Manchester United have been given fresh hope in their pursuit of Harry Maguire after the defender pulled out of Leicester's upcoming friendly with Atalanta but the two clubs remain more than £15 million apart in their valuations, sources have told ESPN FC.

United have offered £70m plus £10m in add-ons for the England centre-half but Leicester are holding out for £85m with an extra £10m in performance related bonuses.

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Maguire has told Leicester he would like to join Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side after missing out on a move to Old Trafford last summer. The 26-year-old missed training on Monday because of illness. He returned to training on Tuesday but will not play against Atalanta on Friday after pulling out of the squad.

With just a week to go before the transfer deadline, United are facing a race against time to conclude a deal. Maguire is Solskjaer's top defensive target but there remains interest in Napoli centre-half Kalidou Koulibaly.

United are also waiting to hear whether Paulo Dybala is willing to join the club in a deal that would see striker Romelu Lukaku move to Juventus. Sources have told ESPN FC Lukaku is keen to join the Italian champions but Dybala has reservations about moving to Manchester and swapping Champions League football for at least one season in the Europa League. The Argentine is set for more talks with Juventus on Friday.

Inter Milan are also still in talks with United over a deal for Lukaku but have so far refused to meet the £80m asking price.

Meanwhile, Newcastle have not dropped their £50m valuation of midfielder Sean Longstaff. United are willing to pay between £25m and £30m for the 21-year-old, who has made just nine Premier League appearances, but are yet to submit a formal bid.

In the afterglow of his stupendous 144 on the opening day of the Ashes series, Steven Smith has admitted there were times during his 12-month ban for the Newlands ball tampering scandal where he fell out of love with cricket and considered walking away from the game completely.

Specifically, Smith stated that at the time around his elbow surgery in January this year and subsequent rehab he felt a lack of desire to play for virtually the first and only time in his life. The elbow problem, picked up while playing in the Bangladesh Premier League, was for a time considered problematic for Smith's return from the ban, but he revealed that it brought with it a far deeper struggle.

Fortunately for Australia, given the batting genius Smith demonstrated in a century that took Tim Pane's team from a perilous 122 for 8 to a creditable 284 after batting first on a tricky Edgbaston pitch, the removal of the stabilising brace protecting his elbow coincided with an immediate return of his overpowering love for cricket and, in particular, for batting.

"There were times throughout the last 15 months where I didn't know if I was ever going to play cricket again," Smith said in Birmingham. "I lost a bit of love for it at one point, particularly when I had my elbow operation, and it was really bizarre, it was the day when I got my brace off my elbow I found my love for it again. I don't know what it was, it was like a trigger to go again, I want to play, I want to go out and play for Australia and I guess make people proud and just do what I love doing.

"I've never sort of had those feelings ever before where I didn't have a great love for the game and it was there for a little while. Fortunately that love's come back and I'm really grateful to be in this position now, playing for Australia again and doing what I love."

In raising stands of 88 with Peter Siddle and 74 with the last man Nathan Lyon, Smith turned the course of the day, the match and perhaps the entire series, while making a compelling return to Test cricket some 15 months after the disgrace of Cape Town.

"I didn't really know what to do to be honest, it's been a long time coming, but I'm just, I don't know, I'm sort of lost for words at the moment," Smith said of the moment he reached his century. "Just really proud that I was able to help pull the team out of a little bit of trouble. Obviously England bowled exceptionally well in the first two sessions and it was hard work out there, I'm just proud that I was able to dig in and fight through the difficult periods and get ourselves to a competitive total.

"I think it has got to be one of my best hundreds, definitely, first Ashes Test match, the ball was doing a fair bit out in the morning so I had to work really hard. I got beaten a few times but I just had to let that go and concentrated on the next ball and kept digging in, I know that the first Test for an Ashes series is always big. I didn't want to give my wicket up easily, I wanted to keep fighting and fortunately I was able to dig in today and get ourselves to a reasonable total I think.

"I thought Peter Siddle did a magnificent job, that partnership we were able to form and Nathan Lyon as well, he was magnificent. He actually said to me that's the most nervous I've ever been out in the middle batting so to be able to get to my hundred and give him a really big hug and let all my emotions out that was really special."

There was more or less a constant stream of booing from the crowd across the day, most intense when Smith came to the wicket after David Warner and Cameron Bancroft fell early, and it continued when he reached his century and spent most of his time acknowledging an Australian team balcony that was going, in Smith's word, "berserk". He focused on the team and also the not inconsiderable Australian support from the stands, repaying them with an innings that will long be remembered.

"It doesn't bother me to be perfectly honest, I know I've got the support of the guys in the room and for me that's all that really matters," he said. "They went berserk on the balcony when I got to a hundred and just looking up at them really sent shivers down my spine. It's been a long time coming, getting another Test hundred, and it was a huge moment and I'm lost for words, I don't really know what to say at the moment."

While no longer the captain, a role from which he is still banned until April 2020, Smith said that he had wanted to play the innings of a senior player in difficult circumstances, and was aided enormously by bowlers who have often shared the nets with him over the past couple of weeks committing to extra work to prepare for the challenge of English conditions.

"I obviously don't have the arm band, and that's ok," Smith said. "I think Tim's done a magnificent job the last 18 months or whatever it is, and for me I'm obviously an experienced player now and an experienced person in the dressing room and you want your experienced players to stand up when its difficult and show the way in a way. Fortunately I was able to do that today.

"Sometimes you need your tail to dig in with you. Everyone gets to bat, so you might as well try and improve it, and to their credit the bottom four and the bowlers that are on the bench have worked incredibly hard the last couple of weeks to try and find a game plan that works in England. Try and get their defence in order and playing the ball really late and all those kinds of things. It's been a big focus, because tail runs can change the course of a game, as we sort of saw today."

Everyone makes mistakes, but there were quite a few on the opening day at Edgbaston. Here's how ESPNcricinfo's ball-by-ball commentators recorded the comings and goings as a series of seven wrong decisions left the umpires red-faced

1.1 Broad to Warner, no run, sprayed down the leg side, did Warner get a tickle on this? Bairstow was belting out a lone appeal, but Aleem Dar wasn't interested and England aren't tempted to review

Hello, hello... UltraEdge says there was a feather on that! Warner flicking across the line and hitting the ground as the ball went through, but also justgetting a touch on the leather, too, it seems. But no review from England!

3.5 Broad to Warner, OUT, NOW THAT'S OUT!! Full and fast, pinned in front of middle and leg! Warner is gone, no attempt even to review - Broad has burst through in the fourth over of the morning, and Edgbaston is all over this! "Cheerio, cheerio!" they crow, as Warner grits his teeth and heads for the dressing rooms. But hang on, because Hawk-Eye now has its say: and the ball was missing leg!! So a Tale of Two Missed Reviews ends with Warner back in the hutch for spit

14.2 Woakes to Khawaja, OUT, massive appeal but Khawaja is going nowhere! England are convinced, the umpire is unmoved, England review! There was utter unanimity in the cordon, low-fives from the moment Root signalled for the second opinion, and with good reason! There's the thinnest of tickles, and Khawaja has to walk! Wow. This is getting raucous!

33.5 Broad to Smith, no run, Smith pads up to a nip-backer, and Dar's finger goes up! Smith looks aghast and reviews and it quickly becomes apparent that this was a bad decision, the ball missing the stumps by an inch or so. Smith knew it, Hawk-Eye proved it, and Australia will keep both their No. 4 and the review

34.6 Woakes to Wade, OUT, swinging in, Wade now wears it on the pads... Joel Wilson thinks long and hard before keeping his hands where they are, but now England choose to review, the angle certainly looked good but height is the question. But no! Clattering into the top of middle and off, Wade's comeback is a brief one! And another on-field decision is overturned

39.6 Broad to Pattinson, OUT, booming inswinger, obliterating the front pad! Dar gives it straight away, although it may well have been doing too much again... No thought of a review from Pattinson, however, perhaps under orders not to waste it with Smith entrenched. Broad has his fourth and Edgbaston lets rip with another throaty roar! EDIT: That was missing leg!

46.1 Woakes to Siddle, no run, first ball, full and straight, thumps the pad... and up goes the finger! But Siddle reviews with full justification. A massive inside edge!

METAIRIE, La. -- After he signed his record-breaking contract extension on Wednesday, New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas said he told general manager Mickey Loomis, "I'll be back to do a third deal."

"So now it's on to the next goal. Now you're the highest-paid, and now you gotta go earn it," said Thomas, whose five-year extension is worth between $96.25 and $100 million and gives him the highest average salary of any receiver in the NFL.

"So that's the biggest thing I'm trying to do. I'm trying to earn every penny of it."

Thomas, 26, was back on the practice field Thursday after he ended a six-day holdout. And he didn't appear to miss a beat, catching familiar passes from quarterback Drew Brees down the middle of the field.

Thomas said he was training in San Diego at the same level he would have been training in New Orleans -- and he watched the practice highlights on social media. But he said it got harder for him to be away after the first few days.

"Missing those reps, not competing against my teammates ... that's part of developing into a great player," Thomas said. "And you can't do that sitting at home."

Thomas said he decided to hold out because he hired his agent for a reason and followed his "coaching" through the negotiating process. But Thomas said he didn't mind being the first receiver to get a deal done while fellow top receivers like Julio Jones, Amari Cooper, A.J. Green and Tyreek Hill are also seeking extensions -- even though he knows someone else might raise the salary bar even higher.

Saints coach Sean Payton said he "knew Mike was going to come in in good shape" and that it was good to have him back.

"It's awesome, great to have him back. Knew it was only a matter of time, right?" Brees said. "So I think the timing's good, get him back in the fold. I think we're still at the beginning of our install for the most part. And he came in here today as if he's been here the whole time. So all good.

"You know that this is the part of the business at times, and you hope it doesn't drag on too long. You want to have all the guys here, all the members of the team. You want the whole band, right?"

Brees, who has always raved about Thomas' intensity level and work ethic, said he believes that Thomas' presence does elevate others around him on the practice field.

"There's definitely a presence, an attitude, a swagger to what he brings on the field," Brees said. "You know when he's out there, there's no half-speed rep. Everything is a thousand miles an hour, Mach 3 with your hair on fire with Mike. And I think everybody else elevates their game to that. I think he makes the guys he's going up against better."

Thomas was named a first-team All-Pro last year after setting franchise records with 125 catches and 1,405 receiving yards. And his 321 catches are by far the most ever by a player in his first three NFL seasons.

But he will have to adjust to this level of recognition and reward, since he has always been so fueled by doubters after being a late bloomer in high school, struggling to get on the field early at Ohio State and being drafted in the second round.

Thomas insisted that he'll still have that same chip on his shoulder, while dropping a reference to his uncle, Keyshawn Johnson.

"I come from a competitive family. My uncle was the first receiver drafted in 1996, overall No. 1 ... and I went second round, 47th. But I had to control what I could control. And now we both have a little something to talk about, we'll see which one holds more weight," Thomas said. "But just being a competitor and wanting to be the best, I feel like if you set high goals and you attack 'em, there's rewards at the end of it."

Welcome to the inaugural NFL Pick 10, in which we asked 55 ESPN writers and analysts to play general manager. The rules are simple: They each picked 10 players to start an NFL team from scratch and win for the next three seasons. Any 10 players. No salary-cap rules, no position restrictions, no trades. It's an exercise in team building for the future, and it requires three crucial clarifications:

• Aside from the 10 players, they were told to assume every other player is replacement-level. So consider this question: If you don't take a single O-lineman, will your star QB stay healthy?

• Health and age matter. Our voters are trying to win the next three seasons (and the playoffs). Will their roster be intact in 2022? Are players set to peak, or set to decline?

• Players are picked in order of importance to the general manager.

So whom did our 55 experts take for their team? Here's what our consensus top 10 looks like -- based on ranked-choice voting -- plus surprise storylines and a full positional breakdown.

Jump to a section:
Consensus 1-10 team | No. 1 votes
No running back? | No Aaron Donald?
Outlier picks | Full positional voting

1. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs

No. of ballots: 42 of 55 | No. 1 votes: 37

Mahomes was picked No. 1 overall 37 times on our 55 ballots, as voters put a high emphasis on his positional value and health certainty -- he won't turn 24 until September. He has a 5,000-yard season, a 50-touchdown season, an All-Pro season and an MVP. Again: He's 23. A question mark: Aside from one special fourth quarter, he was pretty average over two playoff games. The voters believe he'll check that box for this team.

Why did you pick Mahomes at No. 1?

"Mahomes is a magician when he breaks the pocket, but there was nothing illusory about his 50-touchdown season; he possesses the physical and mental tools required to become an all-time great and is an easy first pick." -- Mina Kimes, senior writer

"A ridiculously explosive playmaker, Mahomes already has an MVP award on his mantle despite appearing in only 17 games." -- Mike Clay, fantasy writer

"I'll answer this with a question: Have you watched him play?" -- Jason Reid, The Undefeated senior writer

2. Aaron Donald, DT, Rams

No. of ballots: 53 of 55 | No. 1 votes: 8

So why does Donald end up No. 2 when he was on more ballots than Mahomes? It's simple -- Mahomes lapped the field in No. 1 votes (37), while Donald dominated in No. 2 votes (34). He had eight votes for No. 1, as some voters noted that, statistically, he's far more unique than Mahomes. Donald is 28, but voters believe he'll maintain his brilliance for the next three years, and maybe they're on to something; Donald appears to be getting better. He leaped to 20.5 sacks last season, his fourth straight as an All-Pro.

Why did you pick Donald at No. 1?

"No need to overthink this -- Donald is the most dominant defensive force in the league, and he's in his prime." -- Jake Trotter, Browns reporter

"A championship team is built around great defense, and Donald is the most disruptive interior pass-rusher in the NFL." -- Mike Reiss, Patriots reporter

"Count me among those who think Donald stakes a good claim to being the best player in the NFL, considering that in back-to-back seasons, he was the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year." -- Tristan H. Cockroft, fantasy writer

3. Khalil Mack, OLB, Bears

No. of ballots: 42 of 55 | No. 1 votes: 1

Mack, who had 12.5 sacks in his first season in Chicago, was the clear winner for the No. 3 spot, as his 21 votes were 13 more than any player. As the best player on the league's best defense last season, the 28-year-old Mack appears poised for another huge season. What most interested us, though? The 13 voters who left the NFL's top edge rusher completely off their ballot. Among the pass-rushers who were chosen over Mack by those voters: Von Miller, Myles Garrett, Joey Bosa and J.J. Watt.

Why did you leave Mack off your ballot?

"Donald was my starting point defensively, and though Mack is incredible, I felt I was able to build my pass rush around Donald and Von Miller." -- Field Yates, NFL analyst

"Defense isn't as reliable as offense, so I had room for only one pass-rusher on my team ... and Donald is better than Mack." -- Seth Walder, sports analytics writer

4. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Texans

No. of ballots: 30 of 55

Is the debate about the NFL's best wide receiver over? Our voters overwhelmingly chose Hopkins as their top wideout, as the next-best WR appeared on just 13 ballots (Michael Thomas) to Hopkins' 30. Still just 27, Hopkins is coming off a season in which he led the league in first-down catches (81), ranked second in receiving yards (1,572) and ranked third in receptions (115). He has 24 touchdown catches over the past two seasons and has played in 95 of 96 possible career games. With budding star Deshaun Watson throwing to him, Hopkins could be in line for a monster run.

Why did you pick Hopkins as your top receiver?

"I'd be happy with five or six of the NFL's elite wide receivers, but Hopkins has the best combo of age, size, speed, hands and monster numbers over the past two years." -- Mike Triplett, Saints reporter

"With 22 red zone touchdown receptions over the past four seasons, Hopkins is the ultimate scoring weapon, a prime target with the route-running chops and body control to eat up defenders at the point of attack." -- Matt Bowen, NFL analyst

5. David Bakhtiari, OT, Packers

No. of ballots: 30 of 55

Like wide receiver, there's a clear positional favorite here -- Bakhtiari was on 21 more ballots than the second-ranked tackle (Tyron Smith). Our voters put a major emphasis on youth when picking this position, as the only 30-year-old tackle who was on more than two ballots was Mitchell Schwartz, who landed on six. Bakhtiari, 27, has started 90 of 96 games for the Packers since being taken in the fourth round in 2013. He was Pro Football Focus' top-graded tackle last season.

What makes Bakhtiari the league's top young tackle?

"Other than quarterback play, the most important factor in fielding a good football team is pass protection, and Bakhtiari is the NFL's best blindside protector." -- Kevin Seifert, national NFL writer

"My squad will pass at a higher rate than any team in NFL history, so selecting an elite pass-blocking tackle in the prime of his career is both a necessary and an easy choice." -- Seth Walder, sports analytics writer

6. Saquon Barkley, RB, Giants

No. of ballots: 24 of 55

Running back was a curious position for our voters; 22 didn't take any running backs on their team, while another four voted for two-back teams. The majority chose the dual-threat, 22-year-old Barkley, who just won Offensive Rookie of the Year after rushing for 1,307 yards and catching 91 passes for another 721 yards. He was on 19 more ballots than Ezekiel Elliott, who was the No. 2 back, according to our voters. Barkley stayed healthy in college and in his first NFL season, but what will his body look like after he gets 300-plus touches for the rebuilding Giants in 2019?

What makes Barkley the safest bet to be the league's top running back?

"Barkley finished with the second-most rushing yards in the NFL as a rookie, and the Giants' reliance on him is only likely to grow as they eventually transition from veteran quarterback Eli Manning to Daniel Jones." -- Lindsey Thiry, Rams reporter

"Barkley is just 22 years old with a clean injury history and the ability to beat defenses with the combination of speed, power and elusiveness that make him an otherworldly runner and high-volume receiver." -- Anthony Olivieri, ESPN reporter-researcher

7. Jalen Ramsey, CB, Jaguars

No. of ballots: 23 of 55

Three seasons in the NFL, two Pro Bowls and one first-team All-Pro selection ... and Ramsey is still just 24 years old. The competition for the top corner in our top 10 was tight, but Ramsey edged out Stephon Gilmore, who was Pro Football Focus' top-graded corner last season but is four years older than Ramsey. One prickly issue in Ramsey's future will be sorting out a new contract -- he wants to get paid. Based on how he has played so far, that new deal will come in time.

What makes Ramsey the league's top young cornerback?

"Ramsey has a rare combination of size, length and speed, and you stick him on the opponent's best receiver and worry about the rest of the offense." -- Michael DiRocco, Jaguars reporter

"Ramsey has everything you want in a top corner -- confidence, size, speed, lockdown man and zone coverage ability and a knack for interceptions -- and I'd love to have a player I could trust to lock down his side of the field every Sunday." -- Cameron Wolfe, Dolphins reporter

8. Quenton Nelson, G, Colts

No. of ballots: 21 of 55

What's more important when building a 10-man team: an interior offensive lineman or a tight end? Our voters chose the former, as Nelson landed on 21 ballots, while the top tight end -- Travis Kelce -- made just 10. Though maybe our voters were scared of not putting Nelson on their team? The 23-year-old Nelson started every game as a rookie in 2018 -- going viral for how he manhandled defenders -- and was named first-team All-Pro.

Why did you pick Nelson as your only offensive lineman?

"With quarterbacks getting rid of the ball so quick, the fastest way for a defender to get home is up the middle, and in just his second season, Nelson has shown he's one of the best interior blockers in the NFL." -- Eric D. Williams, Chargers reporter

"He's young, strong, nasty and athletic enough to handle the growing legion of quick, interior pass-rushers." -- Rich Cimini, Jets reporter

9. Derwin James, S, Chargers

No. of ballots: 20 of 55

Is the 22-year-old James a rangy safety, a downhill linebacker who can make plays in the backfield, or a big, physical corner? Depending on the play, yes, yes and yes. Behold, the NFL's reigning Monsterback! Voters loved the versatility (three interceptions and 3.5 sacks as a rookie) and that this Swiss Army knife defender makes any defense better. Did we mention he's 22?

Why did you pick James as your top defensive back?

"In today's pass-happy league, you simply can't play defense without an edge presence, a high-end nickel corner and a safety who can function in the deep middle of the field, as well as down in the box as the personnel groupings change out down to down. James is that safety." -- Jeff Legwold, Broncos reporter

"It feels like James was built in a lab to stop the passing explosion in the NFL; the versatile Chargers safety can play just about every position behind the defensive line and affects the game in ways that don't always show up on the stat sheet." -- Mina Kimes, Senior writer

"Because with everything James can do -- play on the line of scrimmage and in space, cover, tackle and blitz -- he's going to impact a defense much more than a cornerback or a safety whose games are more one-dimensional." -- Brady Henderson, Seahawks reporter

10. Von Miller, OLB, Broncos

No. of ballots: 16 of 55

Surprised to see a 30-year-old on our list? Don't be. Miller, who has at least 10 sacks in seven of his eight NFL seasons, hasn't showed signs of slowing down. His 98 career sacks rank 33rd all time, but our voters think he's going to continue his run. One of the reasons for optimism? New Broncos coach Vic Fangio is a guru of 3-4 defenses, and he'll get a chance to mold a D led by Miller (and second-year stud Bradley Chubb) back into one of the league's premier units.

Why did you pick Miller as your top edge rusher?

"Of the NFL's top-tier pass rushers, Miller is the most consistently healthy and productive defender of the bunch." -- Bill Barnwell, NFL analyst

"The quarterback must go down, and Miller, still dominating with one double-digit-sack season after another, remains in his prime at 30." -- Eric Karabell, fantasy writer

A FEW TAKEAWAYS FROM THE VOTING

Patrick Mahomes runs away with the first pick

The Chiefs quarterback was picked No. 1 overall 37 times on our 55 ballots. Here are the other four players who got votes at No. 1:

• Aaron Donald, DT, Rams: 8 votes

• Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers: 6 votes

• Russell Wilson, QB, Seahawks: 3 votes

• Khalil Mack, OLB, Bears: 1 vote

What was the thinking behind choosing another quarterback over Mahomes? We asked our panel:

Why did you take Rodgers as your quarterback?

"The game's best throwing talent of the past decade has a promising, three-year window, the chance to reimagine his skill set in a new offense, a front office finally eager to put offensive weapons around him and the ability to strip a team's soul with one late-game throw." -- Jeremy Fowler, Steelers reporter

"Rodgers will enter the next phase of his career with a fresh perspective and newfound energy under new head coach Matt LaFleur -- that, coupled with Rodgers' undeniable natural skill set, makes him a can't-miss quarterback to build a team around for the next three seasons." -- Lindsey Thiry, Rams reporter

Why did you take Wilson as your quarterback?

"If I'm building a dominant team, the position where I need certainty is at QB -- so I'll take Wilson's high floor over Mahomes' incredibly high ceiling, thanks to a sample size of 112 out of 112 starts made in his NFL career, versus one incredible 16 for Mahomes, and his having been a Pro Bowl player in multiple offenses versus one brilliant year under (the brilliant) Andy Reid, and relative youth (Wilson is still just 30)." -- Chris Sprow, NFL editor

"Wilson's ability to make any throw and his Houdini-like escapability puts a different level of stress on defenses even if he doesn't have a viable offensive line." -- Turron Davenport, Titans reporter

Defend your pick: No Aaron Donald?

The Rams' superstar defensive tackle was left off only two of our 55 ballots. We asked those two voters to explain their choice:

"The three-year window was at the foundation of the decisions. Age matters. I was torn between Miller and Donald for my one selection at an over-27 player, but I believe in three years the chances of Miller playing closer to his peak are slightly better than Donald's, in large part because of where they line up and do most of their work." -- Jeff Legwold, Broncos reporter

"To build my team out for the next three years, I wanted to focus on players I believed were still on the way to their peaks over the next three seasons instead of at their high point right now. My decision was between Mack and Donald, and since I had Kenny Clark as an interior defender, I wanted two dynamic edge rushers -- and that led me to Mack over Donald to complement Joey Bosa." -- Michael Rothstein, Lions reporter

Defend your pick: No running back?

There were 22 ballots that didn't include a running back, as our voters prioritized other positions, assuming they could get league-average running back play from the rest of their roster. What was the thinking behind devaluing backs? We asked two voters:

"I put the least priority on running back of all the offensive positions because you can find players at that spot throughout the draft. I wanted to address premium positions first (QB, CB, pass-rushers) and then give the QB weapons in the pass game. Having two Pro Bowl OTs to protect the QB was also a higher priority." -- Michael DiRocco, Jaguars reporter

"With running backs having such a short professional shelf life, and in a pass-happy league, it's hardly worth building around one. It's a fungible position, and most teams employ some type of timeshare, so for this project, it's fine to go year by year." -- Eric Karabell, fantasy writer

Defend your pick: Tell us why you were so high on ...

Our voters detail a few of their outlier picks:

Why did you take David Bakhtiari at No. 2? "The most important position in football is the quarterback, so with my second pick, I'd take the player who protects that position better than anyone else in the NFL." -- Sarah Barshop, Texans reporter

Why did you take Christian McCaffrey at No. 2? "This is a no-brainer because McCaffrey not only is elite as a running back, but he can play any receiver position at an elite level and run the route tree as well or better than most pure receivers." -- David Newton, Panthers reporter

Why did you take Julian Edelman at No. 5? "Even at 33 years old, Edelman remains one of the best receivers in the NFL at creating separation early in the route, and he plays his best in critical moments of the game." -- Eric D. Williams, Chargers reporter

Why did you take Byron Jones at No. 5? "Jones' first full year at corner ended in a Pro Bowl bid; his length, speed, athleticism and physical style -- plus a team-friendly deal this season -- make him desirable to help form the cornerstone of a good pass defense." -- John Keim, Redskins reporter

Why did you take Tre'Davious White at No. 6? "He's a young (24), ascending player at a value position who can lock down his side of the field, limiting quarterbacks to a 51.9 completion rate and a 69.1 passer rating since coming into the league, per Pro Football Focus." -- Tim McManus, Eagles reporter

Full positional voting

Here are the top vote-getters for every position and how many ballots they landed on out of 55. This list includes every player who got at least two votes:

Quarterback

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs: 42 ballots
Aaron Rodgers, Packers: 8
Russell Wilson, Seahawks: 5
Baker Mayfield, Browns: 2

Running back

Saquon Barkley, Giants: 24 ballots
Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys: 6
Alvin Kamara, Saints: 5
Christian McCaffrey, Panthers: 2

Wide receiver

DeAndre Hopkins, Texans: 30 ballots
Michael Thomas, Saints: 13
Julio Jones, Falcons: 12
Odell Beckham Jr., Browns: 10
Antonio Brown, Raiders: 4
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Steelers: 2

Tight end

Travis Kelce, Chiefs: 10 ballots
George Kittle, 49ers: 4
Zach Ertz, Eagles: 2

Offensive tackle

David Bakhtiari, Packers: 30 ballots
Tyron Smith, Cowboys: 9
Mitchell Schwartz, Chiefs: 6
Ryan Ramczyk, Saints: 5
Lane Johnson, Eagles: 2

Interior offensive line

Quenton Nelson, Colts: 21 ballots
Zack Martin, Cowboys: 10
Jason Kelce, Eagles: 6
Travis Frederick, Cowboys: 2

Edge rusher

Khalil Mack, Bears: 42 ballots
Von Miller, Broncos: 16
Myles Garrett, Browns: 11
J.J. Watt, Texans: 5
Joey Bosa, Chargers: 3
Danielle Hunter, Vikings: 3
DeMarcus Lawrence, Cowboys: 2
Bradley Chubb, Broncos: 2

Defensive tackle

Aaron Donald, Rams: 53 ballots
Fletcher Cox, Eagles: 6

Linebacker

Bobby Wagner, Seahawks: 12 ballots
Luke Kuechly, Panthers: 11
Darius Leonard, Colts: 8
Deion Jones, Falcons: 2

Cornerback

Jalen Ramsey, Jaguars: 23 ballots
Stephon Gilmore, Patriots: 14
Marshon Lattimore, Saints: 5
Kyle Fuller, Bears: 5
Patrick Peterson, Cardinals: 4
Chris Harris Jr., Broncos: 3

Safety

Derwin James, Chargers: 20 ballots
Jamal Adams, Jets: 3
Eddie Jackson, Bears: 2

Major League Baseball on Thursday suspended six players and both managers for their roles in the benches-clearing brawl between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.

Reds manager David Bell (six games) and pitchers Amir Garrett (eight games) and Jared Hughes (three games) were disciplined. Yasiel Puig, who acknowledged after Tuesday's game that he had been traded to the Cleveland Indians before Wednesday's official announcement, was suspended for three games.

Pirates pitcher Keone Kela got the longest ban at 10 games for "intentionally" throwing a pitch near the head of the Reds' Derek Dietrich and later instigating the brawl. Teammates Jose Osuna (five games) and Kyle Crick (three games) and manager Clint Hurdle (two games) also were disciplined by MLB.

All six players have appealed the suspensions and can continue to play until those appeals are heard. Bell will begin his suspension on Thursday night, and Hurdle will begin serving his ban on Friday.

"The incidents between these two clubs remain a source of concern, and it's reflected by the level of discipline we are handing down today," Joe Torre, chief baseball officer for MLB, said in a statement. "Everyone on the field should be aware of the example they are setting for fans, particularly young people.

"I firmly expect these two managers and all others to hold their players accountable for appropriate conduct and to guide them in the right direction."

MLB has also fined Pirates pitcher Trevor Williams, Reds first baseman Joey Votto and Reds outfielder Phillip Ervin an undisclosed amount. Other players who participated in the skirmish while on the injured list, including Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli, also have been fined.

The suspensions come from Tuesday's fracas that started with Garrett charging the Pittsburgh dugout and being dragged to the ground by roughly half the Pirates team before backup arrived.

Bell was among the first Reds to join the fray and had to be separated from Hurdle. Bell later helped restrain Puig, who reignited the melee with more shouting and shoving.

Tuesday's brawl started in the top of the ninth, but tensions were sparked innings earlier when Kela threw up-and-in to Dietrich in the seventh. In April, Dietrich admired one of his homers at PNC Park, and it led to a benches-clearing clash in that game.

THE FIRST CALL came about 24 hours before Major League Baseball's 4 p.m. ET July 31 trade deadline. Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow reached out to his counterpart with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Mike Hazen. Luhnow wanted to talk about Zack Greinke. Hazen was happy to listen.

Both understood how things like this work. It was a long shot. Around this time of year, baseball executives sequester themselves in conference rooms for a week or two leading up to the deadline. They arrive early. They stay late. They eat like crap. They forget to shave. They squabble. They bicker. And they consume themselves with making their organizations better through the art of player movement, a talent that necessitates a delicate balance of creativity, resolve, flexibility and conviction.

In the weeks leading up to the deadline, thousands of potential deals die on the lips of those bold enough to utter them, whether a low-level baseball operations staffer whose brain works on overdrive dreaming up trade concepts, or someone like Luhnow and Hazen who can actually execute them. It would take a special sort of audacity to pull off something like this: moving one of the game's best pitchers and highest-paid players amid the frenzy of the clock ticking on deadline, when an office resembles a fire drill gone terribly wrong.

On Wednesday morning, nobody arrived at the Astros' or Diamondbacks' offices overly optimistic about the Greinke conversation going anywhere fruitful. That's the splendor of the trade deadline. Ideas are just ideas -- until they aren't. The Zack Greinke trade was a notion that evolved into a possibility that cooled into an unlikelihood that reanimated into an opportunity that shook the foundation of baseball.

OFFICIALLY, THE BIGGEST deal of the 2019 deadline became a reality around 3:55 p.m. Arizona would send Greinke to Houston in exchange for four minor league players -- Corbin Martin, J.B. Bukauskas, Seth Beer and Josh Rojas. The Diamondbacks would cover $24 million of the $77 million on Greinke's contract, which runs through the 2021 season. Everything was approved. MLB signed off. It was done.

The madness of the 24 or so hours before that it took for the trade to come together exhausted everyone involved. Only 20 minutes earlier had the Astros and Diamondbacks even agreed to the parameters of the trade, and that took the sort of back-and-forth that has wrecked countless deals before.

All of this started because of a trade that had nothing to do with either the Astros or the Diamondbacks. Three days before the deadline, the New York Mets acquired right-hander Marcus Stroman from the Toronto Blue Jays for a pair of pitching prospects. Whether it was the Mets' intentions or not, the deal constrained the supply of starting pitching on the trade market. The Mets were suddenly the clearinghouse for pitching, with Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler available, and it changed the way both buyers and sellers behaved.

It compelled the Astros to ask internally: What about Greinke? At 35 years old, he remains a master of command, the ball his to manipulate up and down and side to side and high mph to low. Other teams have considered him available in a deal because the size of his six-year, $206.5 million contract long has taken up a cartoonish portion of Arizona's payroll, and Houston wasn't on the ace's no-trade list. While they were open to anything, the Diamondbacks didn't shop Greinke in the days leading up to the deadline.

Arizona's front office had turned into inbound telemarketers after a reporter tweeted last week the Diamondbacks were sellers. It wasn't true. While the 2019 deadline blurred the buy-sell line, with the Mets getting Stroman and a sub-.500 Cincinnati team dealing for top starter Trevor Bauer, this was less about next season for Arizona and more about balancing this year and next year and plenty of years after. It's a healthy, reasonable approach; it's also the sort that doesn't afford a general manager nearly the leeway of a rebuild.

Luhnow had taken the complete teardown route to incredible success. The Astros got comically bad before getting comically good; they bottomed out with three consecutive 100-loss seasons, and they're on their way to a third consecutive 100-win season, the first of which led to a World Series victory. Their juggernaut shows little sign of abating, either. These Astros needed only another starting pitcher to complement Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, and they were interested in Stroman and Wheeler and Madison Bumgarner. Just not at the prices.

Teams recognize by now the discipline and patience of Luhnow. For two years, he has refused to trade his best prospects -- outfielder Kyle Tucker and pitcher Forrest Whitley -- and in those two years, he has still managed to make deals for Verlander and Cole. For having a reputation as cold and calculating -- some of it earned, some of it jealousy manifesting itself -- Luhnow does not operate like an automaton when it comes to trades. As other teams were paralyzed by the idea of giving up too much prospect capital to chase a World Series ring, Luhnow readied to pounce.

The conversation picked up the morning of deadline day, though not enough for the Diamondbacks to scratch Greinke from his start at Yankee Stadium. In hindsight, it illustrates how quickly the deal came together. Some Astros people figured the deal was dead the moment Greinke threw a pitch. The Diamondbacks simply couldn't expend all their bandwidth on the chance that a Greinke trade was going to be that one in a thousand. Hazen and his lieutenants, Jared Porter and Amiel Sawdaye, kept fielding calls, feeding the information to scouts and analysts, poring over data, iterating, tweaking, fighting, prodding.

That was how they long had worked, coming up together in Boston under the tutelage of Theo Epstein before joining the Diamondbacks to build something of their own. This was not the Red Sox, with their lavish budget and endless resources. The Diamondbacks thrive when their stars are developed within. They'd seen it this year, with Ketel Marte -- who came to Arizona in a trade -- growing into a star.

It's why the Diamondbacks listened when Luhnow asked to talk Greinke -- and kept listening as he upped his offers. This cannot be personal. It can't. No matter their deep fondness for Greinke, he was still a means to an end. Thinking that way can be soul-sucking, numbing, but in a baseball world where spontaneity has been replaced by indifference, the adapt-or-die adage applies. Turn off the emotion. Do your job. Do your damn job.

Even if it means doing so with a message looping in your mind: Are we really going to trade Zack Greinke? That's the thing about team war rooms for the draft or winter meetings or deadline: disagreement is not just present but encouraged. Explain an idea and defend it against all comers. What Luhnow offered for Greinke initially wasn't enough to satisfy Arizona. When the value of the prospect package increased, some in Houston balked -- the same instinct that held up other teams plenty present in the Astros' front office.

They were emboldened by the support of owner Jim Crane, who is just the right kind of hands-on -- supportive but not pushy, involved but not overbearing, and very, very happy to cut a check for stars. As talks intensified and Luhnow and Hazen saw the possibility of a deal becoming more realistic, Crane and the Diamondbacks' owner, Ken Kendrick, entered the picture. Kendrick, who four years ago awarded Greinke the richest per-year deal in baseball history, would need to sign off not just on sending Greinke to Houston but doing so with tens of millions of dollars attached.

At that point, the clock was beginning to become an enemy. The fanciful offers of earlier deadline day -- some executives are particularly fond of trying to swing three-team deals that excite the mind but rarely come together -- evaporated into a sense of urgency. It was time to ask more important questions. Is this the path we want to take? What is our walk-away? How do we value this? Where does this take us today? A year from now? Five? Answer those questions in real time, and balance them against the other three deals you're working on, and do this all with the player you're talking about standing on the mound at Yankee Stadium, and tension could strangle the room.

Only it doesn't. Because there's the job to do. There's the World Series to win for the Astros, so they up their offer. There's the present and future to consider for the Diamondbacks, so they hold out. The Astros kept upping, even perhaps slightly past their point of comfortability, because they saw what was happening. They knew Syndergaard and Wheeler weren't moving. They didn't think Bumgarner was going anywhere. Same with Mike Minor in Texas. And the Diamondbacks were so focused on shipping Greinke to them, Robbie Ray probably was staying put, too.

It dawned on the Astros: No one else was doing anything. The New York Yankees, with a record percentage points better than Houston's but a starting staff entirely inferior, didn't make a single move leading up to the deadline. The Los Angeles Dodgers, the class of the National League, made a couple of cosmetic upgrades. How others maneuver can't guide decision-making, but it can inform it, another data point on the side of why surrendering four good prospects would make sense.

The discussions transferred over to text between Luhnow and Hazen. In big deals, particularly when money is involved, there is a desire to memorialize the details, just so nothing is lost in translation during a conversation. It's very formal: We will trade you Players A, B, C and D. We will send you X amount of dollars. Here is how they will be distributed. Is the deal confirmed?

Sometime between 3:30 p.m. and 3:40 p.m. ET, it was confirmed. The scrambling didn't end there. The teams exchanged the medical information on all five players -- one of whom, the right-handed pitching prospect Martin, just underwent Tommy John surgery. Each team's trainer sought red flags. Operations staffers contacted MLB for approval on the $24 million cash transfer. Deals have died at the 1-yard line before. The Astros know. They believed a deal was in place to acquire Bryce Harper at the last trade deadline. Washington Nationals ownership scuttled it.

The Greinke deal suffered no such fate. The medicals looked good. The league approved the money. It was done. Word filtered to Astros manager A.J. Hinch as well, and players were told there would be a team meeting to discuss the goings-on. Hazen reached out to Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo -- their game against the Yankees was rain delayed -- to tell him and inform Greinke on the phone. It was a quick conversation. Hazen needed to go.

With less than five minutes before the deadline, the Diamondbacks had another trade to make.

THE GREINKE DEAL was one of four each Houston and Arizona made. The Astros reacquired catcher Martin Maldonado from the Chicago Cubs, sent their previous backup, Max Stassi, to the Los Angeles Angels, and did what a number of evaluators saw as the deal of the day: sending backup outfielder Derek Fisher to Toronto for pitchers Aaron Sanchez and Joe Biagini, plus minor league outfielder Cal Stevenson.

It was a very Astros sort of day. They love little more than turning a 26th-round pick into a guy who got them Greinke, as they did with Josh Rojas. They got a lottery ticket in Sanchez, an incredible arm on whom they hope to sprinkle their pitching pixie dust like they did with Verlander, Cole and countless others. Biagini fortifies a bullpen in need of a workhorse arm. The best team in the AL got much better and didn't compromise its principles in the chase to do so. It wasn't an easy day, but it was unquestionably a fulfilling one.

Being a seller is different. Just two years ago, in Hazen, Porter and Sawdaye's first season running the Diamondbacks, they got off to a surprising 53-34 start and did what they think winning, flawed teams should: buy. When they completed a deal for J.D. Martinez, the room reveled. They'd done it.

Wednesday was more subdued, businesslike -- perhaps a touch somber. Divorcing emotion entirely from trades is a hard-to-reach goal. As they considered trading a foundation of their franchise, the Diamondbacks also flipped one of their best prospects, Double-A shortstop Jazz Chisholm, for Miami Marlins right-hander Zac Gallen, dealt catcher John Ryan Murphy for cash and, before the clock struck 4 p.m., executed that other trade, acquiring starter Mike Leake from Seattle.

This was their nod to the team that has competed all season long, staying around .500. Even if they traded Greinke and in doing so prioritized the future, they weren't abandoning the present. It's delicate. Just as the Astros had experience pulling off deadline stunners -- the Verlander deal was done just minutes before the clock struck midnight Aug. 31, 2017 -- Arizona knows what it's like to ship off franchise icons.

Over the winter, they traded first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, long the face of the team. The deal took more than two months, from its initial conversations to the final agreement with the St. Louis Cardinals. And so far, the Diamondbacks have done quite well. Carson Kelly is already excellent and could grow into an All-Star catcher. Right-hander Luke Weaver looked like a mid-rotation starter before his elbow started barking. Utilityman Andy Young could be up next year.

Every trade is different, of course. Some take two months, some two hours, some even two minutes. The Greinke deal took a day -- a long, contouring, emotional, fulfilling 24 hours that drained the energy of everyone involved almost as much as it did their phone batteries.

In the end, all would like to believe they know exactly what they're doing, that they're impervious to the flaws and weaknesses they may believe they see in other teams' strategies -- that, more than anything, they're right. Luhnow's ring is his currency there. Arizona's front office tends to be different, always cognizant of a lesson long preached by Epstein and even still as he runs the Chicago Cubs: "We are all idiots."

He says that, and he says "We don't know s---," and he says other derivations because of days like Wednesday. In an era when prospects simply don't get traded, the Diamondbacks dealt a toolsy shortstop. In an era when elite players rarely if ever get traded, the Diamondbacks dealt a star pitcher. They didn't do this because they were trying to zig where others zag; people who operate from the perspective that they're idiots know better than to try to be the smartest guy in the room.

The Diamondbacks, in a circuitous way, did what plenty of other teams wouldn't Wednesday: They tried something incredibly risky in order to win. Which was the hidden beauty of the Zack Greinke deal. As those 24 hours culminated, as all the harried sprints around the office and juggled phone calls and tired thumbs came to mean something -- as the foundation of baseball shook -- it was the product of two teams taking entirely different paths in search of the same destination: a parade.