Day 2 of the 2016 NFL Draft was for 2nd chances

CHICAGO -- It was about redemption on Day 2. It was a second-day NFL draft shot for the six players who traveled here but were ignored in Round 1. Redemption for Alabama. For the New England Patriots. For Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg.

After Ohio State snatched five of the top 20 draft slots in Round 1 on Thursday night, every other collegiate program was officially smoked. Alabama stewed.

Three of its players -- linebacker Reggie Ragland and defensive tackles A’Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed -- were among the six left behind in the draft Green Room on Thursday night. Each realized that Ohio State has become the glitz pipeline to the NFL. That NFL teams see speed and talent and winners from Ohio State. That the league is salivating over Buckeyes.

New York teams dove all in. The Giants and Jets in the first round each took Buckeyes (cornerback Eli Apple to the Giants and linebacker Darron Lee to the Jets).

It seemed like every other pick on Thursday night was a Buckeye.

So, here on Friday night as Round 2 unfolded, while two other invited players not selected on Thursday night bolted, the Alabama trio returned here. They stuck together. They knew redemption was coming.

“We were mad at first, but then we calmed down,” Ragland said. “Coach (Nick) Saban is coach Saban. He’s not going to show too much emotion unless you asked him. But I think he was a little upset. But we are all out now.”

Ragland went first in the second round, at No. 41 to the Buffalo Bills. Robinson went next, at No. 46 to the Detroit Lions. Reed finished the group, selected No. 49 by the Seattle Seahawks.

Alabama players not here at the draft also selected in the second round were Heisman Trophy running back Derrick Henry at No. 45 by the Tennessee Titans and cornerback Cyrus Jones at No. 60 by the Patriots -- their first selection after DeflateGate penalties had cost them their first-round pick.

Round 1 was a Buckeyes bonanza.

But Round 2 was a Crimson Tide roll.

“Oh, man, I was thinking of everything -- I want to go home, next thing I’m going to stay,” Ragland said about Thursday night.

Robinson explained: “Me, Jarran and Reggie, we decided we made this journey together and we wanted to go out and leave together. We aren’t just going to come one night and leave because we didn’t get drafted in the first round. We wanted to hear our name called and walk across that stage.”

And eventually they did. One by one.

“I went through every kind of emotion there was on Thursday night,” Reed said. “I was frustrated. I went back to the hotel with my family and prayed. I had a deep dish pizza and watched TV. We stayed humble. We showed each other a bunch of love. After they all got picked, they came and stayed with me until I was picked. We are more than teammates, we’re brothers.”

It says plenty about this Alabama trio that they were not too proud to return and attend Round 2. That they were not too embarrassed to show up.

What exactly is the shame in being drafted among the top 49 players in America?

Clemson defensive end Kevin Dodd did not return here for the second round but he was drafted at No. 33 by the Tennessee Titans. UCLA linebacker Myles Jacks did not return and he was drafted at No. 36 by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But the Alabama trio came back and dug in. So did Mississippi State defensive tackle Chris Jones. He went at No. 37 to the Kansas City Chiefs.

“When you get invited here, you are always expecting to go in the first round,” Jones said. “Everybody has their expectation. They want to go up on the stage before anybody. They want to be the guy to hug the commissioner first. You know, everybody’s path is different. The NFL, it’s not a race, it’s a marathon. This was a very special feeling. You just don’t understand the feeling. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first day, but I’ll be damned, it was the second day. It’s a blessing, man.”

This draft became a statement, a comparison of Ohio State and Alabama. Both recent national champions. Both draft powers. But once the third round was completed here on Friday night, Ohio State reaffirmed that it resides in another draft galaxy -- it produced a draft record 10 players in the first three rounds.

Alabama, though, managed redemption in Round 2.

Ragland, Robinson and Reed stood tall.

They understood how Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg felt, how the draft process chewed them up and pushed them back further than they had hoped. Hackenberg was being labeled a lousy leader and a quarterback who would fall hard in the draft. But he fooled them all, selected at No. 51 in the second round by the New York Jets. He stunned them all, becoming the first quarterback selected in the second round.

Redemption. Elevation after first-round snubs.

“This is just the beginning,” Hackenberg said.

Bruises and all.