The second round of the NFL Draft offered just as many surprises as the first round. Many players who had been pegged as first-round talent early in the offseason were either picked early on Friday or will have had to wait until the third or even during Saturday's rounds. Below is analysis of the second round. One of the big questions early on was how far LSU WR Rueben Randle would fall, but the Giants answered that question before the start of the third.
2.1 - St. Louis Rams - Brian Quick, WR, Appalachian State - A nice fit for the Rams in terms of getting a big bodied WR with some upside. That said, I would have gone for Stephen Hill here or Rueben Randle if I were grabbing a WR here.
2.2 - Indianapolis Colts - Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford - I hate, hate, HATE this pick! I think Fleener is not even the best TE in this class and any other year would be the 3rd or 4th TE taken. I really wanted Janoris Jenkins for my team here. And if not I wanted Stephen Hill or Reuben Randle. Here is hoping this makes Andrew Luck more comfortable because that is the only value in this pick. F!
2.3 - Baltimore Ravens (via trade) - Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB, Alabama - This is a beautiful marriage of value and need. Upshaw will immediately be the best pass rusher opposite of Terrell Suggs that the Ravens have ever had. Upshaw was a first round talent and likely who the Ravens would have selected if they did not trade down with Minnesota in the first round. Instead they get the guy they wanted and add another pick. Ozzie Newsome is awesome.
2.4 - Denver Broncos (via trade) - Derek Wolfe, DT, Cincinnati - With Peyton moving on to Denver, the Broncos have become my second favorite team behind the Colts. John Elway did OK here. They nab a decent talent in Wolfe after trading down and add a much needed DT help after losing Bunkley in the off-season. However, I would have given Manning another weapon here or I would have taken Jerel Worthy if I was going to go DT.
2.5 - Cleveland Browns - Mitchell Schwartz, OT, California - Another Cleveland pick that I hate! They needed some outside weapons and there were two great WRs here in Hill and Randle. If they wanted to go OL to help their running game, Cordy Glenn is out there and is just as versatile as Schwartz. I did not like this pick for value or positional need.
2.6 - Jacksonville Jaguars - Andre Branch, DE, Clemson - Jacksonville did pretty well here. They end up with a pass rusher with upside and they didn’t reach for one like they usually do. Branch will take a little while to develop, but has some upside and not a ton of risk either.
2.7 - St. Louis Rams (via trade) - Janoris Jenkins, CB, Northern Alabama - Wow!.....Just….Wow! The Rams are KILLING IT! They get the guy who I think is the best CB in the draft and they do it with their second 2nd round pick! They now have drafted help for Bradford and two huge pieces to help their defense in Brockers and Jenkins. When you factor in the off-season addition of Cortland Finnegan and the rise of Robert Quinn this year, the Rams are doing big things under Jeff Fisher.
2.8 - Carolina Panthers - Amini Silatolu, OG, Midwestern State - This is a very nice pick for the Panthers. Silatolu is nasty and has a great mean streak. He is vicious in the run game and will pave the way for Newton and the Panthers running game immediately. Nice grab.
2.9 - Buffalo Bills - Cordy Glenn, OT, Georgia - I love, love, love this pick! Glenn is very talented and one of the best run blocking OL in the draft. He may struggle a bit if Buffalo asks him to play LT. But if they move him to RT or OG, he could be a Pro-Bowler in a few years. This is great news for Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller.
2.10 - Miami Dolphins - Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford - This is another good pick. Martin is a late first round talent and the Dolphins add him to a very good OL. Tannehill will now have Jake Long and Martin as his bookends for years. And he will be protected with two talented OTs on the roster.
2.11 - New York Jets (via trade) - Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech - I really do not like the Jets, but they are having one heck of a draft! Hill was certainly a first round talent and the most explosive WR in this draft. He will add some big play capability and some red-zone prowess to a team replacing Plaxico Burress. He is a mirror image of Demaryius Thomas who Tim Tebow had a great connection with. Coincidence? Hmmmmm.
2.12 - Kansas City Chiefs - Jeff Allen, OT, Illinois - I learned about Allen when doing research since some mock drafts predicted the Colts would take him at the top of round 2. Allen is a very solid prospect and he can play OT or OG. He will immediately become a starter on day one for the Chiefs. Solid selection.
2.13 - Chicago Bears (via trade) - Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina - I really, really like Jeffery. I’d have loved to see him land with my team, so I really like this pick for Chicago. He is a big WR with great hands and body control. He was also extremely productive. He could be a Marques Colston/David Boston type of WR for the Bears. Very nice grab for that offense.
2.14 - Philadelphia Eagles (via trade) - Mychal Kendricks, LB, California - Kendricks is a beautiful pick for the Eagles. His is quick and can be a very productive tackler. He could easily replace DeMeco Ryans as the MLB in Philly and allow the Eagles to move Ryans to Weak side if they so choose. This will be great for the Eagles versatility at LB with Ryans, Kendricks and Chaney. Good get for the Philly D.
2.15 - Seattle Seahawks (via trade) - Bobby Wagner, LB, Utah State - Say hello to the future MLB of the Seahawks. Wagner is an awesome selection. And with the loss of David Hawthorne, he will give them a lot of flexibility as Barrett Ruud gets healthy. He can play outside initially, but he will likely be the future in the middle as Ruud moves on as soon as next year.
2.16 - New England Patriots (via trade) - Tavon Wilson, S, Illinois - I have to admit that I do not know a whole lot about Wilson. His scouting report claims that he is average in terms of coverage and run support, but that he is below average in ball skills. Basically I have no clue what NE did here. They would have been better off going with a CB like Trumiane Johnson in my opinion.
2.17 - San Diego Chargers - Kendall Reyes, DT, Connecticut - Reyes will be an awesome 5-tech DE for the 3-4 Chargers. He would have been a very nice fit as a DT in a 4-3, but he can be another Luis Castillo for the Chargers as they get younger along that line. He will help open up some lanes for Melvin Ingram too. Nice move.
2.18 - St. Louis Rams (via trade) - Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati - This is the first pick for the Rams that I do not like. I would have gone Rueben Randle here and paired him with Quick. That said, Steven Jackson is not getting any younger and they need someone to split the load with him and offer a change of pace. I probably would have gone with Lamar Miller or Lamichael James personally, but at least they are helping that offense.
2.19 - Green Bay Packers (via trade) - Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State - Boy do the rich get richer here. He was almost a sure-fire 1st rounder heading into the draft and he had fallen far enough. GB will plug him in right next to B.J. Raji and Worthy will excel as a 5-tech DE for them. Awesome value here for a team that rarely moves up. They did it at the right time here.
2.20 - Tennessee Titans - Zach Brown, LB, UNC - I am glad that Tennessee took Brown. He is so easy to push around and shies away from contact so much that he will have some serious struggles at the NFL level. I like seeing a team in my Colts’ division take a guy like him. Seriously, though he is quick as can be. He will cover a lot of ground for the Titans and could slot in nicely as their future at WLB next to Colin McCarthy and Akeem Ayers. He could become a similar player to what Freddy Keiaho was for a year in Indy. I am not sure that is a good thing for a 2nd round pick, however.
2.21 - Cincinnati Bengals - Devon Still, DT, Penn State - Still has some of the best production amongst DTs in this draft. He will be a very solid pro and fills a huge need for the Bengals. He will play a very nice 3-tech DT for Cincy and should help keep Maualuga and Thomas Howard clean against the run. Like this pick for them.
2.22 - Detroit Lions - Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma - Broyles is one heck of a tough player and a great slot WR. He will be a fantastic addition to that Detroit offense. Stafford is going to be stacked for years at this rate. Between Broyles and Reiff, that offense is getting scary.
2.23 - Atlanta Falcons - Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin - I am not sure how he lasted this long. He was similar to Alex Mack who went much earlier a couple years ago. Konz will be a nice player to anchor this OL for the next half decade. To get an instant starter this far down in round two with your first selection is a big win. Konz was mocked as high as the bottom of the first round initially.
2.24 - Pittsburgh Steelers - Mike Adam, OT, Ohio State - Wow, the Steelers are revamping the OL in a huge, huge way. DeCastro and Adams make a ridiculous combo for the Steelers. Holy cow they have done some big things! That is a lot of beef to help protect Big Ben and push the pile in that road-grading division. Nice job Pitt!
2.25 - Denver Broncos - Brock Osweiler, QB, Arizona State - This is a good move for Denver. He is raw and needs to develop, but who is better to develop behind than Peyton Manning? This is great for the future of the Broncos. Osweiler is a solid young backup to develop behind Manning and can take over in a few years.
2.26 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (via trade) - Lavonte David, LB, Nebraska - One heck of a pick here. He could very well spell the end of Mason Foster at MLB. David is so quick and can cover the whole field that he could either be a sideline-to-sideline MLB or a ridiculously fast WLB in the mold of Derrick Brooks. This is a great fit for David. He could become one of best IDP rookies in the game this year and will likely be a top-3 IDP rookie pick.
2.27 - Philadelphia Eagles (via trade) - Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall - The Eagles add yet another stud defensive player to their front seven here. Curry could be an excellent rotational pass rusher with Babin and Cole and he has the athleticism to develop into a Jason Pierre-Paul or Cliff Avril caliber pass rusher as well.
2.28 - Baltimore Ravens - Kelechi Osemele, OG, Iowa State - I admit to not knowing a ton about Osemele, but his scouting report shows that he is a powerful blocker who can immediately help as a RT or inside at OG. This also allows the Ravens some flexibility to move Jah Reid around too. Another nice pick building in the trenches for the Ravens.
2.29- San Francisco 49ers - LaMichael James, RB, Oregon - This is a great player, but a very interesting pick. He is added to Frank Gore, Brandon Jacobs and Kendall Hunter and is buried behind them. However, he will be one heck of a specialty back similar to Darren Sproles or Danny Woodhead and he will be on the field a lot more than typical 3rd or 4th string RBs.
2.30 - Green Bay Packers (via trade) - Casey Hayward, CB, Vanderbilt - GB does it again. They move up and take a CB that is known to have great ball skills and is a talented coverage DB. He will be a great addition to Tramon Williams, Sam Shields and Charles Woodson and will be nice depth to have when Woodson makes his eventual move to S in a year or two.
2.31 - New York Giants - Reuben Randle, WR, LSU - This pisses me off more than words can say. I wanted him at the top of the 2nd and he lasted all the way until one pick before my Colts to get scooped. This was one hell of a pick by the Giants and will pay huge, huge dividends for Eli Manning and the G-Men. One hell of a selection here.
Note: Only 31 picks since New Orleans lost their second round pick due to the bounty scandal
