Connections: Sports Edition — August 5, 2026

Today's grid mixes objects that get thrown in different sports, a run of recent NFL Draft No. 1 picks, jargon used to grade trading cards, and a set of words that all attach to a common scorekeeping term.

The most familiar group names things you'd actually throw, whether on a diamond, a track, a lawn, or a bar dartboard.

Another group lines up the players selected first overall in each of the last four NFL Drafts, going back to a Heisman-winning Alabama quarterback.

A trickier group collects terms collectors use to describe special features found on modern trading cards, from a certified signature to a scrap of game-worn fabric.

The hardest group all pairs with a word for tracking points in a contest — think a live graphic overlay, a running tally, a paper record, and the big number display at the arena.