Debby Wong – USA TODAY Sports
Day two was definitely highlighted by the selections of Geno Smith and Manti Te’o. It’s the talk of the draft but there were a ton of decisions and moves that will impact NFL rosters in a major way next season.
We have seen the fewest quarterbacks drafted in the first three rounds since 2000. It appears there’s a gentlemen’s agreement throughout the NFL to not overdraft quarterbacks for the first time in a long while. Matt Barkley and Ryan Nassib remain available heading into day three and now become solid values.
The first day of the draft was about the big guys while day two saw a run on skill positions. The secondary was taken at a rapid pace along with the wide receiver position. There is still a boatload of talented guys still available and we’ll release our top remaining 200 players tomorrow morning.
After the break check out our day two recap with a pick by pick analysis.
| 33 | Jacksonville | Johnathan Cyprien | S | FIU | |||
| The Jags did this one right. Rumors swirled of Johnthan Banks being targeted here and they went with the FIU safety. Corner was the bigger need but this roster is more than a corner away from competing. Cyprien was one of the top players on the board and Dave Caldwell got him. No worries, Jags fans this organization is heading in the right direction. | |||||||
| 34 | Tennessee | Justin Hunter | WR | Tennessee | |||
| Hunter scares me a bit with spotty hands. He’s everything you want from a physical standpoint but inconsistent hands and injuries concern me a bit for Hunter’s future. It’s a need for Tennessee, so the pick makes sense but I preferred a couple of other receivers more than Hunter. | |||||||
| 35 | Philadelphia | Zach Ertz | TE | Stanford | |||
| Ertz is a player that I like. Highly productive that is seasoned as a route runner and overall pass catcher. That said, I don’t love the pick with some of the other players on the board. Philadelphia filled many of their needs in the offseason putting them in a good position to take the best player available at a premium position. Tight end, while important, isn’t a premium position. Ertz is a great fit in Chip Kelly’s offense and he should have a highly productive career under Kelly. Great fit for the player and team but should have gone with a player at a premium position. | |||||||
| 36 | Detroit | Darius Slay | CB | Mississippi State | |||
| For all those that thought Slay would go ahead of Banks, kuddos. Slay is a big corner with excellent movement skills. He’s a very good corner, not as good as Jamar Taylor. Aside from the player, Detroit needed a tackle in this spot but I can’t argue with taking the better player over the need. Terron Armstead and Menelik Watson aren’t ready to compete on the left side, so they find someone that can play early. Slay with Bill Bentley and Chris Houston is a solid trio. | |||||||
| 37 | Cincinnati | Giovani Bernard | RB | North Carolina | |||
| This wouldn’t have been my pick at running back. I had Jonathan Franklin and Eddie Lacy rated ahead of Bernard. Definitely fills a need for the Bengals but I’m not in love with the value that they get him with. Better RB’s and players on the board. | |||||||
| 38 | San Diego | Manti Te’o | LB | Notre Dame | |||
| Great value pick with this one. Pure football player with a whole lot to prove coming into the NFL. I worry about the scheme fit for Te’o but he’s as instinctual as any linebacker in the draft. This will play well as the west coast kid stays home (basically). Nice pick and fits a need for the Chargers. | |||||||
| 39 | New York Jets | Geno Smith | QB | West Virginia | |||
| Good luck Geno. He’s coming into a locker room stocked with quarterbacks including Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow (may not be there any longer). I really like this pick for the Jets as it’s an absolute steal. He walks into a circus with the Jets. Had to be the pick for the Jets but they really need to trim the fat in the quarterback room. | |||||||
| 40 | San Francisco | Cornellius Carradine | DE | Florida State | |||
| Don’t know the medical information that teams have but he’s a top 15 talent. The rich get richer and Trent Baalke has put a clinic on in the draft and free agent pick ups. | |||||||
| 41 | Buffalo | Robert Woods | WR | USC | |||
| You can say what you want about the EJ Manuel pick but this one is a homerun. Woods played on a bum wheel for most of the season and his production took a dip. Woods has drawn comparisons to Reggie Wayne and I can see it. He fights through traffic and gets the contested pass as well as any receiver in the draft. | |||||||
| 42 | Oakland | Menelik Watson | OT | Florida State | |||
| He’s as raw as they come. I can’t see him producing for at least a year of sitting and watching/learning. He’s one of the best athletes at the tackle position in the draft and is one of highest upside players in all of the draft. I think this was a reach at 42 but the Raiders aren’t going to be ready to compete for at least two more seasons. They can stick Watson on the bench and he could develop into a starting LT. | |||||||
| 43 | Tampa Bay | Johnthan Banks | CB | Mississippi State | |||
| I’m not a fan of Banks. I like Jamar Taylor and a handful of others on the board more than Banks. May be heading towards a move to safety but slight frame is a deterrant to that. Tampa did fill a need and he isn’t a terrible value at 43, but there’s still better players at his position on the board. | |||||||
| 44 | Carolina | Kawann Short | DT | Purdue | |||
| Flash player that wore down as games wore on. Can get after the quarterback and is a great fit next to Star Lotulelei. That said, he was not a player that I love in terms of value or skill set. | |||||||
| 45 | Arizona | Kevin Minter | LB | LSU | |||
| Huge fan of Minter’s. He’s not ideal from a size/speed standpoint but finds the ball at a high level and fights through trash very well. This is a great pick for the Cards as he fills a need and is a good football player. | |||||||
| 46 | Buffalo | Kiko Alonso | LB | Oregon | |||
| This pick could turn out to be one that we look back on and wonder why he was taken this late. Big time character issues cause him to slide but he’s a terror on the field. Fills a need position for the Bills with a solid value pick. He would have been a round higher on our board, if not for the character issues. | |||||||
| 47 | Dallas | Gavin Escobar | TE | San Diego State | |||
| Don’t want to take this one out on the player because he’s solid. That said, there were better players at positions of greater needs on the board when this pick was made. I’m scratching my head with the Cowboys draft thus far. Jerry, hire a competent GM. | |||||||
| 48 | Pittsburgh | Le’Veon Bell | RB | Michigan State | |||
| I’m struggling to see how Le’Veon Bell and Gio Bernard go ahead of Jonathan Franklin. Nice back but with Franklin and Eddie Lacy, for that matter, on the board I can’t see this as a great pick. | |||||||
| 49 | New York Giants | Johnathan Hankins | DT | Ohio State | |||
| Jerry Reese is at it again. Finding good, smart football players in the trenches. Hankins get some unfair criticism for wearing down in games but he played a high number of snaps at 330 pounds. He’s a big man with better than advertised feet. I can’t see 48 better players than Big Hank. | |||||||
| 50 | Chicago | Jon Bostic | LB | Florida | |||
| Does anyone realize Arthur Brown is still on the board. Bostic is a nice player at a position of need but Brown is on a different playing field than Bostic. I had a third round grade for Bostic, so it’s a bit of a reach. Don’t like the value of either of their top two picks. | |||||||
| 51 | Washington | David Amerson | CB | NC State | |||
| Amerson has ball skills for days but struggled with confidence issues and didn’t seem to trust his eyes this year. Washington better hope they get the 2011 version of Amerson and not the 2012. Jamar Taylor is still on the board, folks. He’s better than any corner that has been taken in this round and was our third best overall player heading into the day. | |||||||
| 52 | New England | Jamie Collins | LB | Southern Miss | |||
| Collins played on a terrible team and flew under the radar for much of his career. He’s a versatile player that will get a chance to showcase that versatility for Bill Belichick in New England. This is a solid value and a player with some major upside in this scheme. Pound for pound, this may be the most explosive athlete in the draft. | |||||||
| 53 | Cincinnati | Margus Hunt | DE | SMU | |||
| Freak athlete that is very raw. I had a fifth round grade on Hunt. I don’t understand the Bengals draft after the Tyler Eifert pick. This pick is a head scratcher for me and question the value and need. | |||||||
| 54 | Miami | Jamar Taylor | CB | Boise State | |||
| Finally, Miami struck gold with this one. He’s an instinctual, confident corner that may wind up a steal in the draft. I like what Miami has done as they get two very good defensive stalwarts to begin the draft. | |||||||
| 55 | San Francisco | Vance McDonald | TE | Rice | |||
| Versatile TE that will be able to pick up where Delanie Walker left off. I love this pick and think he gives the Niners another weapon to help exploit defenses with as he can line up inline and flexed out. | |||||||
| 56 | Baltimore | Arthur Brown | LB | Kansas State | |||
| If you want to know why the Ravens and 49ers were the representatives in the Super Bowl last year, look at their draft. Brown is a stud that can fill the void left by Dannell Ellerbe and Ray Lewis. This is one that a whole bunch of teams are going to look at and wonder what they missed. He was our ninth overall rated player and fell to 56…Ozzie and Trent Baalke are putting on a display. | |||||||
| 57 | Houston | D.J. Swearinger | S | South Carolina | |||
| I’m going to reiterate the teams drafting at the bottom of the draft, draft at the bottom for a reason. Swearinger is a steal at No. 57 and goes to a great spot for him to develop. He will be paired with Ed Reed in Houston and this is another player that is a steal. | |||||||
| 58 | Denver | Montee Ball | RB | Wisconsin | |||
| I like the direction for the Broncos but with Franklin and Lacy on the board, I can’t understand the pick. Ball has wore the tread down on those tires at Wisconsin and I worry about his longevity in the NFL. Nice player, just liked others much more. | |||||||
| 59 | New England | Aaron Dobson | WR | Marshall | |||
| I was the last to fall in love with Aaron Dobson. He didn’t catch my eye initially, partly due to poor quarterback play but when I went back and watched him at the behest of some much respected draft minds, I see why he would be valued this high. Still would have taken Markus Wheaton ahead of Dobson but solid pick that fills a major need for the Pats. They needed an “X” receiver and they got themselves one. | |||||||
| 60 | Atlanta | Robert Alford | CB | SE Louisiana | |||
| Alford has first round talent but probably fell due to age (25) and concerns with Crohn’s disease. Falcons get a player that can compete early for a starting gig. They have made it clear that the secondary was their focus. Two good players added to a position that lost Brent Grimes and Dunta Robinson. | |||||||
| 61 | Green Bay | Eddie Lacy | RB | Alabama | |||
| In Ted we Trust. Ted Thompson finds himself a solid back that fell due to injury concerns and mediocre conditioning/pro day workout. I didn’t see him as a first round pick, as others did, but he’s a solid value at No. 61. | |||||||
| 62 | Seattle | Christine Michael | RB | Texas A&M | |||
| It’s a good thing he’s going to a strong locker room. If not for character concerns, he would have challenged to be the top back in the draft. He’s as physically gifted as any back in the draft that could wind up being a very good back in the NFL if he shows better maturity. Still, wondering why Jon Franklin is still on the board. | |||||||
Click here to check out the round three recap
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