PHILADELPHIA — The first two days of the 2017 NFL Draft certainly did not lack intrigue or surprises.
More than 10 trades were made as teams jockeyed for position during unpredictable first, second and third rounds.
Here are some notes and stats from the first three rounds.
— The New York Jets drafted LSU safety Jamal Adams with the sixth overall pick. His dad, George Adams, was a first-round pick of the rival New York Giants in 1985. He also won a Super Bowl with the Giants in 1986, but he’ll have to wear New York’s other football colors now.
“I know (my Dad is)Â excited,” Adams said Thursday. “It’s crazy, he played for the Giants and now I’m a Jet. So he’s not afraid to tell the Giants fans that he’s a part of the Jets family now. … I’m pretty sure he’s bleeding green and white.”
We rated the Jets’ selection of Adams as one of the biggest steals of Round 1.
— North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky said he “couldn’t believe it” when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell called his name as the No. 2 overall pick to the Chicago Bears. Trubisky idolized one Bears legend as a kid, which makes this moment extra exciting for him.
“It means a lot. There’s a lot of history in Chicago,” Trubisky said Thursday. “My favorite player growing up was Walter Payton. I’m looking forward to wearing the Bears jersey.”
— Since 1967, the school with the longest consecutive streak of seasons with at least one first-round pick is Miami (FL) at 14 from 1995 through 2008. Alabama had three players drafted in Round 1, giving them nine straight seasons with a first-round pick. That ties Florida (1983-1991) for the second-longest streak.
— A pair of running backs were selected in the top 10 as LSU’s Leonard Fournette went to the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 4 and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey was chosen at No. 8 by the Carolina Panthers. It’s the first time multiple running backs went inside the top 10 since 2005 when Ronnie Brown, Cadillac Williams and Cedric Benson all were taken.
— Three tight ends were chosen in the first round for the first time since 2002. It tied the record for the most tight ends ever selected in Round 1. Alabama’s O.J. Howard went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 19, Ole Miss’ Evan Engram went to the New York Giants at No. 23 and Miami’s David Njoku went to the Cleveland Browns at No. 29.
— The Tennessee Titans selected Corey Davis with the No. 5 pick in Round 1, making him the highest drafted Western Michigan player in school history.
— Washington became the first school since the common era of the draft began in 1967 to have three defensive backs selected in the second round. Cornerback Kevin King (No. 33, Green Bay), safety Budda Baker (No. 36, Arizona) and cornerback Sidney Jones (No. 43, Philadelphia) all went in Round 2.
King said Friday that the three of them pushed each other to improve.
“All the time. Extremely competitive. Always pushing each other,” King said. “I think that’s why we were so good because we had that camaraderie, we had that trust in one another. Budda could tell me when I was slacking, and I’d tell him the same.”
— The Patriots traded down in the third round, as they often do, by moving a third-rounder (72) and a sixth-rounder (200) to the Titans for a third-rounder (83) and a fourth-rounder (124).
In fact, the Patriots ended up not using any of their original 2017 picks.
Here’s another interesting note on New England’s draft trade history.
— The Philadelphia crowd was absolutely phenomenal on Thursday and Friday nights, proving the draft never should be held indoors again. It also set a new attendance record.
Click to read about the winners and losers of the first round >>
Thumbnail photo via Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports Images
