by Jim Wyatt – TitansOnline.com

The NFL Draft is now less than three weeks away.

The Titans continue to do their homework leading up to the April 23-25 draft, and across the country the mock drafts continue to change.

The 29th overall pick of the first round belongs to the Titans.

Let’s take another tour of the mock drafts to see what the analysts think the Titans will do ….

Mel Kiper, Jr, ESPN: Ezra Cleveland, OT, Boise State

Pat Kirwan, SIRIUSXM: Austin Jackson, OT, USC

Dane Brugler, The Athletic: Ezra Cleveland, OT, Boise State

Will Brinson, CBS Sports: D’Andre Swift, RB, Georgia

Turron Davenport, ESPN: Jeff Gladney, CB, ESPN

John Clayton, Washington Post: Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU

Charles Davis, NFL.com: Josh Jones, OT, Houston

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Josh Jones, OT, Houston

Peter Schrager, NFL Network: Marlon Davidson, Edge, Auburn

John McClain, Houston Chronicle: A.J. Epenesa, Edge, Iowa

Kevin Hanson, Sports Illustrated: Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU

Todd McShay, ESPN: Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia

Maurice Jones-Drew, NFL.com: Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin

Steve Palazzolo, Pro Football Focus: Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU

Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com: Josh Jones, OT, Houston

Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press: A.J. Epenesa, Edge, Iowa

Aaron Wilson, Houston Chronicle: Josh Jones, OT, Houston

Walter Cherepinsky, Walter Football: A.J. Epenesa, Edge, Iowa

Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports: A.J. Epenesa, Edge, Iowa

Matt Miller, Bleacher Report: Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah

John Glennon, The Athletic: Josh Jones, OT, Houston

Cynthia Freland, NFL.com: Yetur Gross-Matos, DE/OLB, Penn State

Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports: Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn

Dan Kadar, SB Nation: Austin Jackson, OT, USC

Nate Davis, USA Today: Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama

Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune: Ezra Cleveland, OT, Boise State

Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times: K’Lavon Chaisson, OLB, Louisiana State

Clarence Hill, Dallas Star Telegram: Terrell Lewis, DE, Alabama

Corey Parson, Sports Illustrated: Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU

Josh Edwards, CBS Sports: A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson

Ryan O’Halloran, Denver Post: Austin Jackson, OT, USC

Chad Reuter, NFL.com: Josh Jones, OT, Houston

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Yetur Gross-Matos, DE/OLB, Penn State

R.J. White, CBS Sports: A.J. Epenesa, Edge, Iowa

Charley Casserly, NFL.com: Josh Jones, OT, Houston

C.J. Doon, Baltimore Sun: Josh Jones, OT, Houston

D. Orlando Ledbetter: Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor

Lance Zierlein, CBS Sports: Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU

Bucky Brooks, NFL.com: Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama

Joe Schad, Palm Beach Post: Yetur Gross-Matos, DE/OLB, Penn State

The Central Division hadn’t been captured in back-to-back seasons by the same team throughout the entire decade.

But then, Dante Fabbro scored his first NHL goal. And Viktor Arvidsson set a record.

One year ago Monday, the Predators erased a 2-0 deficit to come back and beat the Chicago Blackhawks, 5-2, during the 2018-19 regular-season finale on a Saturday night in Smashville. It was certainly one of the more memorable moments of the campaign, as the Preds finished with three-straight wins to earn another Central crown.

Take a look back and relive that night – from a troublesome start to a jubilant finish.

Preds Clinch Central Division Again, Come Back to Beat Blackhawks
The Central Division crown is staying in Tennessee.

Dante Fabbro’s first started the comeback, and Viktor Arvidsson’s record-breaking 34th was the winner as the Nashville Predators defeated the Chicago Blackhawks by a 5-2 final to clinch the Central Division and home-ice advantage through at least the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

With the victory Nashville finished the 2018-19 season with exactly 100 points in the standings, good for a second-consecutive division title, and the Preds will face the Dallas Stars in the first round of the postseason as a result.

As the game got older, the Predators got better. They scored twice in the second and three more in the third on their way to accomplishing one of the goals that was set forth way back in September during training camp.

Now, on this first week of April, that goal has been accomplished.

“We never stopped,” Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “We were relentless tonight from start to finish. The first period, I just walked in and said, ‘Well that didn’t go our way.’ It was tough because it’s such an important game. Guys have been fighting for something. You walk in after the first, and it doesn’t go your way. What you really have to love about what they did was they never quit on it, and they kept fighting for it and eventually got it done.

“Every time you can hang a banner it’s great for your organization,” Preds Captain Roman Josi said. “We’re in such a tough division, and I think the guys can be really proud of that. It’s a big accomplishment, and it wasn’t easier this year. We had a lot of up and downs, but we stuck together and it’s a great accomplishment for the organization.”

The Predators had a number of chances in the opening 20 minutes, but it was the Blackhawks who found themselves with a 2-0 advantage after the first period.

However, the second stanza belonged to Nashville, and this time, they had something to show for it. Midway through the period, Dante Fabbro walked in and roofed a shot past Cam Ward for his first NHL goal to send the home crowd into a frenzy.

“I honestly didn’t have much going through my mind, I was just pretty amped up about it,” Fabbro said of his goal. “The first guy I saw when I turned around was [Ryan Johansen], so he gave me a big bear hug. It’s such a surreal feeling and I couldn’t have done it with a better group of guys.”

Then, with less than two minutes to play in the period, Filip Forsberg launched a rocket from the point to even the score at 2-2 through 40 minutes.

It wasn’t long into the third – just 3:33 to be exact – when Arvidsson sniped his 34th of the season to set a franchise record for goals in a single campaign and give the Preds the first and only lead they’d need all night.

“It’s awesome, I’m so happy for him,” Forsberg said of Arvidsson. “It’s going to be a race going forward in the coming years between the two of us, but I’m so excited for him. I don’t know how many games he played but just doing it in that few games is unbelievable and I’m excited going forward for that.”

Colton Sissons and Nick Bonino added insurance before it was all over, and Pekka Rinne turned the Blackhawks aside 31 times for his 30th victory to finish the season.

The Predators were certainly taking a few moments to enjoy the win, but the Dallas Stars are waiting, and it won’t be long before Nashville’s fifth consecutive berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs commences in their home barn.

“It came down to Game 82, just how the fans wanted it,” Forsberg said. “Big win at home against the Blackhawks, and it set us up on a good spot. Now, the fun begins for real.”

Division Champs – Again:

The Predators weren’t about to let another Central Division title slip through their fingers.

In a game that didn’t go their way at the start, it would’ve been easy for the group to say it wasn’t their night. But that’s not how they operate. Not under these circumstances with so much on the line.

They didn’t buckle, and because of it, the Preds will raise at least one more banner next fall.

“It’s been a tough year just because we were dealt with a lot of stuff,” Laviolette said. “We use that slogan ‘Rise Up’ at the beginning and we talked about it – rise up from injury, rise up from whatever comes our way, fight for something and rise up. I thought the players, especially tonight, you think about it with knowing that St. Louis won it before us and down 2-0 in our building, our guys, they never stopped. They really competed hard and they made sure they got it done.”

There was a time where it looked as though the Preds may have lost their chance to even be in this position. On March 23 in Winnipeg, a game that many thought would decide the eventual winner of the division, Nashville fell 5-0.

“We were pretty down after that Winnipeg loss,” Arvidsson recalled. “We kind of knew that was the game that we had to win in Winnipeg, and they lost two games right after that, so we kind of stayed in it. We kept battling and we’ve been winning.”

Indeed, they did.

Even in these final two games of the regular season, Nashville found themselves down 2-0 after the first period, a situation that hadn’t been kind to them all season. All they did in both of those contests was come back to prevail, Saturday’s triumph bigger than any other over the past seven months.

And for an 82-game stretch that had plenty of moments of frustration, disappointment and dismay, in the end, the good outweighed the bad.

As Filip Forsberg said, now the real fun begins.

“I’m really proud of our guys just for how hard they competed and how hard they worked for it,” Laviolette said. “They should be proud, too. We wake up tomorrow and it’s the Stanley Cup Playoffs so it’s a whole different bird, but I’ve said this a couple of times, you can’t play the Stanley Cup Playoffs in December, you can’t even play them today. You can only play what’s dealt to you and that’s the regular season and I thought our guys were incredible tonight.”

Nashville’s MLS soccer posted an update on the ongoing demolition of old buildings at the Nashville Fairgrounds on Friday. The old structures are being razed in preparation for the construction of the new stadium for the Nashville SC soccer club. The new soccer stadium is set to open in 2022. Following is the club’s press release.

Demolition at The Fairgrounds continues to roll on as crews worked to start knocking down one of the largest structures on the site (last) week. This video shows the progress being made. Workers continue to clear the site to make way for Nashville SC’s new soccer-specific stadium, which will be the largest in the country with 30,000 seats. Stay tuned to NashvilleSC.com and Nashville SC on social media for more updates from The Fairgrounds.

You can see the video at: https://twitter.com/NashvilleSC/status/1246201720071491585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1246201720071491585&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nashvillesc.com%2Fpost%2F2020%2F04%2F04%2Fdemolition-update-friday-april-3

Two Coffee County CHS basketball players were honored on Thursday for their selection as All-Region players.  Tennessee Prep Hoops released their 2020 All Region Team for Region 4AAA and Red Raiders Jaylon Wooten and C.J. Anthony were honored as members of the squad.  Wooten, a senior, was selected to the 1^st team while Anthony, a junior, was named honorable mention. 

Wooten and Anthony led the Red Raiders to a regular season District 8AAA title and a region tournament berth.  Wooten was named the regular season District 8AAA Most Valuable Player.  Anthony was named to the All District 8AAA team. 

For the season, Jaylon averaged 15 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists per game on the year.  C.J. averaged 10 points, 3 assists and 2 steals per game this past season.  The Red Raiders are coached by Micah Williams and finished the year with a record of 19 and 10. 

You can see all the selections at: http://tnprephoops.com/tennessee-prep-hoops-all-region-teams-regions-3aaa-4aaa-5/

As Roman Josi said on Tuesday during his first media availability since the pause of the 2019-20 NHL season: We’re all in this together.

On Thursday, the Predators captain did his part in a big way.

Josi donated $20,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee in an effort to make an impact in the community and help feed those who need it most during these unprecedented times.

The money will be put to use immediately by Second Harvest, who has gone from assisting the Nashville community with tornado relief efforts to now dealing with the coronavirus pandemic in the region. It’s been a busy few weeks, and a gift like Josi’s couldn’t have come at a better time.

“We are so appreciative to be the recipient of Roman Josi’s generosity,” President & CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank Nancy Keil said. “We are so thankful for our relationship with the Predators, and it means everything to have a player like Roman make a personal commitment to the fight against hunger.”

“I’m donating to Second Harvest because they are doing such a great job of helping people in need right now,” Josi said. “With no one going to school, there’s a void for the breakfasts and lunches that kids would typically receive there. In times like these, it is important that we all come together as a community and are helping people who might not have the same resources as us.”

Kiel says every dollar given to Second Harvest provides four meals. Therefore, Josi’s donation will help to distribute 80,000 meals to children, families and seniors struggling with hunger. As situations change by the day, the food bank continues to evaluate the greatest needs, and at the moment, that includes the need to purchase a larger amount of food due to the decline in donations.

Second Harvest, which covers a 46-county service area, will now be able to purchase more food and keep their trucks on the road distributing food across the region.

“We are so thankful for our partnership with the Preds,” Kiel said. “Right now, everyone is dealing with a crisis. Knowing we have the support of the Preds during these trying times means so much to us. And it means a lot to the community to see the Preds invested in feeding hungry people as more and more of our neighbors will be turning to the food bank for help, many for the first time.”

With much of the community shutting down for the time being, Second Harvest will remain open, as their work is essential in the city and beyond. While there is always a need for help from the public, it may be greater now than ever before.

And just like Josi did, there are ways to help those less fortunate during these trying times.

“A perfect way for the public to help while maintaining social distancing is to visit our website, secondharvestmidtn.org, and make a gift of any size,” Kiel said. “The demand for our services is increasing each day, as more companies close and individuals are left without a job and a way to support their families. Making a gift to Second Harvest will help us provide food for so many people.”

Major League Soccer has extended the team training moratorium through, and including, Friday, April 24. MLS training facilities remain closed to all players and staff with the exception of players requiring medical treatment or rehabilitation, under the direction of the team medical staff, that cannot be performed from the safety of their residence.

While MLS players are expected to remain in each club’s respective market, MLS will continue to review individual requests by players to relocate to another market by car, taking into account the totality of a player’s situation.

MLS will remain in close contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) on this continually evolving situation and provide further updates as they become available.