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“Go home Day 2, you’re drunk,” I found myself shouting at my television early and often on Friday.
As the second day of the NFL Draft got under way, trades abounded early, beginning with a trade between division rivals just two picks in. Holding the 34th overall pick, the Minnesota Vikings made a trade with the Green Bay Packers, flipping the 34th overall pick for the 53rd and 59th picks.
Green Bay would quickly turn in their newly acquired 34th overall pick to select North Dakota State WR Christian Watson, giving Aaron Rodgers a long-awaited weapon, even if a round too late.
In total, the second round saw eight trades take place, while the third round featured four of its own.
Perhaps more surprising than the Day 2 trades was the continued drop of quarterbacks. The second round came and went without a quarterback selection, but that would change by the third round, as three heard their names called late in the evening.
The excitement of the NFL Draft continues, with its third and final day set to kick off on Saturday at noon EST! Until then, here’s a look back at some of what Day 2 had to offer.
Consensus Top-2 Running Backs Find Homes
After a team failed to draft a running back on Day 1, the New York Jets wasted little time on Day 2 to make Iowa State’s Breece Hall the latest member of its backfield. The selection of Hall is a peculiar one, after last year’s rookie running back Michael Carter ran for 147-639-4 while also catching 36 passes for 325 yards.
Carter had a successful rookie campaign with the Jets in 2021, and was thought to be the locked in RB1 for the Jets in 2022. The selection of Hall will almost certainly change Carter’s status as the lead back, but he could find work in more of a split role.
Seattle followed suit with the selection of Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker with the 41st overall pick.
Like any good bit comic, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll remains committed to letting the world know of his undying desire to establish the run. While most would shy away from a 17-game season in which they are forced to start Drew Lock at quarterback, Carroll appears to be all in.
The selection of Walker could signal bad news for veteran RB Chris Carson, who is working his way back from a neck injury. Walker, who rushed for 263-1636-18 in his lone season with the Spartans, also averaged an impressive 6.2 yards per carry. His 89 missed tackles forced per PFF ranked first amongst all FBS running backs in 2021 as well.
Walker and Hall both bring elite athleticism to their respective teams, but it’s safe to say this valuable second-round draft capital would have been better served on other positions of need. Potential first-rounders like Clemson CB Andrew Booth Jr. and EDGEs David Ojabo (Michigan) and Boye Mafe (Minnesota) were still on the board.
Seattle does get some credit for taking Mafe with its 40th overall pick before selecting Walker with pick 41.
Slam Dunks and Giant Reaches at Wide Receiver
The second round saw seven wide receivers get drafted, beginning with North Dakota State’s Christian Watson to Green Bay (34th overall), and ending with Wester Michigan’s Skyy Moore to Kanas City (54th overall)
In between those picks we also saw Kentucky’s Wan’Dale Robinson (43rd overall) land with the Giants, Alabama’s John Metchie (44th overall) go to the Texans, and Baylor’s Tyquan Thornton go to the Patriots (50th overall).
Georgia’s George Pickens would go to the Steelers with the 52nd overall pick, while Cincinnati’s Alec Pierce followed immediately behind him at 53rd overall.
Of the receivers drafted in the second round, our own Thor Nystrom had just three of these seven receivers mocked in the first two rounds of his final mock draft, including Watson with a first round grade.
The selections of Robinson, Metchie and Thornton were particularly noticeable reaches, and several receivers who were projected higher, and had more productive profiles were still on the board.
Thornton ran an impressive 4.28 40-yard dash at the scouting Combine, and was comped to former NFL receiver Tyquan Underwood by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. His track speed appeared to be enough to wow Bill Belichick, but the 50th overall pick felt early for a potential one-trick pony.
Ravens Continue to Add Absurd Value
After a strong first round in which the Ravens drafted Notre Dame S Kyle Hamilton (14th overall) and Iowa C Tyler Linderbaum (25th overall), Baltimore ran it back on Day 2 with two more high-value picks.
In the second round, the Ravens selected Michigan EDGE David Ojabo with the 45th overall pick, and Connecticut DT Travis Jones with the 76th overall pick.
Ojabo carried a first round grade for much of the pre-draft season, before a torn Achilles at Michigan’s pro day sunk his draft value. Last season with Michigan, Ojabo was the 1B to Aidan Hutchinson‘s 1A along the Wolverine’s defensive line. Ojabo totaled 35 tackles, 12 TFLs and 11 sacks last season with Wolverines, and is a a raw talent still coming into his own. He will likely miss the 2022 season, but a full recovery should have him on the field for Baltimore in 2022.
In regards to Jones, the case can be made that the hulking DT fell one round too far relative to consensus. Thor mocked Jones at 59th overall to the Packers in his final mock, after a strong season with UConn in which he totaled 48 tackles, 7.5 TFLs and 4.5 sacks.
One of the more athletic DTs to pass through the draft, Jones has athletic numbers similar to Georgia DT Jordan Davis, who was drafted 13th overall by the Eagles on Thursday. A discount version of Davis, Jones has a chance to string together a very solid career He came at a phenomenal value on Friday to a Ravens team in need of bodies along the d-line.
Bears Tighten Up Defense (Good) Draft Velus Jones (Bad)
After sitting out the first round, Chicago held two picks in the second round, and used them strengthen a pass defense that allowed the third fewest passing yards per game (191.6) in 2021.
The Bears selected Washington DB Kyler Gordon with the 39th overall pick, and later selected Penn State S Jaquan Brisker with the 48th overall pick. Both Gordon and Brisker have a chance to start for the Bears come Week 1, with Gordon carrying a particularly strong resume as a physical corner.
Per PFF, Gordon spent four seasons at Washington, and didn’t allow one touchdown on any of the 79 targets he faced on over 1,300 defensive snaps.
After their strong start in Round 2, the Bears offered up a head scratcher when they selected Tennessee wide receiver Velus Jones with the 71st overall pick, despite a multitude of more productive receivers still available.
Jones spent six years in college, nearly completing his football doctorate, but served mostly on special teams. His career receiving line is 120-1434-11, with his best season (62-807-7) coming in 2021.
If you search Jones’ college numbers online, the fine folks at Sports-Reference.com default to reveal Jones’ special teams stats, not his offensive production. While this is a fun fact, it seems less than ideal for a third round pick to be best known for his ability to return kicks.
As if the underwhelming offensive production isn’t enough, Jones is set to turn 25 next May, making him one of the older rookies in the draft.
Two Productive Receivers Secure Valuable Day 2 Capital
A number of reaches at the wide receiver position in the second round led to two of the more productive receivers in the draft falling to round three.
Those receivers are Purdue’s David Bell and South Alabama’s Jalen Tolbert.
Bell was an early declare who narrowly missed three-straight 1,000-yard seasons due to a shortened COVID season in 2020.
Think David Bell could fit in as a big slot in the NFL. Knows how to get open against zone coverage, win 50/50 balls and is a hoss after the catch.https://t.co/tF9vUqIeZA pic.twitter.com/hBN3Vy9s7K
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) April 30, 2022
For Tolbert, he enjoyed two solid seasons at South Alabama to close out his career, going for 146-2559-16 over that span, which included back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.
A brutal showing at the Combine sunk Bell’s draft stock, before the Browns scooped him up with the 99th overall pick, while Tolbert went 11 picks earlier to the Dallas Cowboys at 88th overall.
Both receivers should step in and contribute at some point in their rookie seasons, even if they need a few weeks before seeing significant snaps. Bell posted an impressive dominator rating of 30% during his time at Purdue, which shows the percentage of total touchdowns and receiving yards a player accounted for within his offense. Bell’s 25 missed tackles forced last season, per PFF, were also tied for second-most amongst FBS receivers.
Quarterback Free Falls Mercifully Come to an End in Round 3
Through two rounds, Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett was the only quarterback to be selected, when he went to the Steelers with the 20th overall pick.
The Falcons reignited the QB fire early in the third round, when the selected Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder with the 74th overall pick, making him the QB2 of the class. Soon after, Liberty QB Malik Willis followed suit, when the Titans traded up to select him with the 86th overall pick, bringing an end to a slide for a player who was invited to attend the draft in person.
#Titans Trade Up to Draft Liberty QB Malik Willis in Third Round of the #NFLDraft
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) April 30, 2022
Willis will likely spend a year (or perhaps two) behind veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill, but he finds himself in a better situation than some could have projected for him had he been selected earlier in the draft.
The final quarterback to be selected was Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral, who may threaten incumbent Sam Darnold for starting reps sooner rather than later.
In his final season at Ole Miss, Corral showed an intensity and desire to put the team on his back when needed. He threw for 3349-20-5 last season with the Rebels, while also rushing for 152-614-11, all career highs.
Widely believed to be a quarterback class desperately in need of some grooming at the NFL level, these players falling into the later portion of Day 3 should remove any pressure to start them immediately. Adequate bridge quarterbacks are in place for each to learn the speed of the game as a pro before being forced onto the field.
