With the NFL Draft kicking off this Thursday, today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle leans heavily into the world of professional football. Whether you are looking for subtle nudges to help you solve the grid or you are ready to see the full solution, this guide provides everything you need to navigate today’s challenge.
Understanding the Puzzle
It is important to note that Connections: Sports Edition is a specialized version of the popular NYT game. While it follows a similar logic, it is published by The Athletic (owned by The New York Times) and is hosted within The Athletic’s own app or website rather than the standard NYT Games app.
Strategic Hints
If you aren’t ready to see the answers yet, use these progressive hints to guide your thinking. They are ranked from the most straightforward to the most complex.
- Yellow Group: Basic information you would find in a draft profile.
- Green Group: Words that frequently appear before the word “draft.”
- Blue Group: Terms linked to Fernando Mendoza.
- Purple Group: Players who were selected first in the NFL Draft but do not play quarterback.
Today’s Answers
If you have reached the end of your rope, here are the official groupings for the April 23 puzzle:
🟡 Yellow: Draft Pick Information
- Alma Mater
- Pick
- Position
- Round
🟢 Green: Can Precede “Draft”
- Fantasy
- Mock
- NFL
- Supplemental
🔵 Blue: Associated with Fernando Mendoza
- Cal
- Heisman
- Indiana
- QB
🟣 Purple: Non-QBs Picked First in the NFL Draft
- Fisher
- Long
- Maryland
- Pace
Why These Puzzles Can Be Challenging
The difficulty of Connections: Sports Edition is highly subjective and depends entirely on your specific sports knowledge. While a casual fan might breeze through the “Draft” categories, specialized categories can be much more punishing.
For example, past iterations have featured niche groupings that require deep expertise, such as:
* Specific League Talents: Identifying WNBA MVPs (e.g., Stewart, Catchings).
* Global Football Knowledge: Recognizing Serie A clubs or Premier League nicknames (e.g., “The Hammers” or “The Bees”).
The “Purple” category is traditionally the most difficult because it often relies on lateral thinking or highly specific trivia that moves beyond general sports knowledge into deep statistical or historical niches.
Summary: Today’s puzzle is heavily themed around the upcoming NFL Draft, ranging from basic draft terminology to specific historical non-quarterback selections.
