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First-Round Grades| Day 2 Mock Draft| Best Available Players| Fernando Mendoza is Tom Brady’s successor| Ty Simpson will test Sean McVay| Cardinals made the right pick
Day 2 of the draft is here. Once again you can follow Rounds 2 and 3 in SI’s live tracker. Before the round starts, let’s get into what I’m hearing today …
San Francisco 49ers and pick No. 33
The 49ers are fielding calls for the 33rd pick, which is what always happens on the Friday of the draft, and why that slot is often an undercover coveted pick—with teams having a chance to reset their boards, and human nature sometimes taking over in the desire for certain guys.
Among the players I think teams might move up for are Ohio State NT Kayden McDonald, Texas A&M G Chase Bisontis, Washington WR Denzel Boston or Tennessee CB Colton Hood.
If San Francisco wards off the interest and picks, a few other teams believe that Missouri DE Zion Young would be a serious consideration. The Niners were linked through the process to UCF edge Malachi Lawrence, who went 23rd to the Cowboys, four slots before their slotted pick, which they dealt off to the Dolphins, before dealing down again with the Jets. So going with an edge rusher, with Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams coming off torn ACLs, would make sense.
The Niners, in the end, parlayed the 27th and 138th picks for the 33rd, 90th, 179th picks. In doing so, they went from having six picks to seven, and two in the top 100 to three. Which essentially replaces the pick they gave up for Cowboys DT Osa Odighizuwa (No. 92).
Buffalo Bills’ dealing
Speaking of that sort of maneuvering, the Bills did the same when, sitting at 26, they saw their board flatten out—with a bunch of players on the board with similar grades. So they traded down with the Texans, then the Patriots, then the Titans. In doing so, they turned the 26th, 91st, and 165th picks into Nos. 35, 66, 101, 125 and 167.
And that means the Bills have now turned their first three slotted picks (26, 60 and 91) into the 35th, 66th, 101st, 125th picks and WR DJ Moore.
Now the Bills have nine picks, including the third pick in Round 2, the second pick in Round 3, and the first pick of the day Saturday. They also have work to do in finding more scheme fits for new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, with both McDonald and Texas A&M pass rusher Cashius Howell seen as those types of guys.
Houston Texans
The Texans got aggressive to land Georgia Tech G Keylan Rutledge at No. 26, which gives them another piece for their continued offensive line makeover. But in doing so, they bypassed the need to address their defensive tackle depth, so it wouldn’t be a shocker to see the Texans look at McDonald (who’s not a perfect scheme fit, but has been linked to Houston) or Georgia DT Christen Miller early on. That said, one wild-card name I’ve heard for them along those lines is Iowa State DT Domonique Orange.
Day 2 quarterbacks
A big story to monitor tonight will be which, if any, quarterbacks are selected. Some teams believe Miami’s Carson Beck will be the next one to go, and could land with the Jets at No. 44, since New York doesn’t have a third-round pick. I’d say LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Penn State’s Drew Allar are the others with a shot to go Friday night. But I think the possibility exists that all will still be on the board Saturday morning.
Arizona Cardinals
What the Cardinals do at No. 34 is a bit of a mystery, but one thing I’d heard is that if they hadn’t gone with Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love in the first round, they may well have taken an offensive linemen—and that probably is what they’d have done in a trade-down scenario. With a need at right tackle, Miami’s Francis Mauigoa (who went to the Giants at No. 10) was the name I’d heard. So Arizona could address the line here, and maybe take Bisontis. But if right tackle is the focus for them, the next one, maybe Northwestern’s Caleb Tiernan, would be a bit of a reach at 34.
Tight ends
Tight end is another well-stocked position. I see Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers, who’d be a fit for the Broncos or Patriots, and Georgia’s Oscar Delp, whom I’d like for the Eagles, going in the second round, with Ohio State’s Max Klare and Stanford’s Sam Roush also a possibility to go before the night is over.
Wide receivers
Boston is an easy name to circle at receiver. I’d keep an eye on Ole Miss’s De’Zhaun Stribling as someone who’s helped himself through the process. I think Georgia’s Zachariah Branch and Alabama’s Germie Bernard will also go in the second, with Tennessee’s Chris Brazzell II looming as a wild card, given all the off-field questions he presents. The Raiders at 36 and Giants at 37 could be in play for these guys, trying to get their young QBs some help.
Top Round 2 Picks
Among those whose waits shouldn’t be long Friday night: McDonald, Miller, Hood, Howell, Boston, ILBs CJ Allen (Georgia) and Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech), and safeties Treydan Stukes (Arizona) and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (Toledo).
Jermod McCoy
Finally, perhaps the story of the night will be how far Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy falls. He was right there with new Chiefs corner Mansoor Delane atop the class at his position before teams dug into medicals and started to worry about his longevity. He’s now seen by many, in NFL scouting terms, as a one-contract guy. So the question becomes when his ceiling is too high to pass on, even if he’s not expected to have an eight- or 10-year career.
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ALBERT BREER
Albert Breer is a senior writer covering the NFL for Sports Illustrated, delivering the biggest stories and breaking news from across the league. He has been on the NFL beat since 2005 and joined SI in 2016. Breer began his career covering the New England Patriots for the MetroWest Daily News and the Boston Herald from 2005 to ’07, then covered the Dallas Cowboys for the Dallas Morning News from 2007 to ’08. He worked for The Sporting News from 2008 to ’09 before returning to Massachusetts as The Boston Globe’s national NFL writer in 2009. From 2010 to 2016, Breer served as a national reporter for NFL Network. In addition to his work at Sports Illustrated, Breer regularly appears on NBC Sports Boston, 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, FS1 with Colin Cowherd, The Rich Eisen Show and The Dan Patrick Show. A 2002 graduate of Ohio State, Breer lives near Boston with his wife, a cardiac ICU nurse at Boston Children’s Hospital, and their three children.
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