2014 NFL Draft: Receiver-filled Day 2 concludes

After all the trade talks, Houston stood pat and took the most talented player of the draft with the No. 1 overall pick. But while the experts are lauding them for grabbing Jadeveon Clowney, they’re also questioning the decision to wait until the fourth round to take a quarterback. Pittsburgh’s Tom Savage doesn’t look like a franchise quarterback, and the only other viable option on their roster at this point is Ryan Fitzpatrick. That said, their draft as a whole is being graded as a success. They loaded up on defense, complementing Clowney with monstrous Notre Dame defensive tackle Louis Nix III and Alabama defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan.

SB Nation: A

ESPN: A-

CBS Sports: B+

Sports Illustrated: A

Don’t look now, but the Oakland Raiders are putting together one of the best drafts of the weekend. After grabbing linebacker Khalil Mack in the first round, they added quarterback Derek Carr and offensive guard Gabe Jackson on Day 2, filling key areas of need with value picks. Both SB Nation and NFL.com have the Raiders as one of the top winners from Friday.

SB Nation: A

CBS Sports: B+

NFL.com: “Passed with flying colors”

ESPN: Thumbs up

While I believe it’s presumptuous and premature to attempt to give Draft grades at all (especially before the Draft is even done), I do think that there are a few aspects that one can evaluate. The things I consider when looking at each team’s picks are: a) need, b) scheme fit, c) immediate impact and d) culture/identity fit.

Without giving any letter grades, and with the caveat that these players are just getting started in the work they must do to contribute on the field, let’s look at a few teams that have thus far made out like bandits in this year’s Draft, based on some of the criteria above.

Really, the theme of a lot of the better players left is either injury concerns or off-field issues. Offensive tackle Antonio Richardson and cornerback Antone Exum both have injury concerns. Cornerback Victor Hampton was arrested in April.

Even though there was a run on running backs in the third round of the draft, plenty of good ones are still out there led by Arizona’s Ka’Deem Carey and Baylor’s Lache Seastrunk.

There’s plenty of big-name players still available all over the draft, like quarterbacks David Fales and Tom Savage, wide receiver Bruce Ellington, defensive end Ed Stinson and more. Saturday will see the final four rounds of the draft. Below, we’ve got all of the players picked thus far, sorted by position.

At 5’11 and 248 pounds, Borland is shorter than most scouts would like but is built like a bowling ball. His strength was on display at the combine when he put up 29 reps of 225 pounds, the best of any player at the position.

Borland was an impact player immediately at Wisconsin, being named the Big 10 Freshman Player of the Year while amassing 54 tackles and five sacks. He lost his true sophomore season to medical hardship, needing surgery on a torn labrum after only two games. Over the next two campaigns, Borland led the Badgers in tackles with 143 and 104, respectively, while racking up a total of 7.0 sacks.

Trend focus:

Scheme fit:

Swanson was a Second-Team All-SEC player in 2013 and a First-Team All-American the same year, as it happens. Swanson started at center for the duration of his time with the Razorbacks, not switching around among the interior positions like many players do in college.

Swanson also brings leadership to Detroit as a two-time captain at Arkansas with 50 starts under his belt playing for an SEC team.

The internet waited with bated breath when the Cowboys went on the clock at No. 16. There had been speculation that Dallas would select the Texas A&M quarterback if he tumbled further than expected. Manziel certainly would have sparked some fascinating media coverage. Things got a little weird in the minutes when the Cowboys’ pick was still in the air. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

Jones was a notable attendee at Manziel’s circus-like pro day, along with George H.W. Bush and a pseudo-pass rusher position coach with a broom.

Mason was one of the feel-good stories of 2013, coming from out of nowhere along with his team to gain national fame. Mason became a star, amassing 1,816 rushing yards on 5.7 yards per carry and scoring 23 touchdowns in the process. The Tigers used Mason as the primary weapon in their offense, and showed up in the biggest games.

40-yard dash: 4.50 secs

Brown certainly is not expected to come into a starting role right away. He needs to develop his game, especially in the coverage areas against running backs and tight ends. All of this means he will likely start out as a thumper on obvious run downs and play a litany of special teams.

40-yard dash: 4.86 seconds

Crichton was named a first-team All-Pac-12 player in 2012, and a second-team All-Pac-12 player in 2013 at Oregon State. He was an honorable mention for the same honor in 2011. Crichton had a phenomenal redshirt freshman year in 2011, putting up 74 tackles with 14.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. He finished his college career with 165 tackles, 51 tackles for loss and 22.5 sacks.

During his career at Oregon State, Crichton caused havoc for opposing offensive lines. He gets off the ball well and plays with a very high motor. He primarily played defensive end in college, but is a bit of a tweener and could potentially slide inside on certain downs. Because of his versatility and ability to create consistent pressure across the line, he projects similar to Seattle’s Michael Bennett. That versatility should allow him to contribute early on, even if it’s just in select sub packages.

Fiedorowicz was named first-team All-Big Ten in 2013, and played four seasons at Iowa. He only got playing time in his final three years, however. Fiedorowicz caught 45 passes for 433 yards and a touchdown in 2012, but only 30 receptions for 299 yards in 2013. That 2013 campaign did bring six touchdowns, to his credit. He finished his college career with 91 receptions for 899 yards and 10 touchdowns.

At 6’5 and 265 pounds, Fiedorowicz fits the mold of the kind of tight ends we’re seeing flourish in the NFL these days. They’re all big-bodied guys and like them, Fiedorowicz also possesses the speed and agility to be the kind of matchup nightmare that they are. Fiedorowicz has a long way to go to get to that point, and until then, he’ll likely make it onto the field as a blocker who occasionally runs routes.

Landry was given second-team All-SEC honors after his 2013 junior season. In his three seasons with the Tigers, he played in 40 games and finished 10th in program history with 137 career receptions. In his final season with the team, Landry tallied 77 receptions for 1,193 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. That was his best season by a wide margin, with his sophomore season having just 573 yards and five touchdowns off of 56 receptions.

Landry was given the Charles McClendon Award, a prize that goes to the team’s most valuable player, at the end of his junior campaign.

Garoppolo authored a prolific college career at Eastern Illinois, culminating with his senior season during which he threw for 5,050 yards and 53 touchdowns while winning the Walter Payton Award. He set the school record for completions and broke Romo’s career records for touchdowns and yards. He also topped Romo’s record for most passing touchdowns in a season. Naturally, Garoppolo has drawn comparisons to Romo as a player.

“The Romo comparison? It was almost in every conversation I’ve had with NFL coaches,” Garoppolo said, via USA Today. “Our styles are very similar, athletic guys in the pocket who make and extend plays.”

Despite considerable pre-draft praise, however, it should be noted that Ealy may have some facets to work on before becoming a consistent NFL contributor. Retired defensive end Stephen White liked Ealy’s versatility, but didn’t see any elite aspect of his game.

SB Nation’s Matthew Fairburn was more positive. Though he also admits that Ealy needs significant refinement, his agility and strength could make him special.

Casual Friday is Casual Friday, doesn’t matter if you’re getting drafted by the Broncos on national TV:

That’s you forever, Cody Latimer. The guy who got drafted in a cardigan then did duckface at the camera.

Hyde was the top running back available in the eyes of most pundits coming into the draft. He ran through the Big Ten last season, gaining 1,521 rushing yards on an astonishing 7.3 yards per carry. He also scored 15 touchdowns for the Buckeyes, who went undefeated in the regular season before losing to Michigan State in the conference championship game.

At 6’0 and 230 pounds, Hyde can easily run between the tackles. His vision allows for him to jump to the outside as well, but he’s best suited in a power style. Hyde was consistent in 2013 for Ohio State, gaining at least 111 yards on the ground in each of its final nine games.

Hill is a big man who moves well for his size. He isn’t the most fleet of foot, however, so he may never be a home run threat in the NFL. He proved he can handle a heavy load, though, and he should have plenty of wear left in his legs with only one season of being a true No. 1 running back. Hill has the size to take a pounding, and is developed enough to contribute as a rookie if need be.

Height: 6’1

The one knock on Jernigan was his conditioning. The Seminoles’ nose tackle had to leave the National Championship multiple times, raising questions. However, it came out later Jernigan was dealing with an illness, per NFL.com. At 6’2 and 299 pounds, Jernigan would incredibly be undersized as a nose tackle, but only sightly. At a 4-3 tackle spot, he’s perfect.

Ranked as the seventh-best defensive tackle prospect in the draft by SB Nation, Jones was considered by most to be a Day 2 selection.

The Rams weren’t a great team while Richburg was in town, but he still played well. He started all 14 games at center in 2013 and helped the Rams to an 8-6 record, the team’s best showing since 2002. Colorado rushed for 204.4 yards per game on average with Richburg starting, the highest since 2002. They also averaged 470.9 total yards per game and had 500-plus yards eight times. Richburg was a big part of that offensive success.

Height: 6’3

Joyner came in at No. 49 among prospects on SB Nation’s top 200 big board, making him sixth among cornerbacks.

During his junior season, Joyner was made into a strong safety. In 2013, Joyner moved back into a corner role, playing both outside and inside. Many believe he will be a corner in the pros due to a lack of size. Joyner made 69 tackles last season and snagged a pair of interceptions. The diminutive star posted 41 straight starts to finish his collegiate career.

Van Noy was a Third-Team All-American in 2012 and 2013, and was named a First-Team All-Independent in 2011, 2012 and 2013. He was named the defensive MVP of the 2012 Poinsettia Bowl and played in every game for Brigham Young during the past four seasons. He finished his college career with 226 tackles, 62 tackles for loss and 26.0 sacks. He added seven interceptions to that total, as well.

While he won’t drop any jaws with top-level athleticism, Van Noy receives praise for his motor and instincts. He’s more than just a so-called “try hard” player, however, and has enough athletic ability to rush the passer or play in space. He was at his best in college when playing on the same defense with Ziggy Ansah. He struggled some last year with teams sliding protection to his side. His instincts and coverage ability should help him get on the field early, even if it’s just in sub packages or a situational role.

Lee, who is rated by SB Nation as the No. 29 overall prospect and the fourth-best wideout prospect, was considered the best receiver in college football during his sophomore season in 2012. He caught 118 passes for more than 1,700 yards and 14 touchdowns. Injury issues and losing his quarterback hurt his production as a junior, however. After consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in his first two years at USC, Lee had only 791 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2013. Despite that falloff, he elected to forgo his senior year in SoCal and declare for the NFL.

A burner who excels in space, Lee has been knocked for his durability and inconsistent hands. Here’s SB Nation’s Matthew Fairburn scouting his NFL potential:

Hageman never played for a national contender in Minnesota, thus hurting his national appeal to the average fan who has likely heard of Louis Nix at Notre Dame. Still, Hageman is a big-time player with great size at 6’6 and 310 pounds.

In 2013, Hageman burst onto the scene, earning the Golden Gophers MVP award, per NFL.com. Last season, Hageman recorded 38 tackles, including a team-leading 13 for loss. He was also named a team captain, something that vouches for his character. Hageman’s character was somewhat of a concern after he was arrested in May 2012 for breaking up a bar fight. Charges were dropped.