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For a change, Mumbai Indians have started strongly and the Delhi franchise finds itself at the top half of the points table- no.2 to be precise. There's actually nothing but net run-rate separating Delhi Capitals and Mumbai.

Capitals have won three on the trot on the road, but have won just one out of three games at the Feroz Shah Kotla so far. That solitary win was down to Kagiso Rabada's scorching yorkers in a Super Over last month. However, they now have a great chance to score some points at home. The Delhi franchise has won six out of nine IPL games against Mumbai at Kotla.

Both sides have been prolific with the ball at the death, Capitals more so with Rabada bowling nearly 50 % of his overs in this phase. All told, the South African quick has bowled 15 overs in the death, claiming 13 wickets at an economy rate of 8.6. But, there are some concerns in the batting line-up. Colin Ingram's return to South Africa on paternity leave has left Capitals scrambling for a finisher. The other Colin - Munro - flickered briefly at No. 3 against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday and the onus is now on the bowling allrounders Chris Morris, Axar Patel and Keemo Paul to crank up the tempo with the bat.

Mumbai have a top finisher in Hardik Pandya, who has taken his six-hitting to an all-new level in IPL 2019, but his elder brother Krunal has struggled - both with ball and bat - this season.

In the news

It remains to be seen if new-dad Ingram has rejoined the Delhi squad. If the South African continues to be unavailable Munro will get another game. Meanwhile, Karnataka left-arm spinner J Suchith has stepped in as replacement for the injured Harshal Patel

Previous meeting

Rishabh Pant clubbed 78 off 27 balls - 70 of those runs came in boundaries - to give the rebranded Capitals their opening win.

Likely XIs

Delhi Capitals: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Colin Munro, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Chris Morris, 7 Keemo Paul, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Ishant Sharma

Mumbai Indians: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Rohit Sharma (capt), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Ishan Kishan, 5 Krunal Pandya, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Kieron Pollard, 8 Jason Behrendoff, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Strategy punt

• Shikhar Dhawan has cracked Jasprit Bumrah for 69 runs off 46 balls without being dismissed in T20 cricket. So, it makes sense for Mumbai to hand the new ball to Jason Behrendoff and Lasith Malinga, and hold back Bumrah for Pant. Bumrah has dismissed Pant three times in six IPL innings while conceding only 26 runs off 24 balls. No other bowler has dismissed Pant as many times as Bumrah has in the IPL.

• Capitals should try to make sure Chris Morris gets a crack at Kieron Pollard. Their head-to-head reads 23 runs off 22 balls plus one wicket.

Stats that matter

• In a way, Pant's patchy form at home has mirrored Capitals' patchy form at home. At Kotla this season, Pant has managed only 41 runs in three innings at a strike-rate of 117.1 as opposed to 204 runs in five innings at a strike-rate of 174.4 on the road.

• Watch out for Malinga's offcutter. He has picked up four of his seven wickets this season with that variation.

• Mumbai have a win percentage of 30 at Kotla - their lowest at an away venue in the IPL.

• Rohit Sharma needs 12 runs to become only the third Indian after Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli to 8000 runs in T20 cricket.

Toss Chennai Super Kings opted to bat against Sunrisers Hyderabad

For the first time since 2010, Chennai Super Kings are being captained by someone other than MS Dhoni, who took part in a pre-match football warm-up ahead of the game but was rested from this match after pulling up with back spasms in Super Kings' last game.

Suresh Raina took up the leadership role in his absence, and Sam Billings will keep wickets for Super Kings, who came into this game on a winning streak, but with a couple of injury worries in their ranks. Harbhajan Singh, suffering from a stiff neck, did not travel to Kolkata for their last game, though Dhoni's absence could be the trickier proposition for them. Mitchell Santner also missed out today, with Karn Sharma replacing him.

David Warner had put Sunrisers Hyderabad's stunning collapse in their last game down to a lack of experience in the batting order, and to that end, Sunrisers have brought back the experienced head of Yusuf Pathan to their middle order. There was no space for Abhishek Sharma, with left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem also returning to the playing XI.

Stuck at the lower end of the points table after a string of defeats, Sunrisers will hope the changes will spark a change in their fortunes against a team they don't have a particularly good record against, having lost the last eight games they have played against Super Kings.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 David Warner, 2 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Shahbaz Nadeem, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 Khaleel Ahmed

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Shane Watson, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Suresh Raina (capt), 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Sam Billings (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Karn Sharma, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Imran Tahir

Dimuth Karunaratne has been named captain of Sri Lanka's World Cup side, meaning Lasith Malinga has been ousted as leader.

Although Karunaratne has not played an ODI since the 2015 World Cup, his leadership during the upset Test series win in South Africa had tipped him as a left-field captaincy choice for the World Cup.

Sri Lanka's subsequent 5-0 defeat in the ODIs to South Africa sealed the fate of Malinga's captaincy, before Karunaratne's good performances with the bat in the recent Super Four domestic tournament provided some indication that he was a viable choice as a one-day opener. Although fears about Karunaratne's batting centred around whether he could score runs quickly enough, he mustered a strike-rate of over 90, as he made 165 runs at an average of 55 through the course of that tournament.

The news will be a substantial blow to Malinga, whose commitment to his position as captain saw him play a domestic match in Kandy, only 14 hours after finishing an IPL match in Mumbai, earlier this month. Although Malinga had led Sri Lanka to a World T20 trophy in 2014, his one-day captaincy has produced abysmal results - the team losing each of the nine ODIs they have played under his leadership.

Malinga was also understood to have had a poor relationship with several key players. Earlier this year, Thisara Perera asked Sri Lanka Cricket to intervene after he and Malinga's wife had become embroiled in a Facebook squabble.

The third major option for the captaincy may in fact have been the selectors' first choice: Angelo Mathews, who has been Sri Lanka's ODI captain in two separate stints before. But he is understood to have ruled himself out. His most recent stint at the helm was cut short when he was ousted following Sri Lanka's Asia Cup exit it September. Mathews' relationship with coach Chandika Hathurusingha had become incredibly strained following the player's axing last year.

Sri Lanka are yet to name their World Cup squad, but the selectors' final meeting is expected to take place on Thursday, with the squad likely to be announced over the following 24 hours.

Although Karunaratne has not been part of a Sri Lanka ODI squad for years, he is now clearly assured a place. Both Malinga and Mathews are also almost certain to be named.

India coach Ravi Shastri said he would have preferred a 16-member World Cup squad instead of the mandated 15 and urged those who missed out to "not lose heart".

India announced a 15-strong squad for the tournament starting May 30 in England, and the omissions of batsman Ambati Rayudu and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant had triggered widespread debate.

Shastri steered clear of it, though. "I don't get involved in selection. If we have any opinion, we let the captain know," he was quoted as saying by the Sport360 website in Dubai.

"When you only have 15 to pick, there is bound to be someone or the other who misses out, which is very unfortunate. I would have preferred 16 players. We had mentioned to the ICC that in a tournament that long, 16 players makes sense. But the diktat was 15."

Shastri said those who missed the final 15 should continue to look ahead as opportunity could knock anytime. "They shouldn't lose heart. It's a funny game. There could be injuries," he said. "So you never know when you could be called up."

Rayudu and Pant, as well as paceman Navdeep Saini, have already been named on standby in case any of the original 15 get injured.

When pressed on Vijay Shankar's selection for the No. 4 slot months after captain Virat Kohli had declared Rayudu as the front-runner for the position, Shastri said the spot remained a flexible one. "Total flexibility depending on conditions, opposition. I would say the top three but after that you can be very flexible," he said.

Shastri also brushed aside criticism that India seemed to be too reliant on Kohli to carry them through. "If you look at the last five years, the way the Indian team has performed, they have always been in the top two or three. To be in top two or three for five years in a row, No1 in Tests, again top three in T20 cricket you can't depend on one player.

"You have that kind of consistent record, you need a bunch of players performing all the time. Due credit to the team."

Speaking in general about the World Cup, Shastri gave the favourites' tag to England. "England have been the most consistent team over the last two years," he said. "They have multi-dimensional players. They have depth in bowling and batting. And they are playing at home. So they would start as favourites.

"But there are so many teams that can beat any team on a given day. In a tournament like the World Cup, you have got to be on top of your game every game."

The Chicago Bears and the Oakland Raiders will play the first NFL game at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 6, the league announced Wednesday.

The Bears-Raiders matchup will be the first of four regular-season games played in London this season, including two at the newly constructed home of English Premier League power Tottenham Hotspur.

The 62,062-seat stadium in North London also will host an NFC South matchup the following week, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play the rival Carolina Panthers on Oct. 13.

The other two London games will be played at Wembley Stadium. The first will be on Oct. 27 between the reigning NFC champion Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals, followed by an AFC South showdown between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans on Nov. 3.

The Green Bay Packers are the only NFL team that has yet to play in the U.K.

All five International Games on the 2019 schedule! ????@NFLUK @nflmx pic.twitter.com/wT61ywioRH

— NFL (@NFL) April 17, 2019

The NFL also announced Wednesday that the Kansas City Chiefs will face the Los Angeles Chargers in Mexico City as part of the league's International Series, which began in 2007.

It will be the first game in Mexico City for both teams.

Last November, the NFL moved the Chiefs' game against the Rams from Mexico City to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum because of poor field conditions at Estadio Azteca.

The NFL will release the rest of its 2019 schedule on Wednesday night.

In 2019, every NFL trade is plausible. Imagine if I'd told you this time last year that the Steelers would trade Antonio Brown for third- and fifth-round picks, or that the Giants actually dumped Odell Beckham Jr. and said Jabrill Peppers and first- and third-round picks were too good of an offer to turn down. You would have rightfully stopped reading this article. Yet, here we are.

Every April, I read well-intentioned mock drafts that don't include any trades amid their 32 selections. I know that it's the reality of constructing a mock draft -- it's difficult enough to project where prospects will go, let alone where trades might occur -- but it also leaves out a huge portion of what makes the draft fun. Last year, just 12 of the first 27 selections were made by the teams that originally held those picks. There were three draft-day trades within the first 14 picks. You can't do a mock draft without trades.

With that in mind, I offer up an annual first-round mock draft that consists entirely of trades. It's not exactly the same as a traditional mock draft, because each of the 32 trades exists in a different universe in which the other trades haven't happened. The goal is to try to look at how an organization might approach a specific opportunity at its spot in the draft, given its general manager's history, current needs and the needs of the teams around them.

As a result, you'll see multiple teams trading for Josh Rosen or moving up to grab someone like Rashan Gary at different points in my 2019 mock draft. I'm suggesting there are scenarios in which each of those trades could make sense if the picks beforehand go a given way. I've used the Jimmy Johnson chart to evaluate the relative value of trades; in cases where teams have typically overpaid by the traditional chart, like when they use picks from future drafts, I've tried to overpay accordingly. I'm not suggesting that any particular move is smart or stupid, just that I could see a scenario where both teams could find the logic in making a move.

One final note: For picks in the 2019 draft, I've notated the selections with their round and their spot within the overall draft order. That means the 13th pick in the first round is written as 1-13.

Let's get started with a rare Cardinals trade scenario that doesn't include Rosen...

Jump to an interesting pick:
1. ARI | 4. OAK | 6. NYG | 11. CIN
15. WSH | 24. OAK | 28. LAC | 32. NE

1. Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals get: 1-4, 1-24, 2-35
Raiders get: 1-1, 3-65

If the Cardinals eventually decide to keep quarterback Josh Rosen, they should be able to drum up a reasonable trade market for the top pick. Nobody thinks the 49ers or Jets are taking a quarterback at Nos. 2 or 3, but there's a good chance both teams will be open to a trade down with a team interested in grabbing Kyler Murray before the Raiders, who would be able to pounce with the fourth overall pick.

The Raiders, therefore, might very well be the most plausible candidates to trade up to No. 1 and get their quarterback for Las Vegas. They have three first-round picks to work with, and while they aren't one player away from competing, trading up would give the organization some final bit of cover for the Khalil Mack trade, given that the 24th pick new GM Mike Mayock would be sending to the Cardinals is one of the first-rounders Jon Gruden got from the Bears. If the Raiders trade up for Murray and come away with a superstar quarterback, the Mack deal doesn't seem quite as bad.

Meanwhile, from Arizona's perspective, this is a chance to gain an extra first-rounder without missing out on a defensive difference-maker. If Murray goes first, the 49ers and Jets would seemingly be inclined to target edge rushers Nick Bosa and Josh Allen. Arizona already has its star edge rusher in Chandler Jones and added Terrell Suggs this offseason, but it could sorely use an interior disruptor such as Alabama star Quinnen Williams. If the Cardinals don't draft Murray at No. 1, Williams would be a logical pick. Here, they move down and get him at No. 4 anyway.

2. San Francisco 49ers

49ers get: 1-6, 5-143, 2020 first-round pick, CB Janoris Jenkins
Giants get: 1-2, QB Nick Mullens, CB Ahkello Witherspoon

While the Giants might be in denial publicly about their rebuild under general manager Dave Gettleman, they've established a habit of dumping veterans from the Jerry Reese era while they still have some trade value. New York has shipped off guys such as Eli Apple and Olivier Vernon over the past six months, and it wouldn't be shocking if they continued by dealing away the 30-year-old Jenkins, who still has two years and $22.5 million remaining on his deal. Jenkins doesn't have the size that teams that play the Seahawks Cover 3 defense typically want from their corners, but he would be a big upgrade on Witherspoon and give the 49ers a pair of effective veteran corners alongside Richard Sherman.

For the Niners, though, this trade is more about adding a juicy first-round pick in 2020 from a team that has an inflated view of its own ability to compete this season. There's a good chance that pick will be better than the 17th selection, which the Giants hold as part of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade. It also restores a top pick to replace the 2020 second-rounder the 49ers shipped off to the Chiefs as part of the Dee Ford trade. After adding Ford, the Niners don't have as much of a pressing need for an edge rusher; they should still be in line to add someone like Montez Sweat or Devin White to supplement their defense with the sixth pick, or they could choose to trade down again.

On the other hand, the Giants are perilously thin on the edge after trading away Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul over the past year. Moving up after a Kyler Murray trade would guarantee them Nick Bosa, who could be the defensive building block the team sorely needs. They also get a possible quarterback of the future in Mullens, who was impressive in a half-season filling in for Jimmy Garoppolo. The 49ers can roll with C.J. Beathard as their backup, while the Giants can turn to Mullens if -- or after -- Eli Manning struggles this season.

3. New York Jets

Jets get: 1-14, 3-79, 2020 first-round pick, DE Vic Beasley Jr.
Falcons get: 1-3, 4-105, 2020 conditional pick

The Falcons badly need to add an impact pass-rusher. They also need to conserve cap space as they attempt to extend Grady Jarrett and Julio Jones this offseason, which makes Beasley's $12.8 million fifth-year option unappealing. We know the Falcons have gone all-in for a potential superstar in the past when they traded a future first-round pick to move up from No. 27 to No. 6 in 2011 to draft Jones. That move worked out, and if the Falcons see a similarly impressive star in Nick Bosa or Josh Allen, it's not crazy to think that they would make the same sort of move to grab the edge rusher their defense desperately needs.

It's a tougher sell for the Jets, who also need an edge rusher after Anthony Barr left them at the altar in free agency. In a deep class, though, they would still have a great shot at adding someone like Rashan Gary or Brian Burns with the 14th pick, so if they don't see whoever is left at No. 3 as a star, moving down would make sense. This franchise badly needs extra picks after trading three second-rounders as part of the Sam Darnold trade.

They also take a flier on Beasley, who led the NFL with 15.5 sacks in his second season, but has just 14 sacks combined in his other three campaigns. The conditional pick here gives the Falcons a fifth-rounder in 2020 if Beasley hits six sacks and a third-rounder if he makes it to 10 sacks.

4. Oakland Raiders

Raiders get: QB Matthew Stafford, 2-43
Lions get: 1-4

If you're Detroit decision-makers Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia, do you at least think about starting over with a young quarterback? They inherited Stafford from the prior regime, and over his 10-year career, the former first overall pick has taken home $178 million, the fourth-most of any player in the league. Stafford has made one Pro Bowl and delivered zero playoff victories over that time frame. While the latter isn't entirely his fault, the Georgia product doesn't appear to have the ceiling of a top-five quarterback. He has thrown 5,405 passes as a pro, and the Lions just moved on from the pass-happy attack of former offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter. This team doesn't appear close to winning a Super Bowl as currently constructed.

Making this trade would give the Lions two of the top eight picks, which should be enough to draft a quarterback and add one stud defender. Moving up from No. 8 to No. 4 could give them a shot at either Josh Allen, Nick Bosa or Quinnen Williams. It also could push them ahead of the Bucs if they want to grab linebacker Devin White, whom ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has going to Tampa at No. 5 in his most recent mock draft. Detroit would incur a staggering $35.5 million in dead money on its 2019 cap, but given that Stafford's cap hit is already a league-high $29.5 million, it's not an enormous difference.

Jon Gruden, meanwhile, might very well prefer the 31-year-old Stafford to any of the rookies in this class. He has publicly backed Stafford in the past and never pulled the trigger on a highly drafted rookie at quarterback during his time as a head coach, instead preferring veterans such as Rich Gannon and Jeff Garcia or midround picks such as Chris Simms and Bruce Gradkowski.

With Stafford's $50 million signing bonus already paid, the Raiders would be inheriting Stafford on what amounts to a four-year, $84 million deal, which would be a relative bargain for an average veteran starter. The Raiders would still lose their top pick in the process, but they would keep their other two first-rounders and get another second-round selection. Stafford throwing to Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams would sell some tickets in Las Vegas. This deal would render Derek Carr relatively null and void, but the Raiders might be able to find a trade market for him over the summer if they eat some of his $19.9 million base salary.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Buccaneers get: 1-9, 2-40
Bills get: 1-5, 4-107

The Bucs could use defensive help -- they could always use defensive help -- but they're probably looking for a middle linebacker, cornerback or offensive tackle to replace Demar Dotson, and all of those spots should be available at No. 9. Tampa is probably safe dropping down four spots and picking up an extra second-round pick for the trouble. It needs multiple starters on defense more than it needs one impact player.

After spending all offseason working to build an offensive infrastructure around Josh Allen, meanwhile, the Bills might want to use this opportunity to work on the future of their defense. Buffalo quietly posted the league's second-best defensive DVOA last season. While the defense is built around young stars such as Tremaine Edmunds and Tre'Davious White, general manager Brandon Beane has to be thinking about the future at defensive end. Jerry Hughes is a free agent after this season, Trent Murphy wasn't an impact player in his first year with the Bills, and Shaq Lawson hasn't impressed since the prior regime drafted him in the first round in 2016.

It's unlikely that Nick Bosa or Josh Allen would be on the board at No. 5, but trading up would give the Bills a chance to get their pick of the remaining edge rushers before the Giants at No. 6

6. New York Giants

Giants get: 1-24, 4-106, 2020 first-round pick
Raiders get: 1-6

If the Giants don't think there's a franchise quarterback on the board for them at No. 6, their best move is trading down to add as many draft picks as possible while replenishing their defense. If I ran the team, I'd also have a goal of coming away from this draft with an extra first-rounder in 2020, which could come in handy if the Giants do finally address their quarterback conundrum in the draft next year.

When that pick belongs to the Raiders, who were just 4-12 last season and could combust before their move to Las Vegas in 2020, this trade gets more appealing for Big Blue. The Giants could end up with two top-five picks in 2020, which is exactly how the Browns were able to finally kick-start their endless rebuild.

Oakland would be moving up to either grab its own quarterback of the future or a second stud defensive piece. The league's worst scoring defense from 2018 badly needs pass-rushing help, so imagine if the Raiders are able to come away with Quinnen Williams and Rashan Gary before using their third first-round pick on help in the secondary. This would leave them without the option to draft a young quarterback in the first round next year, but again, I'm not sure that's a preference Gruden has expressed in years past.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars

Jaguars get: 1-10, 3-71
Broncos get: 1-7, 5-148

The Lions have been popularly linked to Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson, who is getting comparisons to Rob Gronkowski. It's always going to be aggressive to compare a guy who hasn't played a single NFL snap to arguably the best player at his position in NFL history, but Hockenson has huge upside as a blocker and a receiver. It wouldn't be shocking to see him go in the top 10, especially when you consider that the Lions' brain trust spent their formative years with Gronk in New England.

To get ahead of the Lions, who pick eighth, the Broncos have to make a slight move from No. 10 to No. 7. Denver re-signed Jeff Heuerman to a two-year deal, but it can't depend on Jake Butt as a receiving tight end after years of injuries. There's a chance Hockenson might fall to the Broncos with the 10th pick, but they should be willing to move down later in the draft to ensure they get their man. The Jags, who are likely looking at a right tackle to replace Jermey Parnell, should be able to land Jonah Williams or Jawaan Taylor three picks from now.

8. Detroit Lions

Lions get: 1-19, 2-51, 4-121
Titans get: 1-8

Bob Quinn has made 10 trades involving draft picks during his time as Lions general manager, and six of those were with his former employers in New England. Last year, he traded up to nab Kerryon Johnson and then sent his 2019 third-round pick to draft Da'Shawn Hand with a fourth-round selection as part of a pair of trades with the Pats. Quinn got an extra third-rounder back from the Eagles as part of the Golden Tate trade, but this is a Lions team that needs to add depth, especially on defense.

It's difficult to make a Patriots trade work -- they could theoretically send four picks to the Lions to move up from No. 32 to grab Hockenson -- but let's opt for another Patriots satellite in Tennessee. The Titans could very well be interested in T.J. Hockenson as the long-term replacement for Delanie Walker alongside Jonnu Smith. They could move up to grab someone such as Montez Sweat as the bookend for 2018 second-rounder Harold Landry on the edge. They could even theoretically move up for a quarterback if GM Jon Robinson & Co. aren't committed to Marcus Mariota, although if that's the case, they're holding their cards extremely close to the vest.

9. Buffalo Bills

Bills get: 1-17, 2-37
Giants get: 1-9, 4-112, 5-147

Reports have suggested that the Giants don't think Dwayne Haskins "fits" their roster, which could mean just about anything, given how teams smokescreen their intentions this time of year. There's a reasonable chance the Giants are telling the truth, of course, but they might also be trying to keep Haskins' value down so they can take him without having to use the No. 6 pick.

This is their chance to come away with a key defensive piece and their quarterback of the future, as general manager Dave Gettleman can use the sixth pick on a defensive lineman before trading up from No. 17 to grab a quarterback such as Haskins or Drew Lock. Trading up would allow the Giants to pip the Bengals (11th) and the Dolphins (13th) from drafting a quarterback themselves.

10. Denver Broncos

Broncos get: 1-13, 3-78
Dolphins get: 1-10, 6-182

The Dolphins are privately rebuilding, even if they're unwilling to fully commit to an idea of a rebuild in their public comments. After trading away Ryan Tannehill, they are committed to Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starter in 2019, although it seems likely that they'll draft a quarterback in the first round in either the 2019 or 2020 drafts.

Miami could wait until next season for what might be a superior quarterback class, but with an ownership group that wouldn't realistically be characterized as patient, it could move up in this draft and pick Dwayne Haskins or Drew Lock if they're still on the board at No. 10. The Dolphins would be moving up to try to beat the Bengals to the punch, given the chances that Cincinnati could draft a starting quarterback to replace Andy Dalton at No. 11.

11. Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals get: WR Robby Anderson, ILB Darron Lee, 1-3
Jets get: WR A.J. Green, 1-11, 4-110

I'd like to believe the Bengals will eventually come to terms with their star receiver as Green enters the final year of the four-year, $60 million extension he signed in September 2015. After Odell Beckham Jr. and Antonio Brown were traded this offseason, though, it seems naive to rule out anything. If the Bengals don't think they're a Super Bowl team with their current core -- and it's hard to argue that they are -- this would be a chance to reshape their roster with one trade.

This trade only makes sense if Kyler Murray is still on the board at No. 3, which would position the Bengals to come away with their quarterback of the future to develop under new Bengals coach Zac Taylor. Losing Green would obviously cost Murray his would-be top receiver, but the Bengals would still have a young wideout core with both a track record of production and future upside in Anderson and Tyler Boyd, both of whom are 25 or younger. They would also get an inside linebacker in Lee, a former first-round pick who doesn't have a spot in the Jets' starting lineup after the C.J. Mosley signing but showed promise last season.

The Jets, meanwhile, would suddenly have a No. 1 wideout for Sam Darnold without having to give away their first-round pick. They would miss out on adding a pass-rusher with the third pick, but there could still be options up front such as Rashan Gary or Ed Oliver at No. 11. The Jets also have the cap space to give Green a new deal. This contract would value the difference between Green and the two Jets players as equivalent to the 19th pick in a typical draft; far more than the Steelers got for Brown, who is the same age as Green (30), but for a player without the off-field issues Brown exhibited during the end in Pittsburgh.

12. Green Bay Packers

Packers get: 1-15, 3-96, 2020 first-round pick
Washington gets: 1-12, 1-30, 5-150

Here's a creative way for the Packers to try to create a valuable draft pick out of the selection they got from the Saints last year. Split up the trade into two parts, and you have the Packers moving down three spots from No. 12 to No. 15, with Washington swapping the third-round compensatory pick it got for Kirk Cousins for Green Bay's fifth-round pick in return. On the Jimmy Johnson chart, that's a slight advantage for Washington, with Jay Gruden's team giving up 1,166 points of draft capital and getting 1,231 points in return.

The big opportunity for the Packers would be swapping the 30th pick in this year's draft for Washington's 2020 first-round pick. There's obviously not much chance that Washington will make it to the NFC Championship Game, so the pick will land higher in the draft than 30th. It's far more likely that Washington will finish below .500, which would push this pick into the upper half of the first round. It also gives the Packers a promising player on a rookie contract that starts in 2020, and that's particularly valuable given that the contracts from their free-agent class all spike next season. Za'Darius Smith, Preston Smith and Adrian Amos have a combined cap hit of $19.2 million in 2019, rising to $40.2 million in 2020.

Washington could make this deal for a number of reasons. If a quarterback it loves is on the board at No. 12, it could use this trade to get ahead of the Dolphins. It also gives Washington an extra first-rounder to help move up for a quarterback; Washington would be able to package three of the top 46 picks in this draft as part of a deal, which would be enough on the Johnson chart to return the No. 3 overall pick.

13. Miami Dolphins

Dolphins get: 1-2
49ers get: 1-13, 2020 first-round pick

NFL teams occasionally agree on conditional trades, which are dependent upon a player being available at a given spot. Last year, for example, the Broncos and Bills agreed on a tentative pick swap, with the Broncos retaining the right to keep their pick if their player was still on the board. When Bradley Chubb fell to the fifth slot, the Bills had no deal.

Here, the Dolphins would be striking a conditional swap if the Cardinals decide to pass on Kyler Murray with the top pick, presumably to draft Nick Bosa. The 49ers and Jets have no need for Murray, but the Dolphins would want to move ahead of the Raiders at No. 4 to grab their quarterback of the future. The Jets likely want to add one of the edge rushers at No. 3 after missing out on Anthony Barr this offseason, and they're not going to be inclined to help a divisional rival get their quarterback of the future.

That leaves the 49ers, who could certainly consider drafting Allen at No. 2, but don't have the same sort of need on the edge after trading for Dee Ford this offseason. Moving down would net the Niners a future first-round pick from a team that might be among the worst teams in football in 2019, which has to be appealing to general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan. They might covet Bosa, but if he comes off the board at No. 2, the Dolphins could have a deal.

14. Atlanta Falcons

Falcons get: 1-8, 3-88
Lions get: 1-14, 2-45

The Falcons' needs -- defense, with a particular focus on edge rusher -- line up well with the strengths of this draft. They have to be a little antsy about where they sit at No. 14, given that the top defensive ends -- Nick Bosa, Josh Allen, Montez Sweat, Rashan Gary and even Brian Burns -- could be off the board.

They probably won't be all-in for Bosa and Allen in the way that I suggested they might with the trade at No. 3, but it's certainly plausible that they could move up and go after someone like Sweat if he's on the board at No. 8. They would make this move to get ahead of the Bills at No. 9. It's also a perfect match on the Jimmy Johnson chart.

15. Washington

Washington gets: QB Josh Rosen, 2-33
Cardinals get: QB Case Keenum, 1-15

The most simple trade in this mock! The most logical landing spot for Rosen is Washington, given that Jay Gruden's team doesn't have a quarterback of the future behind Alex Smith, who might never play again. Arizona wants to come away with a first-round pick for its second-year passer, but I don't think it has a great shot of getting one straight up unless it's the 32nd pick from the Patriots.

The Cardinals also get a veteran backup for Kyler Murray in Keenum, who once played under Kingsbury in Houston. This deal values the difference between Rosen and Keenum as equivalent to the 43rd pick in a typical draft.

16. Carolina Panthers

Panthers get: 1-7, 6-178
Jaguars get: 1-16, 2-47, 3-100

The Panthers have enough starting-caliber talent across their roster to spend the first round of this draft focusing on their future. They probably want to come away with a defensive end to add to their rotation to play behind Mario Addison and Bruce Irvin. General manager Marty Hurney could try to find a downfield threat to replace Torrey Smith and supplement the oft-injured Curtis Samuel behind DJ Moore, although I doubt he'll use his first-round pick on a wide receiver in consecutive seasons.

One other path to take would be to move up and draft tight end T.J. Hockenson as a replacement for 34-year-old Greg Olsen, who has missed 16 games over the past two seasons and might be close to joining a television network. Ian Thomas flashed promise in December while subbing for an injured Olsen, but there's nothing stopping the Panthers from using a heavy dose of two-tight-end sets. Carolina can use its second-round pick and the compensatory selection it nabbed for losing Andrew Norwell to move up for the Iowa tight end.

17. New York Giants

Giants get: 1-30, 2-44
Packers get: 1-17, 3-95

The Giants picked up the 17th and 95th selections from the Browns in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade, and while they might want to use those picks to make a dramatic selection by using one on a quarterback, their best chance of adding talent as part of that swap is to trade down. This move would give the Giants four of the top 45 selections in this draft, which should allow them to address right tackle and simultaneously buff up a bereft defense.

Meanwhile, the Packers could use the first-round pick they got from the Saints as part of the Marcus Davenport trade as a weapon to move up for a second key piece of talent. It seems likely that they'll want to add at least one weapon for Aaron Rodgers, and while there might not be a great fit for anyone besides T.J. Hockenson at No. 12, they could use that pick on an interior disruptor like Christian Wilkins while moving up to No. 17 for Noah Fant, Hockenson's teammate at Iowa. A wideout like D.K. Metcalf or Marquise Brown also could be in play here.

18. Minnesota Vikings

Vikings get: 1-29, 2-63
Chiefs get: 1-18, 6-190

After re-signing Anthony Barr and giving Adam Thielen a much-deserved raise as part of his contract extension, general manager Rick Spielman and the Vikings know they need to nail their draft picks to find regulars on low-cost deals. Minnesota will naturally look to address its offensive line yet again in the draft, but it might be more interested in guards if it plans to keep Riley Reiff at tackle. The Vikings could be better off moving down and picking up an extra second-round pick.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, have to be aggressive in going after edge-rushing help after somehow turning Dee Ford and Justin Houston into Alex Okafor and Emmanuel Ogbah this offseason. Trading up to the middle of the first round might give them a shot at adding someone like Brian Burns to their rotation at defensive end. The Chiefs also could use this trade, which includes the second-rounder Kansas City acquired from the Rams in the Marcus Peters deal, to trade up for their pick of the cornerback class.

19. Tennessee Titans

Titans get: 1-32, 2-64
Patriots get: 1-19

The Patriots don't often trade up, but it could make sense in this situation. New England has seven picks in the first four rounds, so it's extremely likely that Bill Belichick & Co. could either consolidate some of those selections or trade for future picks in 2020.

Given the Pats' hole at tight end, it would make sense for them to consider moving up ahead of the Steelers at No. 20 to grab a weapon for Tom Brady. This could be a landing spot for Noah Fant. After making just four selections last year, meanwhile, the Titans should consider amassing extra picks in this draft, even if it means waiting on drafting an edge rusher until the bottom of the first round.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers get: 1-13
Dolphins get: 1-20, 3-66

The Steelers don't often trade up, but it wouldn't be unprecedented: They once dealt up from No. 27 to No. 14 to grab Troy Polamalu, and that turned out OK. Could they make a similar trade if tight end T.J. Hockenson is still on the board? I don't know if he'll still be around at No. 13, but Pittsburgh could move up to target an offensive tackle like Jonah Williams, given that it traded Marcus Gilbert and currently has Matt Feiler penciled in as the starting right tackle.

With offensive line coach Mike Munchak leaving for Denver this offseason, the Steelers might want a higher-upside option at right tackle than the undrafted Feiler.

21. Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks get: 1-26, 3-89
Colts get: 1-21, 6-159

As much as the Seahawks might love to stay put and draft the best available edge rusher on their board, they are already down their second-, sixth-, and seventh-round picks in this draft after trading for Duane Brown, Brett Hundley and Shalom Luani. They need to add draft capital. Trading down a few picks in the first round and getting a third-round pick back would make sense.

It might seem like the Colts would be an unlikely team to trade up, but Indy did move up three spots in 2018 to take Tyquan Lewis at the end of the second round, so general manager Chris Ballard is apparently comfortable making a small move forward if the price is right. This would be five spots in the first round, so the cost would be commensurately higher, but it would allow Indy to get ahead of teams such as the Ravens and Raiders to grab talent for its defensive line.

22. Baltimore Ravens

Ravens get: 1-31, 2020 second-round pick
Rams get: 1-22, 4-123

New general manager Eric DeCosta is down a second-round pick after sending it to the Eagles as part of the Lamar Jackson trade last year, so while he has two picks in each of the third and fourth rounds, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him trade down to try to get back some draft capital. Given that the longtime deputy to Ozzie Newsome isn't going anywhere anytime soon, he shouldn't be terribly concerned if that capital doesn't come back until 2020.

Any team interested in offensive linemen will be looking to get ahead of the Texans at No. 23, and after losing Rodger Saffold in free agency and cutting John Sullivan, the Rams could very well be in the market for an interior lineman such as Erik McCoy. The Ravens themselves could target McCoy -- Kiper picked McCoy to Baltimore here in his latest mock draft -- but they should be happy to move down nine spots and pick up a second-rounder for 2020.

23. Houston Texans

Texans get: 1-14
Falcons get: 1-23, 2-55

The Texans learned just how dangerous it can be to trade up when they shipped off a future first-round pick for Deshaun Watson and ended up missing out on the fourth overall selection last year. They're happy with Watson, of course, and general manager Brian Gaine wasn't around for that trade, but you would understand why the franchise might be wary to make a huge leap up, even if they're attempting to target a position of need.

With an extra second-round pick from the Duane Brown trade, though, the Texans should consider moving up to grab some desperately required help along the offensive line. Washington has been bringing linemen in for visits, and the Texans might need to get ahead of the 15th spot if they want to draft someone such as Erik McCoy or Jonah Williams. Sometimes, it's just that simple.

24. Oakland Raiders

Raiders get: DE Jadeveon Clowney
Texans get: 1-24, 5-140

What's more complicated for the Texans, though, is coming to terms on an extension with Clowney. I wrote back in February about how difficult it would be to find common ground with the edge rusher on an extension, and after seeing players such as Za'Darius Smith top $17 million per year on deals this offseason, things aren't getting any easier for the Texans. They can use the franchise tag on Clowney a second time in 2020 and pay the former first overall pick $19.1 million, but he would top a $20 million average salary in free agency, and his camp knows it.

If the Texans aren't willing to give him a DeMarcus Lawrence-type contract, this would be the right time to make a trade. Coming away with a first-round pick in a draft deep with edge-rushing talent is far more appealing than waiting a year and ending up with a compensatory third-round pick.

One team that would probably be comfortable using a first-round pick to pay Clowney north of $20 million per year would be the Raiders, who would be using the pick they received from the Bears in the Khalil Mack trade to go after an edge rusher with proven success and significant upside. Trading Mack for two first-round picks doesn't sound quite as bad as trading Mack for Clowney and a first-round pick, and while I'm not sure that's a great way to make football decisions, I would also be pretending to think that teams don't think that way internally.

25. Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles get: CB Trae Waynes, 2-50, 6-190
Vikings get: 1-25

The Eagles gave cornerback Ronald Darby a one-year, $6.5 million deal this offseason to come back, but Howie Roseman is one of the most creative and aggressive general managers in the league when it comes to acquiring talent at positions of need. The Eagles have possible options at the position with the likes of Jalen Mills and Sidney Jones, but they need as much help at corner as possible.

In this deal, he goes after Waynes, who is on what amounts to a one-year deal for $9.1 million on a Vikings team already deep at cornerback and unlikely to retain him next year in free agency. Minnesota can move up and use yet another first-round pick at the position to supplement Xavier Rhodes and Mike Hughes, who would be promoted to the starting lineup with Waynes' departure. The Eagles would move down 25 spots in the draft, but they would likely come away with a compensatory pick for Waynes in free agency next season.

26. Indianapolis Colts

Colts get: 2-36, 3-67
49ers get: 1-26, 5-164

The Colts might have rode a blistering-hot second half into the postseason, but it's also fair to say that their rebuild is still in progress. Indy managed to coax career seasons out of veterans such as Margus Hunt, Denico Autry, Pierre Desir and Clayton Geathers on defense last season, and though they're all returning in 2019, the best path for the Colts to build a sustainably excellent defense is still going to be through drafting and developing young talent.

General manager Chris Ballard used three of his four second-round picks on defenders last year and found a superstar with the 36th pick in Darius Leonard. This trade gets him another pair of quality picks at the top of the second and third rounds, including that very same 36th pick again in a swap with the 49ers. San Francisco's rebuild is also in progress, but given how GM John Lynch has fallen in love with specific players over his tenure as general manager, this could be a spot for the 49ers to trade up and grab a cornerback like Greedy Williams or Rock Ya-Sin.

27. Oakland Raiders

Raiders get: 2-62, 2020 first-round pick
Saints get: 1-27, 4-106

Everything the Saints have done over the past few months suggests they're all-in for the 2019 season. Most of what the Raiders have done over the past year suggests they're trying to build a competitive team for their move to Las Vegas in 2020. This deal better aligns both those windows.

The Saints don't have a 2019 first-rounder after trading up for Marcus Davenport last year, but they would much rather be without a first-round pick in 2020 as opposed to 2019 if it means they have a better shot of winning a Super Bowl this season. The Raiders are amassing tons of draft capital under Jon Gruden, but there's no reason they should be desperate to make one of those picks in 2019 as opposed to 2020, especially given that the pick they would be sending in this deal is the sixth-worst selection of the first round. The Saints are likely to send them a bottom-six pick in next year's draft too, but Oakland will move up 44 picks and take home a second-round pick this April for being patient. If the Saints disappoint in 2019, this could end up being a huge win for Gruden.

28. Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers get: QB Josh Rosen, 2-33, 4-103
Cardinals get: 1-28, 2-60

Chargers general manager Tom Telesco hasn't really exhibited much interest in trading draft picks. Since trading up to grab Melvin Gordon in 2015, the only time Telesco has traded away a draft pick was when he sent a seventh-round pick to the Bills for Cardale Jones in 2018. There's a good chance he'll hold onto his picks again this year.

With that being said, the Chargers have a quarterback entering the final year of his deal who turns 38 in December, and while Philip Rivers continues to play at a high level, there's no guarantee that the 15-year veteran wants to play deep into another contract extension. They wouldn't need Rosen for 2019 or maybe even for 2020, but trading for him now would give the Chargers peace of mind that they'll have a starter after Rivers packs it in.

At this price, L.A. would value Rosen as worth the 61st pick in a typical draft, which seems like the low end for a guy who was the 10th overall pick in 2018. With Tyrod Taylor's contract nonguaranteed in 2020, trading for Rosen is a move the Chargers would have to seriously consider.

29. Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs get: DE Carl Lawson, 2-42, 4-110
Bengals get: 1-29, 6-201

A Bengals trade up is about as rare as it gets, but with the Packers and Patriots lurking as teams that could at least consider using a first-round pick on a quarterback like Daniel Jones, any team interested in nabbing a quarterback is going to have to talk to the Chiefs. If the Bengals don't draft a passer with their first-round pick, moving into the bottom of the first round would be a plausible alternative.

Kansas City general manager Brett Veach already has two late second-round picks, but as the Chiefs build their roster around a core of stars who are about to get very expensive, they're going to need talented players on rookie deals. Here, they get a pair of valuable picks and a pass-rusher with upside in Lawson, who had 8.5 sacks and 21 hits as a rookie before tearing his ACL last season. With two years left on his rookie deal, any sort of return to that rookie form would make Lawson extremely valuable for a Chiefs team desperately seeking edge-rushing help.

30. Green Bay Packers

Packers get: 2-38, 2020 second-round pick
Jaguars get: 1-30, 4-118

The Packers have a lot of flexibility with the 30th pick after spending so much in free agency. They could opt for depth at pass-rusher, offensive line help, or go after a receiver, but their best bet might be to amass more draft capital. At No. 30, they should have teams calling them to try to get ahead of the Rams and Patriots, who are most likely to be looking for offensive linemen and receivers, respectively.

Tom Coughlin's Jags would be looking toward the latter. Even after signing Geoff Swaim to a two-year deal this offseason, Jacksonville badly needs a solution at tight end. This would be a move to trade up for Irv Smith Jr. ahead of the Patriots, but it would be costly: If Nick Foles doesn't turn things around for the Jags, this trade could easily be the 30th pick for two picks in the 33-40 range.

31. Los Angeles Rams

Rams get: 1-22, 2020 fourth-round pick
Ravens get: 1-31, 3-94, 2020 second-round pick

It's tough for the Rams to move up, given that they're down a second-round pick from the Marcus Peters trade and one of their two compensatory third-round picks after dealing for Dante Fowler Jr.

Unless they want to package both of their third-rounders to move up, the Rams probably will have to put their 2020 second-round pick into play. By including that pick and one of the third-rounders, the Rams probably have enough to approach the edges of the lottery. They could be trading up for an interior lineman to replace Rodger Saffold, but if they plan on keeping Michael Brockers at defensive end, it's fair to wonder if the Rams might target a defensive tackle such as Jeffery Simmons if the Mississippi State product falls to No. 22.

32. New England Patriots

Giants get: QB Josh Rosen (from Cardinals), 4-134 (from Patriots)
Patriots get: TE Evan Engram, 2-37 (from Giants), DE Robert Nkemdiche (from Cardinals)
Cardinals get: 1-32 (from Patriots)

The Patriots might very well make their own move for Rosen, but let's finish up this mock draft by everyone getting a bit of what they want. The Cardinals want a first-round pick for the quarterback they chose with the 10th overall selection; they'll have to settle for the last pick in the round, but it's a fair return given that Rosen showed little behind a porous offensive line last season. Arizona will likely decline Nkemdiche's fifth-year option for 2020, with the disappointing former first-round pick coming off a torn ACL. He's not guaranteed to make the Arizona roster if he stays in the desert.

In getting Rosen, the Giants come away with a viable successor for Eli Manning without having to use the sixth overall pick on a quarterback. Giants GM Dave Gettleman instead leverages his second-round pick and Engram, another one of the Jerry Reese draftees who have little utility in a run-first attack, to get a possible franchise quarterback. They get a fourth-rounder back from the Pats to help cushion the blow.

The Patriots move down five spots from their first-round pick and send a fourth-rounder to the Giants to pick up two young players with upside. Engram isn't a direct replacement for Rob Gronkowski -- he's more like Aaron Hernandez on the field -- but the Ole Miss product is a valuable receiver at a position of need for the Pats and came out of school with an excellent three-cone drill mark, which Belichick has typically valued in his receivers. Nkemdiche is a flier along the defensive line with a cap hold of just $2.7 million for 2019.

MILWAUKEE -- There aren't many 7-foot centers who make enough 3-pointers to weigh the relative merits of their go-to celebrations.

Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks is one such anomaly. He coveted Eric Bledsoe's three-finger salute but didn't want to be a copycat, so he settled on blowing on the fingers of his shooting hand.

"I'm cooling it off a little bit," Lopez said. "That's my thing."

Nothing about Lopez's 3-point shooting is ordinary. This season he attempted 512 3-pointers - the most by a 7-footer in league history.

While Giannis Antetokounmpo has dominated headlines for the Bucks, Lopez has been his shooting sidekick, opening the paint for Antetokounmpo's drives and dunks while making defenses pay if they don't step out to guard him.

As the Bucks launch what they hope will be a deep playoff run, Lopez's shooting is already making an impact. In Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Detroit Pistons, Lopez scored 14 points and hit two 3-pointers in just 25 minutes. Detroit center Andre Drummond struggled to find an effective defensive role against Milwaukee's spread offense. At times, Pistons coach Dwane Casey tried to adjust by moving Drummond off Lopez and onto Antetokounmpo, a less proven shooting threat.

"He has spaced the floor so well for us all season long," Antetokounmpo said. "He has been hitting 3s and he is making defenses adjust to him. When he came out in the beginning of Game 1 and hit some 3s, they had to adjust and put Thon [Maker] on him and Drummond on me. I am kind of getting upset sometimes when he started hitting the 3s because then I have Andre Drummond guarding me."

The Bucks outscored the Pistons by 35 points when Lopez was on the court, a clear sign they had won the stylistic matchup, although every Milwaukee starter sported a hefty plus rating.

Lopez's path to being such an important floor-spacer began as a curly-haired kid, but nothing in his first eight NBA seasons suggested that this is where his career would wind up.

"I always had confidence in myself shooting," Lopez said. "I believed I could shoot it in NBA games one day, but at this level? This many? No. I didn't see it."

THE AWKWARD LANDINGS, crunching of bones, countless setbacks and excruciating physical therapy sessions all seem far away to Lopez now.

Between December 2011 and January 2014, the 31-year-old suffered four different foot injuries and missed well over 100 games. Numerous surgeries left him with metal screws in his foot. During his tenure with the Brooklyn Nets, one of the trainers began referring to Lopez's "bionic foot" -- a nickname worn proudly by the comic-strip aficionado.

The repeated foot injuries forced Lopez to change his game. Rather than pound on the block play after play, he began turning to jump shots more often as a way to limit his exposure to bumps and bruises. Lopez's individual transition couldn't have come at a better time. With a 3-point revolution sweeping the league, he realized he could extend his range even farther. Three years after he first flirted with shooting from outside regularly, Lopez has become one of the sport's premier shooting centers. He was fourth among starting centers in 3-point accuracy during the regular season, at 37 percent.

When Lopez freely lets fly from near the logo in Fiserv Forum, he utilizes a smooth stroke he began honing as a child in Fresno, California. His earliest memories of shooting came out of necessity during battles with his two older brothers, Alex and Chris, who were big enough to push him around. Before long, he discovered he could back out of the paint to get cleaner looks, refining his jump shot into a weapon he could deploy in their sibling rivalries. It wasn't long before that skill translated to games.

His 3-pointer became more fine-tuned in middle school. Lopez and his identical twin brother, Robin, wanted to be on the court at the same time. To make that work, Brook stepped out to play power forward so Robin, now a 7-foot center for the Chicago Bulls, could play inside.

"It just kind of grew out of trying to have a symbiotic game with Robin," Lopez said. "We liked teaming up and working together to dominate."

Brook Lopez was drafted 10th overall by the Nets in 2008, a time when most teams still expected their centers to do their damage inside. During his first eight seasons in the NBA, Lopez attempted a total of 31 3-pointers and flexed his shooting touch only from midrange.

But when the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets ushered in an outside-in approach to NBA offenses in the mid-2010s, Lopez hopped on board. In 2016-17, he attempted 387 3s -- an astonishing number for a center who had barely dabbled earlier in his career.

The Nets traded Lopez to the Los Angeles Lakers for D'Angelo Russell in June 2017 and he continued to work on his range, attempting 325 3-pointers in L.A. before becoming a free agent last summer.

ALONG CAME THE BUCKS, who snagged him on a one-year, $3.4 million deal.

"At our coaches' retreat, we all said, 'We got Brook Lopez at one year, low money?'" assistant coach Josh Longstaff recalled. "With the way we wanted to play, he was perfect. We were like, 'We can't believe we got this guy.'"

His signing with Milwaukee was serendipitous. New coach Mike Budenholzer needed a center to keep the floor spread around Antetokounmpo, and Lopez needed a coach who would encourage him to shoot -- no matter how many times he missed.

"He has helped this team so far in so many ways offensively and defensively," Antetokounmpo said. "We want him to keep shooting a lot of 3s."

The Bucks not only gave him the green light, they continued to reconfigure his shot selection. As recently as 2014-15, more than 18 percent of Lopez's shots were long 2s and just 1 percent were 3-pointers. This season, only 2 percent of Lopez's shots were long 2s, while a whopping 65 percent of his shots were 3-pointers. Lopez's 187 made 3s ranked 17th in the league.

Whereas the Lakers had treated Lopez more like a role player, the Bucks viewed him as a central piece for both their No. 3 offense and No. 1 defense.

"I don't know if I realized to the extent they wanted me shooting, really," Lopez said. "I remember talking to Bud on the phone and it's absolutely something he brought up. But we really drilled that stuff. Our offense is predicated on shooting."

The Bucks also have benefited from Lopez's exceptional health. For the first time since the 2010-11 season, Lopez played in more than 75 games. Lopez actually was healthy enough to play in all 82 games this season, but with the top seed in the NBA clinched, Budenholzer rested him in the regular-season finale. It was the only game he missed all season.

Considering Lopez's reliability and the fact he's having one of the best shooting seasons ever for a stretch 5, the Bucks' signing turned into a bargain.

If there is another center whose game is comparable to Lopez's, Longstaff couldn't name one. Neither could Lopez.

"It's super unique," Lopez said, sheepishly.

Lopez's low-key, oddball personality also has been a fit with the fun-loving Bucks. He enjoys matching the 50 states with their capitals as a pastime and owns a house at Walt Disney World where each room is themed (Disney is the parent company of ESPN). Instead of rocking the latest in high-end fashion, he favors a leather, cross-body book bag, faded T-shirts with odes to cartoon characters and loudly colored striped polo shirts. As a show of his appreciation to his new organization at Christmas, Lopez gifted chocolate boxes to all 70-plus Bucks staffers who work at the team's practice facility.

The self-described "eccentric" endeared himself to his coaches by showing up 45 minutes early to practices to hone his shooting ability. And the result of that extra work has earned Lopez the nickname "Splash Mountain" among Bucks fans.

The incredible transformation has been an important reason why the Bucks won an NBA-best 60 games and are 15-point favorites against the Pistons in Game 2 on Wednesday.

"All of a sudden," Longstaff said, "it was like, 'This is scary for opponents.'"

John Shepherd speaks with the sports and exercise medicine consultant to gain some clarity on the subject of menstruation

Do coaches discuss the subject of menstruation with their athletes and do athletes know how to deal with their cycles and where they can find out more about retaining optimum health and performance levels? AW spoke with Dr Rebecca Robinson (pictured above after her third place in the 2014 Brighton Marathon) to find out more.

Athletics Weekly: Female athletes are affected by their menstrual cycles but can you tell us in what ways?

Dr Rebecca Robinson: Every female athlete will have a menstrual cycle unique to themselves and its impacts will be individual. We know enough now from research to see some trends. From my work in sport, I see some women for whom the cycle doesn’t have an impact they’re aware of at all, many who find the cycle reassuring that they’re fit and healthy, and some who struggle with heavy or absent periods. At the ends of the age spectrum, being an athletic teen can delay the onset of periods, and after the menopause, some women need support to feel fit and healthy into athletic later life.

AW: Should different types of training be done at different times in the cycle? And does this influence performance?

Dr R: On the first day of bleeding, oestrogen and progesterone hormones are low. Some athletes experience increased muscle soreness due to higher inflammation levels. But muscles adapt well to high intensity at this time and exercise itself can have a beneficial, anti-inflammatory effect.

From the start of a period until ovulation, oestrogen levels rise. Women often find they can train or race hard at this time with more intensity. Just before ovulation, exercise performance may be enhanced. Women have a relatively higher pain threshold at this time too, so this could translate into digging in deep in competition. Around ovulation, the body is under more stress and extra care is needed to ensure recovery and reduce illness risk. A positive energy balance with high carbohydrate intake and adequate sleep is recommended.

After ovulation, the body’s core temperature rises. Blood plasma decreases and relative exercise strain is higher. Moderate efforts are best and it’s important to keep hydrated. A key message is that adaptation to training seems to be better if you have a menstrual cycle than if you don’t. That’s important when it comes to RED-S (relative energy deficiency syndrome – see below).

What is RED-S?

Relative energy deficiency in sport syndrome occurs when athletes are not meeting the energy demands that they need for normal metabolic function plus their sport.

This leads to impaired physiological function of hormones, metabolism, menstrual function, bone health, immunity, protein building, and cardiovascular health amongst other effects.

The consequences of low energy availability shutting off menses on bone health often presents as a stress fracture, and the lack of oestrogen can be a serious risk for osteoporosis (thin and fragile bones).

AW: I have heard that technical work should be avoided at certain times during menstruation and that at other times women may be more prone to benefit from strength work?

Dr R: Hormone changes around the time of a period can affect neuromuscular control – meaning that injuries can be more likely at this time. Just before ovulation, adaptations to strength and high-intensity training are really good. There’s often not a clear-cut right or wrong time to train, but knowing your cycle can certainly be a useful tool when mapping out a training plan.

We do know that athletes suffering from RED-S will have lesser gains from training and lower adaptations. It’s important to highlight that this is the case for men, too, whose testosterone levels can be reduced (see AW’s November 1 issue and Tom Fairbrother’s experiences of the latter).

AW: Are the effects of menstruation different for power and endurance athletes? Many endurance athletes seem to suffer from RED-S whilst power athletes seem to be less affected?

Dr R: Endurance athletics isn’t an aesthetic sport, however, there’s often an emphasis on leanness. Every good coach knows that lighter certainly doesn’t really equal faster beyond a level that is healthy.

However, there can be a tendency for athletes to underfuel, which creates a negative energy balance. That is a real health risk because it can shut off menstrual periods, and this has a detrimental effect on bone health and also on performance, and health in general – and in many ways, from cardiovascular health to mental health.

So, finding the energy balance that’s healthy for you is usually key to performance and getting a regular period is a good marker for this. Of course, it’d be too simple to say this is straightforward for everyone, but if it seems a struggle I would definitely encourage the athlete to seek specialist advice to ensure that their approach is healthy for them.

AW: What should coaches be on the look out for and what do they need to consider?

Dr R: Some athletes can run into problems with RED-S and low energy just because they haven’t got the balance between training and fueling and often a busy life right. Having the conversation about regular menstrual cycles should be important in the coach/athlete relationship, but needs to be done in a healthy, educated, mature way. A great new resource: “health4performance”, can really support athletes, coaches and parents with information and advice. See health4performance.co.uk

Quick wins can be found around nutritional strategies, like fueling directly after training and upping carbohydrate intake, as well as reducing life stress and improving sleep, where possible.

Not all athletes with RED-S have disordered eating, but it’s important to recognise eating disorders because they can have very serious consequences. So, if there are concerns that low energy availability is due to disordered eating, then this is something the athlete should be encouraged to address before they’re ready to train and compete.

There’s more to it than just RED-S. Lots of athletes experience painful periods or heavy bleeding. It’s often a difficult issue to discuss, so I’d really encourage athletes and coaches to visit websites like health4performance and if necessary, remind their GP that sports medicine exists on the NHS as well as in private practice to help athletes here.

AW: What about the pill and other contraceptives? What influences do they have (good or bad)?

Dr R: There has definitely been a move away from the oral contraceptive pill by gynaecologists working in sport and also by sports medicine doctors. We now know the oral contraceptive doesn’t improve bone density so, usually it isn’t the right option for athletes who aren’t getting their period. Furthermore, the pill masks the body’s own hormones, making it difficult to understand the athlete’s own cycle.

Some athletes struggling with RED-S might be advised to have topical hormone replacement therapy with oestrogen and progesterone to provide a withdrawal bleed, but this should be done by a gynaecologist or sports doctor.

Of course, many people do use the pill and other contraception in real life and this can certainly be a safe option, but it’s always advisable to have medical support.

AW: Should females be concerned about competing at certain times during their cycle, and should they influence their cycle to avoid having heavy periods during competition? I know this is a touchy subject.

Dr R: I definitely agree here. But for some athletes for whom premenstrual tension, pain, or heavy bleeding is an issue, taking a wider look at health is essential and medication can be used with care to manipulate cycles.

For athletes who want to use medication to alter the timing of their period, it’s important to get this right a long way out from major competitions. Some symptoms can be helped through non-medical practices, looking at recovery, fuel and natural anti-inflammatory products.

In sports clinics like CHHP, where I work from, we have a multi-disciplinary team. Getting this right for the athlete can involve sports medicine, nutrition, psychology and physiotherapy, so make sure that you get it right for you and your sport.

The knowledge that every woman can compete well at all times in her cycle informs the ‘FITR’ app that can support menstrual tracking for the sporty female – see fitrwoman.com

AW: Are there supplements and nutritional strategies that may be of benefit?

Dr R: I would recommend the FITR app. It can help athletes to adapt training load to their cycle. At different times of the cycle, we women use different food types as fuel (for example, fat versus carbohydrate), so keeping a diary and getting savvy to this can really help, as can knowing at which times you may best adapt to different types of training. For younger athletes, this is great to learn early on, so that they become the expert on their menstrual health for their sport.

Women who have heavy bleeds need to watch their iron status. Iron is found in meats and green leafy vegetables. Supplements can also help – if in doubt, have your levels checked.

AW: Anything else thought relevant?

Dr R: Research is telling us that athletes who get their period end up stronger, faster and actually get better adaptations to training than those who miss theirs, for reasons such as RED-S (there are other reasons why women might not get their cycle and you can be healthy and on a pill or similar, but if in doubt, check).

I’d encourage young athletes that a healthy menstrual cycle is a sure start to a happier and a longer sports career whatever their goals.

Shortcuts that end in stress fractures and heart-break are also sad for us as sports doctors to manage. Taking the first steps if you think you may need help can turn things around quicker than you think.

Britain's Dan Evans has earned a place in the main draw at next month's French Open at Roland Garros.

He is joined by compatriots Kyle Edmund and Cameron Norrie in the draw for the men's singles, while two more Britons, Johanna Konta and Katie Boulter, are entered into the women's singles.

It is the first time in two years that world number 89 Evans has made the main draw by ranking.

He returned from a one-year ban for taking cocaine 12 months ago.

The 28-year-old has only once before played in the first round of the French Open, in 2017, when he was beaten by Spain's Tommy Robredo.

Edmund reached the third round in 2018, while Norrie exited in the second. Two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist Konta has never progressed past the first round, while this year marks Boulter's debut in the main draw.

The French Open takes place in Paris between 20 May and 9 June.

Ulster prop Marty Moore has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with an ankle ligament injury sustained in the win over Edinburgh last weekend.

Ulster revealed on Wednesday that Moore will visit a specialist this week.

Jacob Stockdale suffered a hamstring injury in the same Pro14 game at Murrayfield and his recovery is being "monitored on an ongoing basis".

Utility back Will Addison was already ruled out for the rest of the campaign after undergoing back surgery.

Former Wasps front row Moore hobbled off after just 10 minutes of Friday's game.

Moore will miss Ulster's final regular Pro14 game of the season against Leinster on 27 April, plus more crucially their quarter-final with Connacht at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast on 3/4 May and any additional games the province may play.

Ulster's 29-7 win over Edinburgh, allied with Munster's victory over Treviso, assured Dan McFarland's men of second place in Conference B and a place in the play-offs.

The Irish province are hopeful that skipper Rory Best will have overcome an ankle injury sustained against Leinster in their Champions Cup quarter-final in time to face Connacht.