Round 1 went off with nary a hitch and very little chaos to speak of. Perhaps rounds 2 and 3 will have a few more picks that leave us scratching our heads. Today we continue with Day 2 of the NFL Draft Live Blog. As picks come through, Adam Pfeifer will update the board and provide analysis as to how picks and trades affect the teams and how the rest of the draft may take shape. Check out his analysis below.
And don’t forget to read Adam’s Round 1 analysis right HERE.
Round 2
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Round 3
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Pick Analysis
Pick 33: Bengals select WR Tee Higgins, Clemson
I’m not sure this is exactly a pressing need for the Bengals but when you take Joe Burrow first overall, the next step is to build around him. Drafting a 6’4″, 216-pound receiver definitely fits that mold, as Higgins is an immense talent. He sported a massive 15.7 average depth of target last season, one of the highest rates among all college wideouts and we could potentially see him as Cincinnati’s WR1 in 2021, as veteran A.J. Green is set to be an unrestricted free agent after this season. Higgins has a massive, massive catch radius, hauling in half of his contested opportunities over his final two seasons at Clemson. He does need to work on beating press coverage but learning from someone like Green definitely won’t hurt. I really, really like his prospects in dynasty leagues.
Pick 34: Colts select WR Michael Pittman Jr., USC
The Colts drafted Paaris Campbell in the second round last year, though he missed a ton of time due to injury. History repeats itself in 2020, as the Colts take Pittman Jr., another wideout with strong hands and a big catch radius. Per Anthony Treash of PFF, Pittman dropped 2.8 percent of catchable targets throughout his collegiate career and could immediately slide in as the number-two wideout in Indianapolis. And with Philip Rivers now under center, the Colts should take more shots down the field, as Jacoby Brissett averaged just 5.3 air yards per completion in 2019, the second-lowest number in the NFL. Pittman has great ball adjustment skills and could make some noise right away.
Pick 35: Lions select RB D’Andre Swift, Georgia
Wowzers. My top running back from this class, Swift comes off the board as the third pick in the second round. This is obviously a kill shot to the fantasy value of Kerryon Johnson, who has dealt with injury issues each year of his career. My favorite quality in a running back is vision and Swift sees the field extremely well, especially in tight spaces. But perhaps his best attribute is his ability to stick his foot into the ground and change direction with ease, which led to countless defenders grabbing air when trying to tackle him. That ability will also make him a strong pass-catcher out of the backfield, as Swift hauled in 73 balls during his time at Georgia and dropped three passes. While he does need a bit of work in pass protection, Swift has three-down potential right away. Though he has the potential, I don’t know if we’ll see it right away unless Kerryon goes down. I could see this backfield be very similar to the Broncos from 2018 and early 2019 in terms of workload. Swift will be worth a mid-round draft pick in fantasy with plenty of upside if he takes over the starting job.
Pick 41: Colts trade up, select RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
Yikes. Not at all an ideal landing spot for  Marlon Mack’s long-term value. Marlon Mack is a damn good running back and averaged 18 carries per game last year, ranking seventh overall with 247 totes. But Mack is also an unrestricted free agent after this season and the Colts just moved up a few spots to make sure they acquired Taylor, so they likely have big plans for the immensely talented back. At 5-foot-10, 226 pounds, Taylor has an ideal frame for a workhorse back and his 4.39 speed gives him breakaway ability. Once he gets to the edge, defenders are going to have a tough time tracking down this former track star. Despite running fast, Taylor will play slow, allowing the holes and blocks to develop. His patience and vision are fantastic and he possesses tremendous balance through the holes and contact.
Taylor has plenty of experience carrying the load, as he’s accumulated a whopping 926 carries during his three-year tenure at Wisconsin. That can be viewed as a positive and negative, as that volume could raise some concerns regarding his long-term durability. If he can pass Mack on the depth chart, he has back-end RB1 upside behind the best offensive line in the league. Per Football Outsiders, the Colts were fourth in the league in second level yards (1.35), while Taylor is so good at finding the holes and taking advantage of them. The scheme fit is fantastic and if Taylor is the top back in Indy, he could absolutely smash.
Pick 42: Jaguars select WR Laviska Shenault, Colorado
I really, really like this landing spot for Shenault. The uber-talented wideout could have been a first-rounder if it weren’t for injury concerns. Shenault is deadly after the catch, averaging 7.4 yards after the catch per reception over the final two seasons. He can break a ton of tackles and makes for a viable option in the screen game. I expect the Jaguars to be a very pass-heavy team in 2020, as they brought in pass-happy coordinator Jay Gruden, while continuing to lose players on the defensive end. Shenault really, really intrigues me in year one and he might just be my WR3 for fantasy among the rookies.
Pick 43: Bears fill massive void at TE, draft Cole Kmet, Notre Dame
That was sarcasm, by the way. Chicago now has 10 tight ends under contract, apparently. This tight end class is weak so Kmet being the top guy isn’t exactly a selling point. We know rookie tight ends are rarely exciting for fantasy purposes and I am not expecting much from Kmet in year one. Besides, tight end actually has some decent depth this season. I’ll pass.
Pick 46: Broncos add another WR, grab KJ Hamler, Penn State
Okay then. After drafting Jerry Jeudy at pick 15, the Broncos add another wideout in Hamler. Hamler is a big-play slot guy, which the Broncos needed last year. Jeudy was in the slot 60 percent of the time at Alabama so I could see both rookies getting plenty of time there, while Hamler likely has a role in the return game. It is tough to make a case for Hamler in anything but the deepest redraft leagues but the Broncos aren’t messing around when it comes to surrounding Drew Lock with talent.
Pick 49: Steelers select WR Chase Claypool, Notre Dame
Pittsburgh signed Eric Ebron via free agency and just added Claypool, giving them another high-point target in the red zone. At 6’4″, 238 pounds, Claypool is an absolute freak and can be a matchup nightmare. This could potentially hurt the breakout for someone like Dionate Johnson and definitely hurts the appeal of both Ebron and Vance McDonald at tight end.
Pick 52: Rams select RB Cam Akers, Florida State
The most intriguing back in this class, at least to me, Akers was someone I wanted my beloved Bills to get. But he goes two picks before them to the Rams, who have a decent need at running back after moving on from Todd Gurley. Akers didn’t break a ton of long runs throughout his career but the Florida State offensive line wasn’t too hot. In fact, according to Graham Barfield of Fantasy Points, Akers averaged 0.57 yards blocked per attempt, the worst number since he created the yards created metric. He was also contacted at or behind LOS on 30% of his carries, highest rate among this class. As a result, he forced a whopping 74 missed tackles last season. The Rams offensive line took a huge step back last season, as Gurley was also just 21st in yards before contact per rush (2.2), as the Rams run-blocking unit took a massive step back in 2019. 21 percent of the Los Angeles carries were stuffed at the line of scrimmage, good (or bad) for the sixth-worst rate in the NFL. Akers could easily lead this backfield, while I also think the Rams throw to their backs more this year. I’m very intrigued by the Florida State product.
Pick 53: Eagles draft QB Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the draft, the Eagles, with other more pressing needs, go quarterback to back up Carson Wentz. There are reports that the Eagles view Hurts athleticism as something that can lead to him playing a Taysom Hill role for the Eagles, which could be very annoying for fantasy purposes. If Hurts can get time as the starting quarterback, he’ll have back-end QB1 upside due to the weapons around him and rushing ability. Hurts rushed for 1,300 yards and 20 touchdowns last year at Oklahoma and we know how valuable rushing is for fantasy.
Pick 55: Ravens add another running back, draft J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State
Meh. We wanted Dobbins to go to a team like Jacksonville, Buffalo or Miami. Instead, he lands on the Ravens, who did call run at the highest rate in the league (54%). The problem is they already have Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill. They like Edwards, as the team tendered him this offseason. And we know that Lamar Jackson is going to take plenty of rushing work away from whoever is alongside him in the backfield. A second-round pick, Dobbins should get some touches right away, especially when you consider that Ingram only averaged 13.4 carries per game as the lead back last year, while the veteran back never reached the 20-carry mark in a game.
Pick 59: Jets draft WR Denzel Mims, Baylor
The Jets should be thrilled to land a talent like Mims towards the end of the second round. Mims has first round talent and helps fill the downfield playmaking void that Robby Anderson’s departure created. Mims sported a healthy 14.9 aDOT last year, one of the higher marks in all of college football. There are a lot of targets up for grabs in New York. That’s the good news. The bad news? Mims is now in an Adam Gase offense, which has killed many players fantasy values. At 6’3″, Mims ran a blistering 4.38 40-yard dash, giving him game-breaking speed to match some serious strength.
Pick 62: Packers select RB A.J. Dillon, Boston College
The Packers, with Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback and glaring needs at receiver and tight end, have taken a backup quarterback and now a third string running back in Dillon. He’s nowhere close to as talented as Aaron Jones, while Jamaal Williams is a much better all around player, too. This is such a head-scratching pick other than the fact that both Jones and Williams are entering contract seasons. Still, this team has so many more pressing needs. It will take multiple injuries for Dillon to carve out a role in year one, especially since Jones was an elite goal line back a season ago.
Pick 66: Redskins draft versatile RB/WR Antonio Gibson, Memphis
Gibson played running back but given the fact that the Redskins have five running backs and very few wideouts, you have to expect him to play wideout for Washington. Gibson ran an impressive 4.39 40-yard dash and at Memphis, he was mostly used as a slot receiver. They did use him as a running back a good bit, seeing 33 designed carries, breaking 16 tackles. Washington has an opening at number-two receiver opposite sophomore Terry McLaurin but we could also see him in the backfield a good bit with Derrius Guice injury-prone and Adrian Peterson, well, old. Don’t forget about this kid come draft day.
Pick 76: Buccaneers select RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt
This is definitely interesting. The Bucs didn’t take one of the higher-rated backs from this class but they did address the position with Vaughn, a north-south runner who forced 54 missed tackles last year, according to PFF. Over 700 of his rushing yards came after contact. He is also a very fluid and natural pass-catcher out of the backfield, while serving as a very good pass-blocker, which is massive. We know Ronald Jones has had issues in pass-pro since entering the league, so much so that it led to him being benched on multiple occasions last season. And now that you have Tom Brady under center, being able to pass-block is going to be more crucial than ever. Vaughn is someone worthy of everyone’s attention in fantasy drafts this year.
Pick 86: Bills draft RB Zack Moss, Utah
Buffalo didn’t grab one of the top-five backs from this class, which bodes well for Devin Singletary. I still believe he is the lead back in this offense, as he averaged over 15 touches per game during the second half of the season. And from Week 8 on, he was 11th in the NFL in rushing yards (622), fifth in avoided tackles (32) and 20th in fantasy points. He was so impressive, ranking 13th in the league in yards per touch (5.4), while his 7.3 percent breakaway run rate was third-best in football. His 33.3 percent juke rate was also third-best in the league, as he was one of the most elusive backs out there. Of course, he did only see one goal line carry all year long and Moss is a powerful, bruising back at 5’9″, 223 pounds. I could see Moss getting six or seven carries per game, with most of them coming from inside the five-yard line, which hurts the overall upside of Singletary. But his presence doesn’t kill his value, in my opinion. I believe Singletary remains in the RB2 range, while Moss makes sense as a handcuff or late-round pick.Â
