The_Coach
Winners: Las Vegas Raiders & New York Jets
I had about fifteen winners from Day Two, but narrowed it down to just two teams at the end of the day, which has me very concerned for my mental state, considering they’re historically two of the worst decision-making franchises in the NFL. The Raiders actually had a really smart day in my eyes, as they took what was there early in Round 2 with TCU safety Trevon Moehrig. With back-to-back picks in the 3rd Round, Las Vegas grabbed a highly productive edge rusher in Buffalo’s Malcolm Koonce and then addressed a need at safety with Virginia Tech’s Divine Deablo (a Top All-Draft Name contender). The Jets may have only had one choice, the second pick in Round 2, but they got an instant plug-and-play receiver in Elijah Moore from Ole Miss. New York clearly is set on fixing their offense in this year’s draft and so far, they’re getting that job done.
Losers: Dallas Cowboys
Oh man, Beaver Nation may not be too happy with me for this one. The Cowboys wrapped up the 3rd Round by scooping up Oregon State cornerback Nahshon Wright, who was the first Beaver to go off the board in the 2021 NFL Draft. However, it’s really hard for me to see that Jerry Jones and crew weren’t stretching at the spot, especially after they opted for a rough fit in Iowa defensive end Chauncey Golston just fifteen picks earlier. Their other selection in the third round was UCLA defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, a very pedestrian choice at the spot in my opinion as well and their lone second round option, which came at the #12 slot, went to Kentucky defensive back Kelvin Joseph. Joseph had a strange career in college and has some off-field concerns, ranging to how willing he is to invest himself into a career in football. That early in Round 2, there’s better quality available.
John
Winner: Cleveland Browns
Cleveland was in a great position headed into the draft. They’re a very good young team that doesn’t have glaring weaknesses and should be getting better over the next year or two. They look like they should be contenders soon. That means they can afford to be flexible in the draft, and wait and see which players fall their way. On Day 2, when Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah fell into the mid second, the Browns jumped at the chance, and landed one of the best value picks of they day. JOK was one of the best OLBs heading into the draft, and was tagged as a potential first round pick. What a steal.
Their third round pick, wide receiver Anthony Schwarz, has exceptional speed and could also be a key contributor for Cleveland once they figure out a good role for him. Its been an exceptional draft for GM Andrew Berry.
Loser: Houston Texans
The most dysfunctional team in the league continues to do their thing. The quarterback situation in Houston is a nightmare. Deshaun Watson wants to be gone, the city seems to want him gone, and he’s facing multiple charges of sexual assault. There’s no situation where Watson is the guy going forward for the Texans, but to drop another QB into this situation, let alone a player like Davis Mills who isn’t exactly expected to be starting right away, is a bad call.
Houston is likely to be bad again next year, with a high pick in the draft and a shot at an actual franchise quarterback for the new regime. This pick should have been spent on someone who could be a contributor somewhere; a player like Mills could succeed somewhere else in the League, but with Houston there’s a chance he gets lost in the drama and is doomed to ride pine.
Ross
Winner: Denver Broncos
So the Broncos played it relatively safe with the pick of Patrick Surtain II in round one. However, they were much more aggressive on day two as they traded up to select Javonte Williams Jr from North Carolina (my personal favorite running back) to step in alongside Melvin Gordon. Williams realistically should take over the backfield for the Broncos and become the bell cow back in the near future. After that pick, the Broncos selected offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz and linebacker Baron Browning in round three. Meinerz is an exciting prospect from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater that could step in immediately and start on the interior of the offensive line. While Baron Browning out of Ohio State will provide meaningful snaps at linebacker for the Broncos throughout the season. The Broncos finessed the trade market and pulled out three players from day two that could all realistically play a large portion of snaps for the Broncos this season.
Loser: Cincinnati Bengals
A repeat winner for my loser bracket So this pick revolves solely around the second-round pick for the Bengals, as I actually am a massive fan of Joseph Ossai. The Bengals passed on an elite offensive tackle talent in round one to take Ja’marr Chase. Great, fine, there will be prospects in round two for you to get to protect Joe Burrow. However, come round two the Bengals traded down from their pick and missed out on players like Teven Jenkins and Walker Little. Instead, they settled for Jackson Carman from Clemson, a tackle prospect that will probably move inside. Is it offensive line help? Yes. Is it a prospect that warrants a second-round pick? Not even close. The Bengals decided to pass up on offensive linemen like Samuel Cosmi, Dillon Radunz, and Creed Humphrey to select a player that probably would’ve been available on round three. Honestly, I don’t know what the Bengals are doing, but it isn’t committing to protecting Joe Burrow. I hope they know better than I do.