The Triple Take trio wraps up their review of the 2020 NFL Draft Class by evaluating Day Two and then assessing what's left on the board for Day Three.
Matt's Take ...
Matt Williamson: We now have 106 picks from the 2020 NFL Draft in the books. There were some crazy things like seeing the Raiders take three wide receivers with their first four picks.
It is noteworthy where the quarterbacks fell on the second day. The only quarterback that was picked in the second round was Jalen Hurts to the Eagles with the 53rd pick overall. And Hurts surprisingly was the only quarterback selected in either round on Friday. This is somewhat startling and makes you wonder if the inability to spend a lot of quality time with quarterbacks during the draft process hurt their cause at such an important position for a player's character makeup.
Along those lines, it took until pick 43 for a tight end to come off the board when Chicago selected Cole Kmet. After that choice, we had to wait until deep into the third round for the next tight end to be picked when Devin Asiasi went to New England. After that, the Packers took Josiah Deguara three picks later, but Deguara is as much of a fullback as he is a traditional tight end. Two more tight ends did come off the board to finish the evening, Dalton Keene to New England and Adam Troutman to New Orleans.
As often has been the case in recent years, Day 2 of the draft is the sweet spot for running backs to land. After only one running back went in the first round and it wasn't until the final selection in that frame, Day 2 saw eight running backs come off the board and that doesn't include Antonio Gibson who could be a running back or wide receiver for the Redskins. And five of those backs were second round picks.
Here are 10 enticing prospects in alphabetical order that could provide great value on the final day of this draft:
- Tyler Biadasz, OL, Wisconsin
- Harrison Bryant, TE, Florida Atlantic
- Hunter Bryant, TE, Washington
- Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB, Appalachian State
- Troy Dye, LB, Oregon
- Jake Fromm, QB, Georgia
- Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR, Liberty
- Joshua Kelly, RB, UCLA
- Netane Muti, OG, Fresno State
- Amik Robertson, CB, Louisiana Tech
Dale's Take ...
Dale Lolley: The runs continued into Day 2 of the NFL Draft as receivers and running backs dominated the second round. That included the Steelers selecting Notre Dame wide receiver Chase Claypool with their second-round selection, their first pick in the draft.
There were 13 running backs or wide receivers selected in the second round after seven were taken in the first round of the draft on Thursday night. That means 20 of the top 64 picks in the draft were used on guys who score touchdowns. Add in tight end Cole Kmet, the only tight end taken in the first two rounds, and you have 21 of the top 64 picks spent on pass catchers or runners.
Because of that, those positions are pretty well picked over heading into the third and final day of the draft. But, as I mentioned on the Triple Take wrap-up, that doesn't mean there aren't some defensive gems to be mined in this draft.
The second tier of defensive players wasn't as good or as deep as things were on the offensive side of the ball. But the third tier of defenders is where there is some value — unless you're looking for an interior offensive lineman. There have been a few interior offensive linemen taken, but you'll likely see a run on that position starting in Round 4, which kicks off today.
The quarterbacks have slipped a little bit from the Day 1 action. After we saw three of the top six picks used on that position, there was only one selected on Day 2, that being Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts in the second round by the Eagles.
The other top two quarterbacks, Georgia's Jake Fromm and Washington's Jacob Eason probably won't last long into today.
Here are my 10 best remaining players:
- Ben Bartch, OT, St. John's (Minnesota)
- Harrison Bryant, TE, Florida Atlantic
- Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB, Appalachian State
- Troy Dye, LB, Oregon
- Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR, Liberty
- Keith Ismael, G-C, San Diego State
- James Lynch, DE, Baylor
- Amik Robertson, CB, Louisiana Tech
- John Simpson, G, Clemson
- Prince Tega Wanogho, OT, Auburn
Mike's Take ...
Mike Prisuta: It's been a compelling couple of days but it isn't time to crank up the Bon Jovi just yet
Three rounds have been completed, but the NFL Draft still isn't halfway there.
Four more rounds are on tap for today and there are still plenty of intriguing players to choose from, at a variety of positions.
We didn't see a great number of interior linemen go off the board on Thursday and Friday, so you could see that position be at more of premium early on Saturday.
The same could be said for quarterbacks and tight ends.
A deep running backs and wide receivers class appears to have been thinned out after the first two days, but there are still several players to keep an eye on – not only tomorrow but for years to come at that spot.
All those factors combine to create what should be a fascinating Saturday.
Here are my 10 best prospects remaining on the board.
- Bradlee Anae, LB, Utah
- Ben Bartch, OL, St. John's (Minnesota):
- Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB, Appalachian State
- Leki Fotu, DL, Utah
- Jake Fromm, QB, Georgia
- Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR, Liberty:
- Nick Harris, OL, Washington
- Joshua Kelley, RB, UCLA
- Albert Okwuegbunam, TE, Missouri
- Josiah Scott, CB, Michigan State
