Day 2 is here, and we’ve got plenty on the site to recap Thursday’s action, including live grades, a Day 2 mock and more. For today’s “What I’m Hearing” …
• How the quarterbacks come off the board is a front-burner topic for everyone now—after the first round failed to place one in the first 18 picks for the first time in 25 years, and just one went in the first round for the first time in eight years. That new Steeler Kenny Pickett was the only one taken Thursday reflects what we’ve all really been saying for three months now and confirms that this simply isn’t a great year at the position in the draft.
That said, there’ll be opportunity out there Friday night.
Albert Cesare/The Enquirer/USA TODAY Network
And a couple of team execs pointed out to me after the first round that this becomes more interesting for some, because at this point of the draft, you can choose to “date” a quarterback back rather than “marry” him. Simply put, if you take one in the first round— the 2019 Cardinals notwithstanding—you’re probably done looking for a few years, and you’re probably tying your job security to the guy.
But if you take one after that? Well, there are plenty of examples—the Panthers’ taking Jimmy Clausen in 2010, then Cam Newton in ’11 is a good one—of teams drafting quarterbacks in the second or third round, only to take a bigger swing thereafter. And, in the case of a Sam Howell or a Desmond Ridder, the high floor of a quarterback available Friday could give teams a worst-case scenario where they get a quality backup on a very cheap contract for the next few years (with upside for the pick becoming much more).
So where will the action happen today? Because of the close relationship between Titans coach Mike Vrabel and Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell, Ridder’s name has been consistently connected to Tennessee, where Ridder could essentially take a redshirt year behind Ryan Tannehill, and the team could use it to work on his mechanics to see whether his accuracy might improve. The Titans moved down from No. 26 to No. 35, with 35 being the third pick tonight and a more appropriate spot to grab Ridder (Seattle’s also done homework on him).
On top of that, both the Falcons and Seahawks have been connected in recent weeks to Ole Miss’s Matt Corral (who’s got off-field questions for everyone to sort through), and those two have a pair of second-rounders each (Seattle’s at 40 and 41; Atlanta’s at 43 and 58). Washington’s another team to watch, at both 47 and 98. The Commanders have kicked tires on Liberty’s Malik Willis (whom Atlanta has checked out as well) and Howell.
• The other position to watch that could prompt some trading near the top is corner, with Clemson’s Andrew Booth, Washington’s Kyler Gordon and Auburn’s Roger McCreary all still on the board. Were it not for Booth’s injury issues and Gordon’s disappointing showing at the combine, both likely would’ve landed in the first round—and each has value going into Friday, with another drop-off coming at the position (McCreary is probably in between the tier Gordon and Booth are on and the next tier).
• Tampa Bay is picking first Friday, and that 33rd pick has been a catbird seat since the current format went into place a few years ago—since teams have all day to reset their boards and make offers for the pick. My guess would be, if someone comes up, it might be to get in front of Minnesota for a corner or to get in front of Tennessee for a quarterback.
• Since we mentioned the Vikings, just a note on their Thursday night: Alabama receiver Jameson Williams was very much in play to be their pick at 12, had the team not traded the selection to division rival Detroit for a haul while they were on the clock. The idea of Williams opposite Justin Jefferson is a pretty fun one to think about.
• While we’re on the Bucs, I think they tie into the most out-of-left-field pick of Thursday—the Patriots’ taking Tennessee-Chattanooga’s Cole Strange 29th. The Bucs were one of the teams that New England was concerned about, in not waiting until their next pick (54th) to take Strange. But my sense is that, even though guard is a need and the Bucs like Strange, he’d have been more of a consideration at 60 or afterward, and not at 33.
To me, that’s where the question is on New England taking him where it did. Could the Patriots have taken Strange at 54 and addressed their corner need first? I think the answer is yes. Every team I asked Thursday night and Friday morning said the same thing—they expected Strange to go in the first round or early in the second.
“It was definitely a reach,” said one AFC scout. “The price is never too high for a starter, so if he’s just an above-average starter, it’s fine. But when you take the reach into account, and that, at a position like guard, the margin between a Pro Bowler and an above-average starter is small, it was really high for him.”
One piece of fallout from the pick: With the guard board turned upside down, teams might look at the Central Michigan tackles or Nebraska center Cam Jurgens to fill needs at the position Friday night.
• The biggest fall of Thursday? That belonged to Florida State DE Jermaine Johnson II, who went from potential top-10 pick to 26th. I’m told a big piece of his drop was how he came off in predraft meetings with teams—he turned a lot of people off through the process. The hope now, of course, is that a tough draft night will create a lesson learned.
Johnson, Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson were all among the top 10 players on Jets GM Joe Douglas’s board going into draft night, and Johnson was a consideration at No. 10. So if Johnson, as natural a pass rusher as there is the 2022 class, can show he’s not what teams feared him to be over the last couple of months, this year’s draft class (combined with last year’s) sets up as a potential turning point for the franchise.
• My most fascinating prospect Friday night: Georgia WR George Pickens. Absent off-field questions and an ACL injury last year, there’s a good chance that Pickens would’ve been the first receiver taken this year.
“There are a lot of red flags,” said one AFC scouting director. “The biggest thing is his willingness to do everything right.”
For that reason, he’s off some teams’ boards. But if he gets himself straightened out? Look out.
