What. A. Night. Thursday’s opening round of the 2021 NFL Draft had everything—Kings of Leon, an Alabama-palooza (six alums drafted in the first 24 picks), the Patriots and Bears landing their quarterbacks of the future (was there any doubt this tweet would age poorly?), rampant speculation about Aaron Rodgers’ future in Green Bay, Dave Gettleman trading back for the first time and the jarring revelation that Dabo Swinney buys his suits off the rack at Men’s Wearhouse (you’d think South Carolina’s highest-paid state employee could afford a tailor, but apparently $8.3 million a year doesn’t stretch as far as it used to). And that was just the warmup with Rounds 2-7 still to come.
We won’t be grading each pick like we did in Round 1, but we’ll be documenting steals and reaches from Rounds 2-3 as soon as they happen Friday night, so kick it here for all your Day 2 needs beginning at 7 PM ET.
34. Elijah Moore, WR, New York Jets: STEAL
Now we’re talking. We’re not used to the Jets getting so much right, but GM Joe Douglas has had a heck of a draft so far, landing New York’s future franchise quarterback in Zach Wilson, Alijah Vera-Tucker of USC (arguably the top guard in his class) and now Moore, who inexplicably fell out of the first round despite finishing second to Heisman winner DeVonta Smith in FBS receiving yards last season. New York’s once-barebones receiving corps is suddenly flush with talent, highlighted by the (presumably) starting trio of Moore, slot man Jamison Crowder and free-agent splurge Corey Davis. They also have 2020 second-rounder Denzel Mims, in case you forgot about him. Historically, putting any level of faith in the Jets has been a fool’s errand, but with a revamped offense and a new coaching staff, there might finally be reason for optimism in East Rutherford.
35. Javonte Williams, RB, Denver Broncos: STEAL
Despite sharing a backfield with Michael Carter in Chapel Hill, the 220-pound Williams was still one of the most productive ball-carriers in America this past season, finishing sixth in FBS rushing yards (1,140) and third in rushing touchdowns (19), with the latter mark tying North Carolina’s single-season record. A pin-balling power back in the mold of former Seahawks and Raiders bruiser Marshawn Lynch, Williams could push incumbent Melvin Gordon for early-down work in Denver this season. He’s a shrewd addition for a team that just lost 1,000-yard rusher Phillip Lindsay in free agency.
38. Christian Barmore, DT, New England Patriots: STEAL
That’s two thus far, Shooter. A day after nabbing Mac Jones with the 15th overall pick, Bill Belichick went right back to the Nick Saban well in Round 2, trading up to draft Jones’ former ‘Bama teammate Christian Barmore at 38. A sturdy 310-pounder, many considered Barmore the draft’s top interior lineman with ESPN’s Booger McFarland comparing him favorably to Bucs run-stopper Ndamukong Suh. While some will be disappointed New England didn’t address its wide receiver need, the Patriots got great value for Barmore, who many anticipated would be a mid-to-late first-round pick.
44. Kelvin Joseph, CB, Dallas Cowboys: REACH
While the former LSU transfer Joseph showed promise at Kentucky this past season, his lack of college experience (25 career games including just 12 starts) is concerning and there were arguably better options available to the Cowboys including Asante Samuel Jr., who went to the Chargers just three picks later. ESPN’s Todd McShay had Joseph as his ninth-ranked cornerback prospect while Thor Nystrom of NBC Sports had him even lower at No. 11. Joseph does fill a need for Dallas (the Cowboys’ secondary hasn’t been the same since Byron Jones departed in free agency a year ago), though this has all the familiar markings of a panic pick after missing out on both Patrick Surtain II and Jaycee Horn in Round 1.
45. Walker Little, OT, Jacksonville Jaguars: REACH
While it’s admirable the Jaguars would draft a tackle to shield newly-minted franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the time to address that deficiency was in Round 1. But rather than use their second first-round selection on one of Teven Jenkins or Liam Eichenberg, the Jags reached for Lawrence’s buddy Travis Etienne, who coach Urban Meyer apparently plans to employ as his third-round back. Not the greatest use of draft capital, but to each their own. With Jenkins and Eichenberg both spoken for by the time Jacksonville stepped to the podium in Round 2, the Jaguars pivoted to Little, who hasn’t played a down of competitive football since Week 1 of 2019. Really? That's the guy you want protecting your golden goose?
46. Jackson Carman, OT, Bengals: REACH
With O linemen flying off the board (Teven Jenkins of Oklahoma and Notre Dame’s Liam Eichenberg were taken picks earlier), the Bengals decided to get in on the party, staking claim to Jackson Carman, who protected Trevor Lawrence’s blind side at Clemson, at No. 46. ESPN’s broadcast crew was flabbergasted by the pick with Mel Kiper Jr. remarking he had a 3rd/4th grade on Carman. The Bengals could have avoided this fate by simply drafting Penei Sewell in the first round, but instead they catered to Joe Burrow, reuniting their franchise QB with his LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase. Cincinnati’s receiving corps is admittedly stacked, but keeping Burrow (who is coming off ACL surgery) upright should have been their top priority.
49. Rondale Moore, WR, Arizona Cardinals: STEAL
Simply put, Rondale Moore can fly (4.37 forty-yard dash). There are reasons to be weary of Moore—he measured a puny 181 pounds at his Purdue Pro Day and has barely played the last two seasons due to injury. But if the 5’7” slot man plays the way he did as a freshman in 2018 (114-1,258-12 with an additional 21 carries for 213 yards and two touchdowns as a rusher), he’ll be the steal of the draft. The former Boilermaker provides necessary depth for a Cardinals team that doesn’t have much at receiver outside of go-to-target DeAndre Hopkins.
50. Azeez Ojulari, EDGE, New York Giants: STEAL
Round 1 didn’t go the way the Giants wanted it to—the Eagles stole DeVonta Smith from under their nose, prompting Dave Gettleman to reach for Kadarius Toney at 20—but this almost makes up for it. How Ojulari, a 240-pound havoc-wreaker who led college football’s best conference in sacks this past season, fell to the latter half of the second round is beyond me, but I doubt anyone in the Giants' camp is complaining. The G-Men could use another pass-rusher to pair with Leonard Williams and Ojulari might be just the man for the job.
52. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Cleveland Browns: STEAL
Man did teams do Owusu-Koramoah dirty. Talk about falling asleep at the wheel. How does a unanimous All-American, Butkus Award-winner and ACC Defensive Player of the Year fall to the latter half of the second round? Owusu-Koramoah is admittedly undersized at 6’1”/221 (a certain segment of the scouting community has wondered if he’d be a better long-term fit at safety for this reason), but letting one of the top linebackers in college football slide all the way to 52 is some next-level galaxy-braining. Props to the Browns for finally putting a stop to this farce.
58. Nick Bolton, LB, Kansas City Chiefs: STEAL
Bolton is undersized (5’11”/237) and not especially fleet of foot, but he packs a wallop, gaining a reputation at Mizzou as one of the country’s hardest hitters. A two-time All-SEC selection and second-team All-American as a junior this past season, Bolton arguably could have been a first-rounder, but instead he falls to the Chiefs (who play about two hours west of where he went to school) at 58. Bolton is a great get for a team not especially well-equipped at linebacker.
59. Terrace Marshall, WR, Carolina Panthers: STEAL
After previously taking a backseat to Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, Marshall finally had a chance to shine in 2020, corralling 10 touchdowns for LSU (tied for third-most in the SEC) while averaging over 100 yards per game. Well-built at 6’2”/205 with a knack for breaking off chunk plays (15.2 yards per reception this past season), Marshall bolsters a potent Panthers receiving corps featuring D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson and do-it-all-running back Christian McCaffrey. Having already worked with offensive coordinator Joe Brady at LSU, this is about as good a landing spot as Marshall could have hoped for.
60. Pete Werner, LB, New Orleans Saints: REACH
Not to pile on, but what’s the Saints’ plan here? One day after landing Houston defensive end Payton Turner in one of the night’s biggest head-scratchers, New Orleans submitted another puzzling pick on Day 2, apparently reaching the conclusion Pete Werner was worthy of a second-round selection. Werner is no slouch—he earned all-conference honors as a senior in 2020 and saw time at all three linebacker positions during his time at Ohio State—but most pegged him as a fringe third-round talent, if not an early fourth-rounder. Clearly the Saints liked what they saw out of Werner and there’s something to be said for drafting “your guys,” but I don’t think New Orleans got much bang for their buck taking him at 60.
67. Davis Mills, QB, Houston Texans: REACH
This pick REEKS of desperation. Mills arguably underachieved at Stanford, starting just 11 games for the Cardinal despite arriving in Palo Alto as a highly-anticipated five-star recruit. Mills, who NFL.com’s Lance Zeirlein comped to Patriots backup Jarrett Stidham (PlayerProfiler sees similarities to former Steelers bust Landry Jones), was apparently the best Houston could muster here, which tends to happen when you trade all your future draft assets for the right to overpay Laremy Tunsil. Between the Mills pick and last month’s Tyrod Taylor signing, the Texans have made abundantly clear Deshaun Watson, who faces over 20 lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct at various massage parlors, has played his final game in Houston.
82. Dyami Brown, WR, Washington Football Team: STEAL
Brown may not be everyone’s cup of tea—his game lends itself to a certain boom-or-bust aesthetic—but you can’t argue with his production at North Carolina, where he finished sixth in FBS receiving yards (1,099) this past season, a remarkable feat considering he only caught 55 passes. The Tar Heels' first player in program history to log consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons, Brown gives Washington another vertical weapon to complement Terry McLaurin and, to a lesser extent, Curtis Samuel, on the perimeter. Brown’s deep prowess should mesh well with starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, a gunslinger if there ever was one.
88. Trey Sermon, RB, San Francisco 49ers: STEAL
After years of being buried behind J.K. Dobbins (now of the Baltimore Ravens) on Ohio State’s depth chart, the Buckeyes finally unleashed Sermon, who rushed for over 100 yards per game (108.8 to be exact) as a senior in 2020. Sermon went absolutely ballistic in the Big Ten title game, feasting to the tune of 331 yards—a school record—in a win over Northwestern. With injury-prone Jerick McKinnon defecting to Kansas City in free agency, Sermon provides much-needed depth for a suddenly sparse Niners backfield consisting of only Jeff Wilson (undrafted), Rasheem Mostert (also undrafted) and Giants castoff Wayne Gallman.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
