Whitney Mercilus

The Sports Xchange NFL Team Report - Houston Texans - INSIDE SLANT Three days before the first round of the draft, Texans general manager Rick Smith told the media he would never reach in the first round but if need meets value, the team hits a home...

  The draft will be held today (Round 1), Friday (Rounds 2-3) and Saturday (Rounds 4-7) in New York. Los Angeles Times NFL writer Sam Farmer examines AFC team needs by division: EAST The Buffalo Bills are once again in search of a quarterback, and...

The NFL draft is Thursday through Saturday in New York. Tribune Newspapers NFL reporter Sam Farmer examines team needs by division. NFC North Lions: It's an (almost) instant replay for the Lions, who like last year are looking for players to bolster...

With the 15th pick of the NFL draft in April, the Seahawks chose defensive end Bruce Irvin. Four picks later, the Bears chose defensive end Shea McClellin. If the Bears had picked 15th and the Seahawks 19th, it's possible Irvin would be a Bear and...

|TV SPORTS| |SATURDAY| Soccer--Premier League, Manchester City at Newcastle, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN2); Women’s National Teams, Exhibition, United States vs. China, 6 p.m. (NBCSN) Men’s College Basketball--East Carolina at North Carolina, 11 a....

|TV SPORTS| NBA Basketball--Los Angeles Lakers at New York Knicks, 7 p.m. (TNT); San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers, 9:30 p.m. (TNT) NFL Football--Cincinnati Bengals at Philadelphia Eagles, 7 p.m. (NFL Network) High School Basketball--Teams...

|TV SPORTS|  |SUNDAY| Women’s College Basketball--Georgetown at Penn State, 11 a.m. (Big 10 Network); South Dakota at Kansas State, 2 p.m. (FXSP) NFL Football--Baltimore Ravens at Washington Redskins, Noon (CBS); Chicago Bears at Minnesota...

Every Tuesday, blogger Matt Vensel breaks down a critical play, sometimes with the help of Ravens players, from that week’s game. Today he looks at Joe Flacco’s interception that Houston returned for a touchdown. There weren’t many...

— The breakdowns within the Ravens' offensive line unraveled in a few different ways against the formidable Houston Texans. In the first quarter, it was Texans outside linebacker Connor Barwin unloading on unsuspecting quarterback Joe Flacco in the...

Shea McClellin wasn't born wearing shoulder pads, but he plays like it. That's why the Bears general manager Phil Emery made him his first draft pick ahead of Whitney Mercilus, Nick Perry, Chandler Jones, Courtney Upshaw or any other defensive end who...

Illinois' Whitney Mercilus is one of the highest-rated defensive end prospects in this year's NFL draft. The first-team All-American and first-team Big Ten performer will chronicle his experience leading up to the April draft for the Tribune. I have...

The Bears will be at the mercy of the 18 teams picking ahead of them in the first round Thursday when the NFL draft begins, the quality of players available and their own evaluations. But if everything flows the way it might in general manager Phil...