The second and third rounds of the 2020 NFL draft are officially in the books, and it was an exciting night from start to finish. There was plenty of talent left on the board at the conclusion of the first round, and many of those talented prospects found their new home tonight.
As is the case with every draft, there were a handful of unexpected steals tonight, as well as a couple of head-scratchers. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest reaches and steals from Day 2 of this year’s draft:
Steal | Georgia RB D’Andre Swift to Detroit Lions, No. 35 overall
If you told me before the draft that the Lions would get a chance to select Swift in the second round, I would have called you crazy. Swift was widely considered the best running back in this draft, so the value here is excellent.
A human highlight reel, watching Swift run all over SEC defenses over the last few years has been an absolute pleasure. A physical runner with excellent burst, Swift’s ability to make defenses look foolish by running right through them or by leaving them in the dust with a nasty jump-cut makes him an exciting prospect to watch going forward.
With the likes of Matthew Stafford, Kenny Golladay, T.J. Hockenson and Kerryon Johnson on offense, they found another dangerous game-breaker in Swift.
Reach | Tennessee EDGE Darrell Taylor to Seattle Seahawks, No. 48 overall
The Seahawks had one of the more head-scratching picks last night when they selected Jordyn Brooks in the first round, and we fear they may have done it again here tonight.
At this stage of his career, Taylor is more long-term projection than immediate impact. He’s long and has impressive athletic abilities, but Josh Uche, Curtis Weaver, A.J Epenesa and Julian Okwara play the same position and were still on the board.
Seattle needed a Day 1 starter at the EDGE position, and while Taylor’s upside is certainly intriguing, he may go through a few growing pains before he reaches his potential.
Steal | LSU S Grant Delpit to Cleveland Browns, No. 44 overall
The best way to go about the draft is to take the best player available to ensure maximum value. The Browns let the board fall their way last night with their selection of Jedrick Wills, and they landed another Day 1 talent in Delpit in the second round.
The consensus All-American brings an incredible blend of ball skills, range and intelligence to the next level. He fits the profile of a ball-hawking, physical safety that can command a secondary. The Browns just got themselves a good one.
Reach: Louisiana OL Robert Hunt to Miami Dolphins, No. 39 overall
While the Dolphins did have some additional needs on their O-line despite selecting Austin Jackson last night, they arguably reached just a bit too much to fill that hole.
Hunt should be a solid player the next level, but one could argue that his ceiling isn’t high enough to warrant a top-40 selection. They also selected him ahead of players such as Lloyd Cushenberry III, Josh Jones and Ezra Cleveland. He is a physical and tough offensive tackle that will likely play guard at the next level, but his overall outlook is a bit of a projection at this point.
Many analysts had him pegged as a third or fourth round pick, which makes it a bit surprising that he was taken this early.
Steal | Penn State EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos to Carolina Panthers, No. 38 overall
The rich get richer. The Panthers already had a strong defensive line entering today, and add another player here who can be an immediate impact starter for their defense. Perhaps the value was too good to pass up.
Gross-Matos is a powerful and lengthy defensive linemen who has the traits to make splash plays in the backfield. His large tackle radius and ability to play with excellent extension gives him fantastic range as a tackler. Gross-Matos fires off the ball with a red hot motor and has the strength to hold up at the point of attack.
While his processing skills could improve a bit, his natural traits and ability project him as a quality player at the next level, giving Carolina yet another talented defender as the Matt Rhule era begins.
Reach | Boston College RB A.J. Dillon to Green Bay Packers, No. 62 overall
The Packers sent shock-waves around the NFL universe when they traded up to select QB Jordan Love last night, and their second round pick may once again make headlines for all the wrong reasons.
While Aaron Rodgers will be happy to see them select an offensive weapon that could actually help him on the field, we believe that the position and value is very questionable here. The Packers don’t have much at the WR position besides Davante Adams, and could use an impact tight end as well. Instead, they select a RB, where they have an excellent player in Aaron Jones.
Dillon may be the most powerful runner in this class. His lower half features incredible strength. He ran into more stacked boxes at Boston College than any running back in all of college football. We do have some concerns about his ability in open space, and his ability as a pass catcher as well. He should be a solid role player for the Packers, but they could have likely done better here.
Steal | Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor to Indianapolis Colts, No. 41 overall
Taylor has been one of the most exciting players to watch in all of college football for a number of years now. The fact that the Colts were able to draft him in the second round represents excellent value, regardless of position.
Taylor has the size, speed and physicality to become a complete running back at the next level. A physical runner that refuses to be arm-tackled, Taylor has terrific contact balance. He consistently pushes forward and picks up tough yards after initial contact. He’s also incredibly shifty and elusive for his size.
With the likes of Phillip Rivers, T.Y. Hilton, Marlon Mack and Michael Pittman, Jr. on offense, Taylor adds yet another weapon to a sneaky good offense.
Reach | Vanderbilt RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn to Tampa Bay Buccaneers, No. 76 overall
The Bucs started the 2020 NFL Draft with a pair of great selections in Iowa OT Tristan Wirfs and SAF Antoine Winfield Jr., but they just couldn’t keep the good times rolling with their round selection. There’s no doubt that they needed to get a RB out of this draft, but selecting Vaughn ahead of Utah’s Zack Moss is a questionable decision.
Vaughn is a strong, tough runner that takes on contact at a high level. He didn’t have much to work with at Vanderbilt, and often created yards after contact. He was certainly one of their best players on offense. He’s a downhill physical runner that loves to run the ball right up the middle. Vaughn is an average-at-best athlete that lacks dynamic qualities.
They used him as a check-down option in the passing game, which is key to his fit in this new-look Buccaneers offense. We all know how much new Bucs QB Tom Brady loves to involve his running backs in the passing game, so the fit is actually pretty decent here. We just have some serious questions about the value.
