April 23, 2026 NYT Connections Sports Edition #577 Hints and Answers

Today’s Connections Sports Edition #577 is heavily focused on football — specifically the NFL Draft. If you follow the draft closely, this puzzle will feel like home turf. If not, a few of the categories may throw you off, especially the purple group. Either way, the hints and full answers below will walk you through everything.

You can play New York Times word games directly on the NYT site.

What Is NYT Connections: Sports Edition?

NYT Connections Sports Edition is a daily word puzzle developed in partnership with The Athletic, the New York Times’ dedicated sports coverage property. It follows the same rules as the original Connections game but draws exclusively from sports knowledge — teams, players, terminology, history, and more.

Each puzzle presents 16 words that must be sorted into four groups of four, with each group sharing a hidden common thread. The categories are color-coded by difficulty: yellow is the easiest, then green, blue, and purple. You have four guesses to spare before the game ends, so use them carefully.

How to Play

Select four words you believe belong to the same category and hit “Submit.”
A correct guess removes those four words from the board.
An incorrect guess costs you one of your four allowed mistakes.
You can shuffle the board at any time to spot connections more easily.
Each group has exactly one correct answer — overlapping words are intentional misdirection.

🟨🟩🟦🟪 Category Hints (No Answers Yet)

Not ready for the full reveal? Here are vague hints for each category to nudge you in the right direction:

🟨 Yellow (Easiest): Think about the paperwork side of draft day — what details get listed about each prospect.
🟩 Green: These words all belong in front of a single football-related word to form a familiar compound or phrase.
🟦 Blue: One college football player had a remarkable recent run — these four words are all closely associated with him.
🟪 Purple (Hardest): A very specific group of NFL Draft history — top picks who were not quarterbacks.

Category Names

Still working it out? Here are the actual category names without the answers:

🟨 DRAFT PICK INFORMATION
🟩 CAN PRECEDE “DRAFT”
🟦 ASSOCIATED WITH FERNANDO MENDOZA
🟪 NON-QBs PICKED FIRST IN NFL DRAFT

Full Answers for Connections Sports Edition #577 — April 23, 2026

Here are all four categories with every word revealed:

🟨 DRAFT PICK INFORMATION — ALMA MATER, PICK, POSITION, ROUND
🟩 CAN PRECEDE “DRAFT” — FANTASY, MOCK, NFL, SUPPLEMENTAL
🟦 ASSOCIATED WITH FERNANDO MENDOZA — CAL, HEISMAN, INDIANA, QB
🟪 NON-QBs PICKED FIRST IN NFL DRAFT — FISHER, LONG, MARYLAND, PACE

What Made Today’s Puzzle Tricky

The green category was the sneakiest of the four. Words like NFL and MOCK seem completely unrelated at first glance, but once you realize they all precede “DRAFT,” the connection snaps into place. SUPPLEMENTAL is the one that most players will overlook — it’s a real but less commonly discussed type of NFL draft.

The purple category required deep knowledge of NFL Draft history. FISHER, LONG, MARYLAND, and PACE are all non-quarterbacks who were selected first overall in an NFL Draft. MARYLAND stands out as unusual since it’s a state name — it refers to Art Donovan or another historical pick linked to the University of Maryland. Players unfamiliar with vintage draft history will likely burn mistakes here.

The blue category — ASSOCIATED WITH FERNANDO MENDOZA — was the most current-events-driven group. Mendoza is the top quarterback prospect entering the 2026 NFL Draft, and the four words (CAL for his college, HEISMAN for his trophy, INDIANA for his bowl opponent, QB for his position) all connect back to his rise to the top of draft boards. If you didn’t follow college football this past season, this category could have cost you.

Tips for Today

Start with yellow. ALMA MATER, PICK, POSITION, and ROUND are all things you’d see listed on a draft profile card — that’s your fastest path to a correct first guess.
Watch out for NFL. It naturally fits several contexts, but here it only works as a word that can precede “DRAFT.” Don’t let it distract you.
The purple group needs history knowledge. If you recognize FISHER, LONG, and PACE as former No. 1 picks but are unsure about MARYLAND, trust the pattern — they’re all non-QBs taken at the top of the draft.
Fernando Mendoza’s category is your anchor for blue. Once you know he’s a QB from CAL who won the HEISMAN, the group falls into place quickly.

More Daily Puzzle Help

Looking for more recent Connections Sports Edition solutions? Check these out:

Playing other games today? Here are hints and answers for more April 20 puzzles:

Shahid Maqsood

Shahid Maqsood is a digital entrepreneur and SEO specialist focused on building engaging web experiences. He is the creator of DotWordle, combining creativity with smart, user-friendly design.