OLs, RBs and DBs dominate Round 2 of NFL draft

The second round of the 2018 NFL Draft began with plenty of beef on Friday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, as offensive linemen flew off the board early.

The Cleveland Browns started a run of four O-linemen in the first seven picks of the round by grabbing Nevada guard Austin Corbett. The New York Giants followed with UTEP guard Will Hernandez, the Indianapolis Colts took Auburn guard Braden Smith three picks later and the Chicago Bears grabbed Iowa center James Daniels at No. 39.

Running backs were also popular early in Round 2, with three going in the first 11 selections despite none being LSU’s Derrius Guice, who was widely considered the second- or third-best prospect at the position entering the draft. With Guice still on the board, the Browns took Georgia’s Nick Chubb at No. 35, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers grabbed USC’s Ronald Jones at No. 38 and the Detroit Lions traded up to No. 43 for Auburn’s Kerryon Johnson. Guice’s slide ultimately ended at 59th overall when the Washington Redskins took him.

According to multiple reports, Guice’s slide was the result of teams’ concerns regarding his character and maturity. One example cited was Guice’s Sirius XM radio appearance in March in which he said teams asked him during interviews at the NFL Scouting Combine about his sexual orientation and his mother’s work habits, a claim for which the NFL failed to find evidence in a lengthy investigation that followed. According to reports from NFL Network and ESPN, Guice later backtracked and told multiple teams in interviews that he was not actually asked those questions by any teams.

The Lions’ trade up for Johnson was the second of Round 2 — after the Tennessee Titans moved up in a deal with the Raiders to No. 41 to grab Boston College pass rusher Harold Landry — and four more deals followed shortly afterward to make for six trades in an 11-pick span. The San Francisco 49ers jumped up to No. 44 for Washington wide receiver Dante Pettis, the Kansas City Chiefs moved up to No. 46 for Ole Miss defensive end Breeland Speaks, the Philadelphia Eagles jumped to No. 49 (one pick ahead of the host Dallas Cowboys) for South Dakota State tight end Dallas Goedert and the Bears gave up a future second-round pick to get Memphis wide receiver Anthony Miller at No. 51.

The New England Patriots were on the other end of the Lions and Bears trades, adding two fourth-round picks (Nos. 105 and 117) and a 2019 second-rounder as compensation. The Patriots then flipped No. 117 to the Buccaneers in a trade back up to the 56th slot for Florida cornerback Duke Dawson.

Dawson was the fourth consecutive defensive back drafted after only one went in the first half of the second round. North Carolina cornerback M.J. Stewart (Bucs) went at No. 53, Wake Forest safety Jessie Bates III (Cincinnati Bengals) at 54 and cornerback Donte Jackson (Panthers) at 55 before Dawson.

Jackson was the first LSU prospect off the board in the 2018 draft, marking the latest that the Tigers have had their first prospect taken in any single draft since 2010 (Brandon LaFell, 78th overall). However, two more LSU players quickly followed, with Guice going 59th and wide receiver D.J. Chark going 61st (Jacksonville Jaguars).

Among other highlights of Round 2 was Texas offensive lineman Connor Williams, who many thought would go in Round 1, staying in-state as the Dallas Cowboys took him 50th overall. The Coppell, Texas, native waited through all 32 picks Thursday night in the green room and was emotional on Friday as he talked about the chance to play within 20 miles of where he grew up.

After quarterbacks topped Thursday’s headlines, with a record four going in the first 10 picks of the entire draft and five overall in the first round, none were selected in Round 2 on Friday.

Here are all 32 picks of the second round:

No. 33: Cleveland Browns – OL Austin Corbett, Nevada

No. 34: New York Giants – G Will Hernandez, UTEP

No. 35: Cleveland Browns (from Houston) – RB Nick Chubb, Georgia

No. 36: Indianapolis Colts – LB Darius Leonard, South Carolina St.

No. 37: Indianapolis Colts (from New York Jets) – G Braden Smith, Auburn

No. 38: Tampa Bay Buccaneers – RB Ronald Jones II, USC

No. 39: Chicago Bears – C James Daniels, Iowa

No. 40: Denver Broncos – WR Courtland Sutton, SMU

No. 41: Tennessee Titans (from Oakland Raiders) – OLB Harold Landry, Boston College

No. 42: Miami Dolphins – TE Mike Gesicki, Penn St.

No. 43: Detroit Lions (from San Francisco via New England) – RB Kerryon Johnson, Auburn

No. 44: San Francisco 49ers (from Washington): WR Dante Pettis, Washington

No. 45: Green Bay Packers: CB Josh Jackson, Iowa

No. 46: Kansas City Chiefs (from Cincinnati): DT Breeland Speaks, Ole Miss

No. 47: Arizona Cardinals: WR Christian Kirk, Texas A&M

No. 48: Los Angeles Chargers: LB Uchenna Nwosu, USC

No. 49: Philadelphia Eagles (from Seattle via New York Jets and Indianapolis): TE Dallas Goedert, South Dakota St.

No. 50: Dallas Cowboys: OL Connor Williams, Texas

No. 51: Chicago Bears (from Detroit via New England): WR Anthony Miller, Memphis

No. 52: Indianapolis Colts (from Baltimore via Philadelphia): DE Kemoko Turay, Rutgers

No. 53: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from Buffalo): CB M.J. Stewart, North Carolina

No. 54: Cincinnati Bengals (from Kansas City): S Jessie Bates III, Wake Forest

No. 55: Carolina Panthers: CB Donte Jackson, LSU

No. 56: New England Patriots (from Los Angeles Rams via Buffalo and Tampa Bay): CB Duke Dawson, Florida

No. 57: Oakland Raiders (from Tennessee): NT P.J. Hall, Sam Houston St.

No. 58: Atlanta Falcons: CB Isaiah Oliver, Colorado

No. 59: Washington Redskins (from New Orleans via San Francisco): RB Derrius Guice, LSU

No. 60: Pittsburgh Steelers: WR James Washington, Oklahoma St.

No. 61: Jacksonville Jaguars: WR D.J. Chark, LSU

No. 62: Minnesota Vikings: OT Brian O’Neill, Pittsburgh

No. 63: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from New England): CB Carlton Davis, Auburn

No. 64: Indianapolis Colts (from Philadelphia via Cleveland): DE Tyquan Lewis, Ohio St.

–Field Level Media