Mock draft! (second round)

By: Josh Frey-Sam

The first round gets all the hype, but the second round is just as important.

In some cases, there are players with first-round grades who weren’t selected on Day 1 for one reason or another — they are tremendous values who can start immediately.

Then there are the players that teams are still bullish on, but will be afforded some time to acclimate to the NFL. Most second-round talents are expected to become a starter within a year or so.

That brings us to today’s newsletter — my first second-round mock draft. I completed this shortly after I wrapped up my latest mock, using those picks as context when selecting players.

Just nine days until the draft…

Let’s get into it.

Explanation: My lone trade comes at pick 36, as the Bears, who also own pick 41, trade up from 39 for IDL Kenneth Grant. This fills a need for the Bears and adds a hole-plugger right up the gut.

Other notables:

*There’s a lot of smoke building around whether we could see Alabama QB Jalen Milroe selected in the first round. Last week, news broke that he had accepted an invite to the draft in Green Bay — would he do that if he didn’t think he could go in the first round? He’s been linked to the Steelers, who value mobility at QB, and the Giants, who wouldn’t take him at No. 3 overall but could very well trade back into the 1st to grab him.

Milroe is an interesting study — he might have the best deep ball in this class and he’s the best scrambler by a mile, but he lacks consistency in every other area. So, a team will need to embrace his low floor with an eye on a potentially bright future. If the Giants walk away with Abdul Carter and Jalen Milroe, I think fans, and the franchise, will be happy about that.

*Tyler Shough is the other QB who doesn’t wait long to hear his name called. The Saints feel like a perfect match here. I have the Saints passing on a QB on Day 1, but I don’t think they’ll leave this draft without a QB.

Another wrinkle is that Derek Carr’s season is now potentially in jeopardy after sustaining a shoulder injury that could require surgery. Shough feels like a good match here, given the state of the franchise and the fact that they could need a QB sooner than later — Shough is pro-ready.

Explanation: I have TE Mason Taylor going to the Colts at 45, which feels like a no-brainer should they pass on a TE in the first round. Keep an eye on Taylor, though. I won’t be surprised if we hear his name called late on night one.

Two other notables here are Matthew Golden and Shavon Revel, both of whom are also in the conversation to be selected in the first round.

Explanation: It’s interesting — every bone in my body says there’s going to be a run on running backs on Day 2, yet Quinshon Judkins is the only one that I have coming off the board in the second round.

It feels wrong, in a way, but maybe the run comes in the third round instead?

A final note: Jack Sawyer feels like a Detroit Lion. Him opposite of Aidan Hutchinson just makes sense.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh