Gophers defensive end Anthony Smith shares the Big Ten Conference lead in sacks, which can serve as a tent pole in both his personal and the program’s overall goal of him being a first- or second-round pick in the NFL draft come April.

If the imposing 6-foot-6, 285-pound edge rusher — who touts seven sacks across seven games — goes that high in the draft, Minnesota will extend its streak of having a player taken in the top 64 picks to seven consecutive years since 2020.

With the college season past its halfway mark, the Pioneer Press asked Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck which players are drawing the most attention from NFL teams.

Minnesota Gophers running back Darius Taylor (1) in the fourth quarter of a NCAA football game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. The Gophers beat the Cornhuskers, 24-6. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Fleck mentioned Smith, running back Darius Taylor, wide receiver LeMeke Brockington, tight end Jameson Geers and defensive tackles Deven Eastern and Jalen Logan-Redding.

“Those are usually the top six right away,” Fleck said. “But you get into everybody else.”

Smith and Taylor each have one year of eligibility remaining for 2026, but Smith is not expected to use it. It’s to be determined on Taylor, who is coming off his best game of the season last week when he logged 24 carries for 148 yards and a touchdown in the 24-6 win over then-No. 25 Nebraska.

Fleck then mentioned one Gopher who has received a lot more attention from NFL personnel when they visit the U this year: Devon Williams. The fifth-year linebacker from Dublin, Ohio, leads the team with 56 total tackles and is third with 4 1/2 tackles for lost yards.

“They’re way more curious about Devon Williams now than they were last year, because he’s playing at a very high level right now,” Fleck said. “I think that’s only going to help him.”

Williams sports an above-average overall grade (74.1) from Pro Football Focus; it’s the third highest among U starters behind redshirt junior linebacker linebacker Maverick Baranowski (79.4) and redshirt sophomore safety Kerry Brown (76.0).

In the preseason, Baranowski was among nine Gophers named to the Shrine Bowl 1,000 watch list for top draft-eligible college players. That long list also had Smith, Taylor, Eastern and Geers. Junior offensive lineman Greg Johnson also made the group, which included some surprises in offensive lineman Marcellus Marshall, linebacker Jeff Roberson and Jaylen Bowden.

Marshall has not played well this season, while Roberson and Bowden have rarely played at all.

Eastern was the U’s only member of the Senior Bowl’s Top 300, but PFF has given him an average overall grade (61.9) in 249 of the U’s 427 total snaps. Logan-Redding has been below that mark (54.3) in 174 total snaps.

The NFL’s draft-content complex has boomed in recent years, but Fleck said each player’s NFL draft stock still comes down to one thing.

“What people don’t realize is 90 to 95% of where and how you get drafted and if you play in the NFL is all based on college film,” Fleck said. “I think some people think it has to do with the (scouting) combine or ‘if I don’t get hurt’ or ‘if I just get through.’

“That’s why they always say, ‘tape doesn’t lie.’ Ten percent of it gets divided. Maybe 5% is the combine. Two percent is the interview, another 2% your Pro Day. And then another 1% is something else, but that’s it. Ninety percent of what you do and how you do it (is) all based on that film for 12 (games), who you play against and how well you play. I think that a lot of people don’t understand that.”

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By STAN CHOE, Associated Press Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting near their record heights on Wall Street Wednesday, while the price of gold falls again to trim more off its tremendous gain for the year.

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The S&P 500 slipped 0.1% in morning trading and is sitting just underneath its all-time high, which was set earlier this month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 99 points, or 0.2%, coming off its own record. The Nasdaq composite was 0.3% lower, as of 10:15 a.m. Eastern time.

Bank stocks were holding relatively steady after Capital One Financial, Western Alliance Bancorp and others reported stronger profits for the summer than analysts expected. The report from Western Alliance was particularly welcome after it helped shake confidence in the industry last week. It’s one of several banks that have warned of potentially bad loans on its books, possibly because of fraud.

Intuitive Surgical, which sells robotic-assisted surgical systems, jumped 16.3%, and Boston Scientific climbed 4.2% after they likewise reported better profits for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

It’s usually the case that the majority of companies deliver better profits each quarter than analysts had forecast. But the pressure is higher on companies to do so this time around because of criticism that their stock prices shot too high following a 35% romp for the S&P 500 from a low in April.

Netflix’s stock, for example, came into the day with a jump of 39.3% for the year so far, more than double the S&P 500’s gain. But its stock dropped 8.6% on Wednesday after it delivered weaker results for the latest quarter than expected.

AT&T fell 2.3% after delivering a profit that only matched analysts’ expectations, while Texas Instruments sank 5.1% after its profit fell just short of forecasts.

Beyond Meat, meanwhile, continued its meme-stock run and soared another 85.9% to bring its stunning gain for the week to 942%. Part of Beyond’s rise could be due to a recent announcement that Walmart will increase availability of some of its products at over 2,000 U.S. stores.

The maker of plant-based meat alternatives was also the biggest holding in the Roundhill Meme Stock exchange-traded fund, as of Tuesday. The ETF holds stocks of companies where investors have piled in almost regardless of their financial prospects, simply in hopes of catching a wave.

Momentum was continuing to head the other way for gold, which slipped 0.7% to $4,080.50 per ounce. That’s after Tuesday’s 5.3% slide knocked it off its record high.

Many of the same factors that drew buyers to gold this year are still there. Expectations are still for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates through next year. Concerns are growing about inflation remaining high. And the worrisome mountains of debt that the U.S. and other governments worldwide have amassed are only rising further.

But no investment’s price goes up forever, and criticism had been growing that gold’s price had gone too far, too fast after it shot up even more than the U.S. stock market. Gold’s price is still up more than 50% for the year so far.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed across Europe and Asia.

London’s FTSE 100 rose 1.1% after a report on U.K. inflation raised hopes for another cut to interest rates next month. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 1.6% for another one of the worlds bigger gains. But indexes fell 0.9% in Hong Kong and 0.4% in Paris.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury edged down to 3.97% from 3.98% late Tuesday.

AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.

Pioneer Press staffers who cover the Vikings take a stab at predicting Sunday’s outcome against the Chargers in L.A.:

DANE MIZUTANI

Chargers 27, Vikings 17: Sometimes analysis doesn’t have to be overly complex. Justin Herbert plays quarterback for the Chargers. Carson Wentz plays quarterback for the Vikings. That will be the difference in a short week.

JACE FREDERICK

Chargers 23, Vikings 20: The Chargers are banged up on the offensive line and reeling. Still, it’s difficult to pick Carson Wentz over Justin Herbert on a short-week game played two time zones away.

JOHN SHIPLEY

Chargers 29, Vikings 20: The running game is a mess, Carson Wentz is often running for his life, and the defense proved distressingly vulnerable to big plays in last weekend’s 28-22 loss to Philadelphia. This team needs another bye, not a short turnaround to Southern California.

CHARLEY WALTERS

Chargers 21, Vikings 17: Too much mediocrity. Sorry to say, Vikings rooters, but this loss, and the remaining schedule, make the playoffs highly unlikely.

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The “Soarin’ Around the World” attractions at the Disneyland and Disney World resorts will trade scenes of the Great Wall of China, Egyptian pyramids and Eiffel Tower for a flight from sea to shining sea when the new “Soarin’ Across America” film opens during the 250th anniversary of the United States.

The new “Soarin’ Across America” attractions will debut in summer 2026 at Disney California Adventure and Epcot in celebration of the nation’s semi-quincentennial.

The Soarin’ hang-gliding flight simulator attractions combine mechanical lift systems with three rows of seats and aerial footage projected onto an 80-foot-tall concave domed movie screen to create a visual tour tied to a specific theme. Past tours have taken riders across California and around the world.

Walt Disney Imagineering will use advanced cameras and lenses mounted on helicopters and drones to capture the aerial footage for the updated attraction.

“Soarin’ Across America” will be filmed at 33 locations across the United States with the new scenes capturing a bird’s-eye view of the “scenic wonders, amazing cities and the beauty of the coasts” in a celebration of America’s diversity and grandeur.

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Imagineering hopes to paint an emotional portrait of the nation with scenes filmed at natural landmarks, national monuments and large cities.

“As always with Soarin’ films, the biggest challenge is choosing where to go and what locations would work best in this unique film format,” Imagineering Chief Storytelling Executive Tom Fitzgerald said in a statement. “Now with the 250th celebration, we’ll immerse our guests in a celebratory flight that spans from sea to shining sea.”

A teaser video featuring Soarin’ Chief Flight Attendant Patrick Warburton promises a limited-time itinerary of amber waves of grain and purple mountain majesties.

“America’s packed a lot into her 250 years,” Warburton said in the pre-flight video. “So you’ll want to pack a lot of party favors.”

Permitted carry-on items include Betsy Ross flags, hot dogs, apple pies, bald eagles, bunting, pocket constitutions, powdered wigs and red, white and blue Minnie Mouse ears, according to Warburton.

The new “Soarin’ Across America” film will be reminiscent of the “America the Beautiful” film that played in the Circle-Vision 360 attraction in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland.

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