DETROIT – Night two of the 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone and it was a great time. Many players have found their new homes and dreams have been made.
Some consider night two to be just as important as night one, and I happen to agree. Night two is where you find the players that can bring you from playoff contender to Super Bowl contender.
Some teams made good moves, and some made not the best moves. I’m here to tell you who were the big winners and losers from night two:
WINNER: Washington Commanders
Washington had a great day two at the 2024 NFL Draft. First, it started out by grabbing interior defender Jer’Zhan Newton from the University of Illinois. Newton is a powerful pass-rusher who was nearly unstoppable in college. Sure, he’s undersized, but his strength and speed make up for that ten-fold. Newton is a prospect that could’ve gone as high as the top 10-15 pick, so the value here is immense. Later on in the second round, the Commanders stayed on the defensive side of the ball with the selection of cornerback Mike Sainristil. Because of his position, Sainristil is one of the more overlooked and underrated players in this draft class. Simply put, Sainristil is one of the best pure-football players in the draft. He just gets the game and is a great upgrade for Washington. Throw in the selections of tight end Ben Sinnot, tackle Brandon Coleman, and wide receiver Luke McCaffrey to give new quarterback Jayden Daniels weapons and improved protection. The Commanders killed it on day two.
LOSER: Atlanta Falcons
One of the bigger losers from day two of the NFL Draft was the Falcons. After making the biggest shocker of a pick with the selection of QB Michael Penix Jr. in the first round, Atlanta needed to get back on track with its next two picks. While its second of those two picks was solid when it selected Bralen Trice from the University of Washington, its first pick was a head-scratcher. With the 35th pick, they picked Ruke Orhorhoro from Clemson University. While a solid player in his own right, skipping over Newton, a better player at the same position, doesn’t make sense to me. Seeing the value that was on the board there and just passing on it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
WINNER: Indianapolis Colts
We’re going to work backwards here since their first pick is the main reason why I consider the Colts a big winner on day two. In their second of two picks, they took T Matt Goncalves. If he didn’t suffer a toe injury, he would’ve been selected much higher in the draft. While that pick brings good value, the Colts had maybe my favorite pick out of all 100 picks that have taken place so far in this year’s draft. With the 52nd pick, Indianapolis selected WR AD Mitchell from the University of Texas, and what a selection that was. Mitchell is, without a doubt, one of my favorite players from this draft, and was a top 20 player for me in the entire class. He has all of the alpha potential in the world with his unique blend of size, speed and athleticism. The connection between Mitchell and QB Anthony Richardson could be wickedly dangerous.
WINNER: Los Angeles Chargers
While a small batch of players were drafted on day two, both picks by the Chargers are home runs. Their first pick was just the second pick of day two. With that pick, they picked WR Ladd McConkey from Georgia. After losing both WRs Keenan Allen and Mike Williams this offseason, Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh needed to get QB Justin Herbert a few new weapons. McConkey is a great route runner and separator. He’s slippery and only a handful of CBs in the league can stick with him one-on-one. Along with that, he has reliable hands and surprising speed. He’ll immediately become one of Herbert’s favorite options to throw to. Their second and last pick of night two was linebacker Junior Colson out of, surprise surprise, the University of Michigan. Of course, Harbaugh had to get his Michigan player. Regardless, Colson is a great player and worthy of this selection. His best qualities are his ideal size for the position, 6-foot-3-inchs and 247 pounds, and his football IQ. It’s been a long road for Colson to get here, and now he lands in LA.
LOSER: Tennessee Titans
The Titans only had one pick on day two, but it was maybe the most questionable one out of them all. With the 38th pick, they selected T’Vondre Sweat from Texas. After off-the-field issues for Sweat, I was certain he was going to slip deep into the third round. Even before those issues, I would’ve thought this pick was a tad bit rich for my liking. Sweat has the chance to become a pro-bowl type player, but he also has the chance to be out of the league in three years. And, based on his off-the-field issues, I lean towards the latter right now. I hope he can sort those issues out and prove me wrong.
WINNER: Doubling down on the corner
What did the Eagles and the Lions have in common heading into this year’s draft? They both had a huge CB need. So what did they both do? Drafted CBs with their top two picks. With the Eagles, it’s Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. They were able to grab Mitchell in the first round and DeJean in the second. Both picks have great value and immediately upgrade their secondary. This was the same approach taken by the Lions. In the first round, Detroit general manager Brad Holmes traded up five spots to secure the selection of CB Terrion Arnold. Arnold to Detroit is one of the best player-to-team fits of the first round. And if that wasn’t enough, the Lions picked CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr. with their second pick. Rakestraw Jr. is a similar player to Arnold, both being physical, press-man CBs, and both will contribute immediately. Both teams identified their biggest need and attacked it with their most coveted picks.
LOSER: University of Oregon players
Looking at the best available board heading into day three, there’s a lot of green Os on it. Besides center Jackson Powers-Johnson who went to the Raiders at pick 44, many Oregon players that people expected to go on night two are still on the board. Maybe the biggest surprise of them all is WR Troy Franklin. He was a player who was being mocked to go in the first or second round throughout this process. His deep speed is no joke, but his inconsistent hands and small frame seemingly pushed him down the board. Along with Franklin, DI Brandon Dorlus and CB Khyree Jackson are also still on the board. Dorlus is a good player, but he’s a tweener on the defensive line. You play him either at DI or ED, which you would think is a good thing, but NFL teams don’t value that unknown. Lastly, Jackson not going on day two surprises me as well. He has the ideal combination of length and speed that most teams covet when it comes to finding their CB. Whoever can land him, which he’s going to go fast on day three, got a good one.
WINNER: Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers had one of the best day two’s out of any team in the NFL. With the 51st pick, they grabbed C Zach Frazier from West Virginia University. Frazier seamlessly fits right into their open center spot on the roster and completes their offensive line. There’s no question that the Steelers will run the ball and try to bring back the ‘Steeler Way’ mentality. 33 picks later, they picked up WR Roman Wilson from Michigan. Wilson will be their slot WR, and for good reason. He has great speed, shiftiness and feistiness as a blocker. Lastly, they selected LB Payton Wilson from North Carolina State University. This pick is the best value pick out of them all. If Wilson didn’t have the health concerns that he has, he would’ve been a borderline first-round pick. Speaking of value, that’s what all of these picks have in common. All of these players were better than the pick they were drafted. What a night for Pittsburgh general manager Omar Khan.