5 things you need to know for Thursday

Good morning football fans! Here are the five things you need to know coming out of yesterday to get your morning started right:

1. Thought you were done with mock drafts? Think again! USC QB Sam Darnold goes No. 1 overall in Steve Palazzolo’s 2018 mock draft. With the draft order determined by the Vegas Super Bowl odds, the New York Jets finally secure their QB of the future in Darnold, whose passer rating of 101.0 when under pressure was sixth in the nation.

2. The Atlanta Falcons signed PFF’s No. 3 ranked undrafted free agent, OT Robert Leff. Leff recorded the highest run-blocking success percentage of any of the top-10 tackle prospects in the draft, and the eighth-highest of all draft-eligible tackles.

3. Veteran RB Justin Forsett announced his retirement. Forsett played for seven teams across his NFL career, and in 2014, led all backs with 41.7 percent of his rushing yardage coming on breakaway runs of 15 yards or more.

4. The Arizona Cardinals signed free agent center Tony Bergstrom, who is expected to compete with A.Q. Shipley at center. Bergstrom played just two snaps in 2016, but had some solid pass-protection performances the year before in a few games of starting action for the Raiders.

5. Patriots CB Malcolm Butler reported to offseason workouts in New England. Butler, the speculation of intense trade rumors for much of the past couple of months, looks set to remain a Patriot this season and seems intent on getting to work. Last year, he ranked seventh among all cornerbacks with a PFF grade of 88.6, and made PFF’s All-Pro team.