Who picked Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin in the NFL draft?
The Cleveland Browns selected Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin with the 67th overall pick in the third round of NFL draft on Friday night.
Fannin (6-3, 241 pounds) was a big target at Bowling Green, where he played three seasons. In a deep tight end class, Fannin is from a non-Power 4 conference, a rarity in this draft and in the NIL era of collegiate sports. In 2022-23, Fannin caught 63 passes for 904 yards and seven touchdowns. He also added 24 rushing attempts for 94 yards and four touchdowns.
Fannin had a breakout 2024 season, when he caught a MAC conference-topping 117 passes for 1,555 yards and 10 touchdowns. He added nine rushes for 65 yards and one touchdown. His season netted him 2024 Consensus All-American honors, 2024 MAC Player of the Year and the MAC's MVP award.
Fannin participated in the 2025 NFL combine, where he posted a 4.71 40-yard dash, 34-inch vertical jump, and a 9-foot 10-inch broad jump.
Fannin is a projected third or fourth-round pick in the NFL draft, according to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, but is rated the seventh-best tight end according to Draft Wire's Curt Popejoy.
Fannin would provide an enticing target for any quarterback, or any offense in the NFL.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
20 minutes ago
- USA Today
MLS All-Stars 30 years later: How the league moved the ball forward
From new teams to an expanding fan base, see Major League Soccer's impressive three decades of growth. It's a rare all-star game that reflects a league's evolution, but that's what this year's MLS showcase offers. On July 23 at 9 p.m. ET, two dozen MLS players will step onto the field at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, and offer a snapshot of the league's progress. Though the MLS All-Stars may not defeat their counterparts from Mexico's Liga MX – broadcast live on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV – the league's upward trajectory is clear. Since its inaugural season in 1996, just two years after the United States hosted the 1994 World Cup, MLS has steadily grown alongside the nation's rising interest in soccer. Over the past three decades, global icons such as Carlos Valderrama, David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimović have brought star power and credibility to the league, helping shape its identity and elevate its global standing. But none has been as transformational as Lionel Messi, who is on this year's all-star roster. In July 2023, he joined Inter Miami, a club that played its first game in 2020. The Argentine World Cup champion not only quickly improved the team's profile and record, but he also elevated global awareness of the MLS because of his worldwide celebrity. How much has the MLS grown since its debut in 1996? Even before Messi's arrival, MLS had been on the upswing. With 12.2 million fans attending games last year, MLS was the second-highest-attended global soccer league in the world, behind only the English Premier League. MLS has a far reach with teams across the U.S. Since 1996, the league has tripled in size. San Diego FC became the 30th MLS club before the 2025 season, compared with just 10 clubs when the league debuted. The number of soccer-specific MLS stadiums is growing All 30 MLS clubs have their own facility, and 26 are soccer-specific. Three franchises will open new stadiums in the next three years (Inter Miami 2026, New York City FC 2027 and Chicago Fire 2028). It's a far cry from 1996, when there were no stadiums and no club training facilities. Some MLS franchises crack $1 billion mark Another significant area of growth has been franchise value: Five MLS teams are valued at more than $1 billion, and 14 others are among the top 50 most valuable soccer clubs in the world, according to Sportico. Los Angeles FC ($1.28 billion), Inter Miami ($1.19 billion), LA Galaxy ($1.11 billion), Atlanta United ($1.08 billion) and New York City FC ($1 billion) are the most valuable MLS franchises. MLS has succeeded in drawing international talent When the league made its debuted 1996, most of the 239 active players were American. The majority today are still American, but the league is drawing more international talent. MLS Cup championships by team D.C. United won the MLS Cup in the first season; since then, 15 teams have won the title: 'I think our league is going to continue to grow,' Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber told USA TODAY Sports before the season. 'Every time I'm asked that question, and I say, 'Here's what it will look like five years from now.' I underestimate where we're going to be. "At some point we're going to be celebrating just generations of Major League Soccer for fans here in the United States, Canada and around the world that love our league."
New York Times
22 minutes ago
- New York Times
ESPN and NFL closing in on ‘Next Era'-defining media deal
In 1987, an eight-year-old cable network in just 41 million homes acquired the rights to eight NFL regular season Sunday night games and the Pro Bowl. The then-up-and-coming ESPN paid a now-quaint $51 million per season to the NFL for the three-year package, and it changed the trajectory of what became arguably the most powerful sports media company of all time. ESPN was built on a lot of things, but the most notable was its nearly four-decade relationship with the league. Advertisement Now, according to sources briefed on negotiations, ESPN and the NFL are inside the five-yard line on another ground-breaking deal that may not have the impact of 1987 but could be historic, as the all-sports network makes its programming available in a direct-to-consumer product this fall that will cost $29.99 per month. ESPN is hyping this upcoming iteration as 'The Next Era.' While a contract between ESPN and the NFL is not signed, the two sides have been closing in on talks that first began four years ago, heated up a little more than a year and half ago and now are the closest they have ever been, with the league even informing its owners they may be needed for a vote on it early next month, as first reported by Sports Business Journal. Until a deal is across the goal line, it is not done – and the minute details, which the sides are said to be working around the clock on, matter. All that said, it's a big deal. The NFL and ESPN declined to comment for this column. In 1987, ESPN used NFL games as a battering ram to increase the fees it charged cable subscribers. By 2011, that once-little network was in 100 million homes, it called itself, 'The Worldwide Leader in Sports,' and it wasn't wrong. Today, still strong, but diminished, ESPN charges more than $10 per month for its services, but with the digital revolution, the rise of Netflix and other streaming options has resulted in just 65.3 million homes receiving ESPN through cable, satellite and services like YouTube TV and Fubo, according to Nielsen. ESPN wants to maintain as many of those viewers as it can. Those subscribers will be able to have access to ESPN in its traditional format, while adding the ability to log on to the new and improved direct-to-consumer app, launching soon. The same way a generation first turned to ESPN on cable, the Disney-owned network hopes the ESPN app becomes the ultimate go-to for sports fans. That leads back to the NFL. Advertisement The NFL has tried for years to unload many of its media assets, including NFL Media (which operates NFL Network and Red Zone Channel, among other entities), and there is optimism that it will finally happen. The league has had some success with its in-house creations, but in a media ecosystem that is more scattered, it may finally be ready to let someone else manage them – for a pretty penny, of course. The exact amount of money or equity that Disney/ESPN would pay is not yet known, but it will be enormous. There is expected to be a regulatory period that will need approval before everything goes into effect. The process may take nine months, give or take. What could be in the deal is the Red Zone Channel, NFL Network, seven regular-season games that appear on NFL Network, enhanced betting and fantasy league possibilities. There may be more. Red Zone is the Sunday afternoon show that takes viewers inside all the stadiums when teams are threatening to score. This could be a boon for ESPN's app, as well as in its future negotiations with cable and operators for its slew of networks. It could upsell Red Zone in the app, as well as demand more from operators (like YouTube TV, Fubo or cable systems) to continue to offer the service on its platform every Sunday in the fall. The NFL Network, under ESPN, would likely be enhanced. ESPN's main channels would still feature the NFL a lot of the time, but the devoted network would be on 24/7. NFL Network has seen years of layoffs and downsizing, and while ESPN will likely take advantage of overlapping jobs to cut costs, it will also want to make NFL Network even more of a must-watch. With sports betting and fantasy becoming an increasing part of the fan experience, ESPN can be expected to use its potentially enlarged user base integration into its new direct-to-consumer app for what it will likely hope is a transformative experience and increased subscriber growth. Advertisement In 2024, of the 100 highest-rated programs on television, 72 were NFL games. This does not appear to be changing anytime soon. With increased NFL competition from Amazon Prime Video on Thursday nights, Netflix on Christmas and now, for the first time, YouTube, for the second game of the 2025 season from Brazil, to go along with fellow traditional players such as Fox, NBC and CBS, a closer relationship for ESPN with the league would seem to make sense. ESPN already pays $2.7 billion per season for 25 games a year, mostly on Monday Nights. It will have ESPN's first Super Bowl on its platforms, including its sister network, ABC, in February 2027. This potential new agreement is probably not as transformative as 1987, but the sports streaming battle is about to have a historic marker in the fall when ESPN's direct-to-consumer launches, with possibly even more NFL in its portfolio. When 'The next era begins,' ESPN's first big move may be using its old playbook. (Top photo of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bills' Joey Bosa facing a $12.6 million uncertainty
The Buffalo Bills took a chance this offseason. They signed talented pass rusher Joey Bosa to a one-year, $12.6 million contract. Now comes the tough part: Will Bosa deliver? It was probably a risk worth taking either way. Bosa is one of the league's best at getting after opposing quarterbacks when he can stay healthy. The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia writes that Bosa's involvement is the biggest thing he's watching during training camp. "Bosa's best years may be behind him, but he remained an effective pass rusher who could be a big upgrade to what they had in A.J. Epenesa, Von Miller and Dawuane Smoot last year," Buscaglia writes. "The big question is whether Bosa can stay healthy in the run-up to the season and how they'll manage his practice reps to ensure it happens. He already had a calf injury that cost him all of the spring practices. Bosa is one of the players who can provide a true big swing one way or another to their results this year, and his overall health and effectiveness in camp will dictate a lot of it." MORE: Browns rookie QB Shedeur Sanders could be subject to a 'second draft' It'll be a luxury to be able to limit Bosa's snaps thanks to the abilities of the other guys on the depth chart. A bit like the Bills used Miller last year, they can ensure Bosa is on the field for the biggest pass rush snaps of the game while keeping him fresh and healthy. That'll only matter if he gets through July and August in one piece so he's ready to go when Week 1 arrives. MORE NFL NEWS: Chiefs' champion retires at age 29 Browns' defender retires the day before turning 27 The locker room reason Trey Hendrickson's contract saga could go sideways Browns rookie QB criticized for only having 'a firm handshake and intangibles' Justin Fields given a career ultimatum before Jets debut Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. has a red flag
