Risen Star
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http://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2019/i...-winners-head-scratching-picks-2019-nfl-draft
Winners from Day 2
Denver Broncos
The picks: Dalton Risner, OT, Kansas State (No. 41); Drew Lock, QB, Missouri (No. 42); Dre'Mont Jones, DT, Ohio State (No. 71)
How about John Elway taking a stab at another quarterback? Lock fell out of the first round -- he got caught up in the quarterback musical chairs and couldn't find a seat. He's a first-round talent, though, an inconsistent thrower with a huge arm. Unlike Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins, Lock has a ton of college experience. We have seen him at his best and his worst. He just didn't have a ton of NFL talent around him at Missouri. If he can clean up his footwork and dig into an NFL playbook, he can be a starter at the next level.
Of course, Elway and the Broncos haven't had much luck drafting quarterbacks lately, but this is good value, even if they had to trade up. They gave up pick Nos. 125 and 182 to move up 10 spots from No. 52. Elway won't mind that if he got his franchise quarterback. As for Joe Flacco, there is zero guaranteed money left on his contract. If Lock shows he's the guy, Denver can easily move on from Flacco.
Risner could be a plug-and-play right tackle in Denver, but he could also play center and guard. Jones has some pass-rush upside for a 281-pound tackle, and he could play end in Vic Fangio's 3-4 defense.
Philadelphia Eagles
The picks: Miles Sanders, RB, Penn State (No. 53); JJ Arcega-Whiteside, WR, Stanford (No. 57)
When I had to pick my "favorite" prospects in this class at every position -- regardless of ranking -- I chose Sanders as my running back and Arcega-Whiteside as my receiver. And the Eagles got them both at the end of Round 2.
Sanders has some explosion, can play on third downs and has limited tread on his tires after sitting behind Saquon Barkleyfor two years. He could complement Jordan Howard's skill set and help in the receiving game. The 6-foot-2 Arcega-Whiteside is like a basketball player in the red zone, boxing out corners to snag touchdowns. He had 28 career scores. He also ran a 4.49 at his pro day, so he can be a really good No. 2 receiver. Now, what does this mean for Nelson Agholor's future in Philly?
Jacksonville Jaguars
The picks: Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida (No. 35); Josh Oliver, TE, San Jose State (No. 69); Quincy Williams, OLB, Murray State (No. 98)
A month ago, I picked Taylor to the Jaguars at No. 7 overall in my Mock Draft 3.0. He ended up No. 16 on my final Big Board. And then Jaguars get him at the top of Round 2? This is a great pick. Taylor can be an immediate upgrade at right tackle, with Cam Robinson locking down the left tackle spot. Taylor has strong hands and a powerful base. He's a mauler in the run game. He just fits what Jacksonville wants to do as a run-first team.
That's back-to-back picks with great value after taking pass-rusher Josh Allen on Thursday. Jacksonville moved up three spots to get Taylor, but it didn't have to give up a huge haul, surrendering the Nos. 38 and 109 picks and getting back Nos. 35, 140 and 235.
Tight end was another need Jacksonville had to fill -- I thought it might go for T.J. Hockenson in Round 1 -- and Oliver is a good pass-catcher. Williams is the brother of No. 3 overall pick Quinnen. He didn't get invited to the combine, but he's a good player.
More picks I liked
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The pick: Sean Bunting, CB, Central Michigan (No. 39)
Here were the better corners available when Tampa Bay reached for Bunting, who is No. 87 overall on my board: Greedy Williams, Justin Layne, Lonnie Johnson Jr., Julian Love, Joejuan Williams, David Long, Trayvon Mullenand Amani Oruwariye.
Yes, I had eight corners with higher grades than Bunting who were still on the board. Tampa Bay absolutely needed a man-cover corner, but I would have gone with Greedy Williams.
Detroit Lions
The pick: Jahlani Tavai, ILB, Hawaii (No. 43)
I like Tavai. Good player, a tackling machine with some versatility. But I don't like him in the second round. Not with Mack Wilson and Bobby Okereke, among others, still there. Tavai is my eighth-ranked inside linebacker and qualifies as the biggest reach of the day; he is No. 137 on my Big Board.
More reaches based on my Big Board
The Bengals took Washington's Drew Sample, the best blocking tight end in the class, at No. 52. He's not going to do much as a pass-catcher, so the question is about value that early. Especially withDawson Knox and Jace Sternberger still available. Sample got a fourth-round grade from me.
Winners from Day 2
Denver Broncos
The picks: Dalton Risner, OT, Kansas State (No. 41); Drew Lock, QB, Missouri (No. 42); Dre'Mont Jones, DT, Ohio State (No. 71)
How about John Elway taking a stab at another quarterback? Lock fell out of the first round -- he got caught up in the quarterback musical chairs and couldn't find a seat. He's a first-round talent, though, an inconsistent thrower with a huge arm. Unlike Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins, Lock has a ton of college experience. We have seen him at his best and his worst. He just didn't have a ton of NFL talent around him at Missouri. If he can clean up his footwork and dig into an NFL playbook, he can be a starter at the next level.
Of course, Elway and the Broncos haven't had much luck drafting quarterbacks lately, but this is good value, even if they had to trade up. They gave up pick Nos. 125 and 182 to move up 10 spots from No. 52. Elway won't mind that if he got his franchise quarterback. As for Joe Flacco, there is zero guaranteed money left on his contract. If Lock shows he's the guy, Denver can easily move on from Flacco.
Risner could be a plug-and-play right tackle in Denver, but he could also play center and guard. Jones has some pass-rush upside for a 281-pound tackle, and he could play end in Vic Fangio's 3-4 defense.
Philadelphia Eagles
The picks: Miles Sanders, RB, Penn State (No. 53); JJ Arcega-Whiteside, WR, Stanford (No. 57)
When I had to pick my "favorite" prospects in this class at every position -- regardless of ranking -- I chose Sanders as my running back and Arcega-Whiteside as my receiver. And the Eagles got them both at the end of Round 2.
Sanders has some explosion, can play on third downs and has limited tread on his tires after sitting behind Saquon Barkleyfor two years. He could complement Jordan Howard's skill set and help in the receiving game. The 6-foot-2 Arcega-Whiteside is like a basketball player in the red zone, boxing out corners to snag touchdowns. He had 28 career scores. He also ran a 4.49 at his pro day, so he can be a really good No. 2 receiver. Now, what does this mean for Nelson Agholor's future in Philly?
Jacksonville Jaguars
The picks: Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida (No. 35); Josh Oliver, TE, San Jose State (No. 69); Quincy Williams, OLB, Murray State (No. 98)
A month ago, I picked Taylor to the Jaguars at No. 7 overall in my Mock Draft 3.0. He ended up No. 16 on my final Big Board. And then Jaguars get him at the top of Round 2? This is a great pick. Taylor can be an immediate upgrade at right tackle, with Cam Robinson locking down the left tackle spot. Taylor has strong hands and a powerful base. He's a mauler in the run game. He just fits what Jacksonville wants to do as a run-first team.
That's back-to-back picks with great value after taking pass-rusher Josh Allen on Thursday. Jacksonville moved up three spots to get Taylor, but it didn't have to give up a huge haul, surrendering the Nos. 38 and 109 picks and getting back Nos. 35, 140 and 235.
Tight end was another need Jacksonville had to fill -- I thought it might go for T.J. Hockenson in Round 1 -- and Oliver is a good pass-catcher. Williams is the brother of No. 3 overall pick Quinnen. He didn't get invited to the combine, but he's a good player.
More picks I liked
- Say what you want about Arizona trading second-year quarterback Josh Rosen and getting only a late second-round pick and 2020 fifth-rounder. Good organizations, of course, don't put themselves into this awkward position. Good organizations would have maximized the return for Rosen months ago. But the player the Cardinals got with that Rosen pick at No. 62 is going to help Kyler Murray. UMass wide receiver Andy Isabella is only 5-foot-9, 188 pounds, but he is more than a slot receiver. He ran a 4.31 40 at the combine, and his film is littered with long touchdown catches.
- Western Illinois defensive tackle Khalen Saunders could be a steal for Kansas City at No. 84. I thought he might go in the top 50. He could be a good complement to Chris Jones.
- Michigan State cornerback Justin Layne snuck into my final mock draft, but Pittsburgh got him at No. 83. He has a huge wingspan, and I'd bet on him playing a lot as a rookie.
- Expect Parris Campbell to catch some long touchdown passes from Andrew Luck. The Ohio State speedster is great after the catch, and the Colts got a really good player at No. 59. I also like Indy getting my third-ranked inside linebacker, Stanford's Bobby Okereke, at No. 89.
- Minnesota got its new No. 1 tight end at No. 50 with Alabama's Irv Smith Jr. I thought he might sneak into Round 1. Kyle Rudolph is a free agent in 2020, and Smith is the best run-and-catch tight end in this class. He can block, too.
- Let's stick with tight end. I questioned Green Bay's strategy on Day 1, not getting any help for Aaron Rodgers and taking two defenders in the first round. Well, Rodgers should like Texas A&M's Jace Sternberger, a really good receiver and route runner whom Green Bay got at No. 75.
- Michigan's Chase Winovich is a perfect fit as an outside linebacker in New England, and Patriots fans are going to love him. I wouldn't be surprised if he became a regular starter. I thought he'd go in the top 50 picks, and Bill Belichick & Co. got him at No. 77. Value.
- Old Dominion had never had a player picked in the NFL draft before defensive end Oshane Ximines went to the Giants at No. 95. What a cool story. And Ximines is a good player who will play outside linebacker in New York's 3-4.
- With a healthy Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco thinks it's close to being a playoff team. What the Niners really lacked were difference-makers at wide receiver to help Garoppolo, however. So I liked GM John Lynch & Co. taking two wideouts on Day 2, with South Carolina's Deebo Samuel (No. 36) and Baylor's Jalen Hurd (No. 67). Samuel is the best slot receiver in this draft, and Hurd, a converted running back, is a raw route runner with a 6-foot-5 frame.
- If it feels as if I'm hitting on receivers a lot here, it's because Day 2 was full of them. Another of my favorites was Notre Dame's Miles Boykin, who tested extremely well at the combine. He landed in Baltimore at No. 93. The Ravens have added two uber-talented receivers in Boykin in Round 3 and Marquise Brown in Round 1.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The pick: Sean Bunting, CB, Central Michigan (No. 39)
Here were the better corners available when Tampa Bay reached for Bunting, who is No. 87 overall on my board: Greedy Williams, Justin Layne, Lonnie Johnson Jr., Julian Love, Joejuan Williams, David Long, Trayvon Mullenand Amani Oruwariye.
Yes, I had eight corners with higher grades than Bunting who were still on the board. Tampa Bay absolutely needed a man-cover corner, but I would have gone with Greedy Williams.
Detroit Lions
The pick: Jahlani Tavai, ILB, Hawaii (No. 43)
I like Tavai. Good player, a tackling machine with some versatility. But I don't like him in the second round. Not with Mack Wilson and Bobby Okereke, among others, still there. Tavai is my eighth-ranked inside linebacker and qualifies as the biggest reach of the day; he is No. 137 on my Big Board.
More reaches based on my Big Board
The Bengals took Washington's Drew Sample, the best blocking tight end in the class, at No. 52. He's not going to do much as a pass-catcher, so the question is about value that early. Especially withDawson Knox and Jace Sternberger still available. Sample got a fourth-round grade from me.
- Toledo wide receiver Diontae Johnson going to the Steelers at the top of Round 3 (No. 66) surprised me. He ran a 4.53 40 at the combine at 5-foot-10, 183 pounds, and he's not an elite athlete. That pick, by the way, was the one Oakland included in the trade for Antonio Brown.
- There were better corners on the board when Jon Gruden and the Raiders took Clemson's Trayvon Mullen at No. 40, but Gruden likes his guys. I see why Mullen went a little higher than I thought he might. Gruden wants physical defensive backs who can make plays. Mullen has a big, 6-foot-1 frame and isn't afraid to tackle in the run game.
- Georgia wideout Mecole Hardman can fly -- he ran a 4.33 40 at the combine. He's one of the best returners in this class. But Kansas City taking him over better true receivers like Parris Campbell was a reach. Hardman is still raw as a route runner. I also have to mention that he could be a replacement for Tyreek Hill based on Hill's off-field issues.
- I trust in Dallas defensive line coach Rod Marinelli to get the best out of his guys, but it was a reach based purely on value when the Cowboys took UCF defensive tackle Trysten Hill at No. 58. He's a tremendous athlete, but his tape was too inconsistent. I had a fourth-round grade on him.
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