JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 831

Pittsburgh — The Los Angeles Chargers selected Canadian defensive end Akheem Mesidor with the 22nd overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft on Thursday. Mesidor, 25, from Ottawa, played at West Virginia and Miami, finishing the 2025 season with 63 tackles and 12.5 sacks and earning All-ACC first-team honours.

Los Angeles — The pick addresses Chargers' edge-rush depth amid expiring contracts for veterans such as Tuli Tuipulotu, Khalil Mack and Bud Dupree; team executives will evaluate Mesidor's role during offseason work and training camp this spring. The Chargers hold additional day-two picks at Nos. 55 and 86 and could target wide receiver and cornerback needs on Friday.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles selected USC receiver Makai Lemon with the 20th overall pick on Thursday night after trading up from No. 23, adding the Biletnikoff Award winner to their offense while A.J. Brown remained listed as a likely trade candidate. Lemon finished his college season with 79 catches, 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The move immediately creates roster and cap implications this week, positioning the Eagles to spread roughly $40 million in salary cap hit over two seasons if they trade Brown after June 1; the Patriots and Rams have been named as potential destinations. Team officials, including GM Howie Roseman, reiterated that no trades are finalized as they manage next steps.

Salt Lake City — The New England Patriots selected Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu with the 28th overall pick on Thursday night during the 2026 NFL Draft, moving up to secure him. Lomu, a multi-year starter who earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2025, was measured at 6-foot-6 and 313 pounds at the Combine.

Foxborough this week traded the No. 31 and No. 125 picks to Buffalo to move up and take Lomu, a decision framed as addressing left tackle depth after injuries and veteran age concerns; the selection also made Utah’s draft class historic, producing two first-round offensive linemen during the April 23–25 event in Pittsburgh.

Boston — The Buffalo Sabres rallied at TD Garden on Thursday, overcoming a missed Bruins penalty shot and a 1-0 deficit to defeat the Boston Bruins 3-1 and take a 2-1 lead in the first-round NHL playoff series. Key plays included Bowen Byram’s tying goal and Alex Tuch’s third-period go-ahead score.

The Sabres’ win, anchored by Alex Lyon’s 24 saves in his first postseason start, shifted home-ice advantage back to Buffalo and leaves the Bruins needing a victory in Sunday’s Game 4 to ensure another home game; Noah Ostlund added an empty-net goal to secure the final margin late in regulation.

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions selected Clemson offensive tackle Blake Miller with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night. Miller, a four-year starter who set Clemson records for consecutive starts and career snaps, is expected to play right tackle while Penei Sewell moves to the left side.

PITTSBURGH — The selection follows Detroit’s offseason release of Taylor Decker and the signing of Larry Borom, creating competition for the starting role this offseason and into training camp. Team officials say the pick addresses a primary roster need and gives the coaching staff flexibility in offensive line alignment for the upcoming season.

Washington DC. RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale delivered multiple public remarks on Thursday, April 24, at events including an interaction at Hudson University and a session at the Hudson Institute, outlining the organisation's grassroots activities, daily and weekly assemblies, volunteer relief work, and its claim of creating nearly 40 civic institutions.

The appearances included an Indo American Community of Greater DC reception and discussions with figures such as Walter Russell Mead and Walter K Anderson; Hosabale rebutted characterisations of RSS as supremacist, emphasised youth engagement, teamwork and cultural values, and signalled continued outreach to US audiences and the Indian diaspora in coming engagements.

ATLANTA — C.J. McCollum hit a fadeaway jumper with 12.5 seconds left to lift the Atlanta Hawks to a 109-108 victory over the New York Knicks in Game 3, giving Atlanta a 2-1 lead in the first-round series. McCollum finished with 23 points and Jalen Johnson led the Hawks with 24; Jonathan Kuminga added 21 off the bench. New York had rallied to a 108-105 edge on Jalen Brunson's three-point play with 1:03 remaining, but after a late sequence that included a missed Josh Hart 3 and an offensive rebound the Knicks could not get a timely shot and Brunson turned the ball over as the horn sounded.

ATLANTA — Hawks coach Quin Snyder called McCollum's shot "a great shot" and stressed the team effort, saying, "They work, they share." Atlanta led nearly the entire game, building an 18-point advantage in the first half after outscoring New York 27-12 in the final seven minutes of the opening quarter, an early surge that included an 11-0 run and three straight 3-pointers by Mouhamed Gueye and Jonathan Kuminga. Knicks coach Mike Brown lamented missed calls around the basket and said his team must make better decisions going forward. Game 4 is Saturday in Atlanta.

Arlington, Texas. The Texas Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-1 Thursday at Globe Life Field, with Jacob deGrom striking out 10 over 5 2/3 innings and Evan Carter hitting an inside-the-park, two-run home run; Pirates rookie Bubba Chandler allowed six earned runs in four innings, surrendering two home runs in the series finale on April 23, 2026.

Pittsburgh dropped to 14-11 following the loss, marking one of the Pirates’ three series defeats this season; Chandler’s ERA rose to 4.88 after his worst outing, while deGrom recorded his 62nd career 10-strikeout game and improved to 2-0 for the season, and Corey Seager added a three-run homer in the fourth inning.

Charlotte, N.C. Monroe Freeling, a 6-foot-7, 315-pound offensive tackle from Georgia, was selected by the Carolina Panthers with the 19th overall pick of the NFL Draft on April 23, 2026. The pick followed his three-year college tenure that included multiple starts and combine testing in February, and it adds a first-round lineman to Carolina’s depth chart.

The Panthers say the selection addresses instability at tackle as veteran Ickey Ekwonu recovers from patellar tendon surgery and creates competition with free-agent Rasheed Walker; general manager Dan Morgan called Freeling the best player on the board. This week the team will integrate Freeling into minicamp plans and evaluate his fit at left and right tackle during OTAs.

Chicago selected Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman with the 25th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night. Thieneman, a Westfield, Indiana native who spent two seasons at Purdue before transferring to Oregon, entered the draft after earning All-American honors and posting standout combine metrics.

The pick immediately bolsters a Bears secondary that lost multiple safeties in free agency this offseason; GM Ryan Poles described Thieneman as a violent tackler. This week the club added experienced depth via free agency and now adds a first-round rookie with a 4.35 40-yard dash and 41-inch vertical to compete in offseason programs.