The first two days of the 2023 NFL Draft are officially in the books, on Friday night, the 2nd and 3rd rounds unfolded. Let’s dive into it and see who are winners and losers from Day 2 of this Draft. In case you missed it, I gave out my Round 1 winners and losers yesterday.
Winners
Arizona Cardinals
#41 pick: B.J. Ojulari (EDGE, LSU)
#72 pick: Garrett Williams (CB, Syracuse)
#94 pick: Michael Wilson (WR, Stanford).
Cardinals’ picks may not look “sexy”, but in reality, Arizona’s process is pretty clear as they are building a solid foundation for the future. B.J. Ojulari comes in as a disruptive pass rusher who could very well become a cornerstone of the team: he’s an athletic and powerful force off the edge who was a borderline 1st round talent. The Cardinals then addressed their need to bolster the secondary by adding Garrett Williams in the 3rd round, a solid prospect who could easily contribute quite early. While I’m not a fan of the Michael Wilson pick, the potential vision is that by trading DeAndre Hopkins, the team would miss a physical force in the wide receiver core to have alongside Hollywood Brown and Rondale Moore. Wilson is a big-bodied pass catcher with solid athleticism and versatility who could be a wide receiver/tight end hybrid.
Indianapolis Colts
#44 pick: Julius Brents (CB, Kansas State)
#79 pick: Josh Downs (WR, North Carolina)
After adding their new franchise quarterback in Anthony Richardson on Thursday, the Colts went on to collect an additional couple of solid prospects on Friday. Indianapolis needed to replace Stephon Gilmore and immediately secured Julius Brents, a long and athletic cornerback who could step in and play a significant role. Then they went on to complete their wide receiver core composed of Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce by adding a pass catcher with a skillset they needed like Josh Downs. Downs could turn out to be a massive steal, he’s a technically advanced receiver who’s an impact player at all three levels, has speed for days and he’s productive both with the ball in his hands and downfield.
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Pittsburgh Steelers
#49 pick: Keeanu Benton (IDL, Wisconsin)
#93 pick: Darnell Washington (TE, Georgia)
It always feels like the Steelers sit down and come up with some of the best values in the Draft. Benton is an upside choice to bolster their defensive line while his power, motor, and athleticism could help contribute from Year 1. Washington is a player who surprisingly fell down the board because of some medical doubts about his knee. Pittsburgh though made sure to secure the gigantic unicorn who could quickly become a go-to-guy for Kenny Pickett as he brings to the table a rare skillset for his size and tremendous athleticism.
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Miami Dolphins
#51 pick: Cam Smith (CB, South Carolina)
#84 pick: Devon Achane (RB, Texas A&M)
The Dolphins want and can compete for a Lombardi in 2023 and their approach says it all. Even after adding Jalen Ramsey via trade, Miami still went on to add a potential impact cornerback in Cam Smith, a fluid athlete with great eyes and ball skills. Then they secured one of my favorite picks in the whole Draft thus far as they secured speedster Devon Achane, a running back who perfectly fits Mike McDaniel’s offense. Achane has Olympic-caliber speed and now joins Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Raheem Mostert. Ankles will be broken, defenses will be destroyed by their speed.
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Los Angeles Chargers
#54 pick: Tuli Tuipulotu (DL, USC)
#85 pick: Daiyan Henley (LB, Washington State)
Los Angeles followed its great Day 1 by collecting a couple more solid prospects in Tuipulotu and Henley. The former Trojan is a versatile defensive lineman who can help the team both off the edge and from the inside while bringing to the table an advanced skillset that allowed him to be productive at USC. Henley is also a versatile chess piece who’s uber-athletic and could reach his potential under Brandon Staley. The Chargers are truly moving in the right direction.
Denver Broncos
#63 pick: Marvin Mims Jr. (WR, Oklahoma)
#67 pick: Drew Sanders (LB, Arkansas)
#83 pick: Riley Moss (CB, Iowa)
Denver got tremendous values in Marvin Mims Jr. and Drew Sanders. Mims Jr. is one of the best deep threats in the Draft and has phenomenal ball skills, he’ll be a reliable game-breaker for Russell Wilson early on. Sanders is an EDGE/LB hybrid who’s extremely dangerous as a pass rusher while bringing to the table fantastic explosiveness and athleticism. While I wasn’t particularly high on Moss, he’s a cornerback who could provide depth in a division in which having deep secondaries is a necessity.
Baltimore Ravens
#86 pick:Trenton Simpson (LB, Clemson)
I think that this one is definitely one of the most underrated picks thus far in the Draft. Simpson, despite positional value, was a much better prospect than the range he ended up in: he’s an elite athlete with great instincts and rare versatility who could easily become a starting do-it-all game-wrecker. Baltimore feels like a dream landing spot and a great place to develop. Teams could look back at this pick with anger sooner rather than later.
Losers
Carolina Panthers
#39 pick: Jonathan Mingo (WR, Ole Miss)
This going to be far from a popular opinion, but as much as I think that Mingo is a solid prospect who reminds me of Laviska Shenault Jr. from my personal evaluations, I would have easily leaned towards Josh Downs, Marvin Mims Jr. or even Jalin Hyatt with this pick. The Panthers already have big-bodied receivers in Terrace Marshall Jr. and D.J. Chark. Adding more speed and yards after the catch ability would have been better in my opinion.
Green Bay Packers
#78 pick: Tucker Kraft (TE, South Dakota State)
The Packers needed to add weapons and they started Day 2 by securing Luke Musgrave and Jayden Reed, getting another tight end in Tucker Kraft a round later didn’t make much sense to me, there were still plenty of solid prospects on the board.
Houston Texans
#69 pick: Tank Dell (WR, Houston)
This one is another one that comes down to personal evaluations and preferences. With Josh Downs and Jalin Hyatt still on the board, I wasn’t a fan of the Texans getting Tank Dell in that slot. I’ve never truly dived into Dell’s hype train simply because betting on a 5’8”, 165 pounds receiver to become a relevant and consistent target it’s definitely risky.
Jacksonville Jaguars
#88 pick: Tank Bigsby (RB, Auburn)
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a massive Tank Bigsby fan, but with Travis Etienne, D’Ernest Johnson, and Snoop Conner on roster, I really don’t see why adding another running back that early makes sense.
Las Vegas Raiders
#100 pick: Tre Tucker (WR, Cincinnati)
The same thing goes for the Raiders. Las Vegas is literally loaded with weapons (Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Jakobi Meyers, Keelan Cole, DeAndre Carter, Philipp Dorsett, Austin Hooper, O.J. Howard, and now Michael Mayer). With all the needs the Raiders have, going for a wide receiver at the end of the third round caught me by surprise.
