Breaking down all the NFL Draft craziness, plus why Will Levis is still available and previewing Round 2

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Good morning to everyone but especially to…

THE NFL DRAFTEES…

If your brain is still trying to comprehend everything that happened last night — the picks, the surprises, the trades, the slides — well, same here. But I’m going to try my best to help you out.

Here are the biggest things you need to know:

Our draft tracker — complete with Pete Prisco’s grades for every pick — is here.

I came away super impressed with the Eagles’ night, and I wasn’t alone. Philadelphia got two of the biggest steals of the first round, writes our Tyler Sullivan.

• Sullivan: “The Eagles landed themselves arguably the top defensive player in this class. … Carter will come in and immediately be an impact player along Philadelphia’s already lethal defensive line. … CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson had the Eagles taking Nolan Smith at No. 10 overall in his final mock draft. Getting him 20 picks later is highway robbery.”

Carter and Smith are both Georgia products, as are 2022 picks Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean. Basically, it’s a big Bulldog reunion on Philadelphia’s defense, and considering the Bulldogs are back-to-back champions, that’s probably a good thing.

Here’s what else to know from a wild night:

… AND ALSO A GOOD MORNING TO LAMAR JACKSON AND THE BALTIMORE RAVENS

Lamar Jackson has the largest contract in NFL history and the Ravens have the face of their franchise for years to come. The dramatic, drawn-out quarterback saga in Baltimore is finally over thanks to a five-year, $260-million contract that includes $185 million guaranteed.

This concludes a long, terse last few months between player and organization. It was just a month ago that Jackson revealed he had requested a trade. But he was heavily involved in Baltimore signing Odell Beckham Jr., and after weeks of silence, Jackson and the Ravens seemingly came out of nowhere to get it done shortly before the draft started.

Jackson is a winner — and a loser — in this deal. How? Our Jordan Dajani explains.

Turning our attention to the future…

Honorable mentions

And not such a good morning for…

WILL LEVIS

Just three days ago, Will Levis was the favorite to go No. 2 overall and even made a charge at No. 1 thanks to a Reddit post. But Thursday, over the course of 31 first-round picks, Levis didn’t hear his name called at all, and it could be due to a little-known health issue: Levis’ left toe injury, which caused him to miss two games last year.

One interested team reportedly labeled the injury “problematic.” This, of course, doesn’t guarantee Levis will fail in the NFL. But it was a surprise and certainly a disappointment for Levis, who waited in vain in the green room. Our Dennis Dodd was there to chronicle it all.

Levis is third in our best prospects available for Day 2. Here’s the top five:

• Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State
• Brian Branch, S, Alabama
• Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
• Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
• Drew Sanders, LB, Arkansas

Our Garrett Podell has potential landing spots for Levis, and here’s Chris Trapasso’s Day 2 mock.

Not so honorable mentions

Celtics finish off Hawks, will face 76ers in second round 🏀

It wasn’t always as easy as many expected, but the Celtics are moving on, and in the playoffs, that’s what matters.

The reigning Eastern Conference champions beat the Hawks, 128-120, to end the series in six games.

• Jaylen Brown (32 points) and Jayson Tatum (30 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists) led the way. The Celtics are 23-1 when they both score 30+.
• Trae Young scored 30 points but needed 28 field goal attempts to get there. He scored five points on 1-13 shooting in the second half. It could be an interesting offseason for the star point guard.

The defense will need to tighten up against the 76ers in the second round, but at least the Celtics closed this series out with a group effort, writes our Colin Ward-Henninger.

NHL recap: Devils take 3-2 lead, Vegas advances; Lightning on comeback trail? 🏒

At first, the young New Jersey Devils looked overwhelmed. Now, they’re overwhelming the New York Rangers. New Jersey won its third straight game and now leads the series 3-2 after cruising past New York, 4-0.

• Ondrej Palat scored just 39 seconds into the game, Erik Haula scored twice and Dawson Mercer also found the back of the net.
• Akira Schmid saved all 23 shots faced as the Devils’ defense smothered a high-powered Rangers attack.
• Schmid has 80 saves on 82 shots faced since taking over in net in Game 3 after Vitek Vanecek allowed nine goals on 52 shots in the first two games.

Elsewhere, our Chris Bengel tabbed Game 5 as a must-win for the Maple Leafs, even though they were leading the series 3-1. Unfortunately for Toronto, they couldn’t deliver at home, falling 4-2 to the three-time defending Eastern Conference-champion Lightning. The Maple Leafs have now lost an incredible 11 straight potential closeout games.

Finally, the Golden Knights finished off the Jets with a 4-1 win in Game 5. Here are Austin’s thoughts on the night that was.

Hailey Van Lith joins reigning champion LSU 🏀

The rich get richer. Women’s college basketball is going to be absolutely electric next season, just like it was this past season, in part because former Louisville star Hailey Van Lith has transferred to LSU. It’s a huge boost as the Tigers look to repeat as champions.

• Van Lith, a two-time first-team All-ACC selection, was one of two major-conference players to average at least 19 points, four rebounds and three assists in 2022-23. The other? Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark, who LSU beat to win the title.
• Van Lith brought her game up a level in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 23.8 points as the Cardinals made the Elite Eight.
• LSU returns star forward Angel Reese and guard Flau’jae Johnson but will look for Van Lith to help replace the departing Alexis Morris.

Just to catch you up, we now have Van Lith and Reese at LSU, Clark at Iowa, Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd at UConn, Elizabeth Kitley at Virginia Tech, Cameron Brink at Stanford… the list goes on and on. Oh, and top transfer Aneesah Morrow is down to three finalists.

I hope you enjoy this offseason, because this coming season will be a wild one.

What we’re watching this weekend 📺

🏀 We’re watching the NBA playoffs. Here’s how.
🏒 We’re also watching the NHL playoffs. Here’s how.
🏈 We’re also watching the NFL Draft. Here’s how.

Saturday

⚽ Roma vs. AC Milan, 11 a.m. on Paramount+
⚾ Cardinals at Dodgers, 9:10 p.m. on FS1
⚽ Portland Thorns FC vs. Angel City FC, 10:30 p.m. on Paramount+

Sunday

⚽ Inter vs. Lazio, 6:20 a.m. on Paramount+
⚾ Phillies at Astros, 7 p.m. on ESPN