The NFL Draft turns fortunes upside down. A single correct quarterback decision elevates struggling organisations to Blue Blood ™️ status. The league emphasises the first round for broadcast reasons, as it should. However, in football, drafts are typically won on Friday (and occasionally on Saturday) and lost on Thursday.
Each draft has its own style; this seems like a year with top-tier talent and a slew of really good players in the next 40, but the drop-off will be considerable.
This is likely due to the Covid Bell Curve (™️) and its impact on the composition of draft classes. If Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix can reach the top 12, anything is possible.
Let’s see who won and lost the most on the second day of the draft.
Obviously, Jayden Daniels will be the headline of this draft class, but if the Commanders return to prominence quicker than expected under Dan Quinn, it will most likely be on the second day of the draft. Johnny Newton, a defensive tackle from Illinois, was a steal at No. 36 and adds to this team’s strengths. Michigan DB Mike Sainristil lends them much-needed assistance at Nickelback. Kansas State tight end Ben Sinnott may dethrone Zach Ertz, and TCU offensive lineman Brandon Coleman provides a valuable pick at a position of need. Quinn’s picks were underappreciated while in Atlanta, and he’s off to a strong start in Washington as well. So far in 2024, the Commanders have a lot to be happy about.
I’ve made no secret of my admiration for Jim Harbaugh and his ability to consistently win. Well, he’s already been bold in developing the Chargers’ vision with this draft, and I like what he’s doing. Harbs made two picks on Friday, adding one of my favourite wideouts in the class and an incredible lunchpail person in Ladd McConkey. Chargers fans who were concerned about the lack of weapons suddenly have a perfectly solid team, especially if Harbaugh gets the most out of Quentin Johnston. Herbert shooting p— missiles at Ladd is going to make me do something crazy with the Chargers this offseason. Then L.A. signed Junior Colson, a former Harbaugh student at Michigan who can assist get into the Chargers locEveryone wanted to kill Buffalo for allowing the Chiefs to move up into their position and acquire an offensive player. (I am guilty as charged! But, in my opinion, Bill Belichick said it best when he said that you can only care about your own team. The Bills accomplished just that, shifting back on Thursday many times and acquiring a plethora of extra picks, including those to move from No. 32 to No. 33. That’s not a move you’ll ever ker room and, even as a rookie, serve as a conduit for the head coach. He’s also a very excellent player who matches the Chargers’ needs. This team is going to be an issue next season.Everyone wanted to kill Buffalo for allowing the Chiefs to move up into their positioBuddy, if you land Payton Wilson late in the third round, you will be on this list for me. At worst, Wilson will be an impact player on a single contract. He’s a locker room guy that Mike Tomlin will adore, and he’ll make an impact on this defence in his first year. The Steelers also selected Roman Wilson from Michigan in the second round, a necessary move following the offseason trade of Diontae Johnson. Picking up Zach Frazier from West Virginia in the second round is another wise need/value decision for the Steelers on the second day. n and acquire an offensive player. (I am guilty as charged! But, in my opinion, Bill Belichick said it best when he said that you can only care about your own team. The Bills accomplished just that, shifting back on Thursday many times and acquiring a plethora of extra picks, including those to move from No. 32 to No. 33. That’s not a move you’ll ever witness! But the Bills got it off, acquiring Keon Coleman from Florida State, an undervalued wideout prospect in this class who can do some crazy things in traffic and might benefit greatly from the new kickoff rule. Later in the second round, the Bills added Cole Bishop, a safety from Utah, who fills a significant need for the team. Sean McDermott’s Buffalo defence excelled as a result of safety play, and they’re now looking to replenish the position after Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer left.
I don’t think I knew how much the Vikings invested in midround draft capital until Friday evening. On Thursday night, they used two first-round picks to select J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner. That’s great. It makes them winners. However, the price they are paying is significant: Minnesota did not have a single pick on the second day of the draft, a day when a plethora of really strong players were available among 100+ picks. And it gets worse: the Vikings have a first-round pick in 2025 but nothing else until the fifth round. This is a franchise with some very talented offensive players (Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson) and a great coaching staff that will maximise the defense’s potential. However, they have a very thin line in terms of how they will assemble the roster without these key picks.If you asked everyone who watched the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday and Friday what positions were devalued, they would say running back and linebacker. Naturally, the Carolina Panthers selected a running back and a linebacker on Friday. I thought Carolina did an excellent job dealing back early in the second round, acquiring a second-round pick from the Rams in 2025. However, the Panthers overpaid to move up (after spending to go up from Round 1 to Round 2 on Thursday by only one spot), as has been the case in recent years. They signed running back Jonathan Brooks from Texas, who is a very excellent player but has injury concerns Look, if you just have one Day 2 choice and end up with a two-down defensive tackle, that’s an issue. T’Vondre Sweat is a huge player who could be a challenge for interior offensive lineman. However, he could be an issue for the Titans: after draft night, it was claimed that he was pulled over for a DUI and then returned to see the Titans the next day, which they evidently appreciated. This was the Titans’ only pick of the night, and it doesn’t address any of their most pressing needs. heading into the season. If he’s healthy, he’s an excellent choice. If he isn’t, it will be disastrous. It felt like there was an urgency to assist Young. A linebacker in the third was reminiscent of Dan Morgan. It has to hit.
The Falcons had an excellent early offseason and elected not to repeat it on the first two days of the draft. I like them addressing the defence on the second day of the selection, but they paid a crazy amount — No. 43 and No. 79 to move up to No. 35 with No. 186 back — to move up and acquire Ruke Orhorhoro, which is rather pricey. It’s difficult not to think about Penix in this context. Atlanta also added Bralen Trice from Washington in the second round, so the focus was on improving the defence. I can understand the “plan” — take Penix and improve the defence later in the draft — but the opportunity cost is getting fairly high, especially when you consider Terry Fontenot’s prior first-round decisions.