Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft from Kansas City just came to a conclusion. It took north of four hours to complete with trades being the name of the game as teams were looking to add youngsters to the mix.
While less clear-cut than Round 1, there were several winners and losers as the next two rounds of prospects landed with teams. Below, we take a look at six of them.
Related: 2023 NFL Draft tracker with grades
Winner: Green Bay Packers get Jordan Love some major help
An argument could be made that Green Bay should have taken Darnell Washington over fellow tight end Luke Musgrave with the 42nd pick Friday night. However, the team went with someone who can spot up in-line and actually create mismatches in the slot. At 6-foot-6 and 253 pounds, his frame fits what teams look for in modern tight ends.
After trading down a couple times, Green Bay then added wide receiver Jayden Reed from Michigan State. We’re talking about a dude with great short-area quickness who can also take the top off the defense. Over the past two seasons with the Spartans, Reed caught 114 passes for 1,662 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also adds something to the return game, which is big.
Related: Updated 2023 NFL Draft order
Loser: Jacksonville Jaguars miss on value and need
Jaguars’ general manager Trent Baalke has received criticism during the NFL Draft dating back to his days with the San Francisco 49ers. Even after building a playoff roster in Duval, that’s not going to die down after what we saw on Friday.
The selection of Penn State tight end Brenton Strange at the end of the second round didn’t make any sense at all. Jacksonville already has stud tight end Evan Engram. Meanwhile, Strange is more of a blocker than a pass-catcher (70 career catches at Penn State). Higher-ranked tight ends Tucker Kraft, Darnell Washington and Cameron Latu were also on the board at that pick.
In the third round Friday evening, Jacksonville opted for Auburn running back Tank Bigsby. The Jaguars have stud former first-round pick Travis Etienne holding down the fort at tight end. JaMycal Hasty played well last season. Meanwhile, they signed D’ERnest Johnson during free agency. It just didn’t seem to be a need.
Winner: Seattle Seahawks build momentum on Day 2 of NFL Draft
Some will question Seattle going running back in the second round in consecutive years after picking up UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet at 52 Friday night. I am just not seeing the criticism. Some of the best teams in the NFL, the division-rival San Francsico 49ers included, have multiple backs that can do different things. That is certainly the case with Walker and Charbonnet. While the former is a home run threat, Charbonnet is that between-the-tackles runner that can gain the tough yards. He’s a bulldozer in the truest sense of the term.
Earlier in the second round Friday night, Seattle added an ultra-productive edge pass rusher to the mix with the 37th pick. The 6-foot-3, 254-pound Derick Hall from Auburn fits Seattle’s wide-nine defense to a T. He was also extremely productive over the past two seasons in Auburn, recording 24 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks.
Loser: Chicago Bears wheel and deal, reach in Day of NFL Draft
Despite having added Pro Bowl wide receiver D.J. Moore in a blockbuster trade with Carolina earlier this offseason, most figured the Bears needed to give young quarterback Justin Fields more weapons. Instead, Chicago went defense with its first three picks on Day 2.
This included reaching for defensive tackle Gervon Dexter from Florida with the 53rd pick. Offensive weapons such as wide receiver Rashee Rice and tight end Luke Schoonmaker both available. At some point, Chicago is going to have to invest in more help for Fields in the NFL Draft. We did not see this Friday night.
Winner: Tennessee Titans get two gems in Day 3 of NFL Draft
First-year Titans general manager Ran Carthon did work on Friday from Kansas City. That included trading up to the 33rd pick with the Arizona Cardinals to land former Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. Tennessee was mentioned as one of the teams looking to trade into the top-five on Thursday for the strong-armed quarterback. We have no idea how good Levis is going to be after some pre-draft concerns popped up. But this represented value at a position of utmost need given Tennessee’s current quarterback room.
In the third round, Tennessee nabbed a running back in Tyjae Spears from Tulane who ascended the draft boards during the pre-draft process. He’s a dual threat back with great instincts and an ability to break tackles. At least initially, Spears will split time with Derrick Henry. But he might be able to take over after the 2023 season. Friday night was a smashing success for Carthon and Co.
Loser: Atlanta Falcons miss the mark in Round 2
The Falcons are pretty much set at all five offensive line positions. Sure, they might be able to use Matthew Bergeron’s flexibility as a swing tackle and backup guard. It still seemed to be a major reach with the 38th overall pick in the NFL Draft. The same thing can be said about going running back in the top-10.
As for this pick, most didn’t have Bergeron as anywhere near a top-40 picks heading into the draft. We like that Atlanta was able to do during free agency, but the lack of value it has received thus far in the NFL Draft is questionable. The good news? Picking up former Ohio State edge rusher Zach Harrison with the 75th pick was pretty darn solid.
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