (from Denver Broncos via Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers) − WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana

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Titans (from Patriots via Buffalo Bills) − DE Keldric Faulk, Auburn

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Seattle Seahawks − RB Jadarian Price, Notre Dame

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See 2026 NFL Draft first round picks, from No. 1 to No. 32

1. Las Vegas Raiders – QB Fernando Mendoza, IndianaThe first round of the2026 NFL Draftbrings franchise‑defining moments as teams make their selections from the top of the board.See how picks 1 through 32 came off the clock as the next generation of NFL talent enters the league.

WINNERS

New York Jets' franchise QB

No idea who that is. Arch Manning? Dante Moore? Joe Burrow?Get back to us in 2027. But Gang Green’s plan to construct a support system for the man who will doubtless end the franchise’s (almost) six-decade Super Bowl drought – even ending a playoff absence that extends to 2010, now the longest in major North American professional team sports, would be remarkable – seems to be off to a promising start. Pass rusher David Bailey became the franchise’s highest-drafted defender ever, coming off the board second overall – and a good defense is often among a QB’s best friends. But the Jets chose twice more in Round 1, getting Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq 16th overall and Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr. after GM Darren Mougey snuck back into the bottom of the round at the 30th spot. A nice influx of talent, if not youngsters who will necessarily be ready to make major contributions in 2026 … which would only benefit a team clearly positioning itself to draft early again in 2027.

Fernando Mendoza?

The draft’s presumptive No. 1 pick for – five? – months, heofficially changed that LinkedIn profileto employed after officiallyjoining the Las Vegas Raiders. Mendoza will almost doubtless be the face of this draft, for better or worse, forevermore, and simply has to become the first Silver and Black quarterback to notch a playoff win in nearly a quarter of a century to justify his investment. But, certainly on a human level if you buy what his adoring college teammates are selling, it sounds like he's up to the task. A word of advice: Don’t let Kirk Cousins keep you out at all hours on the slots and tables. Good luck, pal.

Shedeur Sanders

First, theBrowns traded downfrom No. 6 to obtain some mid-round ammo. Then they drafted OL Spencer Fano ninth overall before getting game-breaking WR KC Concepcion at No. 24. If Sanders, who famously plummeted to Round 5 a year ago, fails to lock down the QB1 job this season, it almost certainly won’t be because Cleveland failed to load up on solid talent around him.

Dan Orlovsky

QB Ty Simpson’s No. 1 media advocate was vindicated – after the ESPN analyst and former NFL backup QB unabashedly stumped for the former Alabama passer throughout the pre-draft process – whenthe Rams picked him 13th overalldespite intense speculation that Simpson wouldn’t hear his name called at all Thursday. Good luck, Ty. Congrats, Dan, who got to take a victory lap on ESPN’s air with Pat McAfee.

2027 first-round draft picks

Despite all of Thursday night’s trade activity, none of the deals involved a Round 1 selection for next year – which is expected to boast a lot more star power than this year’s draft. The Jets, who obtained valuable 2027 picks from the Colts and Cowboys at last year’s trade deadline, are currently the only team in possession of multiple first-round selections next year.

Ohio State

Having four players going off the board in the top 11 selections is quite the recruiting messaging for the Buckeyes. Suck it, oh-fer Michigan.

Jeremiyah Love

Hecame off the board third overall, to the Arizona Cardinals, his draft slotting set to guarantee him more than $50 million – almost a 50% bump from the market-setting $36 million guarantee the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley collected with his most recent extension.

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Pittsburgh

The Steel City hosted its first draft in more than 78 years – and it looked marvelous. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced at the end of the evening that Pittsburgh set a Round 1 attendance record of 320,000. Expect that figure to balloon – significantly – into the weekend.

LOSERS

Steelers

Meanwhile, the local team apparently didn’t do as well as it had hoped. Per reports, the AFC North champs – still not necessarily sure who their quarterback will be in 2026 – wereall set to take USC WR Makai Lemonwith the 21st overall pick … not knowing a cross-state jump had occurred, thePhiladelphia Eaglesliterally swooping in to sink their talons into Lemon after moving up from the 23rd spot to 20. Welp. But who knows? Sometimes the move you don’t make winds up serving you well, and fallbackMax Iheanachorof Arizona State might actually address what could be a far more pressing need given the questions about the neck injury Steelers OT Broderick Jones is dealing with.

Jeremiyah Love

He’s got a (ginormous) bag. He’s also headed to a literal and figurative football desert where the Cardinals appear to have plenty of running backs (James Conner, Tyler Allgeier, Trey Benson) but no long-term prospects at quarterback … nor much short- or intermediate-term hope in the NFC West, home of the Super Bowl championSeahawks, who drafted Love’s former Notre Dame backfield mate (Jadarian Price) Thursday, and two other teams that won at least 12 games last season. While Love is getting paid even beyond a Barkley level, he also seems headed to the kind of suboptimal situation that Barkley dealt with at the outset of his career. Woof.

Mike Vrabel

Dude. You don’t owe me an apology. An explicit one to the Patriots might be nice, and a public one to your family seems incumbent at this point.Either say more or say less. But this week’s approach clearly isn’t working at this point … though the internet’s ability to torpedo your rep certainly is.

Defensive backs

Thursday was kind to Mansoor Delane, the Kansas City Chiefs trading up to get the former LSU cornerback with the sixth overall selection. Otherwise, Round 1 was largely unkind relative to the DBs. S Caleb Downs, widely projected as a top-five pick going into this draft, wound up going 11th overall to the Cowboys. Former Oregon S Dillon Thieneman also went lower than expected, landing in Chicago with the 25th selection. San Diego State CB Chris Johnson, who picked up steam late in the pre-draft process, snuck into Round 1, too, going to Miami two spots after Thieneman. Otherwise? Nada. Tennessee CBs Jermod McCoy and Colton Hood, Clemson CB Avieon Terrell and Toledo S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren were among the most notable players slipping into Day 2.

Kayvon Thibodeaux

The fifth overall pick from the 2022 draft suddenly looks like theGiants’ No. 4 pass rusher after Arvell Reese joined him, Brian Burns and Abdul Carter on the depth chart. Thibodeaux, somewhat ironically the first pick of GM Joe Schoen’s tenure, is only under contract for one more season. He’s averaged fewer than six sacks per year to this point of his career, and it’s worth wondering if the Giants should expedite his departure by trying to obtain whatever future draft assets they can get for Thibodeaux.

Rams' Super Bowl 61 hopes?

Super Sunday will be staged in Sofi Stadium to cap the upcoming season – five years after the Rams won their only championship in L.A. … at SoFi. Reigning MVP Matthew Stafford and Co. certainly seem to have the requisite firepower to hoist another Lombardi Trophy next February, especially if they iron out their special teams issues. But drafting Simpson with the 13th overall pick, while perhaps a forward-looking move with Stafford evaluating his desire to continue playing on a year-to-year basis, almost certainly isn’t going to help the Rams much in 2026. Or 2027.

Tennessee Titans' franchise QB

That would most definitely be Cam Ward. After weeks of widespread speculation that Love would be the pick here, there were quite a few 11th-hour projections – perhaps due to smoke inhalation – that Tennessee would go with a defender to supercharge Robert Saleh’s defense. But the Titans weren’t compelled to move up from the fourth spot to No. 3, where Love wound up going to Arizona, yet didn’t take Ohio State LB Arvell Reese or Sonny Styles, either – opting instead for Buckeyes WR Carnell Tate. The takeaway? The Titans did indeed place an emphasis on upgrading Ward’s weaponry … but failed to get the one that almost certainly would have had the biggest impact. They even traded back into the first round at No. 31 … but for DE Keldric Faulk, who can only help Ward indirectly, unlike Love’s former Irish teammate, Jadarian Price, who went to Seattle with the next and final pick of Thursday night.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NFL draft first round winners, losers include Jets, Browns, Steelers

Bones in Well

The Richmond school’s board of visitors voted Friday to fund what VCU calls the East Marshall Street Well Project, an effort to right wrongs committed more than a century ago. Construction of the memorial and burial site are expected to start in summer of 2027.

“Years ago, VCU initiated this journey because we recognized a profound obligation to restore the human dignity of the people who were not afforded respect in their physical existence," VCU President Michael Rao said in a story about the effort posted on the school'swebsite. "The East Marshall Street Well Project’s sacred mission is to ensure every life is honored with the permanence and reverence they deserve.”

The circular memorial will feature a “unity chamber” inspired by the Toguna structures of Dogon culture in West Africa. Its design “is intended to encourage humility and thoughtful discussion by purposefully having a low roof to facilitate seated reflection,” said Stephen Davenport, assistant vice president for social and economic development in the VCU Division of Community Engagement and the administrative lead for the project.

Workers in 1994 uncovered a brick-lined well containing human bones during construction of the Kontos Medical Sciences Building on the VCU medical center campus. Sifting through mud, researchers also found hair and skin, as well as remnants of leather shoes and glass bottles.

Based on archival records from the Medical College of Virginia, researchers believe the remains were dumped in the well between the 1840s and 1860s.

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“A preliminary anthropological analysis of the recovered human remains showed some postmortem signs of dissection and amputation consistent with anatomical training and surgical procedure practice,” VCU researchers concluded in a paper published this year. “The constant demand for cadavers led to routine grave robbing practices, mainly targeting African American burial grounds, to supply the medical school.”

Archaeologists were given a short time to examine the burial site after the 1994 discovery. Before construction continued, the remains were removed by backhoes and sent to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Initial analysis estimated that a minimum of 44 adults and nine children were recovered from the well.

Interest in the remains was renewed in 2011 after the release of a film by a VCU professor and a separate report by two forensic anthropologists.

DNA study results released in February identified at least 43 distinct adults and three juveniles of “predominantly African heritage,” most likely from Central-West Africa. Several sets of remains bore traces of European ancestry.

Skeletal analysis “provided insight into the heavy labor endured by these individuals during their lives and the disregard for their bodies after death,” the study found.

Associated Press reporter John Raby contributed to this report.