2021 Post-Draft Thoughts: Round 2

This is a continuation of my draft notes. These notes provide context for the 2021 NFL draft picks - who was a reach, who was a value, and the scenarios that various teams had when they were making these picks. Hopefully it will provide a handy reference point in future years. Here are the notes for Round 2:

33. Jacksonville Jaguars - Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia. Campbell was a former five star recruit, but his performance did not always measure up to his traits. Given who was left, it’s probably a good pick, though I likely would have preferred Asante Samuel.

34. New York Jets - Elijah Moore, WR, Ole Miss. Moore is a flat-out baller. The most common comparison he receives is Antonio Brown. The problem is that he’s undersized (5’9) and has maturity concerns (lifted his leg to simulate a dog urinating after a touchdown in their 2019 bowl game, which led to a penalty and his team missing the extra point and losing the game). New York seems to be doing everything they can to help Zach Wilson succeed, from signing Corey Davis in free agency to trading up to draft Alijah Vera-Tucker to drafting Elijah Moore. They’ve already given Zach Wilson more support than they ever gave his predecessor, Sam Darnold.

35. Denver Broncos - Javonte Williams, RB, North Carolina. Denver trades up to get Williams, widely viewed as the last starting-caliber runner in this class. It’s a savvy move. Melvin Gordon is aging and on the last year of his deal, Royce Freeman has never proven to be a starting-caliber runner, and free agent signee Mike Boone is just a guy. This will be Williams’ backfield in 2022, if not sooner.

36. Miami Dolphins - Jevon Holland, S, Oregon. You could have won a lot of money if you had bet on Holland being the first safety selected in this draft. There were several teams that were high on him, but it does come as somewhat of a surprise that he went ahead of Trevon Moehrig and Richie Grant.

37. Philadelphia Eagles - Landon Dickerson, C, Alabama. Philadelphia has a lot of needs, and center wasn’t one of them. But it looks like they are taking the long view and going with a “BPA” strategy here. You can never fault a team for taking the top player at his position in a given draft class. Dickerson is probably a short-term option at guard and the long term replacement for Jason Kelce at center.

38. New England Patriots - Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama. The Patriots gave the Bengals two fourth-round draft picks for the opportunity to move up and snag Barmore, making him the first defensive tackle off the board in this draft class.

39. Chicago Bears - Teven Jenkins, RT, Oklahoma State. The Bears snag the top rated right tackle in the draft, which will be critical to protecting new franchise quarterback Justin Fields.

40. Atlanta Falcons - Richie Grant, S, UCF. The Falcons need help everywhere on defense, but perhaps nowhere more so than at safety. Grant is a ballhawk, but it is concerning that he’ll be a 24-year-old rookie.

41. Detroit Lions - Levi Onwuzurike, DT, Washington. Detroit wisely looks to build in the trenches in this draft. This is the first draft for a new regime, as Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell replaced Dan Quinn and Matt Patricia as GM and head coach, respectively. It’s never a bad idea to build in the trenches when you’ve got a suspect roster. Onwuzurike is one of the top three-technique defensive tackles in a draft that is light on them.

42. Miami Dolphins - Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame. As an unabashed Notre Dame fan, I’m a big Liam Eichenberg truther. The dude succeeded Mike McGlinchey as the team’s left tackle and he is fundamentally sound. He’s started a ton of games playing for a major program, and held up facing one of the toughest schedules in the country. You never notice him, which is exactly what you want to say about an offensive lineman. Here’s the problem, though: at his pro day, he measured in with sub-33” arms, which is typically the bare minimum required to play left tackle in the NFL. This guy is probably a guard. The question, then, is where do the Dolphins play him? Pre-draft, the rumor was that they would be shifting RT Robert Hunt inside to guard. Is that still the plan?

43. Las Vegas Raiders - Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU. The Raiders took several safeties in this draft, and Moehrig was the first. He should form a nice 1-2 punch with former first round pick Jonathan Abram.

44. Dallas Cowboys - Kelvin Joseph, CB, Kentucky. Joseph was the fastest corner in this year’s class, but apparently he has attitude problems. The coaches at UK essentially instructed him to opt out midway through the 2020 season because he wasn’t giving enough effort. That’s a huge red flag, and suggests a diva personality. The Cowboys might have their hands full.

45. Jacksonville Jaguars - Walker Little, OT, Stanford. This seemed early for a guy who, although a five star recruit, had only played a couple football games in the past two years. He’s pretty much an enigma and you’re going off of tape from three years ago. This is the definition of a high risk, high reward pick.

46. Cincinnati Bengals - Jackson Carman, G, Clemson. Barf. Massive reach. Hate the pick for Cincinnati. They were picking at 38 and dropped back 8 spots after getting offered two fourth round picks from New England. They could have had Teven Jenkins, who was widely regarded as the best RT in the class. Instead, they settle for Carman, a guy who was a left tackle in college but who has issues in pass protection and likely has to move to guard due to arm length. Those who watched Joe Burrow get his knee destroyed last year due to incompetent play from a run-blocking LG who can’t pass block are livid over this pick. I very much want to be wrong about Jackson Carman. I want him to go on to have an All Pro career. But as an armchair draft analyst, it’s hard not to be disgusted over this pick - especially in a draft deep at guard - and feel like the Bengals “bungled” the draft by taking a guy in Round 2 whom they could have gotten in Round 3. This feels like the Drew Sample pick all over again.

47. Los Angeles Chargers - Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Florida State. Samuel doesn’t have elite testing numbers, but I really liked the guy when I watched him play against Notre Dame. He plays tight coverage and should transition well to the NFL game.

48. San Francisco 49ers - Aaron Banks, LG, Notre Dame. MY BOY. I had Banks as the #2 guard in this draft behind Alijah Vera-Tucker. After trading three first round picks to get Trey Lance, it speaks volumes that the 49ers thought enough of Banks to make him their first selection to protect their franchise investment. He’s big (6’5, 330 lbs), experienced, and from a winning program. This is an excellent pick for the 49ers, who will now have an offensive line that is 40% Notre Dame alums.

49. Arizona Cardinals - Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue. This guy was grossly overdrafted - he’s only 5’7 and played only 7 games the past two years due to injuries - but the landing spot is probably ideal. He can slot inside with Christian Kirk in Kliff Kingsbury’s four-wide sets and let DeAndre Hopkins and the artist formerly known as AJ Green draw coverage from top corners on the outside.

50. New York Giants - Azeez Ojulari, EDGE, Georgia. He’s a good fit for a 3-4 defense. I expected him to get drafted in the back end of Round 1 by the Ravens. He juices the pass rush for a team that sorely needs it, and he’s got a pterodactyl-like wingspan.

51. Washington Football Team - Sam Cosmi, LT, Texas. One of the best “need meets value” picks of Round 2. The Washington Football Team had a steaming pile of poo at left tackle, they shun the position in Round 1 for more of a luxury (a linebacker to round out their defense), and then still have Cosmi fall into their laps in the second frame. He immediately projects as their left tackle of the future, though he was experienced playing both tackle spots in college.

52. Cleveland Browns - Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame. The only reason this guy slipped out of the first round is because he is undersized (221 lbs.) for the linebacker position. Sometimes, though, you just need to turn on the tape and watch a guy play. If you ever watched a Notre Dame game, it was hard to miss #6. He was always around the football. He’s an excellent blitzer, coverage man, or run-stopper. He can do everything you want a modern linebacker to do in today’s NFL. Cleveland got a real steal here, coming up with a first round talent on the second day of the draft.

53. Tennessee Titans - Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota State. I’m not as high on Radunz as some others were, but after last year’s Isaiah Wilson debacle, the Titans definitely needed to secure a tackle. I understand the logic behind the pick.

54. Indianapolis Colts - Dayo Odeyingbo, DE, Vanderbilt. The Colts double down on defensive end with their first two picks. Odeyingbo has promising length for the defensive end position, but it’s curious that the Colts avoided taking a left tackle early in the draft. Longtime left tackle Anthony Castonzo retired this off-season and they have a gaping hole on the depth chart. Perhaps they plan on moving Quenton Nelson? They did sign Sam Tevi in the off-season, but that seems like a stopgap move.

55. Pittsburgh Steelers - Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn State. Kind of an uninspiring pick, but this guy screams “Steeler.” Still, it’s curious that through two rounds they did not address offensive line or the secondary. The Steelers could very well be in the cellar of the division this year.

56. Seattle Seahawks - D’Wayne Eskridge, WR, Western Michigan. The guy tore up the Senior Bowl and has terrific chops in the return game, but dang he’s old for a rookie (24). I typically don’t like to use early round picks on receivers unless they’re relatively young and had an early breakout age. Neither criterion applies to Eskridge.

57. Los Angeles Rams - Tutu Atwell, WR, Louisville. One of my least favorite players in the draft. The guy was very productive in college; I’ll grant him that. But he’s 149 pounds! As Bill Parcells often said, “Your best ability is your availability.” I have serious concerns that this guy can hold up to the rigors of an NFL season at that size. But if anyone can make him productive, it’s Sean McVay.

58. Kansas City Chiefs - Nick Bolton, LB, Mizzou. The Chiefs make a savvy selection here getting one of the top linebackers in the draft. My concern with Bolton in looking at his highlights is that he seems like a guy who always goes for the big hit instead of fundamental form tackling. He seems to lead with his shoulder and go for the “pop” instead of wrapping up and dragging the ball-carrier to the ground. He seems like a guy who could give up some big plays when he misses.

59. Carolina Panthers - Terrace Marshall, WR, LSU. The Panthers traded up to reunite Marshall with former college offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Sam Darnold rejoices, as he already has more talent to work with in Carolina than he ever had in New York. Marshall, Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore, and old friend Robby Anderson should give him plenty of open targets in Carolina.

60. New Orleans Saints - Pete Werner, LB, Ohio State. I had seen varying opinions on Werner, with some having him graded as a 2nd round pick and others having him all the way down in the fourth. I didn’t have strong feelings on him one way or the other. This seems like a very suspect draft class for the Saints, though.

61. Buffalo Bills - Carlos “Boogie” Basham, DE, Wake Forest. Another one of my favorite players in the draft. Although it was surprising to see the Bills “double down” on defensive linemen with their first two picks, you cannot fault them for the players they choose. Greg Rousseau and Basham both improve the depth of their defensive line immediately, as both are traditional defensive ends who can move inside to defensive tackle on passing downs. Both also project as long-term starters down the line. Over the past several years, Brandon Beane has proven himself to be one of the sharper general managers in the NFL.

62. Green Bay Packers - Josh Myers, C, Ohio State. Following the departure of Corey Linsley, the Packers needed another interior offensive linemen. This was a smart grab. But why does this team continue to refuse to give Aaron Rodgers weapons to work with?

63. Kansas City Chiefs - Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma. Sometimes, the rich get richer. Kansas City is remaking their offensive line this offseason, trading for OT Orlando Brown Jr., signing Joe Thuney to a mega-deal in free agency, and drafting the best zone-blocking center in the draft in Creed Humphrey. As a center, you’d have to be ecstatic for the opportunity to play with Patrick Mahomes.

64. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Kyle Trask, QB, Florida. Sometimes, the rich get poorer. This was a curious selection for the reigning Super Bowl champs. You’ve got Tom Brady for one more year. Go all in - don’t waste a pick on a guy who may or may not be the successor. It feels like they would have been better served grabbing another pass rusher or offensive lineman.