2022 Draft Recap: 2nd Round Grades
by Nubes | 3 years ago | 0 Comments
2.1 Detroit Lions- Amari Geathers CB, Notre Dame
Geathers is a young, raw, physical corner who is going to need some time to improve. He's only 21 years old, but sadly he is normal dev with 91 speed. Geathers definetely has some potential and could be a solid starter in the future, but this pick seemed like a bit of a reach.
C+
2.2 Washington Football Team- Kameron Moreland SS, Oklahoma State
Moreland is an instant plug and play safety for a team that desperately needs young playmakers in the secondary. He has solid speed with 91 and even ended up with star dev. Moreland is more of a box safety, but he has potential to improve his coverage. The only true knock on him is his age as he is already 23.
A
2.3 New Orleans Saints- Dean Kemp LE, Wisconsin
The Saints get a versatile pass rusher here in Kemp. His 6'6 frame and 79 speed allows him to move effortlessly across the dline and he even ended up getting star dev. I don't hate the player, but I would have preferred the Saints going with a CB or a LB here.
B+
2.4 Kansas City Chiefs- Julian Ward MLB, Texas
I absolutely love Julian Ward and the athleticism he brings to the field. Coming in with 89 speed, solid tackling, and solid coverage stats, he is the perfect LB for today's NFL. It sucks he didn't end up with a dev trait, but he should be a fantastic player. My only question is why are the Chiefs going after so many LBs. There are about 5 or 6 starting caliber LBs on this team. It seems like there isn't any room for Ward, but hopefully he can beat the others out for a spot.
B+
2.5 Baltimore Ravens- Nate Clifton CB, Iowa State
Clifton came out of the draft as a CB, but many teams were interested in seeing him play some safety. He must have looked good in camp as he is taking over the starting FS role. Clifton is very similar to geathers, except he's much more polished in coverage. Clifton did not end up getting a dev trait, but he could very easily end the season going up a dev.
A-
2.6 New Orleans Saints- Michael Castle HB, Alabama
And here it is, the NFL's first gay player who will actually get playing time. Congratulations Connor! Anyway, Bama refuses to stop spitting out NFL players and this year is no different. Castle is a speed demon with solid size and catching prowess. He is amazing at seeing holes and flying through them. I see no clear reason for his fall in the draft besides the fact that RBs are devalued and his sexual orientation. Despite being normal dev, Castle is still a fantastic pick. Connor should be able to dev him very quickly with his physical traits. Castle seems like a workhorse back and should be the RB1 for many years to come.
A
2.7 Dallas Cowboys- Leon Mcnair WR, Miami
This pick was a bit of a head scratcher for me. Mcnair is a fantastic player with solid speed and a dev trait, but the WR room in Dallas is crowded. You'd have to assume Gallup is on the move with this pick, but there haven't been many rumors. Another situation of the player being fantastic, but the position selected being a bit weird. With that said, Mcnair is one of the best receivers in the draft and I see why the Cowboys refused to let him fall any farther.
B+
2.8 Detroit Lions- Bryan Brown WR, Yale
Brown is a bigger receiver with underrated athleticism, but his route running is very raw, particularly over the middle of the field. The team isn't quite there yet in terms of talent so I don't hate drafting a receiver with potential, but this one seemed like a bit of a reach.
C
2.9 Minnesota Vikings- Jaleel Armstrong CB, Missouri
Armstrong is a pure zone corner that might be able to excel at safety. He's got solid size and solid tackling ability so the Vikings will definitely be able to get creative with him. Overall a decent pick that fits the system but nothing special. There aren't too many high level corners left and this one feels like a bit of a reach due to the need at corner.
C+
2.10 Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Robbie Elliot RE, Penn State
Really safe pick here from the Bucs. Elliot has some decent athleticism and some of the best power moves in the draft. He doesn't have the potential as some of the guys in the first round, but a 77 ovr who's only 21 in the mid 2nd is a steal. The Bucs fill a big need here in the 2nd round.
B+
2.11 Green Bay Packers- Dalton Thurmond DT, Notre Dame
Thurmond is very similar to Elliot who was taken 1 pick before. He has a very high floor and possibly even a higher ceiling than Elliot due to his athleticism. Thurmond has 81 speed as a 300lb DT which is something you don't see very often. He also sits at 77 ovr and is an immediate plug and play type of guy. He's only 21 so he still has some potential, but he'll be limited since he's normal dev. That said, another big steal here for Green Bay.
B+
2.12 Seattle Seahawks- Stephen Shirley LT, Mississippi State
I don't love the idea of drafting OL high because they're so hit or miss with dev traits, but Shirley is a big hit in the draft being only 21 with star dev. Not a flashy pick by any means, especially in madden, but he should be a solid starting LT for the rest of the cycle. Solid pick all around.
B
2.13 Jacksonville Jaguars- Al Grove DT, Wisconsin
Another solid pick here that won't turn any heads, but again, a 76 ovr DT this late in the draft is never anything to be upset about. His ceiling is a bit lower than Green Bay's lineman due to being a year older and a bit slower, but he still displays solid athleticism and all around pass rush moves.
C+
2.14 Baltimore Ravens- Alec Long LG, N.C. State
Long is a big man who displays a lot of power in the run game. He needs some work in pass protection, but his hidden dev should allow him to improve quickly. He is a bit older at 23, but like I said about the LT taken earlier, he should be a solid started once he develops.
B+
2.15 Buffalo Bills- Dontrell Curtis HB, Kansas State
Curtis is an explosive athlete and a dynamic pass catcher out of the backfield. He displays hints of Lesean Mccoy in his ability to drop defenders and make them look silly. This may very well be the steal of the draft as it's not too often a 94 speed, 78 ovr rb lasts this long. He is a bit older and normal dev, but RBs aren't hard to develop and he should a top tier player as soon as he steps on the field. Absolute home run pick here by Buffalo.
A
2.16 New England Patriots- Damien Phelps WR, Ole Miss
Phelps is a big body receiver who has some of the best hands in the draft. He's very sloppy with his routes and he isn't the fastest guy ever, but he lands in the perfect situation with one of the best passing offenses in the league. I think this pick was a reach as we saw a lot of better receivers taken after him, but I won't question Austin too much.
C
2.17 Arizona Cardinals- George Robbins RE, Oregon
Robbins is a very balanced player. He's pretty solid at everything but nothing truly stands out. He's another one of those high floor low ceiling type players that can start immediately. He's a bit slow for his size which might be whats stopping him from being elite, but we will have to see.
C+
2.18 Las Vegas Raiders- Randy Cherry HB, LSU
The HB class continues to impress with another late round steal. Cherry is once again an explosive athlete who can make people miss and has solid hands out of the backfield. He's a bit of a smaller guy, but with superstar dev, I don't think that will matter much. Another homerun pick here.
A+
2.19 Atlanta Falcons- Justin Whitfield QB, Minnesota
Whitfield has a solid arm and okay accuracies, but he moves like Ben Rothlisberger. The only difference being he's about 40 years younger. Statues don't seem to do well in the NFL and while he has shown he can make difficult throws, I have trouble projecting him as anything more than a solid backup.
D
2.20 Kansas City Chiefs- Cole Zimmerman LOLB, Wisconsin
Another head scratcher here from the Chiefs. Unless they're running 6 LB sets, I don't understand their draft. Zimmerman is a very solid athlete who can play all around the defense, even coming off the edge, but there just seems to be too many players in this front 7 for him to make any real impact. Love the player, hate the pick.
C-
2.21 Baltimore Ravens- Daniel Etienne CB, Clemson
Dope name, dogshit player. Etienne is a massive project and I think the Ravens need players that can play immediately as they're trying to contend with one of the toughest division in the NFL. He doesn't have the speed to play corner, the zone to play safety, and I question whether his coaches ever taught him how to tackle. Big miss here from the Ravens but at least he has a dev trait
D-
2.22 Tennessee Titans- Brandon Williams LT, Auburn
Williams is a prolific pass blocker but is very raw in the run game. He is only 22 with a dev trait and will most certainly have time to grow. Solid pick here from the Titans.
B+
2.23 Baltimore Ravens- Terron Stanley LT, Clemson
Thank god I chose to trade all my picks to Cmass as it seems his kid has selected all his players for him. A 60 ovr LT in the 2nd round????? The hell ya doin Baltimore.
F
2.24 San Francisco 49ers- Earl Rosenburg LG, Penn State
See Baltimore? This is who you should have taken. Rosenburg is one of the better guards in the draft coming in at a 73 ovr at the ripe age of 21. He should have room to grow, but he has a very high floor.
B
2.25 Detroit Lions- Daevonte Preston Preston CB, Ohio State
A headscratcher here from the Lions after an amazing 1st round. Preston is an okay athlete with 91 speed and has some good size, but he likely couldn't cover my little brother on a slant route. Preston may be a decent user, but if you let him play on his own, things are going to be rough.
D+
2.26 New England Patriots- Clint Massie WR, Washington State
Massie is similar to the other WR the Pats selected except he DOES know how to run routes and CAN outrun Justin. Massie has the size, explosiveness, and route running to be a real force in the league. He just needs to work on his hands.
B-
2.27 Minnesota Vikings- J.C. Burns WR, UCLA
Burns is extremely fast and a solid route runner, but is surprisingly bad at changing direction for someone his size. He isn't going to be faking out the defense and taking screens to the house yet, but he's an immediate starter and helps open Dan's offense up. A 94 speed receiver this late in the draft is fantastic value
B+
2.28 Jacksonville Jaguars- Rahim Hampton FS, Boston College
Hampton is huge for his position standing at 6'4 and has decent coverage skills to go with it. He isn't the fastest guy at only 88 speed, but that doesn't matter as much when you're 6'4. Hampton should be an immediate started in the back of the defense and should thrive early. The only concern is his age and his normal dev.
B
2.29 Chicago Bears- Dwayne Potter RB, Lousiville
The Bears finally decided to get a RB with some wheels. Potter should come in and immediately take over the starting RB job with his combination of speed and shiftiness. He is going to need to work on his catching if he wants to be a 3 down back, but he definitely has potential at the age of 21.
B
2.30 Cincinnati Bengals- JJ Pierce LT, Wisconsin
Another solid OL the Ravens could have taken. Pierce needs to work on his run blocking technique , but he's pretty strong, still young, and is star dev. Good Job Cincy
B
2.31 New England Patriots- Bradley Pierson CB, SMU
Pierson is a physical monster standing at 6'3 with 90 speed. He is solid in man but needs to work on his zone badly. We're getting close to the 3rd round and getting someone with those physicals is never something to complain about but the lack of zcv, tackling, and dev trait hurts.
C+
2.32 Atlanta Falcons- Max Mills LE, Baylor
With the last pick in the 2nd round, the Falcons take a solid interior pass rusher in Max mills. He is a large man who will likely move to DT, but he has some sneaky athleticism with 78 speed. Safe pick, not a lot of upside, but someone who won't make many mistakes.
C