Alright people: stay safe, don't hurt yourself. And we'll see you tomorrow.
Grissom is another "physical project that will need to learn" pick. Smart and great tools, but very raw for the Pats.
One thing that this draft is reinforcing: teams love physical projects that they'll have to teach play their positions. A lot of the tonight's picks fall into that category.
Matt Jones might be a reach in the 3rd for the Redskins. But they wanted a big punishing RB who can pass protect(Morris can't).
Henry Anderson might not rack up stats, but he's a good 5 tech for the Colts. And they need him.
How is TJ Clemmings still on the board if teams are reaching for Round 6 OTs(Chaz Green) now?
Chaz Green is a big reach for Cowboys. He's tough and strong but bad footwork.
The Ravens stash Dline men, and they get an interesting one in Carl Davis. He needs works and motivation help.
Sean Mannion: waste of a pick for the Rams. He won't do well enough for the NFL. His mechanics are terrible.
D. Hunter does nothing for me. He's a 2 gap tweener who needed another year in college.
Coates highlights
Wow, Sammie Coates to the Steelers. Did not see that coming.
Hey NFLN, can we not go to Ladainian Tomlinson anymore?
A lot of teams were circling David Johnson around here. The Cards pulled the trigger before someone like the Redskins could take him.
Pittsburgh probably goes pass catching TE or S/bigger CB tweener here.
Jordan Hicks is a smooth Will LB with good ball skills and tackles well. Just don't expect much of a pass rush. Maybe a Perry Riley type for the Eagles?
Maudlin highlights
Lorenzo Mauldin is an edge rusher who worked hard to get where he's gotten in life. Smart, tough, just limited in physical respects. The Jets will find a way to use them.
John Miller to the Bills: very high for him, but teams loved that he seemed like a decent starter at worst.
The Saints take another flawed FSU CB(Patrick Robinson to PJ Williams). I wonder if this will go as well?
The 49ers took Eli Harold. They don't need him, but with Aldon Smith's status up in the air, its a great insurance policy. Worst comes to worst, you have a great 3rd rusher. Or you can flip Brooks in a season.
And the Browns add another flawed RB(Duke Johnson) to a stable of flawed RBs. Now, will they ever choose one and start them? Nope!
The Vikings love trades: they just dealt pick #80 to the Lions.
Grayson had some off the field flags apparently. No word on what specifically.
Grayson highlights
Grayson off the board. Brees' heir has been annointed.
The Vikings pick up a 6th to move down a bit in the 3rd.
Interesting that Sammie Coates hasn't even been mentioned yet. Could he drop into day 3?
The Vikings deal pick #76 to the Chiefs.
The Giants wanted to get a rusher, and Odighizuwa could be that. He has good size/speed but might be best moving inside to be a rusher. A good prospect for Spags to coach up.
Kyle Shanahan got his new Alfred Morris it appears in Tevin Coleman.
Even when Grasu doesn't get the block fully, he's smart enough to use what he can to hold off the defender.
Watch those highlights of Grasu and watch how he uses his hands. Thats textbook.
Grasu highlights
Houston traded DeVier Posey and two late round picks to move up for Jaelen Strong. Interesting...
Grasu, the Oregon Center, to the Bears. Amazing pick. He's a quality prospect who did well in a complicated offense. Smart player, tough player just a bit undersized.
A lot of people had Jaelen Strong going to Houston in the first. Just a bit later, but a steal potentially. Strong can get vertical quickly but limited route tree for him. He can't do much more than a fly pattern right now.
Lockett highlights
Seattle dealt away a lot for Tyler Lockett, but he may be worth that pick. Smart contributor, hard worker..just small.
The Jets just dealt their 3rd round pick to the Texans. Now this is getting interesting....
DC GM McCloughan said he wanted to make 10 picks. Now he can.
Seattle and Washington traded picks. Seattle gets DC's 3rd round pick, DC gets Seattle's 3rd, 4th 5th and 6th round picks.
It's amazing to me that Gregory has such issues that he'll need constant monitoring unless he just is uncontrolable or has severe mental issues.
This is why Gregory fell. He has some major issues if he needs 24 hour babysitting.
Jags take AJ Cann. I'm biased since I'm a gamecock, but Cann is a quality interior Olineman. A bit stiff, but a smart quality blocker.
Poutasi is an interesting prospect for the Bucs but very flawed. Big but stiff and slow. He's just another Donovan Smith honestly.
And Belichick reaches for a smart DB from a good academic school. Again.
So Frank Clark goes before Eli Harold? What?
Seattle just loves to load up on pass rushers. They ignored Frank Clark's red flags, but the kid can flat out play.
Rollins is very raw, but he has amazing ball skills and athletic ability. A good coach will make him a star.....in 2017.
The Pack apparently just watched the tape of their loss to Seattle and are loading up at DB. Might work for them, they've neglected their DBs for years.
Marpet highlights
The Bucs are loading up on the oline. Marpet is interesting, but never played against good competiton.
Ok. I'm good. I swear.
Ok. I'm good. I'll survive Randy Gregory in the Silver an.....excuse me...
The Colts get a 3rd and a 4th for a 2nd and a 4th in their trade with the Bucs.
If Dallas can keep Dez Bryant focused(mostly), they can keep Gregory focused(probably). Home run pick for the Boys. Excuse me while I swear loudly for a minute or two.
As a Redskins fan: I'm against Randy Gregory to Dallas. As an NFL fan, great value pick for the Boys. If Gregory is a headcase, then they just burned a late 2nd. He has top 5 talent and should thrive in that Tampa2 system.
Sambrailo fills a need for the Broncos, but over Clemmings and other OT prospects? Sambrailo is a project right now, he won't be a regular starter before Peyton retires imo.
I'm a big Shane Ray fan but Markus Golden is a solid, solid pick there for the Cards. He'll never be a 10 sack guy, but he won't embarass himself.
The Colts trade pick #61 to the Bucs.
Havenstein Highlights
Havenstein will push Barksdale out elsewhere for the Rams. Big, slow OT but great power.
They would have loved Eric Rowe there(the Steelers) and they wanted Kevin Johnson in Round 1. The Steelers aren't done with CBs.
Golson isn't a bad pick for the Steelers. They needed a guy who could focus on the ball and he has great ball skills. They need a big CB to team with him though.
Mortensen is still drunk. Heap and Witten were tall TEs with WR skills, Williams is shorter with said skills. Cooley is a better comparison imo.
The Ravens didn't send up Ray Rice to make this pick? That would have been awkward!
I get that Abdullah can thrive on that turf in Detroit, but they could have done this a round or two from now. Horrible value.
Abdullah highlights
Ameer Abdullah is a good player but a bad pick there. Bad value and undersized.
Also Andre Smith is headed into a contract year for the Bengals.
The Bengals needed OTs with Winston/Whitworth getting up there in years. But wow, didn't see them using both their high picks on them.
Has anyone ever gotten more out of one meme than Ickey Woods? I don't think so.
The Cards deal out of their pick to the Ravens. The Ravens must want someone that they thought would be going to Pittsburgh.
Jordan Phillips is a pure BPA pick for the Dolphins. He has major questions about his motor though. Him and Suh...that could be scary.
Nate Orchard needs to hit the weight room, but you can see the skills. The Browns needed an Mingo insurance policy and Orchard will be that.
Darby highlights
Ron Darby is a great press CB, but he has zero nose for the ball. One scout said that he "needs radar to find the ball at all."
San Fran's pick Tartt is a high school teammate of their first round pick from last year Jimmie Ward. Odd.
Mitch Morse is a good player, but the Chiefs could have done better with this pick. Even if they wanted an OLman.
Wonder where this Chargers pick leaves Te'o. They play the same style of ILB spot and you can't have both attacking.
Denzel Perryman is small, but plays bigger and with a chip on his shoulder. Great prospect.
Who gets drafted first: Randy Gregory or La'El Collins? Hard to say now.
Despite all the noise, the Eagles have had a solid draft.
Eric Rowe to Philly. Wow. Great pick that fills a big need.
Tartt is a good player but why? They have Reid, Ward and Bethea.
The Phins get two late round picks to drop down.
The Eagles trade up to 47. No word on what the Dolphins got.
Adam Schefter is reporting that Randy Gregory missed at least three meetings with teams during the pre-draft process.
I'm a big fan of Kikaha: he has pro level skills. Just played with a ton of great prospects so teams thought he benefited.
Jaelen Strong is as confused as you are why he's still undrafted...
Funchess to Carolina after a trade up might be the worst pick in the draft so far. Awful value, awful tape, awful fit.
Benardrick McKinney is a great fit for that Houston defense. They still love bigger ILB. Just slow footed in the passing game.
If Jaelen Collins can put down the bong, he could be a good one. Big if.
The Skins will play Preston Smith at OLB, DE on passing downs.
Funchess is such a great red zone target that he had 4 TDs last season(1 in the red zone).
ALERT: MIKE MAYOCK HAS REMOVED HIS SUIT JACKET.
The Browns deal pick #43 to the Texans. I'm guessing for Jaelen Strong.
The Eagles are sniffing around looking to move up in this round. Maybe with the Vikings.
Before you obsessed about Rivals' rankings in Feburary: Mario Edwards Jr and Dorial Green-Beckham were the two highest ranked players in this draft(so far) as high school recruits.
Nevermind: Carolina gave up a ton for that 2nd round pick.
Dorial Green-Beckham has a Hall of Fame body but just isn't ready for the NFL. He can't run more than 3 routes, doesn't handle the press well and needs time.
The Rams deal out after the Titans take DGB.
Expect to see Trent Murphy and Preston Smith to move around on the defensive alignment for the Skins. They'll play ILB, OLB and some 5 tech together.
Eddie Goldman to the Bears. GREAT pick for the Bears. If he can work hard, its a steal
Preston Smith goes to the Redskins. Good, smart player. They could have dropped back and taken him later. He's going to play DE(5) and OLB for them.
Devin Smith(Jets): meh. He played on a spread rushing team and was subbed out on 3rd downs a lot.
The Randy Gregory sweepstakes is officially on. He should go in the next 3-5 picks.
Marion Barber with less talent(re: TJ Yeldon)
WOW, another 5th round pick goes at the top of the 2nd: TJ Yeldon, RB Alabama to Jacksonville. If he has an NFL level skill, I haven't seen it. Horrible pick.
Mario Edwards is a physical freak, but that motor comes and goes. You might be getting a steal, you might be dealing him elsewhere in a couple seasons.
Wow, the Raiders take Mario Edwards.
Raiders pick: please be Randy Gregory....
If Jake Fisher goes soon, expect a big run on OTs. There's some talent there right now, just a question of demand.
Boom: Donovan Smith. Really good pick by Tampa. Smith is a quality guy, just a bit heavy footed. They needed an upgrade badly at OT.
Going back to the Giants' trade: it fit the draft value chart perfectly.
I'd be shocked if this Tampa pick isn't Jake Fisher or Donovan Smith.
Collins highlights
Landon Collins fills a need for the Giants, but as a Redskins' fan: I've seen way too many slow strong safeties who get victimized by TEs in the NFC east. Collins will just be another defender on a TE's youtube highlight reel imo.
The Giants gave up a 4th and a 7th to move up to 33. Pretty cheap deal imo.
And they(the Giants) deal up for pick #33.
The Giants want pick #33. Probably for Randy Gregory
And going back to La'El Collins: he might not be able to enter the 2016 draft.
Speaking of Mannion. Yup: someone is that dumb to take him this high. He's a worse version of Grayson and Grayson is a project at best.
Tony Pauline reports that Garrett Grayson, Sean Mannion and AJ Cann all expect to go very early in the 2nd also. The Jets might take Cann early.
Expect a run on big names early in this round. DGB, Jake Fisher, Randy Gregory...these guys should get picked very quickly tonight.
Another team that wants to move up: Atlanta. They want a RB badly.
There's a lot more chatter out there about the Steelers moving up for Landon Collins. This would make a lot of sense. Their defense is strong safety driven and they really don't have a strong safety worth a fart. Collins can only be used in the box, but that's exactly how they would use him.
And the Raiders' social media team strikes back...
Amari Cooper looks happy to be an Oakland Raider...
The Cardinals are offering around Michael Floyd to move higher in the 2nd round. It'll be interesting if there's any takers.
Correction on La'El Collins: this threat of his is if he's not drafted in round 2 or 3. Some team will say "FU" and draft him tomorrow.
John Keim, ESPN's Redskins' blogger is reporting that the Redskins have no interest in Randy Gregory.
So, is Collins going to just work out and stay fit for a year? Play in Canada? I just don't get this at all.
La'el Collins is telling teams that if he goes undrafted, he'll sit out the season and enter the 2016 draft. This is a very bad decision by him.
Miss me? And we're back(briefly). A few rumors floating out there: 1-The Steelers are looking to deal up for Landon Collins or Eric Rowe. Expect a move to happen in the 35-37 range. 2-The Redskins are also looking to move up, looking at Indiana RB Tevin Coleman and 3-The Bucs, I'm reliably told, will draft an OT at 34. Probably Jake Fisher.
Eli Harold out of the University of Virginia could be exactly what the Washington Redskins are looking for. He is a versatile player who played at defensive end and linebacker in college. Pass rush is always something that teams are looking to improve, with that, Harold ran a 4.60 sec 40-yard dash with his 6-foot-3, 247 lb frame.
Many folks were surprised by the selection of Brandon Scherff by the Washington Redskins in the first round. This writer, not so much, offensive line was a position of need for the Redskins and they are a more run-first team as well. No surprise there. The thought process will likely shift back to defense in the second round.
Kendricks finished his four-year career under Jim Mora with 480 total tackles, 10 sacks, and five interceptions from the inside linebacker position. He is very football-smart which should impress Jets head coach Todd Bowles, who is a defensive-minded coach himself.
With the fifth pick in the second round, it will be the New York Jets. The Jets made a big splash picking up Leonard Williams in the first round. Williams was considered to be the best available player in the draft according to many experts and scouts. The Jets have another big selection here and will likely take UCLA inside linebacker Eric Kendricks.
The biggest problem for the Jaguars is that the “best available” players don’t really line up with their needs. They have already selected Dante Fowler to fill their linebacker hole, so a player like Randy Gregory will probably not be taken. With a defensive-minded coach in Gus Bradley, it is likely that their first instinct will be to look on the defensive side of the ball quite possibly in their secondary. If Jalen Collins is available, look for him to be the selection but if not, they could try to trade back to pick up another pick along with a cornerback who they could get late like Eric Rowe of Utah or D’Joun Smith of Florida Atlantic.
Jacksonville will select fourth in the second round. Their selection will be very interesting as well as they need some massive help on the interior of their offensive line as well as some depth in their secondary. They will likely be hoping that Donovan Smith falls to them at four but with the needs of Tampa Bay and Oakland ahead of them, that seems pretty unlikely.
A safe bet is that they will go with an offensive lineman in order to give Carr time in the pocket. If Jake Fisher is on the board, expect him to be the selection. If Fisher does indeed go to Tampa Bay then the selection will likely be Penn State tackle Donovan Smith. He has good size and strength while also being versatile enough to play tackle or guard. That is a big plus for a team with aging veterans at those spots. Starting left tackle Donald Penn is 32 years and starting right guard Khalif Barnes is 33 years old.
The Oakland Raiders hold the third pick of the second round. They are a team with many, many positions of need. They made a very good selection in the first round grabbing Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper to give quarterback Derek Carr an explosive player on the outside. The question becomes what now for the Raiders?
The Fisher pick seems more likely though when you consider that Tampa Bay just selected their franchise quarterback with the number one overall pick in Jameis Winston. They need to make sure that they have the best protection available because a quarterback cannot lead you to victory if he is consistently under pressure and being sacked.
Tampa Bay holds the second pick of the second round. There are many scenarios here for them as they need to bolster both the offensive and defensive line. They could also use another outside linebacker. Look for them to go with either Jake Fisher out of Oregon or maybe even a surprise pick like Eli Harold out of Virginia.
It is a win-win for the Titans as well considering the skill of Collins despite him only starting 10 games in his college career. He is 6-foot-1, 203 lbs, and ran a 4.48 in the 40-yard dash. One of the other great physical traits he possesses is his 36 inch vertical jump. He is still pretty raw with the proper techniques to cover at his position but his talent may be able to save him in some situations until he can be coached properly.
Jalen Collins may not have to wait long as the Tennessee Titans hold the first selection of the second round. They are in need of some depth at the cornerback position, Perrish Cox will likely be the starting cornerback alongside Jason McCourty but they only have two other players listed on their depth chart. With teams playing more three and four wide receiver sets, it is almost certain that teams will need five or even six cornerbacks on their roster just to have some proper depth.
That is more than likely the reason why players like La’el Collins, Randy Gregory, and Jalen Collins all slipped into the second round. They were all projected to be first round selections, in fact La’el Collins is ranked as the 15th best prospect on Gil Brandt’s Big Board, but all of them are still awaiting that phone call.
If there is anything that the fans can take away from the first round on Thursday night, it is that teams are starting to factor in a player’s character along with his skill on the field.
Good afternoon and welcome to VAVEL USA’s live coverage of the 2015 NFL Draft. It is Day Two from Chicago, Illinois. This is the day when things start to get interesting as we will see the selections for the second and third rounds before we close up coverage for the night. Each team will have seven minutes to make their picks in Round Two, they will then have five minutes to make their picks in Round Three.