2013 NFL Draft Day Two: Live Reaction and Analysis
Apr 25, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Tavon Austin (West Virginia) is introduced by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as the number eight overall pick to the St. Louis Rams during the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Second Round
33. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jonathan Cyprien, S, Florida International
Jaguars add a physical safety to a depleted secondary. We had Cyprien in the first round of our final mock draft. He’s a big kid who hits like a ton of bricks.
34. Tennessee Titans (from 49ers): Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee
The Titans traded their 2nd round pick (40th overall) and 7th round pick this year as well as a 3rd rounder in 2014 to get this pick from the Niners. This is a big play receiver with a ton of upside as a deep threat in the NFL, but he dropped a lot of passes. This could be a very interesting situation to monitor with Kenny Britt, Kendall Wright, and Nate Washington already in the fold.
35. Philadelphia Eagles: Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford
This is a pretty surprising pick, but a great one for the Eagles and their offense. Ertz has the potential to be a game-changer at the TE position, and a big time threat in Chip Kelly’s offense.
36. Detroit Lions: Darius Slay, CB, Mississippi State
The Lions get a big playmaker at the CB position. Interesting that Slay went before Banks, given that he doesn’t have a lot of time in division one, but he is a huge upside player for the Lions.
37. Cincinnati Bengals: Giovani Bernard, RB, North Carolina
The Bengals add an element of speed to the RB position. This is a great pickup for them and their offense.
38. San Diego Chargers (from Cardinals): Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame
The Chargers needed help up the middle of their defense, and they take Te’o off the board here in a trade up with the Cardinals. This pick generated a huge reaction from the crowd, and arguably the most high profile in this class has finally come off the draft board.
39. New York Jets: Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
The Jets get their QB of the future in Geno Smith, and end his long draft weekend. Geno has a good arm and put up fantastic numbers at West Virginia for three consistent years. I love his potential in the NFL and thought he should have been a first rounder.
40. San Francisco 49ers (from Titans): Tank Carradine, DE/OLB, Florida State
This is a great value for the Niners. Carradine is coming off a knee injury and a career year at Florida State. He’s a top 15 talent who joins an already very talented defense. He can come in and make an impact on third downs right away for the Niners.
41. Buffalo Bills: Robert Woods, WR, USC
The Bills go and get a target for their new toy at QB, EJ Manuel. Woods is a very underrated player and one of the best route runners in this year’s draft. This is a great pickup for the Bills.
42. Oakland Raiders (from Dolphins): Menelik Watson, OT, Florida State
Watson is a very good value here for the Raiders. There were rumors they would go with an OT in the first round, so getting a value like Watson here in the second round is a great move. The Raiders have had a very solid first couple of picks.
43. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Johnthan Banks, CB, Mississippi State
Consider the cornerback position fixed in Tampa Bay. They saw a problem and attacked it this offseason. Getting Banks here is an incredible value, and with their first rounder already being used on Darrelle Revis, the Bucs have had a great draft thus far.
44. Carolina Panthers: Kawann Short, DT, Purdue
This is such an interesting pick to me. I love when teams double up on positions, and with the addition of Star Lotulelei in the 1st round, the Panthers have built an impressive defensive front here with Kawann Short. He’s capable of taking over a game at times, but he’s been inconsistent. Still, good value here in the 2nd.
45. Arizona Cardinals (from Chargers): Kevin Minter, LB, LSU
Kevin Minter was one of the top players left on the board at this point, and next to Daryl Richardson, he could be a steal. This is a solid pick for an already good defense, and a guy who can step in and start right away.
46. Buffalo Bills (from Rams): Kiko Alonso, LB, Oregon
This is probably the biggest reach since the Cowboys picked Travis Frederick in the first round, but there’s no denying the Bills need at inside linebacker. Alonso is a guy with a lot of potential, but I might have waited a round to pick him. Either way, the Bills targeted a guy, and got him.
47. Dallas Cowboys: Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego State
The Cowboys lost Martellus Bennett last year, and aside from Jason Witten, they could use some playmakers at the TE position. Escobar is a guy who has been flying up the draft board who can provide them with a very athletic option in their offensive arsenal.
48. Pittsburgh Steelers: Le’Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State
The Steelers get one of the top backs in the draft here in Le’Veon Bell, who will be a popular fantasy football selection this year. He is undoubtedly the most talented back on Pittsburgh’s roster right now. He has great size and athletic ability and could be a great pickup for them here.
49. New York Giants: Johnathan Hankins, DT, Ohio State
The Giants consistently make a habit of drafting players who can help them out in the trenches, and after getting Justin Pugh in the first round, they find another first round prospect here in Johnathan Hankins. Hankins has top 10 talent but has fallen a bit in recent months. Just a massive body in the middle for the Giants.
50. Chicago Bears: Jonathan Bostic, LB, Florida
Bostic is an interesting fit at this juncture, because I had projected him more in the late third, fourth round range. He is definitely a solid inside linebacker prospect, and with Te’o, Minter, and Alonso coming off the board, the Bears probably felt like they needed to make a move on a guy they liked a little earlier than they thought they’d have to.
51. Washington Redskins: David Amerson, CB, North Carolina State
The Redskins get a physical specimen in David Amerson, a guy who had eight interceptions a year ago as a sophomore and really fell off the radar as a junior. He is a fantastic athlete with great size, and some think he could play safety in the NFL. The Redskins will find a spot where he can be a productive ball hawk.
52. New England Patriots (from Vikings): Jamie Collins, DE/OLB, Southern Miss
The Patriots come away with one of my favorite pass rushers here in Jamie Collins. This guy was extremely productive on a bad team last year, but he never quit on his teammates. I think that says a lot about his heart for the game. He is versatile, able to play standing up or with his hand in the dirt, so it’s no surprise he is the first pick for the Patriots.
53. Cincinnati Bengals: Margus Hunt, DE, SMU
The Bengals pick up a guy who could actually turn out to be pretty similar to Carlos Dunlap, their current starting bookend to Michael Johnson at the DE position. Hunt is a freakishly athletic DE prospect with unbelievable size, and if nothing else, they can rotate him in on passing downs and use him to block kicks and punts, which he was very productive at.
54. Miami Dolphins: Jamar Taylor, CB, Boise State
The Dolphins need corners, and they get a steal here. I had Jamar Taylor going in the first round, and love what I’ve seen from his game footage. He is a strong, physical cornerback who can be a big time playmaker. He will be forced into a starting job early in his career, but I think with Miami’s new upgrades defensively, he can thrive.
55. San Francisco 49ers (from Packers): Vance McDonald, TE, Rice
The 49ers did a great job here getting an athletic playmaker at the TE position to replace Delanie Walker, who was a pretty critical piece of their offense. Jim Harbaugh likes using two-TE sets, so McDonald is a guy they probably had identified as a great fit for their system early on.
56. Baltimore Ravens (from Seahawks): Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
Of course it would be the Ravens who end the fall for Kansas State’s Arthur Brown, who is easily the top player on the board at this point. Brown has great range and can be a tackling machine for Baltimore at the inside linebacker spot. He will be the heir apparent to Ray Lewis at inside linebacker.
57. Houston Texans: D.J. Swearinger, S, South Carolina
Well, Houston signed Ed Reed and has Danieal Manning in the fold, but Swearinger is a very versatile player. I love his size and athleticism at the safety position, and I think he can come in and be a contributor for them early on, especially on special teams.
58. Denver Broncos: Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin
The Broncos get one of the most productive runners in the entire draft, and in the history of college football. Ball is a guy I’ve loved for a while, and while I feel like he’s been pretty underrated over the course of draft season, I think he’s a great fit for Denver. He can get them tough yards and put the ball in the end zone.
59. New England Patriots: Aaron Dobson, WR, Marshall
Bit of a reach on Dobson, but the Patriots get a really athletic receiver with good size. He will likely take on a bigger role with New England than he would have with other teams due to their WR situation, but I think this is a solid pick.
60. Atlanta Falcons: Robert Alford, CB, Southeastern Louisiana
The Falcons double up on cornerback after losing Brent Grimes and Dunta Robinson. Alford is a guy who has been getting a lot of attention lately as a sleeper, and I think he will be a big contributor for the Falcons early on in his career.
61. Green Bay Packers (from 49ers): Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama
Lacy is a perfect fit for Green Bay, who is looking to add some type of running game element to their offense. He is a guy who brings power and agility, and I think Aaron Rodgers will be happy to be able to fall back on this guy.
62. Seattle Seahawks (from Ravens): Christine Michael, RB, Texas A&M
This is a very odd pick to me. Marshawn Lynch is one of the best running backs in the game, and Robert Turbin showed flashes as a rookie for the Seahawks. For them to use their first pick on a tailback is a bit of a surprise to me.