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The NFL Draft starts Thursday, and you’ll see that theme all over today’s Connections: Sports Edition. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Info to know.
Green group hint: Word that comes first.
Blue group hint: He’s likely to go high in the draft.
Purple group hint: Not signal callers.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Draft pick information.
Green group: Can precede “draft.”
Blue group: Associated with Fernando Mendoza.
Purple group: Non-QBs picked first in NFL draft.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for April 23, 2026.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is draft pick information. The four answers are alma mater, pick, position and round.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is can precede “draft.” The four answers are fantasy, mock, NFL and supplemental.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is associated with Fernando Mendoza. The four answers are Cal, Heisman, Indiana and QB.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is non-QBs picked first in NFL draft. The four answers are Fisher, Long, Maryland and Pace.
Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories
The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams.
That said, it’s hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing.
#1: Serie A Clubs. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.
#2: WNBA MVPs. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.
#3: Premier League team nicknames. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.
#4: Homophones of NBA player names. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.