The first night of the NFL Draft featured shocks, trades and a bunch of quarterbacks taken.
What can we expect on day two?
The first round always features the glitz and glamour of the big names, but it’s important to remember some of the best players in the league weren’t regarded as top talents when they entered from college.
Tom Brady (sixth round), Julian Edelman (seventh), Antonio Brown (sixth), Richard Sherman (fifth) and Dak Prescott (fourth) are just a few of the top names who fell on their Draft weekends but turned out as stars.
We’ve picked out five players at five different positions who could be taken on day two but have great potential.
Harold Landry, defensive end
Possibly the biggest surprise faller from opening night, there doesn’t seem to be major debate about Landry’s talent. He was the highest-ranked name left on Mike Mayock of the NFL Network’s Draft board, and regarded as a first-round pick by most analysts.
But it appears some teams are taking issue with knee and back problems that have plagued the speedy pass rusher. Despite the fact he turned up healthy – and performed well – at the NFL Scouting Combine, these problems have put teams off.
If he’s cleared medically, he will be a steal on day two and could be an excellent piece on a defensive line.
Will Hernandez, offensive guard
There is a strong group of interior offensive linemen still available, and Hernandez leads the way. Outside of star talents like Quenton Nelson, who was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts at No 6, it’s rare to see guards go in the first round.
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But that doesn’t mean they aren’t talented, it’s simply that teams don’t value the position highly. And Hernandez is certainly talented, as he added a tremendous Combine performance to four years of high-level production at the University of Texas-El Paso. He should become an instant starter for whoever calls his name.
As well as Hernandez, Iowa’s James Daniels and Connor Williams from Texas will provide immediate inside help for their teams’ quarterbacks.
Josh Jackson, cornerback
Jackson is arguably one of the best corners in the class, but he’s had to sit back and watch as three other players were taken before him in Denzel Ward (No 4), Jaire Alexander (18) and Mike Hughes (30).
The NFL’s Lance Zierlein compared him to Washington’s Pro-Bowler Josh Norman, and Jackson wowed scouts with 27 passes defended and eight interceptions in 2017. He’ll tall for the position (six-foot), fast (a 4.56 40-yard dash time) and clearly has the ball skills.
At a position that is valued so highly by NFL teams, it’s likely he won’t have a long wait to hear his name called on Friday.
Derrius Guice, running back
In 2016, the Saquon Barkley versus Derrius Guice debate was raging in college football. In the same backfield as Leonard Fournette at LSU, the full-steam-ahead, powerful runner bullied his was to 1,387 rushing yards and 16 total touchdowns and had high expectations for 2017.
However, he battled injuries in his final college season, and it affected his performance considerably. In addition, Guice – perhaps unfairly – has been the subject of rumours that he has ‘character’ issues, which may have contributed to his falling stock. Barkley was selected second overall, and Guice has fallen out of the first round.
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Whichever team picks him up will be getting a star, although he could be waiting even longer if teams prefer similarly talented backs Nick Chubb and Ronald Jones. Look out for a run on runners early on day two.
Courtland Sutton, wide receiver
Sutton plied his trade at Southern Methodist University, and the lack of high-level competition might have led to him plummetting out of the first round. But there were many analysts who valued him over D.J. Moore and Calvin Ridley, who were drafted at 24 and 26, respectively.
At 6-foot-three and 218 pounds, Sutton is the biggest of the bunch. However, it is his technical ability and route running skills that have come into question – areas where the two first-round receivers excel. That said, he’s a big, strong target who could be a touchdown-maker at the next level.
If teams are after a big body, Sutton will be their man. But there are other options on the outside. Christian Kirk is a terrific slot receiver and return man, but lacks size.
James Washington is built like a running back but offers a tremendous deep threat – having averaged over 20 yards per catch for Oklahoma State. All three players could be taken in the second round.
The next two days of the NFL Draft are exclusively live on Sky Sports with day two underway from midnight on Saturday on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Mix.
Check out our NFL Draft support programming with Neil Reynolds, Jeff Reinebold, Solomon Wilcots, the Around the NFL guys and MMQB’s Peter King who will give us their informed opinion on what to expect and what happens in Dallas next week.
You can follow all the build-up to the NFL Draft with us at www.skysports.com/nfl and on @SkySportsNFL
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