My favorite day of the NFL Draft has concluded with an eventful 2nd and 3rd round. This years draft is very deep with talented players who had 1st round potential winding up taken later than expected. Jay Ajayi, Justin Hardy, Shane Carden, Tre Jackson, Michael Bennett, and Ifo Ekpre Olomalu are some of the players who are still available in this deep draft.
The Giants started out the day by trading up to select Alabama safety Landon Collins. Collins is a physical strong safety who could remind Giant fans of Kenny Phillips in the near future. The Giants finished off the day by adding Owamagbe Odighizuwa, a talented defensive lineman who can get after the quarterback. Overall a great day for the Giants.
Tampa Bay then followed the selection by drafting Penn State’s Donovan Smith. Smith is a nasty tackle who will be a valuable part in keeping newly acquired Jameis Winston upright. The Bucs also added Division III prospect Ali Marpet from Hobart to also plug in along the offensive line.
Two players who had some red flags were selected in the second round. The Titans added troubled receiver Dorial Green-Beckham with the 40th overall pick to give Marcus Mariota another weapon. Green-Beckham was kicked out of school and has not played a college game in two seasons; a major risk to say the least. Randy Gregory was the other player filled with red flags after a failed drug test at the scouting combine. The Dallas Cowboys made Gregory the 60th pick in the draft to go alongside another troubled defensive end in Greg Hardy.
Three teams really stole the show in my opinion on the second day of the draft. The Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Baltimore Ravens had the best day in my opinion. The Raiders added talented defensive end Mario Edwards Jr as well as tight end Clive Walford. Edwards was the number one high school recruit when he committed to Florida State while Walford is an agile tight end giving this Raider offense a new dangerous element. The Jaguars added one of my favorite runningbacks in T.J. Yeldon. Yeldon is an under rated back who will be fresh at the next level due to limited work at Bama. In the third round Jacksonville added A.J. Cann who was my number one rated offensive lineman, a true can’t miss prospect. Cann is a tough physical guard who will be a gem at the next level. Finally the Ravens who always draft well added Maxx Williams and Carl Davis. Williams will plug into the starting tight end role giving Joe Flacco a much needed target. Carl Davis on the other hand fills the void of Haloti Ngata. Davis was also the Senior Bowl week MVP showing his tenacious pursuit, a rare quality to find this late in the draft.
One team that caught my attention in a negative way were the Seattle Seahawks. With the 63rd pick in the second round Seattle selected Frank Clark from Michigan. Clark was kicked off the Michigan football team and could have been taken 3-4 rounds later due to his checkered past. Seattle then traded 4 picks to acquire wide receiver Tyler Lockett. Lockett is a slot guy who may wind up being a career kick returner similar to Dwayne Harris or Jacoby Jones. Simply put giving up a 4th, 5th and 6th round pick to move up in the third round is a high price to pay for a kick returner. Seattle pulled a similar stunt last year when selecting Colorado’s Paul Richardson, a move that has not panned out very well.
