Whew, Rounds 2 and 3 of the 2020 NFL draft were a whirlwind, and now we get to turn around and do Rounds 4-7 early on Saturday. Day 2 of the draft is where the good teams find values and steal early starters. It's also where the bad teams pick prospects based on traits and ceilings, and that's how they get burned.
There were a few surprises on Friday night. I didn't expect the Eagles to be the team to take quarterback Jalen Hurts. And there were a couple of prospects who fell much further than I thought.
After I went through the picks I liked and didn't like from the first round, let's do it again for Day 2. Check out the best available prospects heading into Round 4 on Saturday, and join me at noon ET on ESPN, ABC and the ESPN App as we run through the best day of the draft.
More NFL draft coverage:
Round 1 winners, questions
Kiper's top 300 rankings
Favorites at every position
Best available | Round 1
Picks I liked from Day 2
Baltimore Ravens
The picks: J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ohio State (No. 55); Justin Madubuike, DT, Texas A&M (No. 71); Devin Duvernay, WR, Texas (No. 92); Malik Harrison, ILB, Ohio State; Tyre Phillips, OT, Mississippi State (No. 106)
OK, so it's easy to be a winner on Day 2 when you have five picks, but I really like what Baltimore did here. The word I've used to describe Dobbins is "fierce." He gets downhill in a hurry. He is my second-ranked running back, and I thought he might sneak into the end of Round 1. Instead the Ravens got him at No. 55, and he'll inject some youth into a record-breaking rushing attack. This is a pick for value. I'm a big fan of Madubuike, whom Baltimore got in Round 3. He has some upside as an interior pass-rusher. Both Dobbins and Madubuike made my list of favorite prospects by position.
The Ravens also got a speedy slot receiver in Duvernay near the end of Day 2, and he could catch a few balls at the line of scrimmage and take them for touchdowns. He caught 106 passes for 1,386 yards last year. Then the Ravens got some value with Harrison at No. 98; he was my 74th-ranked prospect. He could end up playing outside linebacker with first-round pick Patrick Queen taking over in the middle. Phillips is an underrated mauler at offensive tackle.
This Ravens class is in the running for an A.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The pick: Antoine Winfield Jr., S, Minnesota (No. 45)
I had the Bucs among my winners after Round 1, and I love this pick, too. The 5-foot-9 Winfield is a ball hawk and versatile player who could line up as a center fielder, slot corner or even down in the box. He's just a ball player. He has some durability concerns -- he missed huge chunks of the 2017 and 2018 seasons -- but this is a bet on his upside. He could slot in as Tampa's free safety.
The Bucs, by the way, have now taken six defensive backs in the first two rounds over the past five drafts, tied with the Raiders for most in that span. Their defense was improved under Todd Bowles last season, but they need to get their secondary right if they really want to be Super Bowl contenders.
The Bucs also got some help for Tom Brady with Vanderbilt running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn in Round 3. He didn't catch many passes in college (42 over the past two seasons), but he has some potential.
New York Giants
The pick: Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama (No. 36)
McKinney was the best available prospect on my board heading into Day 2, and he'll be a great fit next to Jabrill Peppers in the Giants' secondary. New York reached a little bit in Round 1, taking offensive tackle Andrew Thomas at No. 4, but it ended up with the Nos. 14 (Thomas) and 15 prospects (McKinney) in my rankings. That's a decent start, and some value for McKinney at the top of Round 2.
Carolina Panthers
The picks: Yetur Gross-Matos, DE Penn State (No. 38); Jeremy Chinn, S, Southern Illinois (No. 64)
The Panthers are clearly prioritizing their defense at the early stages of their rebuild, as they took top defensive tackle Derrick Brown at No. 7, then landed an edge rusher and versatile safety in the second round. After Chase Young, Gross-Matos had a case as the best pure pass-rusher in this class, and he was productive last season with 9.5 sacks and 15 total tackles for loss. He doesn't have the ultra-impressive traits of Young, but he's consistent and reliable and will help this team. Chinn, who had 13 career interceptions for the Salukis and looked right at home at Senior Bowl practices, is a great athlete for a 221-pound defensive back. I wouldn't be shocked if all three were Week 1 starters in 2020.
Check out the highlights from former Southern Illinois defensive back Jeremy Chinn's college career.
New Orleans Saints
The pick: Zack Baun, OLB/DE, Wisconsin (No. 74); Adam Trautman, TE, Dayton (No. 105)
The Saints didn't have a second-round pick because of their trade up for center Erik McCoy last year, and they moved up 14 spots to stop Baun's free fall this year. They like to trade up. My No. 31 overall prospect, Baun broke out with 12.5 sacks last season, which trailed only Chase Young in the Big Ten. I thought he'd be better suited to play outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense, but he might be a strongside 'backer in New Orleans' scheme. Still, he could be used as a situational pass-rusher, too.
Trautman, meanwhile, is my No. 52 prospect overall, and I thought he was the second-best tight end in this class. He's really more of a jumbo wide receiver at this point, but he has a high ceiling, and he landed in a great spot. This is great value. And now the Saints have no more picks left, unless they trade future assets to get into Day 3.
More picks I liked
Utah running back Zach Moss made my top 50, and he lasted all the way to the Bills at No. 86. His 4.65 40-yard dash at the combine is probably the cause of his drop, but he could be a good complementary back with Devin Singletary.
Miami picked up one of my favorite prospects in this class at No. 39, going with Louisiana guard Robert Hunt. He played guard and tackle for the Ragin' Cajuns -- and analyst Daniel Jeremiah mentioned Hunt could start out at tackle for the Dolphins -- but I see him as an instant starter at guard. I love this pick.
I hammered the Falcons on Thursday night for reaching for a cornerback, but I did like them taking Auburn defensive end Marlon Davidson at No. 47. Davidson is a gifted 300-pounder with some bend off the edge. And they added another talented offensive lineman (they took two in Round 1 last year) in Temple's Matt Hennessy at No. 78. He could play guard or center at the next level.
The Vikings had a nice day, adding Boise State offensive tackle Ezra Cleveland and Mississippi State cornerback Cameron Dantzler. I thought both could go early in Round 2. The Vikings have taken a wide receiver, offensive tackle and two corners so far.
I got a few questions earlier this month when I put Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet to the Bears at No. 43 in my two-round mock draft. But it makes sense with Trey Burton gone and Adam Shaheen not working out. Yes, Chicago signed Jimmy Graham, but Kmet is a pick for the long term. He is the clear top tight end in this class, and I had him No. 29 overall.
Not to pat myself on the back too much -- OK, why not? -- but I also hit on LSU safety Grant Delpit to the Browns in my two-round mock draft. The fit just makes too much sense there. And Cleveland also got a really talented LSU defensive back in the second round last year in cornerback Greedy Williams. The Browns also added a fifth-round pick by trading down three spots.
The Jets didn't re-sign Robby Anderson, and they don't have a true No. 1 wide receiver on their roster. So I liked the pick at No. 59 for Baylor's Denzel Mims, a 6-foot-3 wideout with elite traits -- he ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the combine. He is No. 39 overall in my rankings, and I thought he had a chance to go to Cincinnati or Indianapolis at the top of Round 2. Sam Darnold will appreciate him.
Head-scratching picks from Day 2
Philadelphia Eagles
The pick: Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma (No. 53)
It was tough to peg where the fifth quarterback in this class was going to go. Maybe Indianapolis, which had two picks early in Round 2? Pittsburgh as the backup to Ben Roethlisberger? I had heard New England liked Hurts, and he was there for the taking at No. 37, after the Patriots traded out of the first round. Instead it turned out to be ... the Eagles?
And, really, you can see why it makes some sense for Doug Pederson's team. Carson Wentz, 27, signed a big extension through 2024, but he has struggled to stay on the field, and that's a big issue. Philadelphia needs a reliable backup, someone who could be ready at a moment's notice. The comp I have made for Hurts is to Taysom Hill, and Pederson could use Hurts for a few snaps per game in an Eagles offense that relies heavily on run-pass option. Hurts isn't quite the athlete that Hill is, but they have similar builds.
Hurts has been a hot name over the past few weeks, and this is right around the range where I expected him to go. I would have loved to see him end up in a place where he could compete to start, but I wouldn't be surprised if he impressed in spot starts and is a full-time starter in a couple of years -- in Philly or someplace else. What makes this more of a head-scratching pick is that an edge rusher like Zack Baun or a safety like Ashtyn Davis could have helped the Eagles immediately.
Seattle Seahawks
The pick: Darrell Taylor, DE, Tennessee (No. 48)
The Seahawks certainly have a type. Taylor fits that. They like long cornerbacks, of course, but they also like hulking edge rushers. Just look at defensive end L.J. Collier, last year's first-round pick, who was a reach and didn't do much of anything as a rookie. At 267 pounds, Taylor is 25 pounds lighter than Collier, but he has more pass-rushing upside -- he had 16.5 sacks over the past two seasons.
The problem? This is too high for him (and Seattle used picks to trade up). He is my 12th-ranked defensive end and is No. 185 overall. We know Seattle wanted to add defensive linemen on Day 2, but there were better guys on the board, including A.J. Epenesa, Bradlee Anae and Jabari Zuniga. To replace Jadeveon Clowney and Quinton Jefferson -- the only Seahawks defenders with at least 10 pressures last season -- they needed to get someone who could make an immediate impact. I don't see that with Taylor, even if he was a late riser in the pre-draft process.
Las Vegas Raiders
The picks: Lynn Bowden Jr., WR, Kentucky (No. 80); Bryan Edwards, WR, South Carolina (No. 81)
I'm not scratching my head at the value here -- both went right where I thought they would -- but Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock have now spent three of their top four picks on receivers. And yes, Bowden is a receiver in the NFL, even if reports are that the Raiders want to use him as a running back/do-it-all weapon. Two weeks ago, Mayock said, "We need to get better at wideout, it's no secret," but this is extreme for a team that still has other holes.
Take a look back at some of the best college highlights of former Kentucky standout Lynn Bowden Jr.
New England Patriots
The picks: Devin Asiasi, TE, UCLA (No. 91); Dalton Keene, TE, Virginia Tech (No. 101)
New England traded up to No. 91, and at that point there had been only one tight end drafted. One. This is not a great class to get one. Dayton's Adam Trautman was there, along with FAU's Harrison Bryant and Missouri's Albert Okwuegbunam. So the Patriots did take a tight end, but it was my seventh-ranked TE in Asiasi. He's not going to be the new Rob Gronkowski, and I would have looked elsewhere, but he did catch 44 passes and four touchdowns last season.
Then the Pats traded up again for a TE, this time Keene, whom I actually had ranked one spot after Asiasi. And all of those others are still on the board. Bill Belichick is obviously trying to fill a big-time need -- New England tight ends had only two receiving touchdowns, tied for fewest in the NFL (with the Bears) -- but there were better options available.
More reaches based on my Big Board and position rankings
Colorado wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. is super talented. There's no question about that. But he had a down 2019 season, and the scouting reports for him throughout the league were all over the place. He also is recovering from core muscle surgery and didn't run well at the combine. He does have some versatility, and he's built like a running back, but he needs to be used in a role that allows him to show that versatility. I was surprised he went No. 42 to the Jaguars. Jay Gruden needs to get creative to find a role for him.
With Oklahoma's Neville Gallimore and Missouri's Jordan Elliott still on the board at No. 73, the Jaguars instead went with Ohio State defensive tackle Davon Hamilton, who's more of a plugger. I had a fourth-round grade on him.
Alabama defensive tackle Raekwon Davis looked like a future first-round pick in 2017, when he had 8.5 sacks as a sophomore. Then he had only two sacks over the past two seasons for Nick Saban's squad. At 6-foot-6, 311 pounds, Davis looks like a second-round pick without pads on, but he doesn't have second-round tape. The Dolphins took him at No. 56, but he was No. 119 on my board.
This wasn't a great class for interior offensive linemen, and Detroit reached for Ohio State guard Jonah Jackson at No. 75. He is No. 121 overall in my rankings.