For the first time ever, we’re doing a second round in the annual NFL mock draft. No live sports has allowed more time for a deeper evaluation of certain prospects, though not everyone selected in this second round mock will have a scouting report featured. Below the mock are a couple of positional big boards and the annual “How did this guy not get drafted?” list.
No.33, Cincinnati Bengals: OT Isaiah Wilson, Georgia
Wilson was lost a bit in Andrew Thomas’ shadow, which speaks to how good Thomas was considering Wilson’s size. With Jonah Williams coming back for what will essentially be his rookie year, the Bengals will have young, talented protection for Joe Burrow on the edges of its offensive line, which was one of the worst groups in football not long ago.
No.34, Indianapolis Colts: S Xavier McKinney, Alabama
McKinney would make an awesome duo with Malik Hooker in Indianapolis’ secondary, assuming they don’t move on from the fourth-year safety. These two could easily each have five interceptions in a season.
No.35, Detroit Lions: DT Ross Blacklock, TCU
No.36, New York Giants: DE Julian Okwara, Notre Dame
Another guy who’s had some first round buzz yet slipped. Okwara was a disruptor in college and with Leonard Williams as their best edge rusher, the Giants improve significantly with this pick.
No.37, Los Angeles Chargers: OT Austin Jackson, USC
No.38, Carolina Panthers: CB Noah Igbinoghene, Auburn
There’s been first round buzz about Igbinoghene. CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco absolutely loves him, and it makes sense given his speed. With James Bradberry gone, Carolina could get an instant plug-and-play guy to help out what’s been a troublesome unit the past couple years.
No.39, Miami Dolphins: S Grant Delpit, LSU
Delpit is likely going to face a similar fate that his former teammate Greedy Williams did in last year’s draft: sliding way farther than imagined due to tackling issues.
It’s become a position group related issue at LSU. Williams couldn’t tackle, neither can Kristian Fulton and the same goes for Delpit, who at safety needs to have that skill more than the corners do.
It’s really Delpit’s only downfall. The former LSU Tiger is a top 15 pick this year without those concerns – the same went for Williams last year. Here, Miami gets great value, replaces Minkah Fitzpatrick and sneakily has one of the best secondaries in football.
No.40, Houston Texans: DE Joshua Uche, Michigan
No.41, Cleveland Browns: DT Marlon Davidson, Auburn
Davidson lived in Derrick Brown’s shadow for most of the season, similar to a pair of Ohio State defensive backs (one of whom is coming up shortly). Cleveland is currently banking on Sheldon Richardson at one of its inside spots, which comes with a massive risk. Davidson provides stability and a piece for the future alongside Myles Garrett.
No.42, Jacksonville Jaguars: S Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota
Winfield Jr. could go much higher than this, and he’d be deserving of it. Deployed as a cornerback in the Golden Gophers scheme at times, the son of the former Vikings star is an unbelievable tackler and is fantastic in coverage as well. Jacksonville has to rebuild a secondary that was atop the league not long ago, and Winfield Jr. is a good start.
No.43, Chicago Bears: S Ashtyn Davis, California
The Bears are devastated by Winfield Jr. being taken the pick before and panic a bit with Davis, who could be considered a reach here.
No.44, Indianapolis Colts: QB Jordan Love, Utah State
No.45, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: RB D’Andre Swift, Georgia
You select players in the first round that make an immediate impact and will be a piece for hopefully years to come.
Running backs can do one of those two things.
Swift going anywhere in the first round makes zero sense. He’s a complement running back at best, which does bring important skills to the table (pass-catching ability, blocking ability), but not at the price of a top 35 pick.
Swift won’t be someone that gets fed the ball 20 times per game. He’s not built for that. He’s built for eight rushes and eight catches, with significant yardage racked up that way. He’s a complement, and that’s all Tampa Bay really needs at this point offensively. Swift should be better than Ronald Jones Jr. at any aspect of the position though. Because of that, the Buccaneers can reach here, because any other positional need can be traded down for.
No.46, Denver Broncos: DT Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma
Gallimore is a depth pick for the Broncos, who should seriously consider trading down here due to their need at linebacker.
No.47, Atlanta Falcons: CB AJ Terrell, Clemson
Terrell is high on the cornerback big board below due to his length and coverage ability, but watching him get absolutely cooked in the National Championship Game was tough and is responsible for this fall.
No.48, New York Jets: WR Michael Pittman Jr., USC
Pittman is the most underrated receiver in this insanely talented class. Ranked fifth on the big board, the USC product is a jump-ball extraordinaire thanks to his 6’4 frame. Route running and speed aren’t sacrificed due to his size though – Pittman’s extremely fluid for how big he is.
The Jets passed on a receiver at No.11 overall in Wednesday’s first round mock and still get a top five talent in this class. Sam Darnold needs serious help – Breshad Perriman is currently New York’s best receiver. Pittman Jr. takes that title in a heartbeat with this pick.
No.49, Pittsburgh Steelers: OT Ezra Cleveland, Boise State
No.50, Chicago Bears: G Damien Lewis, LSU
No.51, Dallas Cowboys: WR KJ Hamler, Penn State
The No. 1 option in Penn State’s explosive offense the past couple years, Hamler is an unbelievable talent. The slot man has lightning speed and an impressive vertical for his 5’9 size – he played like someone who was 6’4.
He’d be a perfect compliment to Amari Cooper and Randall Cobb in Dallas’ offense, as both receivers are outside presences. Now it’ll just be up to Mike McCarthy to make sure he can get the best out of the weapons.
No.52, Los Angeles Rams: LB Malik Harrison, Ohio State
No.53, Philadelphia Eagles: WR Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State
The Eagles are heartbroken that Hamler went two picks before, and settle with Aiyuk instead.
Aiyuk isn’t the top tier receiver that most Eagles fans want, but understand that wide-out may not be as big of a need as thought. Philadelphia’s weapons were injured what felt like 100 percent of the time last season, leading to guys like Greg Ward Jr. taking on a No.1 receiver role. There wasn’t a lack of talent, there was just unavailable talent.
But receiver is still needed. Alshon Jeffrey is getting older and his production is slowing, and aside from DeSean Jackson there isn’t much else.
Aiyuk may not be as good as Laviska Shenault Jr. at the next level, but Philly can’t afford to take a rookie with a premium pick and have him be injured just like every other receiver of their’s. Aiyuk has his injury concerns as well, but Shenault Jr. was consistently beat up at Colorado. Aiyuk was pretty reliable at ASU.
It seems unlikely Aiyuk will be available at this spot. He could very well go in the first round Thursday night. He’s a big play threat who racks up yardage after the catch, but he was a drop machine during the 2018-19 season, which is something that hasn’t surfaced as much in scouting reports. In this receiver class, that minor issue can be a major hit to your stock.
No.54, Buffalo Bills: WR Laviska Shenault Jr., Colorado
Unlike Philadelphia, the Bills can take a risk here. The rest of their roster is filled out quite well, and everything from here out will be depth picks for them.
Buffalo landed Stefon Diggs in a trade and have John Brown and Cole Beasley, but could use another outside receiver for Josh Allen. Shenault Jr. is a jack-of-all-trades. He’s 6’1, can play either receiver position, flies up and down the field and is a pristine route runner.
If health wasn’t a concern, he’d be a top 20 pick. He’s got the type of completeness in his game that Jerry Jeudy does, and his ceiling could be even higher than the Alabama stud. But there’s a chance that injuries derail his whole career and we never get to see it. The Bills are one of few teams that can afford that risk here.
No.55, Baltimore Ravens: C Cesar Ruiz, Michigan
Baltimore could go receiver here as well, but the talent on the board takes a deep dive after once Sheanult Jr. goes off the board.
Ruiz has been projected as early as the top 20, most notably to Dallas at No. 17 overall. That would make sense given the retirement of Travis Frederick, but that seems like a too high of a pick to use on a center.
Center is a rare need for teams. It’s like buying a couch. You really only need one every 8-10 years.
Ruiz could easily slide to this point in the draft due to that. Because of a center’s value, they tend to stick around. There aren’t a lot of teams that need one right now.
The case can be made for Dallas to take Ruiz, but there have been rumors about them being comfortable promoting from within, and Connor McGovern was good as a rookie last year after replacing Frederick from the guard spot.
Baltimore could use guard or center with Marshall Yanda’s retirement, and while Ruiz doesn’t ever project as someone who can move positions, his impact at center should improve the positions next to him as well, taking care of two needs in one.
No.56, Miami Dolphins: G Jonah Jackson, USC
No.57, Los Angeles Rams: CB Damon Arnette, Ohio State
Jeff Okudah was not wrong about his teammate.
Here, the Rams get the last highly-rated corner available before the talent drops off significantly. Arnette and Jalen Ramsey could be a really exciting duo at some point.
No.58, Minnesota Vikings: DT Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M
Minnesota could regret not going cornerback in the first round, as it is a big need for them and this mock has them coming out of the second round without one. The talent pool drops off significantly at this point in the draft. There are some late round fits that could make sense though.
Instead, the Vikings continue to plug other holes defensively, and come away with at least two new defensive linemen in AJ Epenesa and Madubuike.
No.59, Seattle Seahawks: DE Terrell Lewis, Alabama
Seattle really needs a presence on the edge. Their defensive line has a lot of young talent, but aside from the aging Bruce Irvin, every player is more of an inside force.
Lewis has a high-ceiling thanks to an injury-plagued college career, which saw him suffer two season-ending injuries. With other edge options potentially being a reach, Lewis is an okay gamble here.
No.60, Baltimore Ravens: WR Chase Claypool, Notre Dame
Like a couple of upcoming teams, the Ravens are playing with house money here. This might be high, but Baltimore doesn’t have a receiver on its roster like Claypool, who’s someone who goes up and grabs footballs. He has massive size, making his athleticism extremely impressive. Linebacker and safety are other positional needs for Baltimore, but the players left on the board at this point would be reaches. Instead, Lamar Jackson has even more toys to play with, and that is downright terrifying.
No.61, Tennessee Titans: RB JK Dobbins, Ohio State
As mentioned in the first round mock, the Titans roster is pretty loaded, and they’re going to go as far as quarterback Ryan Tannehill takes them.
Running back Derrick Henry had an all-time stretch of games in last year’s playoffs and got hit with the franchise tag as a result, with the Titans delaying paying him what will likely amount to an obscene amount of money.
Tennessee may not want to do that at all, which could result in Henry walking away after next year. The Titans have limited depth behind him – understandably so considering the workload he has carried. Getting JK Dobbins – the best running back in this draft – would give Tennessee depth for this upcoming season and a starter for the next one if Henry departs.
Dobbins was awesome at Ohio State, and is just as good out of the backfield as a receiver as he is a runner. This feels a bit high for any running back to come off the board (let alone the second one), but Dobbins is the best long term bet, making him worth a second round gamble for a team that has a lot of freedom when it comes to this draft.
No.62, Green Bay Packers: DT Raekwon Davis, Alabama
No.63, Kansas City Chiefs: DT Jordan Elliot, Missouri
No.64, Seattle Seahawks: OT Lucas Niang
Quite a fall for Niang, but he goes to a situation where he’ll be respected heavily. This would be a great value pick for the Seahawks, whose offensive line has been a mess for years.
How did these guys not go in the first two rounds?
- QB Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
- QB Jacob Eason, Washington
- RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
- RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, LSU
- WR Bryan Edwards, South Carolina
- TE Cole Kmet, Notre Dame
- OT Prince Tega Wanogho, Auburn
- C Lloyd Cushenberry III, LSU
- DE Curtis Weaver, Boise State
Select big boards:
QB:
- Joe Burrow
- Tua Tagoviola
- Justin Herbert
- Jordan Love
- Jacob Eason
- Jalen Hurts
- Jake Fromm
RB:
- J.K. Dobbins
- D’Andre Swift
- Jonathan Taylor
- Zack Moss
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire
- Cam Akers
- Lamical Perine
- A.J. Dillion
- Eno Benjamin
- JJ Taylor
WR:
(oh boy)
- Jerry Jeudy
- CeeDee Lamb
- Henry Ruggs III
- Tee Higgins
- Michael Pittman Jr.
- Justin Jefferson
- Laviska Sheanult Jr.
- KJ Hamler
- Jalen Reagor
- Denzel Mims
- Tyler Johnson
- Brandon Aiyuk
- Chase Claypool
- Collin Johnson
- Donovan Peoples-Jones
- Van Jefferson
- KJ Hill
- Bryan Edwards
- Jauan Jennings
- Devin Duvernary
- Tyrie Cleveland
- Aaron Fuller
- Marquez Callaway
- Austin Mack
- Isaiah Hodgins
OT:
- Andrew Thomas
- Jedrick Willis Jr.
- Tristan Wirfs
- Mehki Becton
- Josh Jones
- Isaiah Wilson
- Lucas Niang
- Austin Jackson
- Ezra Cleveland
- Prince Tega Wanogho
CB:
- Jeff Okudah
- CJ Henderson
- Jaylon Johnson
- Bryce Hall
- Kristian Fulton
- AJ Terrell
- Jeff Gladney
- Noah Igbinoghene
- Trevon Diggs
- Damon Arnette
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