Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: NFL Draft, NBA/NHL playoffs, Messi’s power play, more
GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (APRIL 19): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK: NFL Draft Week, pressure on Dolphins to hit big, Heat and Panthers watching as NBA/NHL playoffs begin, Messi’s Inter Miami power play, PGA Tour back in Miami after 10 years, sliding Marlins and more. Welcome to 145th edition of HB10, bringing you what’s on our minds from a Miami lens and accentuating stuff that’s big, weird, damnable, funny or worth needling as sports week past pivots to the week ahead:
1. NFL: 2nd straight year for Miami (school & city) at top of the NFL Draft: Three months ago Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza broke Miami hearts in the college national championship game. This Thursday night the kid from Miami Columbus High will (barring a seismic shock) go No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft -- one year after Canes QB Cam Ward was the No. 1 pick. That’s two straight years for Miami atop the draft -- the NFL’s offseason Super Bowl. And, overshadowing UM’s spring game that was Saturday, Canes this week figure for three first-rounders in OT Francis Mauigoa, DE Rueben Bain Jr. and likely DE Akheem Mesidor.
2. DOLPHINS: Fins needs most everything. So who goes No. 11 to Miami?: New GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley had better come out of this NFL Draft with a bounty for the rebuilding, need-everything Fins -- and have no excuse not to. Miami has 11 total picks including two in first round (11th and 30th) and league-high seven in top 100. By consensus Dolphins’ greatest needs are at receiver, cornerback, edge rush and offensive line, so expect the best-available athlete at one of those four spots. [And look for my 35th annual Herald Mock Draft online Tuesday and in print Wednesday!]
3. INTER MIAMI: Herons make stunning coach change ... then Messi leads win: Coach Javier Mascherano resigned for “personal reasons” four months after leading Inter Miami to its first MLS Cup championship. Real reason: Star Lionel Messi, embarrassed by round-of-16 exit from Champions Cup then two draws to christen new stadium, wanted a change. So in comes longtime Messi mentor/confidant Guillermo Hoyos. [Read my column on Messi’s power play HERE.] Good instant result, though: 3-2 Saturday win at Colorado with two Messi goals making Miami 4-1 with three ties entering Wednesday match at Salt Lake.
4. HEAT: Miami season ends valiantly, in controversy ... and too soon: Heat’s disappointing season ended in 127-126 OT play-in loss in Charlotte, a valiant effort considering Miami played about three quarters without star Bam Adebayo after his back injury caused by what was later (not in game) called a flagrant foul by LaMelo Ball. It’s Heat’s first time not in playoffs since 2019. Good news? Improved though still-small shot at a top-four draft pick via the May 10 lottery and a bump up in draft position overall. What’s next after four straight play-in years? A summer getting better, we can hope. Maybe another run at Giannis?
5. PANTHERS: Champs end hard-fall season, but won’t be down long: The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions finished out of the playoffs for first time since 2019 at 40-42 with bottom-top points, owing largely to key injuries leading to diminished depth led by the season-long absence of star Aleksander Barkov. Bright aide? Better health and a big bounceback expected next season, an a guaranteed top010 pick on May 5 NHL Draft. Meantime the Cats lost assistant general manager Sunny Mehta, who’s headed to main GM job with New Jersey.
6. NBA: OKC a solid pick for title-repeat with playoffs underway: The 16-team NBA playoffs tipped off with four games Saturday -- Lakers beating Houston the only upset-- and four more today including the top three betting picks to win it all on the court in reigning champion Oklahoma City at +110 per DraftKings, San Antonio +500 and Boston +550. Postseason continues through NBA Finals starting June 3, which the NBA Draft then June 23-24. (And kudos to NBA for granting Cade Cunningham and Luka Dončić’s “Extraordinary Circumstance Challenge” to league’s dumb 65-game awards rule, allowing both to be on ballots.)
7. NHL: Colorado the Cup fave in bunched field as playoffs begin: Reigning double-Cup champ Florida Panthers were watching on the telly as the 16-team NHL playoffs dropped puck with three games first-round games Saturday and four more best-of-7 openers today/Sunday. They’ll play through the Stanley Cup Final that begins in early June. Bunched title favorites going in (per FanDuel) are Colorado at +340, Carolina (which won Saturday) +460 and Tampa Bay +480.
8: GOLF: PGA Tour returns to Miami after 10 years away ... but will McIlroy play?: The Cadillac Championship on April 30-May 3 will mark the PGA Tour’s return to Miami and Doral’s Blue Monster for the first time since 2016. Expected is a strong field led by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, but the presence of Masters champ Rory McIlroy remains unconfirmed as of this writing, though fingers-crossed-expected Club owner Donald Trump says he’s hopeful so stay tuned. Meantime the future beyond this year of Tour rival LIV Golf is in jeopardy as doubts arise whether the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia will continue bankrolling the league. (If not, good-riddance, LIV Golf.)
9. MARLINS: Budget-ball Fish continue sobering (and predictable) slide: With Saturday’s 5-2 home loss to Milwaukee the “Fightin’ Fish” are now the Fizzlin’ Fish. The Marlins are now 9-12 with four straight losses and 7 of 8, and Miami is 4-11 since a 5-1 start. Perhaps worse, ace Sandy Alcantara, whom the budget ball Fish are expected to trade, has sagged a bit after two great starts to open. Team plays Brewers again today then hosts three vs. St. Louis.
10. RUNNING: Lots of major marathons, but here comes the King: New York, Miami ... you see major 26.2-mile runs all over the country, but only one is King Daddy. The 130th Boston Marathon is tomorrow/Monday with more than 30,000 runners from 129 countries and all 50 states. ESPN will present live, multiplatform coverage, which is funny because I think the only folks who want to watch a marathon are the runners themselves. As for who’ll win? Wild guess ... a guy from Kenya?
THE LIST: DOLPHINS DRAFT HISTORY WITH PICKS AROUND NO. 11: Miami has 11th overall pick in the NFL Draft Thursday night. Here’s how Dolphins have fared all-time with their dozen selections nearest that vicinity (within two spots either way; 9 through 13). List is ranked by games played with Dolphins (GWD):
GWD / Player, Pos., School / Draft pos. & Year
164 / Richmond Webb, OT, Texas A&M / #9 1990
109 / Bill Stanfill, DE, Georgia / #11 1969
108 / A.J. Duhe, LB, LSU / #13 1977
86 / Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson / #13 2019
63 / Marc Coleman, DE, Georgia Tech / #12 1992
Others: 56 games LB Frank Emanuel 1966; 48 WR Ted Ginn Jr. 2007; 44 OT Laremy Tunsil 2016; 41 RB Sammie Smith 1989; 32 S Minkah Fitzpatrick 2018; 17 DT Kenneth Grant 2025 (still on team); and 14 RB David Overstreet 1981.
Note: The only two Dolphins previously drafted exactly No. 11 were Stanfill in 1969 and Fitzpatrick in 2018.
Other select most recent stuff from me: Poll Dance: How much NFL Draft will you watch? // Power of Lionel Messi shows in Inter Miami’s latest coaching change // Heat end season valiantly, but effort and almost are not enough // Sorry, Lamar, but Super Bowl win is the harsh reality for elite QBs // Latest GCS podcast: Masters banquet, Lamar, Catchphrases // Previous HB10 // No Tiger, no Phil at Masters and why it’s so hard in sports to let go // State of Miami Sports; Grading Fins, Heat, Cats, Fish, Inter Miami & more // It was a grand opening night -- finally -- for Inter Miami in Miami // U.S. team struggles, doubts grow as men’s World Cup nears // NFL’s Rooney Rule needs protecting in face of Florida’s dumb attack // Sandy shines, Marlins win to launch latest season of budget-ball // Sister Jean gone. High Point out. Cinderella dead. But NCAA Tournament bigger than ever // Baseball, politics, emotion lift Venezuela past U.S. to WBC championship // Dolphins got good haul, but blame Curse of Tua for trading Waddle at all / Dolphins’ epic failure at drafting Hurricanes is poised to end // 46 years later and on top of world, USA hockey owns Canada’s sport // 4 reasons why Dolphins and Malik Willis a perfect fit // Dolphins’ major rebuild is on -- and it’s about damned time // No Giannis (yet), but for Heat it’s a dream deferred, not dead // Belichick’s stunning Hall snub is a shame on sanctimonious voters // Dolphins’ new coach, GM take on 25 years of franchise torpor and a QB mess // Canes title-game loss does not erase success of watershed season // Step aside, other cities: Why 2026 in sports belongs to Miami // Stugotz signs major iHeart Media deal, but says not done with LeBatard Show // Messi, Inter Miami win MLS Cup, crown 50 years of SoFla soccer // And my latest podcast:
