Day 2 of the NFL Draft is in the books. And it was … interesting. Seventy-three more talented young men had their football dreams come true, although some moments were a bit more bittersweet than others. We break down the biggest surprises of the draft’s second day.
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Biggest surprises of 2022 NFL Draft Day 2
The quarterback class was a dud. The Browns are probably going to have to cut a check to make a mistake go away. And much more from Day 2 of the NFL Draft.
Liberty QB Malik Willis falls to pick No. 86
The glass half full version of Malik Willis‘ draft experience: The Liberty star was the third quarterback taken this cycle. The glass half empty take: Eighty-three players at other positions also went before him.
Entering the draft, Willis was seen as a potential top-10 pick. In retrospect, that was horribly misguided. The first quarterback off the board, Kenny Pickett, went 20th to the Steelers.
It was another 54 picks until the next one. Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder had his own long wait until the Falcons called his name in Round 3. About a half-hour later, Willis’ freefall finally ended, thanks to the Tennessee Titans.
The upside: Willis fell into a great situation. He will back up Ryan Tannehill in Nashville in 2022, and he should have plenty of time and support to develop.
Drew Lock is on track to be Seattle Seahawks’ QB1
The Seahawks passed on Ridder and Willis not once, not twice, not thrice, but four times. That tells you everything you need to know about what they think about this year’s quarterback class.
But it also should tell you something about what Pete Carroll and John Schneider think about the quarterbacks already in the building. Barring a late trade for a veteran, Drew Lock, acquired in the Russell Wilson trade, will compete with Geno Smith for the starting job. Our money is on Lock getting every chance to win the job.
Baker Mayfield is still a Cleveland Brown
The Browns are stuck. The question isn’t if they’re going to eat some of Baker Mayfield’s $18.9 million guaranteed salary, but how much they’ll have to absorb. The Panthers were open to a deal for Mayfield, but only if Cleveland defrayed enough of the cost. That didn’t happen, and the Panthers moved on, trading up to take Matt Corral in Round 3.
The Falcons got their young QB Friday. That leaves the Seahawks as the most likely trade partner, but as we mentioned, they seem inclined to go with what’s currently on their roster. Perhaps a team like the Texans or Lions emerge, but the Browns’ leverage, if they had any, is gone.
Cleveland’s very expensive mistake at quarterback is getting even pricier.
Andrew Booth Jr., Nakobe Dean slide
Andrew Booth Jr. was the No. 12 player on the PFN Consensus Big Board. He surprisingly went 42nd to the Minnesota Vikings. Booth will spend the rest of his career trying to prove those teams that passed on him (some multiple times) pay.
Meanwhile, a batch of medical issues costs Nakobe Dean a lot of money. The potential first-round pick out of Georgia fell all the way to pick No. 83. The Eagles may have gotten a steal, but only if Dean stays healthy.
