IrishCentral Draft - b5cc3275d518416eacb61d676e8d84d1

Rex Ryan and Jets add defensive weapons in first round of NFL draft (IrishCentral)

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 04:39:36 PDT

By: MATT KEOUGH

The newly John Idzik managed Jets focus for the 2013 draft is on top talent available after first round selections of cornerback Dee Milliner and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson. The Jets had the 9th and 13th overall picks and chose not to select offensive players to combat last years bottom three finish in passing yards.

Notre Dame standouts Tyler Eifert and Manti Te’o drafted (IrishCentral)

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 07:01:20 PDT

By: MATT KEOUGH

Notre Dame’s most valued offensive and defensive stars from this past near perfect season have found their new homes. Tyler Eifert, Mackey Award winner for the nation's top tight end, will join the Cincinnati Bengals as Manti Te’o, Heisman runner-up turned spectacle, will suit up for the Chargers in San Diego.

New England Patriots NFL Draft: DeAndre Hopkins Scouting Report (IrishCentral)

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 06:03:01 PDT

After looking at Desmond Trufant and Justin Hunter, today's prospect in The Sports Central NFL Draft Series is Clemson's DeAndre Hopkins Hopkins is one of the most exciting prospects in the draft and some consider him to be the safest selection alsoEven with the re-signing of Julian Edelman and the continuing saga surrounding Emmanuel Sanders, the Patriots will still be in the market for an additional wide receiver presence on the outside So there is no need to change approach at this point READ MORE

New England Patriots Draft: Justin Hunter Scouting Report (IrishCentral)

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 03:47:56 PDT

With the NFL draft just a matter of weeks away, coverage of the prospects and franchises is starting to crank up Just like any of the other 31 franchises in the NFL, the New England Patriots' shortlist of targets will be coming into focus right about nowEven though they made an offer to restricted free agent Emmanuel Sanders today, wide receivers should densely populate that list One of the best fits for the Patriots is also a player they can realistically target with their first pick, Tennessee's Justin Hunter READ MORE

New England Patriots Draft: Desmond Trufant Scouting Report (IrishCentral)

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:32:58 PDT

For the first time in some time, the New England Patriots enter the NFL draft with a notably limited number of draft picks Because of the Albert Haynesworth and Chad Johnson trades, the Patriots only have five choices this year in what is considered to be a relatively deep draft classThat said, the Patriots, as they seem to always be, are in a strong position to trade up in the draft as part of an overall aggressive philosophy for the next two seasons Picking at 29th overall in the first round should allow them to grab a talented player who can help them immediately, but if they fall for a specific talent they could look to move up or trade future picks to add a choice this year READ MORE

Savita Halappanavar’s husband is unhappy with draft report into her death (IrishCentral)

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 04:25:30 PDT

By: PATRICK COUNIHAN

Savita Halappanavar’s husband is unhappy with the Irish government’s official report into his wife’s tragic death in a Galway hospital – and wants to meet the head of the investigation team.

Sports Central NFL Mock Draft 2013 (IrishCentral)

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:17:47 PDT

One would think that April would be a quiet month for a league that runs from September through February, but that is what makes the NFL so special these days The NFL has become a year round commitment and arguably the most exciting event on it's calendar is the NFL draftUnlike the Super Bowl, an event that only includes the top two teams in the league directly, every single fan has a reason to be hopeful when it comes to the draft1 Kansas City Chiefs-Luke Joeckel, OT READ MORE

New England Patriots Draft Plans Rise To Prominence (IrishCentral)

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 06:02:40 PDT

The New England Patriots wrapped up a deal for former Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings' wide receiver Michael Jenkins just in time to conclude their business in March Jenkins won't excite fans, even though he has that speed the Patriots' offense craves on the edges, but he is most likely one of the final moves to be made by the franchise ahead of the draftFree agency allowed the Patriots to re-sign their starting right tackle, Sebastian Vollmer, replace Wes Welker with Danny Amendola, add a swing tackle in Will Svitek, get a tough veteran presence in their secondary with Adrian Wilson and retain both Kyle Arrington and Aqib Talib at the cornerback positionIn no small part because of Tom Brady's contract extension, the Patriots were able to address most of their primary needs READ MORE

Eight senators complete draft on path to legal status for illegal immigrants (IrishCentral)

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 04:32:04 PDT

By: IrishCentral Staff Writers

The group of eight senators who have spent two months crafting a bipartisan immigration reform bill, have agreed on how they intend to offer legal status to the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.

More pressure for Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o as NFL draft creep closer (IrishCentral)

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 05:32:30 PST

By: MATT KEOUGH

Football prospects across the nation are hoping to stand out to NFL teams as the draft creeps closer. Lately, Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o has been a stand out for all the wrong reasons. To add a cherry on top of his poor national championship performance and strange off the field drama, Te’o’s NFL combine numbers were mediocre.

Savita Halappanavar’s family distraught after draft report into her death is leaked to media (IrishCentral)

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 04:25:06 PST

By: PATRICK COUNIHAN

The husband and family of the late Savita Halappanavar are distraught that details of the report into her death were leaked to newspapers before they were given access to them.

Notre Dame’s Louis Nix and Zack Martin to skip the NFL draft and join Fighting Irish next year - VIDEO (IrishCentral)

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 06:32:02 PST

By: DARA KELLY

Coach Brian Kelly announced that Notre Dame’s nose guard Louis Nix III and offensive tackle Zack Martin will return to the Indiana university next year and skip the NFL draft.

Historic move as Irish government drafts abortion legislation for 2013 vote (IrishCentral)

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 04:08:17 PST

By: ANTOINETTE KELLY

In an historic move, the Irish government has agreed to introduce new legislation allowing abortions to be carried out in Ireland within the terms of the Supreme Court ruling in the X Case.

NBA Draft 2012 - What do Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo bring to the Boston Celtics? (IrishCentral)

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 04:30:40 PDT

The Boston Celtics addressed two of their most prominent needs in the draft last night despite picking later in the first round With back-to-back picks from 21 to 22, the Celtics landed two forwards: Jared Sullinger from Ohio State and Fab Melo from SyracuseSullinger may be the most polarizing pick from the whole draft as he was a potential first overall pick if he had come out in 2011, but fell in 2012 due to medical red flagsBulging disks in his back raised question marks over Sullinger's longevity and even his ability to be effective on the court from the power forward position READ MORE

Boston Celtics NBA Draft 2012 Select Jared Sullinger 21st Overall (IrishCentral)

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 06:45:41 PDT

The Boston Celtics selected Jared Sullinger in the first round of the NBA draftSullinger is a former Ohio State player who will likely be an undersized power forward for the Celtics He was expected to be drafted in the top 10 prior to suffering some medical red flags during the evaluation processSullinger has back issues and the Celtics are taking a risk by drafting him READ MORE

Boston Celtics NBA Draft 2012 select Fab Melo with the 22nd Pick in the First Round (IrishCentral)

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 06:45:40 PDT

The Boston Celtics, after taking Jared Sullinger with the 21st pick in the draft, added Fab Melo from Syracuse to their roster with the 22nd overall pickMelo is a 7'0 center who will provide the Celtics with a bigger presence in the paint on the defensive side of the ball He needs to improve on the offensive side of the ball but fills an important need for the Celtics this off-season Melo weighs roughly 255 lbs and is 22 years of age READ MORE

Who are the Boston Celtics trading up for in the 2012 NBA Draft? (IrishCentral)

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 12:15:34 PDT

Adrian Wojnarowski, only hours before the beginning of the 2012 NBA Draft, reported that the Boston Celtics are actively looking to move up in the first roundThe Celtics own the 21st and 22nd picks in the draft, which in years gone by would have carried little value, but this year's class of college stars is deep With Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers never fearing to be aggressive, it should come as no surprise that they are trying to move up as high as possible into the lotteryDespite earlier reports suggesting Royce White was the Celtics primary target, nobody is certain exactly who the Celtics are attempting to acquire READ MORE

NBA Draft 2012 - Boston Celtics Biggest Needs (IrishCentral)

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 06:30:35 PDT

Entering the 2012 version of the NBA draft tonight, the Boston Celtics have more work to do than they have in some time The emphasis Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge must put on finding new faces for their franchise is more important now that the era of the big three in Boston is overWhile the Celtics don't have a top 10, or even a lottery, pick they are fortunate to have multiple picks in the first round of what is considered to be a deep draft Surpassed that, the Celtics don't really need to be picking in the top five because they are looking to build a supporting cast for Rajon Rondo rather than rebuild the whole roster READ MORE

Boston Celtics NBA Draft 2012 - Trading Paul Pierce for Andre Iguodala Makes Sense (IrishCentral)

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 05:15:59 PDT

With the reports emanating that the Celtics have promised Royce White, a college small forward, that he will be their first pick in the 2012 NBA draft on Thursday night, once again we must revisit the prospect of the team trading Paul PierceThe Celtics nearly traded both Pierce and Ray Allen just before the trade deadline this year, however both trades fell through according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Allen is no longer under contract, and not expected to return, but Pierce is on tap for two more seasons with double digit salary cap hitsAfter not trading Pierce, and keeping him during the team's run to the Conference Finals, there is a certain element of having your cake and eating it for the Celtics if they trade Pierce now READ MORE

Four Notre Dame players taken in NFL draft. (IrishCentral)

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 01:00:16 PDT

Michael FloydThe Notre Dame Fighting Irish added more talent to the NFL professional ranks over the weekend, as four players were selected by teams in the NFL's annual draftWide receiver Michael Floyd was selected in the first round by the Arizona Cardinals with the 13th overall pickSafety Harrison Smith, who also went in the first round, was picked 29th overall by the Minnesota VikingsOutside linebacker Darius Fleming and cornerback Robert Blanton also secured places in the camps within the professional ranks of the NFL, as they were selected by the San Francisco 49ers and the Minnestoa Vikings in the 5th round READ MORE