• pittsburgh steelers Upward trend: addition Zack Frazier, roman wilson and Peyton Wilson It was a great day for Pittsburgh.
• jacksonville jaguarsSubdivision: Jacksonville gets one of its biggest draws on the second day of the draft, LSU interior defender Marson Smith 48th whole.Smith, his 140 on PFFth-Rank players helped strengthen needed positions, but progressed much faster than expected.
• Draft and trade yourself: Try PFF's Mock Draft Simulator. Mock your favorite NFL team by swapping picks and players.
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Click here for more drafting tools:
2024 Mock Draft Simulator | 2024 Big Board | 2024 Draft Guide
2024 Player Profiles | 2024 Mock Draft | NCAA Premium Statistics
Quarterbacks headlined the first round of the NFL Draft, with a record six selected in the first 12 picks. Rounds 2 and 3 went in different directions. none Friday night I heard their names called.
Quarterbacks aside, there was a lot of movement on the second day of the draft. Those who stood out are:
pittsburgh steelers
The Steelers continued to strengthen their offensive line in the second round. west virginia center Zack FrazierThe four-time state wrestling champion in high school is the kind of story you love to hear about offensive line prospects. His 84.6 PFF grade since 2021 ranks third among FBS centers, and he has allowed just 2.27% of pressures during that time.
michigan wide receiver roman wilson He was projected to be a second-round prospect early on by PFF's big board, but quickly fell down the rankings. pittsburgh steelers Wrap with pick 84. He is a very reliable pass catcher (just 1 drop on 67 targets) and is a perfect fit in this offense. Diontae Johnson.
Pittsburgh finished the night with another notable acquisition. north carolina state linebacker Peyton Wilson. There are obviously some health concerns regarding his knee, but his performance on the field has been noteworthy. Last season, Wilson earned an overall PFF grade of 89.9. If he stays healthy, he could be the Steelers' starting inside linebacker from day one.
commander of washington
The managers stole and hit home runs. illinois Inside defender Jazan Newton 38th whole. newton, 11thThe PFF Big Board-ranked player is one of only three Power Five interior defensive linemen to record 100 or more pressures in a two-year period since PFF began the rating in 2014. be. Interior defender was not a necessary position (Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne are two of their best players), but Washington has taken a best-available-player approach, and it's hard to argue against that here.
Washington clinched the next pick by just 14 points. michigan cornerback mike sainlistilwas converted from wide receiver and moved full-time to defensive back in 2022. He is one of the most versatile players in the draft, with numbers that line up as a slot cornerback most of the time.
The coaches focused on the offensive side of the ball with their next three picks, Kansas tight end Ben Synnott 53rd whole, TCU tackle Brandon Coleman 67th overall and rice wide receiver Luke McCaffrey 100th Collectively, everyone can play a role in future attacks.
new york giants
New York State earns PFF's top safety outlook at No. 47.th Overall tyler nubin from minnesota. Nubin's high level of football intelligence allows him to move throughout the secondary and make an impact on both the pass and the run. He allowed a passer rating of 33.0 in coverage when targeted from 2021-2023.
In the third round, the Giants continued to strengthen their secondary. kentucky corner back Andrew Phillips, brings a level of physicality that you want to see from a defensive back. He is most effective when playing in press coverage, with his 23 defensive stops a career high and leading all SEC cornerbacks in 2023.
jacksonville jaguars
Jacksonville gets one of its biggest draws on the second day of the draft, LSU interior defender Marson Smith 48th whole.Smith, his 140 on PFFth-Rank players helped strengthen needed positions, but progressed much faster than expected.
Smith is a physically gifted player with a promising future, but he missed all but one game of the 2022 season due to a torn ACL, limiting his playing time at the collegiate level. He will take time to develop at the NFL level and may not be much more than a rotation player early on.
atlanta falcons
The Falcons made headlines in the first round with the most shocking quarterback pick of the night. michael penix jr. Things weren't much better in the second round, as they gave up a third-round pick and moved up eight spots to No. 67.th– Players ranked on PFF Big Board Clemson interior defender Luke Oruhorohoro.
Oluhorohoro is a strong and athletic defensive lineman, but he didn't produce much in the way of a sub-50 player in college.th Percentile of pass rush performance for actual pass sets over the past two seasons. Considering some of the talent that was at the position after Oluholo (most notable being Jason Newton, who was drafted after Oluholo) Washington), this choice seems quite questionable.
arizona cardinals
The Cardinals had five picks between the second and third rounds, but given who was on the board at the time, it would be natural to question some of their decisions.They were the final leg of a run at cornerback from picks 40-43, and the final selection was Max Melton from rutgers.Melton was 72 years old.n.d.He was a top-ranked player on PFF's big board and was a bit of a reach considering the talent that was in that draft slot.
illinois tackle Isiah Adams went 71cent The total was 137.th-Prospects ranked on PFF Big Board. He will likely play guard in the NFL, but there are some concerns with his record, most notably allowing nine sacks on 518 pass-blocking snaps in 2023 alone. is.
Arizona came right back. illinois Just 11 picks later in selecting tight end tip lymanhe had 202, so you can think of it as another reach in round three.n.d.On PFF Big Board – Ranked Players. He has the size and physicality to make a difference as a run blocker, but there are limits to what he can do beyond that.
The Cardinals finished the third round with 90 points from their cornerbacks.th Overall, Boston College Elijah Jones.he was 225thHe's a -ranked player on the PFF big board, so this still seems like a reach at this point in the draft. At 6-oot-2, Jones has the length to earn a role as a boundary corner at the next level, but his ceiling could limit him to a backup role.