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First Call: Could Steelers draft the NFL Rookie of the Year? Strange night in NHL's East Division - TribLIVE

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Friday’s “First Call” gives us a medical update on a potential Steelers first-round pick. Odds are out on who might be the NFL Rookie of the Year. We saw a strange night in the NHL’s East Division. And we look at the Pirates weekend tilt in Milwaukee.


Weird night

The Penguins weren’t the only team to suffer an upset lost in the East Division on Thursday night. 

They fell 2-1 in a shootout to the sixth-place Philadelphia Flyers. The division-leading Washington Capitals lost 5-2 at home to the last-place Buffalo Sabres.

And the second-place New York Islanders dropped a 4-1 decision to the fourth-place Boston Bruins.

The only result that went the way the standings would suggest was a 4-0 shutout by the fifth-place New York Rangers over the seventh-place New Jersey Devils.

As a result, little changes in the chase for the playoffs. Washington is still on top with 60 points, followed by the Islanders with 58 and the Penguins with 57.

The Bruins and Rangers made up some ground. They are now at 52 and 48 points, respectively. Philadelphia is next with 46.

The Devils have 34 points and the Sabres … well, they had a good night. Let’s leave it at that.


Remember these names

BetOnline.ag has betting odds for NFL Rookie of the Year. And we haven’t even had the draft yet.

Four of the top five favorites are quarterbacks. Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, the presumptive No. 1 pick to Jacksonville, leads the way at 11/4. Ohio State’s Justin Fields and BYU’s Zach Wilson are next at 9/2.

Then Florida tight end Kyle Pitts crashes the party at 15/2, followed by another quarterback, Mac Jones, at 10/1.

If the Steelers do draft a running back, namely Travis Etienne (Clemson) or Najee Harris (Alabama), those guys check-in at 14/1.


News on Najee

Speaking of Harris, many in Pittsburgh like the idea of him as the Steelers’ first-round pick at No. 24.

One concern is the wear and tear on Harris’ body — especially a worrisome ankle — after 718 touches with the Crimson Tide.

But according to a report this week from the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Harris checked out well.

It’ll be interesting to see how the league’s medical staffs interpret the reports on one of Harris’ teammates, too. That’s center Landon Dickerson. In addition to being a first-team All-American, he won the 2020 Rimington Trophy as the nation’s best center. He’s long been tabbed as a potential Steeler. But after numerous knee and ankle injuries, there is a concern that he may be too much of an injury risk.


What’s up next?

After splitting a four-game series with the San Diego Padres, the Pirates (5-8) visit Milwaukee for three games this weekend. The Brewers are 7-5 through their first 12 games, tied with Cincinnati atop the National League Central standings.

Milwaukee has won four of its last five contests, scoring 33 runs along the way. However, Milwaukee’s team batting average is just .204, 28th in baseball.

Look for both teams to work the count. The Pirates have 48 walks on the season, fourth most in MLB. The Brewers have 45, good for seventh. So that should be very exciting.

In Friday’s opener, both teams are sending pitchers to the mound who have gotten off to nice starts. J.T. Brubaker is 1-0 for the Pirates, yielding just two runs in 9 1/3 innings. He’ll be opposed by right-hander Adrian Houser, who is 1-1, giving up only two runs in 10 innings.

In Game 2, the Pirates will start Trevor Cahill against the Brewers’ Brett Anderson. The Pirates’ Chad Kuhl opposes Freddy Peralta on Sunday afternoon.

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.

Categories: MLB | Penguins/NHL | Sports | Steelers/NFL | Breakfast With Benz | Tim Benz Columns

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