Day 2 of the 2019 NFL draft brought us some more surprises thanks to a boatload of trades early and often.
We saw it all including a ton of deals, huge steals and questionable reaches. Here are the some of the most surprising decisions that were made throughout the night.
VALUE
Byron Murphy | CB | Arizona Cardinals | No. 33 overall
Many thought the Cardinals may grab someone to help new franchise quarterback Kyler Murray here, such as a wide receiver or offensive linemen. Instead, the Cardinals decided to go with Murphy, who many felt was the best cornerback in this draft. Landing Murphy at the top of the second round represents excellent value for the Cardinals here, especially as rumors regarding Patrick Peterson’s future continue to make their rounds. Murphy is an explosive play maker in every sense of the word. He has the type of ball skills to make a huge impact at the next level.
VALUE
Jawaan Taylor | OT | Jacksonville Jaguars | No. 35 overall
We’re going with another excellent value pick here. Many respected draft analysts earmarked Taylor as a top 10 talent in this draft, but NFL front offices felt differently for some reason. The Jaguars saw an opportunity and decided to move up the board via a trade with the Oakland Raiders in order to select Taylor. Taylor has excellent size to play offensive tackle at the next level. He has a massive frame and possesses some very intriguing traits. The Jaguars got a good one here.
SURPRISE
Sean Bunting | CB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | No. 39 overall
The Buccaneers entered tonight with some serious holes across the back end of their defense. Their secondary simply gave up too much through the air last season. They’ve tried to address that with Bunting here, a small school prospect who put up some excellent numbers at the combine. The surprise here? Bigger named cornerbacks from big programs such as LSU’s Greedy Williams and Michigan State’s Justin Layne were there for the taking. Bunting’s physical ability and upside is likely why the Buccaneers made this selection.
SURPRISE
Jahlani Tavai | LB | Detroit Lions | No. 43 overall
The Lions had to address their defense in some shape or form tonight. Second year head coach Matt Patricia was looking for more play makers tonight, and he made an interesting selection in the form of Tavai. Most had Tavai pegged as a late third round pick, or even as an early Day 3 guy. Instead, the Lions obviously saw something in Tavai here. Tavai is a smart player who plays the game with a lot of discipline. It’ll be interesting to see how the Lions employ him next season.
VALUE
Greedy Williams | CB | Cleveland Browns | No. 46 overall
Browns general manager John Dorsey isn’t afraid to strike a deal. We know that. That’s exactly what he did when Williams, a top prospect was still on the board at No. 46 overall. Once considered a lock to be a first round selection, Williams finds a home in Cleveland with fellow LSU alumni Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. Williams possesses excellent size, length and athleticism to play the corner position at a high level in the NFL. If Williams balls out for the Browns, 31 other GM’s will have to answer for why they allowed Greedy to last on the board for this long.
REACH
Drew Sample | TE | Cincinnati Bengals | No. 52 overall
This one is a bit of a head-scratcher. You just have to question the value here. No. 52 overall is still an early selection, and you should get an impact player here. With some big time tight ends such as Dawson Knox and Jace Sternberger still on the board, the Bengals went with Sample instead. Sample’s athletic profile left a lot to be desired at the NFL Scouting Combine, and the tape only confirmed out concerns. Sample struggled to separate from man coverage while at Washington. Sample is a fantastic blocker, but most teams wait for Day 3 until they grab their blocking tight end. We’ll see how this one works out.
REACH
Max Scharping | OT | Houston Texans | No. 55 overall
Uh, oh. The Texans made our list last night for reaching for a small school offensive tackle and they’ve done it again tonight. We understand why the Texans decided to invest multiple picks into their offensive line. The unit they rolled out last year could have been charged with assault of their own quarterback as DeShaun Watson got hit on what felt like a snap-by-snap basis. We’re just not sure Scharping fixes the problem. Scharping played tackle at Northern Illinois, but he may be suited to move inside at the next level as we’re not sure he has the foot speed to handle the speed he’d face on the outside in the NFL.
SURPRISE
Mecole Hardman | WR | Kansas City Chiefs | No. 56 overall
The Chiefs love to play offense and score points in bunches. That much is not a surprise. Neither is the fact that they decided to add one of the most explosive weapons regardless of position in this draft in Mecole Hardman. The surprise here is what this move could signal. Could this be the end of Tyreek Hill in Kansas City? There’s no denying that Hardman sports a similar skill set to Hill. With the DA reopening a child abuse case that involves Hill, his future appears to be in doubt. The selection of Hardman may make it easier for the Chiefs to move on from their big play maker.
VALUE
D.K. Metcalf | WR | Seattle Seahawks | No. 64 overall
We highlighted Metcalf’s fall out of the first round last night and he almost fell out of the second as well. Before that could happen, the Seahawks grabbed him with the last selection, No. 64 overall. We’re not really sure why Metcalf slid this far to be honest. His tape is good and few players had a better showing at the NFL Scouting Combine. This pick represents excellent value for the Seahawks. It’s worth mentioning that this is also an excellent landing spot for Metcalf. His big play ability is one of his best assets and he lands with one of the best deep ball throwers in all of football in Russell Wilson. We can’t wait to watch this partnership.
SURPRISE
Darrell Henderson | RB | Los Angeles Rams | No. 70 overall
Let’s start this off by saying Henderson is a terrific player. He’s one of the most exciting players in this draft regardless of position. He has excellent vision in the open field, and does his best work when he’s allowed to bounce runs outside. Simply put, Henderson is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. What makes this interesting is the landing spot. No. 70 overall is fairly early to use on a running back, especially when you have Todd Gurley on your team. What exactly does this say about Gurley’s health? Much was made of his lack of usage throughout the playoffs. The Rams continue to insist that Gurley isn’t hurt, but this move may say otherwise.
