First call: National outlets see Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett available for Steelers in draft; Alex Ovechkin injury status

Tuesday’s “first call” leads us to believe that the Pittsburgh Steelers will be right with their quarterback pick on the board in Thursday night’s NFL Draft.

There will be a scoreboard to watch Tuesday in the NHL’s Eastern Conference.

And we have an update on Alex Ovechkin’s injury.

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Peter chooses Pickett

Longtime NFL writer Peter King released his draft simulation for ProFootballTalk.com on Monday.

He has Pitt’s Kenny Pickett and Liberty’s Malik Willis on the board at No. 1. 20 for the Steelers, and he sees the team leaving with Pickett.

“It’s a gut feeling more than anything,” King said. “How cool it would be if the Steelers, who passed on Dan Marino from Pitt in 1983 when a successor to Terry Bradshaw was desperately needed (they picked Gabe Rivera) would take 39 years later Pitt’s Pickett to be the long-term replacement. by Ben Roethlisberger.?Pretty cool to think that Pickett, who for his entire college career walked through the door on the right of the Steelers/Pitt complex on the south side of the gritty city, could now walk through the door on the left as a pro.

“We’ve gotten so used to excoriating any team that would even think about drafting a quarterback this year that we didn’t just sit down and think, ‘Maybe Kenny Pickett is actually, you know, good.

Of course, this last statement is true. I think that’s happened with all the quarterbacks in this draft.

But I just don’t see a scenario in which these two quarterbacks are available at No. 1. 20. And I wouldn’t put so much hope in the romanticized notion of erasing Marino’s ghosts as a catalyst for Steelers thinking. that King seems to do here.

I’m not saying Pickett won’t be selected by the Steelers if he’s available. I’m just saying, if so, it should be because they think he’s the best player on the board – and a franchise QB for a decade to come.

Not because they want to rewrite a script that was written when Mike Tomlin was in fifth grade.

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Hold on ?

King isn’t the only person from a major national news outlet to suggest the Steelers could have their pick of all the top quarterbacks available on draft night.

ESPN’s Todd McShay says he was told none of the 19 teams ahead of the Steelers were really interested in signing a quarterback.

“As it stands, my sources don’t believe there is a team in the top 19 picks that will draft a QB,” McShay wrote Monday. “There’s always a clash on draft night, and teams are always looking to trade for a flagger, but the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 1. 20 is the first place I hear serious QB consideration. They say that the Steelers love Liberty’s Willis, so the question for Pittsburgh general manager Kevin Colbert and coach Mike Tomlin: can they pull a Bill Belichick and just hold on for their guy? (New England stayed at No. 15 last April and landed Mac Jones.)”

McShay says another first-round team that could be a hunched quarterback is the Tennessee Titans. But they’re not up until pick No. 26.

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Quick on the draw

The AHL’s Hershey Bears asked Harrisburg native Micah Parsons to throw the ceremonial first puck Sunday before the team’s game against the Syracuse Crunch.

The former Penn State star agreed. But perhaps the reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year hasn’t been given the clearest instructions on how to accomplish this task. It appears the Dallas Cowboys linebacker was not told to wait for representatives from both teams to join him at center ice.

Thank you for coming last night, @MicahhParsons11!

We’re so sorry we didn’t explain how a face-off works. This one’s on us. Our evil. pic.twitter.com/WESn2ahUkd

– x – Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) April 25, 2022

Frankly, I prefer Parsons’ approach. I’m one of those people who always complains when the linesmen hold the puck too long before dropping it anyway. I think they should all follow Parsons’ example.

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An eye elsewhere

While the Penguins (101 points) take on the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday (7 p.m., PPG Paints Arena), the Washington Capitals (100 points) will also drop the puck against the New York Islanders.

Many Penguins fans are hoping the team will stay ahead of the Capitals in the Metropolitan Division, so the club can avoid playing the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. That would be the Florida Panthers, leaders of the Atlantic Division.

Staying in third place would mean avoiding a bump in the Atlantic playoff bracket and would set the Penguins up against the New York Rangers or Carolina Hurricanes in the first round.

Not easy either. But the Panthers had won 13 straight before a loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday.

Another game to watch on Tuesday is Florida’s contest at Boston. The Bruins have 103 points and are currently in the Atlantic wildcard spot with one game left after Tuesday’s battle against the Panthers. They would return to the subway to face the Rangers or the Hurricanes if they finished with more points than the fourth-place team in this division – whether it was the Pens or the Caps.

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Ovechkin outside?

Washington star Alex Ovechkin is day to day after leaving Sunday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs with an upper body injury.

The Caps made this design on Monday. The 50-goal striker was present for the team photo on Monday, even though the club did not train.

Ovechkin guides Ted Leonsis on the ice pic.twitter.com/oP58mHx0KB

— JJ Regan (@JJReganNBCS) April 25, 2022

NBCS Washington’s JJ Reagan reported that “Ovechkin was in full uniform and not in a sling. That said, he seemed to favor his left arm. At one point the team applauded an announcement that was made and Ovechkin just waved his right hand.