Washington State made an appearance at the NFL Draft on Friday with Cleveland trading up to select Xavier Cooper with the No. 96 pick. Almost every mock draft I could find had Cooper going in the third round so it became a bit precarious when he was still on the board with just a handful of picks to go on Day 2. Any thought he might have to wait until Day 3 was quickly squashed with Cleveland moving up to grab him.
Giving up a couple of picks to get Cooper shows the Browns were clearly excited to grab him. So much so, they accidentally confused him with Destiny Vaeao ...
In all seriousness, Cleveland general manager Ray Farmer did have some good things to say.
"I really felt like he was a difference maker," Farmer said. "The guy played with an unbelievable motor. He ran and hustled to the ball. He showed that first-step quick explosion to defeat a block and get up the field.
I think the guy has a chance to be a really, really good NFL player."
With Cooper off the board, Vince Mayle and Connor Halliday will hopefully be next to hear their names called. The draft will resume with the fourth round at 9 a.m. PT Saturday morning. Several mocks had Vince Mayle going in the fourth round, so he may not have to wait much longer. Halliday said he was told he could go between the fourth round to not drafted at all. Hopefully both join Cooper in the 2015 draft class.
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Football:
Do away with divisions? Not in the Pac-12 - Pac-12 Blog - ESPN
What if the Pac-12 opted not to create divisions in 2011? What if the conference simply stood as a 12-team league, still playing nine conference games, and at season's end picked the top two teams to play a championship game?
Cleveland Browns trade up for defensive lineman Xavier Cooper | cleveland.com
"I really felt like he was a difference maker," Farmer said. "The guy played with an unbelievable motor. He ran and hustled to the ball. He showed that first-step quick explosion to defeat a block and get up the field. "I think the guy has a chance to be a really, really good NFL player."
Cleveland Browns draft Washington State DL Xavier Cooper in 3rd round
The Browns selected Washington State defensive tackle Xavier Cooper in Friday's third round with the 96th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Baseball:
Arizona baseball cruises past Washington St. | FOX Sports
Paced by JJ Matijevic's second homer in as many games, Arizona pounded out 15 base hits and drew a season-high 10 walks en route to a 14-5 victory in the series opener against host Washington State at Bailey-Brayton Field.
Cougars Drop Series-Opener to Arizona - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Washington State dropped the series-opener to the University of Arizona 14-5 at Bailey-Brayton Field Friday Night.