With Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft in the books, let’s look back at the biggest winners and losers from the day.
Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft is officially in the books, and there was quite a bit of action that went down. After a huge run on offensive players in the first round, the pendulum swung the other way, as there was a much larger focus on the defensive side of the ball. Perhaps most notably, though, was that after six quarterbacks came off the board in the first twelve picks, there have been none taken since then.
You can make an argument that the second and third rounds are the most important in the NFL Draft. While you are usually only adding one top-tier player in the first round, chances are you will have multiple picks spread out across the second and third rounds, and especially in this year’s draft, there are a lot of high quality players who could end up being Week 1 starters that got selected on Friday night.
The big question fans have, though, is who nailed their picks, and who made some head scratchers. Well, let’s take a look back at all the picks that were made on Friday night and pick out three of the biggest winners who made some fantastic picks, while also looking at three losers who left fans confused with their decision making.
Biggest winners on Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft
The Philadelphia Eagles biggest need entering the draft this year was cornerback, and they have resoundingly shored up that position over the first two days of the draft. After getting a great value pick in Quinyon Mitchell in the first round, they got another steal early in the second round when they drafted Cooper DeJean with the 40th overall pick.
Both Mitchell and DeJean were expected to be first-round picks, and while Mitchell dropped to the back of the first round, DeJean ended up falling all the way to the second round. The front office did well to shore up their secondary with these two guys, and while they did have to trade up with the Washington Commanders to land DeJean, he was simply falling too far for Philly to wait around any longer.
In the third round, the Eagles added another defender in edge rusher Jalyx Hunt with the 94th overall pick, who was another guy that fell pretty far down the board. While Philly basically swapped Haason Reddick with Bryce Hunt this offseason, you can never have too much help on the defensive line, and Hunt joins a great unit as he arrives in the NFL. Philadelphia has found great value on the board so far, and with three picks apiece in the fourth and fifth round, they have a great opportunity to finish off the draft strong on Day 3.
The Indianapolis Colts had a sneaky good day of work on Friday night that saw them make two big additions to their offense that could immediately pay off for them. Indy got maybe the biggest steal of Day 2 when they drafted wide receiver Adonai Mitchell at the 52nd overall pick, and then they traded up to land the best remaining offensive tackle on the board in Matt Goncalves in the third round.
Mitchell’s drop in the second round was pretty staggering, as he was considered a borderline first round pick, and he was expected to be one of the first names off the board in the second round. Instead, the Colts ended up being able to trade down from the 46th overall pick, and they somehow still managed to land one of the top wide receivers in the draft. With guys like Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, and Alec Pierce already on the roster, Anthony Richardson could end up having one of the best pass-catcher groups in the league in 2024.
Goncalves was picked right around the time he was expected to go, but with other offensive lineman coming off the board like crazy late in the second round and early in the third, Indy made their move up the board to get him. The former Pittsburgh stud can play both tackle positions, while also potentially shifting to guard in a pinch if needed, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he played a big role on the line as a rookie.
Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders got their quarterback of the future in Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick of the draft, and then ended up making five picks on Day 2 to bolster the team around him. And for the most part, the Commanders made some strong picks that caught the attention of fans everywhere.
The Commanders first two picks of the day were on defense, where they landed a first-round talent at defenstive tackle in Jer’Zhan Newton with the 36th overall pick, and the top slot corner in the draft in Mike Sainristil with the 50th overall pick. Even better is the fact that, after trading down with the Eagles so that they could get DeJean, Washington didn’t have to sacrifice any draft capital to move up and get these guys.
After that, Washington pivoted to offense, grabbing tight end Ben Sinnott (53rd overall pick), offensive lineman Brandon Coleman (67th overall pick), and Luke McCaffrey (100th overall pick). These guys all fit needs for the Commanders, and while they may have been slight reaches in some cases, if you see a guy you like, you pick him, and that’s precisely what the front office managed to do on Day 2.
Biggest losers on Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft
The New England Patriots didn’t get cute with things on Day 1, and simply stayed put and drafted their quarterback of the future in Drake Maye. While they attempted to bolster the offense around him on Day 2, their execution of their picks left fans a bit confused, as they reached on both of their selections on the day.
The Pats traded down from the 34th pick to the 37th pick, and they had the top remaining wide receiver in Mitchell sitting on their plate, waiting to get picked. Instead, they selected Ja’Lynn Polk, who was expected to be a late second/early third round pick. Polk is a solid playmaker, but the valuation seems to be off here, even if he does fill a big position of need for New England.
The same issue popped up when the Patriots drafted offensive lineman Caedan Wallace with the 68th overall pick. Wallace was expected to be a mid-fourth round pick, and there were guys like Goncalves who were still on the board. In essence, the Colts ended up having the Day 2 draft that the Patriots probably should have had, and while they filled needs on their roster, it’s tough to look at these picks and view them as good value given how big of a reach they both were.
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The San Francisco 49ers have had one of the more confusing drafts in the league to this point. They reached on Ricky Pearsall in the first round amid trade rumors surrounding Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, and they ended up reaching on both of their Day 2 picks as well. And beyond that, they are still holding onto Aiyuk and Samuel, which makes their pick of Pearsall even more confusing.
The Niners have done a good job addressing their needs to this point, but similar to the Patriots, the players they have chosen have been rather confusing. San Fran took cornerback Renardo Green, who was expected to be a fourth-round selection, with the final pick of the second round, which is a pretty big reach. In the third round, the 49ers made a more minor reach for offensive lineman Dominick Puni, although it certainly wasn’t as egregious as the Patriots selection of Wallace a few picks earlier.
The bigger issue with the Puni pick is that the 49ers had to move up to get him, and while getting rid of one of their three fourth-round picks isn’t the end of the world, they probably could have stayed put and taken him at the 94th pick (which was their initial pick in the third round) and drafted him there since there wasn’t another offensive lineman that came off the board after him. These guys could pan out, but the valuation of each of the Niners picks looks off right now.
The Tennessee Titans only made one pick on Day 2, but it ended up being quite a confusing one. After reaching to select offensive lineman JC Latham with the seventh overall pick on Day 1, the Titans made an even more confusing pick on Day 2 when they selected defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat with the 38th overall pick of the draft.
Not only are there concerns about Sweat’s play on the field, as he’s struggled to keep his weight down and was really only a two-down player for much of his collegiate career, but he also got arrested for a DWI during his pre-draft visit process. He was a late second-round pick at best in the eyes of many, but not the Titans apparently, which led to their confusing selection.
What makes these picks even worse is that Tennessee was armed with only seven picks entering the draft, and they very easily could have traded down while accruing more draft capital while still probably being able to land both of these guys. Instead, they compounded both of these reaches by failing to recognize those needs, and they don’t exactly have a lot to work with as they attempt to get themselves back on track for Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft.
