CNN
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Rory McIlroy has a special shine to him as he returns to competitive action this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and who can blame him after finally ending years of heartbreak with victory at the Masters earlier this month.

After so many attempts to complete a historic career grand slam – winning all four of golf’s majors – the Northern Irishman finally was able to slip on the famous green jacket and enter himself into the record books.

There were emotional scenes in the aftermath of McIlroy’s victory at Augusta National, as the relief of the victory became apparent.

And as the 35-year-old returns to golfing action at TPC Louisiana on Thursday, McIlroy detailed the “absolutely amazing” reaction he’s had since his victory.

“It’s been an amazing few days after, and to be able to reflect on it and everything that happened and the magnitude of everything, I think the big thing for me is just how the whole journey sort of resonated with people and the people that have reached out to me,” McIlroy told reporters on Wednesday, also admitting that he came down with a cold in the days after his victory.

“It’s not every day you get to fulfill one of your lifelong goals and dreams, and I’ve just really tried to enjoy everything that comes along with that.”

McIlroy explained that he spent time celebrating in his new house outside of London, as well as visiting family and friends back in Northern Ireland.

He also detailed that he spoke to two US Presidents the day after his Masters victory – something he described as “pretty cool.”

“Just people reaching out from all walks of life, whether it be sports, entertainment, culture. Just all of it,” the five-time major winner said. “People that you would never even think that would watch golf or would know what’s going on, that was very, very humbling, I guess.

“I think people can see themselves in the struggle at times, and everything that you sort of try to put into getting the best out of yourself in that journey. I think people watching someone finally get it done, something they’ve been trying to do for a decade plus, I think it resonated with a lot of people.”

McIlroy returns to New Orleans as the defending champion in the pairs event with his Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry.

The two shared an emotional embrace close to the 18th green at Augusta National in the moments after McIlroy’s win and now look to retain their title at TPC Louisiana.

And the Northern Irishman admitted that he’s in the best place possible to continue his good form this week.

“I honestly could not be in a better place in my life professionally, personally, all of it,” he said. “It’s amazing what a year can do.

“This tournament last year was a really cool moment for both of us. I think it probably injected a little bit of joy back into golf for me in some way, which I think is really, really important, not to lose that. For me, I had a great year last year, and I think this tournament was sort of the catalyst to the really good golf that I played for the rest of the year.”

CNN
 — 

If a chastening 109-94 defeat to the Houston Rockets in Game 2 wasn’t enough to deal with, the Golden State Warriors are now also sweating on the health of Jimmy Butler.

The former Miami Heat star, who has helped transform Golden State’s fortunes since making his debut in February, took a hard fall on his tailbone late in the first quarter after being fouled by Amen Thompson.

Butler got up and made one of two free throws but was clearly struggling to even walk. He soon made his way gingerly back to the locker room while holding his lower back area and was ruled out for the rest of the game with a pelvis contusion.

The Warriors said Butler will undergo an MRI on Thursday.

Losing Butler for any period of time during the playoffs would be a huge blow to Golden State. After struggling for consistency during the regular season, Golden State finished the campaign on a 23-8 run after Butler’s debut to enter the playoffs as one of the NBA’s hottest teams.

Butler put in a vintage ‘Playoff Jimmy’ performance to help the Warriors win Game 1, registering 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals.

“Hopefully, Jimmy will be able to play,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said of Butler’s availability for Game 3 on Saturday, per the Associated Press. “But if not, we have to go through our options and put together a plan.”

The Warriors were also without Brandin Podziemski for much of the game as the guard struggled with a stomach illness.

For the Rockets, Jalen Green bounced back from his playoff debut flub in Game 1 with a huge performance to lead his team to tie the best-of-seven series.

The Houston guard admitted “the lights were bright” and his legs were a “little shaky” after he put up just seven points in the series opener.

On Wednesday, however, Green went off for 38 points, four rebounds, six assists and three steals. He made eight three-pointers, which is two more than the entire Rockets team managed in Game 1.

“I feel like a did a good job of answering back,” Green said. “From the beginning, my whole mindset from today was to go in and be aggressive and get back to being myself.”

Alperen Şengün added 17 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and two steals for the Rockets.

Steph Curry had 20 points for the Warriors to take him past 4,000 career points in the playoffs, making him just the 11th player in history to reach the landmark.

The two teams will next face off in Game 3 in the Bay Area on Saturday.

CNN
 — 

A new NFL season is fast approaching and, after a hectic free agency period, the next crop of college talent will find where they will be playing at this year’s draft.

The 2025 edition holds plenty of intrigue, with some headline quarterbacks predicted to go near the top of the first round and plenty of other high-end prospects hoping to find a NFL home.

Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s NFL draft.

The first round of the 2025 NFL draft will be held on Thursday, April 24, with the second and third rounds taking place on Friday and the remaining four rounds happening on Saturday.

Like years prior, the draft is set to be a huge event with fans from all across the US traveling to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to watch names being read out by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and others, with the event being held outside the famous Lambeau Field, home of the Packers.

Fans at home can watch all the picks on NFL Network and ESPN, with the first pick of the first round being made at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday. Friday’s action begins at 7 p.m. ET and Saturday kicks off at noon ET.

CNN Sports is also offering live digital coverage of the event beginning at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Although there is a consensus No. 1 overall pick in many people’s eyes, lots of questions still remain about the other selections in the first round.

Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward is widely expected to be drafted by the Tennessee Titans with the first pick as the clear cut best quarterback in the class and with the franchise in dire need of a difference-maker at the position.

While he still has room to grow, NFL draft expert Daniel Jeremiah says that Ward could have a “very high ceiling” if he can be “reined in” from his gunslinging nature.

Outside of Ward, draft analysts have no consensus on who will go where at the top of the first round.

The second and third picks – held by the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants respectively – are predicted by many to be filled by the two highest-rated players in the entire draft: Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter.

Hunter, who could become the first full-time two-way player in NFL history having excelled at both wide receiver and cornerback with the Colorado Buffaloes, is coming off a Heisman Trophy-winning season.

Under head coach Deion Sanders, Hunter blossomed into a superstar with 92 receptions for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns on offense as well as 15 passes defended, four interceptions and a game-winning forced fumble on defense.

There are still question marks over whether Hunter’s two-way game will translate to the NFL or whether his coaches will prefer to have him specialize on one side of the ball, but the 21-year-old has shown he possesses all the skills to be a game-changer wherever he is deployed. In fact, Browns general manager Andrew Berry called Hunter a “unicorn” player in a pre-draft press conference.

Carter is also expected to be picked near the top of the draft having had a stellar 2024 season with Penn State; the pass rusher led the FBS with 23.5 tackles for loss and ranked seventh with 12 sacks as he went on to be named a First-Team AP All-American.

At one point, the 21-year-old was slated to go first overall, but Ward’s rise has dropped Carter down mock drafts. Carter didn’t workout during the pre-draft process due to a shoulder injury, but he is widely expected to be an impactful defensive lineman from the get-go.

The other high-profile name who will be selected near the top of the first round is running back Ashton Jeanty after a historic season at Boise State.

Jeanty’s skillset of vision, speed, ability to break tackles and powerful blocking makes him the perfect all-round running back. In his final season at Boise State, he led the NCAA with 2,601 rushing yards – finishing just 28 yards short of breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record set in 1988 – and scored 29 rushing touchdowns as he finished second in Heisman Trophy voting.

NFL analyst Lance Zierlein compared Jeanty to LaDainian Tomlinson during the draft process, high praise with the former San Diego Charger’s standing as an all-time NFL great, MVP and Pro Football Hall of Famer.

Despite being seen as a prospective generational running back talent, Jeanty will be selected lower than Hunter and Carter due to the devaluation of the position, but could have a greater impact in the league.

Outside of those four, there are plenty of other college stars to keep an eye on.

Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham is a well-rounded prospect who will be picked near the top of the first round.

Graham was awarded the Outland Trophy – given to the best offensive or defensive lineman in college – last year having blossomed into a player with all the aspects needed to succeed in the NFL. He possesses the speed to evade blocks, the strength to overpower offensive linemen and the motor to outlast his opponents.

A polarizing prospect in the draft process has been quarterback Shedeur Sanders, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and current Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders.

While he has plenty of attributes necessary for NFL success – accuracy and poise in the pocket – experts say Sanders has several things to improve upon for him to be a top-level star.

His name-brand alone means he’s had plenty of attention and, with plenty of quarterback-needy teams near the top of the first round, Sanders will still likely go inside the top 10 picks.

Another big name to keep an eye on near the top of the first round is Penn State tight end Tyler Warren.

Standing at six-foot-five, Warren possesses the size to dominate defenders trying to cover him while also having the quickness to break away into space.

He plays with “best player on the field energy,” according to Zierlein, who also predicts that Warren could “become one of the best tight ends in the league.”

Warren was given the John Mackey Award last season for the best TE in the country and left Penn State having set school records for a tight end in almost all categories with 153 receptions, 1,839 receiving yards and 19 receiving touchdowns.

1. Tennessee Titans

2. Cleveland Browns

3. New York Giants

4. New England Patriots

5. Jacksonville Jaguars

6. Las Vegas Raiders

7. New York Jets

8. Carolina Panthers

9. New Orleans Saints

10. Chicago Bears

11. San Francisco 49ers

12. Dallas Cowboys

13. Miami Dolphins

14. Indianapolis Colts

15. Atlanta Falcons

16. Arizona Cardinals

17. Cincinnati Bengals

18. Seattle Seahawks

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

20. Denver Broncos

21. Pittsburgh Steelers

22. Los Angeles Chargers

23. Green Bay Packers

24. Minnesota Vikings

25. Houston Texans

26. Los Angeles Rams

27. Baltimore Ravens

28. Detroit Lions

29. Washington Commanders

30. Buffalo Bills

31. Kansas City Chiefs

32. Philadelphia Eagles