Top 10 takeaways from Day 2 of the 2016 NFL Draft

Day 2 of the 2016 NFL Draft was filled with a ton of surprises, none more so than how the quarterback situation played out as the evening drew on.

Former Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg was the first quarterback to go on Friday, to the New York Jets in the middle of the second round. Meanwhile, Michigan State product Connor Cook fell completely out of the third round.

One of the other huge stories from Day 2 has to be the Jacksonville Jaguars landing former UCLA linebacker Myles Jack in the second round. Jack was considered a top-five prospect prior to lingering concerns over his injured knee blew up the week of the draft.

These are among the top 10 storylines for Day 2 of the 2016 NFL Draft.

1. The Jacksonville Jaguars

After picking up former UCLA standout Myles Jack with the 36th pick on Friday, the Jaguars might have just landed two of the top-five overall prospects in the draft with their first two picks.

Jacksonville had previously selected former Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey with the fifth pick on Thursday.

That’s a whole heck of a lot of talent to add to a defense that has been missing it in recent seasons.

Jack’s free fall to the second round is due to a knee condition that could shorten his career a great deal. It was a concern for NFL teams, as evidenced by him dropping all the way to 36.

With that said, Jack’s upside is as high as any player in the draft. Even if he plays just four-to-five years, this is an absolute steal.

Now that the Jaguars have built a talent-laden offense, the goal for head coach Gus Bradley and Co. was to add more talent on defense.

Add in the return of last year’s first-round pick Dante Fowler Jr. from an injury that cost him his entire rookie campaign, and the Jaguars are going to have three extremely talented additions to their defense in 2016.

2. Christian Hackenberg

Hackenberg was the first quarterback off the board on Day 2 to the New York Jets with the 51st pick. That brings the Jets’ quarterback depth chart to Geno Smith, Bryce Petty and the rookie from Penn State.

This is absolutely stunning for a number of reasons.

First off, Hackenberg’s lack of progression from a standout freshman campaign in 2013 to this past season was alarming. He went from being considered a lock to go in the top 10 to being considered a potential undrafted rookie free agent.

Struggles with accuracy, pocket awareness, field vision and mechanics all reared their ugly heads during the pre-draft process. That was magnified to a T during the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this past February.

With Connor Cook, Cardale Jones and Dak Prescott all available, there’s absolutely no way the Jets can justify this pick to their fan base.

Not only is Hackenberg years removed from being able to take the field in the NFL, he doesn’t project as a starter at the next level.

This is going to make the entire Ryan Fitzpatrick situation that much more interesting. It was reported earlier in April that the veteran quarterback would rather retire than play for the Jets under their current contract offer.

If Fitzpatrick does not return, the Jets aren’t going to have that veteran presence to help Hackenberg progress in a city where the pressure will be on for him to make an immediate impact. It’s just not a good situation for the young signal caller.

3. Cowboys continue to add talent without addressing needs

There’s little questioning just how talented Ezekiel Elliott and Jaylon Smith are. In fact, prior to Smith’s knee injury in the Fiesta Bowl, I had the former Notre Dame linebacker as the top player in the draft.

The largest issue here for Jerry Jones and Co. is the fact that they didn’t address any needs for the 2016 season with either of their first two picks.

Elliott joins a backfield that includes Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris, both of whom have had recent success in the NFL.

McFadden put up over 1,400 total yards for the Cowboys last year, while Morris is just a couple years removed from being a 1,600-yard rusher.

While we can’t really question the Cowboys nabbing Elliott’s talent level at No. 4 overall, the team’s second-round pick was quite a risky maneuver.

Though he’s extremely talented, Smith is going to sit out the entire 2016 season after suffering the aforementioned knee injury. With concerns over nerve damage, there’s no telling whether Smith will hold up over the long-term.

Coming off an injury-plagued campaign that saw them win just four games, the Cowboys needed to find immediate help at multiple positions. Smith doesn’t bring that.

And no matter how bright his future might be, the window is quickly closing on this team as a potential contender in the NFC East.

4. Buffalo Bills building that front seven

After taking one of the few elite pass rushers in the draft in the first round, Buffalo doubled down in the front seven with former Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland in the second round.

A lock to be a first-round pick by most draft outlets, Ragland was flagged with an enlarged aorta prior to the draft. This forced a couple teams to take him off their boards altogether. Though, most indicated it didn’t have an impact on how they viewed him.

Either way, Ragland’s presence will enable the Bills to move Preston Brown to the weak-side or strong-side linebacker positions — areas where his athleticism can be best utilized. Areas that are also concerns for Buffalo.

This comes after the team picked up a potentially dominating EDGE rusher in former Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson in the first round.

Needless to say, Rex Ryan is doing everything in his power to rebuild a Bills defensive front that struggled a great deal a season ago. With an elite level secondary, this could round out a vastly improved defense heading into 2016.

5. Walter Payton Man of the Year nominees

The third round was filled with current and former Walter Payton Man of the Year winners and nominees throughout the NFL. They announced the selection for their respective teams.

This was definitely a nice homage to an individual in Payton who defined what it meant to be a man, both on and off the field.

It also spotlighted the work of so many current and former players within the community at a time when the NFL has been the punching bag of many in the media when it comes to off-field incidents surrounding today’s players.

From Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker to former Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown, it was awesome to see these genuinely good guys receive the respect of the National Football League.

6. Browns turning things around?

It’s absolutely absurd what the Browns have ended up turning this year’s No. 2 overall pick into. The 15th overall pick in the first round, two third-round picks, a fourth-round pick (all this year).

In addition to this, Cleveland picked up a first and second rounder in 2017 and a second-round pick in 2018.

The Browns then traded down from the 77th pick to the 93rd selection with the Carolina Panthers, adding a fourth-round pick in the process.

All said, Cleveland ended the second day of the draft adding defensive ends Emmanuel Ogbah and Carl Nassib, offensive tackle Shon Coleman and quarterback Cody Kessler.

With the first two picks on Saturday and a total of seven picks remaining in the draft, Cleveland will have the ability to continue adding depth to a talent-stricken roster.

This all comes after the team was able to nab former Baylor wide receiver Corey Coleman, its top player at that position, with the 15th pick on Thursday.

Acquiring picks has never been an issue for the Browns. It’s just how frequently they have missed on said picks over the years. Here’s to hoping this new regime, led by general manager Sashi Brown, can get it right this time.

At the very least, it’s apparent they know what they are doing from a value standpoint.

7. Trent Baalke still rolling dice with injured players

After doing a darn good job of addressing needs on both sides of the ball with two first-round picks, the San Francisoco 49ers sat out the second round of the draft.

That’s primarily due to the fact that the team yielded its second rounder to move back up into the first to nab former Stanford guard Joshua Garnett.

Then, with its third-round pick, San Francisco landed an elite-level cornerback prospect in the form of Mississippi State product Will Redmond.

“If healthy.”

This seems to be part of general manager’s Trent Baalke’s lexicon recently. This isn’t new to San Francisco. It’s been taking members of the “All ACL Team” for years now.

It’s the fourth consecutive draft that San Francisco has picked up a prospect coming off a torn ACL. None of these players prior to the selection of Redmond on Friday have panned out.

Defensive end Tank Carradine, a second-round pick from Florida State back in 2013, has put up four sacks in three seasons. Later in that draft, San Francisco nabbed former South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore. He never played a snap in the NFL. These are the two most notable examples.

Acquiring this type of value is a great idea in a vacuum. But when they continually fail to pan out, it makes little sense to repeat the same mistake over and over again.

The good news here? San Francisco expects Redmond to be available by the start of training camp after he tore his ACL back in October. Maybe he will buck the trend here. After all, there’s no doubting the talent this former Bulldog possesses.

8. Seattle Seahawks find talent and value

After reaching for a need player in offensive tackle Germain Ifedi in the first round on Thursday, Seattle found value at need positions on Day 2.

Its second-round pick, former Alabama defensive tackle Jarran Reed, is someone many experts had going in the first round. A physically dominating interior lineman, he can be a replacement for Brandon Mebane.

Then in the third round, general manager John Schneider and Co. picked up two solid skill-position players.

The first came in the form of Notre Dame product C.J. Prosise to compete with Thomas Rawls for the starting running back job this upcoming season. Prosise brings a ton to the table from both a ball-carrying and pass-catching standpoint.

Even with Jimmy Graham returning from injury, the addition of former Ohio State tight end Nick Vannett later in the third round made perfect sense.

Still a bit raw, Vannett’s 6-foot-6, 260-pound frame suggests he’s going to be a mismatch at the next level.

These are the selections that have defined Seattle’s success over the years. Players that aren’t necessarily sexy to the average fan. But players that can step up and perform at a high level within the scheme the team has implemented.

9. Oakland Raiders have us scratching our heads

Former West Virginia safety Karl Joseph might have been a reach at No. 14 overall on Thursday, but there’s little doubting the talent he brings to the table. He also helps fill a major void at strong safety in Oakland. The issue here is that he was considered a mid Day 2 pick until relatively late in the draft process.

Unfortunately for fans in Northern California, the team’s second-round pick left a lot to be desired. Defensive tackle Jihad Ward from Illinois wasn’t seen as much more than a mid-round pick.

We also have this:

If Oakland were to exhaust a second-round pick on an injured defender, former UCLA standout Myles Jack would have made more sense in a potential trade up. Add the lack of value here, and it really was a questionable decision for the Raiders.

Oakland did save face a bit by adding former Michigan State EDGE rusher Shilique Calhoun in the third round. He’s going to bring a ton to the table from a pass-rush standpoint with Khalil Mack and Aldon Smith already on the roster.

It’s still interesting to see general manager Reggie McKenzie reach with his first two picks, especially after the success he’s had over the past few years in the draft.

10. Connor Cook and the other quarterbacks

While Hackenberg heard his name called as the fourth quarterback off the board, Cook was sitting there twiddling his thumbs waiting to find out where he would end up.

That wait will now extend to Saturday afternoon after Cook failed to hear his name called in the first three rounds.

Meanwhile, the likes of North Carolina State product Jacoby Brissett (New England) and weak-armed Southern California signal caller Cody Kessler (Cleveland) were both selected in the third round.

None of this make any sense.

Cook was being mentioned as a potential first-round pick leading up to the draft. And while this one scribe would have considered that a reach, there’s no reason why he should still be on the board with those three signal callers going on Day 2.

It will be interesting to see if concerns over his supposed lack of leadership will extend into Saturday. It will also be interesting to see if the likes of Brandon Allen (Arkansas), Cardale Jones (Ohio State), Dak Prescott (Mississippi State) and Vernon Adams (Oregon) go before him.

Either way, all five of these quarterbacks should have gone before the three that were selected on Friday. It’s a very interesting story to follow heading into the final day of the draft.