The first round of the NFL draft may be over, but dozens of talented players are still on the board. Here’s a look at how Friday night’s second round might play out.
33. Cleveland Browns (Trade with St. Louis) select Taylor Mays, safety, USC
The Browns trade up to St. Louis’ spot atop the second round to pluck the versatile Mays, who combines ideal size with decent speed and could occasionally slip into a hybrid linebacker spot.
34. Minnesota Vikings select Chris Cook, cornerback, Virginia
Cook was considered a first-round sleeper, and offers excellent size (6-foot-2, 212 pounds) as well as adequate speed (4.46 on the 40-yard dash). He is likely the safest corner on the board.
35. Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Everson Griffen, defensive end, USC
After adding Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy in the first round, the Bucs continue to fortify their line by adding Griffen, a potential run-stuffing force on the outside of the defensive front.
36. Kansas City Chiefs select Golden Tate, wide receiver, Notre Dame
New offensive coordinator Charlie Weis will push for Jimmy Clausen, but Scott Pioli will instead give Matt Cassel one of Clausen’s former favorite targets. Tate’s ability to get downfield will give Cassel the threat he needs to bolster a dormant air attack.
37. Philadelphia Eagles select Nate Allen, safety, South Florida
Allen is a shaky tackler but is the best safety available, and the Eagles desperately need help in their secondary.
38. St. Louis Rams (Trade with Cleveland) select Brian Price, defensive tackle, UCLA
GM Billy Devaney is thrilled to get his man after trading down, as the Rams pluck Price, a polished penetrator for the middle of their defensive line.
39. Oakland Raiders select Bruce Campbell, offensive tackle, Maryland
Indiana’s Rodger Saffold is the safer pick, but Al Davis can’t resist the Campbell's measurables and elects to go with Campbell. The former Terrapin should immediately give whoever is under center more time to decide where to go with the football.
40. Miami Dolphins select Sergio Kindle, outside linebacker, Texas
Questions about his health dropped Kindle out of the first round, but his talent is too tantalizing for Bill Parcells and the Dolphins to overlook.
41. Buffalo Bills select Rodger Saffold, offensive tackle, Indiana
The Bills’ war room reportedly was down in the dumps after getting jumped by the Broncos for Tim Tebow, but getting the polished Saffold without having to trade up and surrender a later pick should bring some smiles to the faces of their staff.
42. New England Patriots (Trade with Tampa Bay) select Rob Gronkowski, tight end, Arizona
Bill Belichick finally turns to his stockpile of draft picks to move up and take Gronkowski off the board. He is the second-most talented tight end in the draft, and the two-pick jump was necessary to bypass the Ravens, who are high on Gronkowski as well.
43. Baltimore Ravens select Carlos Dunlap, defensive end, Florida
After snatching this pick from the Broncos in the Tebow deal, Ozzie Newsome happily grabs Dunlap — the best defensive end available — to add youth to an aging Baltimore front.
44. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Trade with New England) select Arrelious Benn, wide receiver, Illinois
With a young quarterback under center, the Buccaneers sorely need to improve their receiving corps. The 6-foot-1, 219 pound Benn is a big target with the speed to stretch the field.
45. Denver Broncos select Sean Lee, inside linebacker, Penn State
Tebow and Demaryius Thomas will eventually factor into the offense, but the Broncos need another impact player for their 3-4 defense. Enter Lee — a solid blitzer and tackler who should immediately help their front seven.
46. New York Giants select Daryl Washington, inside linebacker, TCU
Two inside linebackers are taken off the board in a row, as the Giants — still reeling from missing out on Alabama’s Rolando McClain in the first round — consider Washington an adequate consolation prize.
47. New England Patriots select Vladimir Ducasse, offensive tackle, UMass
With Matt Light due $4.5 million in the final year of his contract, the Patriots grab a local kid with excellent athleticism for the position. Ducasse needs to work on his technique, but has the potential to be a shutdown blocker down the road.
48. Carolina Panthers select Colt McCoy, quarterback, Texas
Thrilled that McCoy is still on the board, the Panthers turn in their draft card 30 seconds after going on the clock.
49. San Francisco 49ers select Dexter McCluster, running back, Mississippi
The 49ers used both of their first-round picks to upgrade a porous offensive line. Now, they’ll add the shifty McCluster to give Frank Gore an occasional break in the running game.
50. Kansas City Chiefs select Charles Brown, offensive tackle, USC
Kansas City couldn’t pass up Tate earlier in the round, so they’ll settle for a slightly less talented offensive tackle in Brown. Still, both second-round picks are geared toward helping Cassel regain his passing prowess, and 2010 may be his last chance to prove he’s capable of leading their offense.
51. Houston Texans select Toby Gerhart, running back, Stanford
The Texans weren’t able to move up for either C.J. Spiller or Ryan Mathews on Thursday, but the powerful, gritty Gerhart — a Heisman Trophy candidate — is a perfect complement for the speedy Steve Slaton.
52. Pittsburgh Steelers select Brandon Ghee, cornerback, Wake Forest
With their secondary starting to get older and more fragile, the Steelers add the speedy Ghee for depth purposes. If he improves his technique, the 6-foot tall Ghee has the natural ability to be outstanding in coverage.
53. New England Patriots select Koa Misi, defensive end, Utah
Misi could play either end or outside linebacker in the Patriots’ 3-4 defense, and with a 4.75 time in the 40-yard dash, he has the tools to both rush the passer and drop back into coverage.
54. Cincinnati Bengals select Linval Joseph, defensive tackle, East Carolina
The Bengals need some help on the interior of their defensive line, and Joseph is a good fit alongside Domata Peko. At 6-foot-4, 328 pounds, Joseph should anchor Cincinnati’s run defense for years.
55. Philadelphia Eagles select Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, cornerback, Indiana University (Pa.)
A Division II product out if Indiana University in Pennsylvania, it’s hard to go wrong with a guy whose name means “born on Sunday” in his native Ghanaian tongue.
56. Green Bay Packers select Perrish Cox, cornerback, Oklahoma State
With Al Harris coming off a severe knee injury and 2009 Defensive Player of the Year hopeful Charles Woodson moving toward his mid-30s, the Packers bring in Cox to study from two of the best, before stepping into the starting lineup down the road.
57. Baltimore Ravens select Terrence Cody, defensive tackle, Alabama
Cody has been described by some scouts as simply a “big blob,” but the Ravens are rumored to have had a first-round grade on him, and could certainly use another run stuffer on their defensive line.
58. Arizona Cardinals select Ricky Sapp, outside linebacker, Clemson
The Cardinals can’t possibly view Joey Porter as a long-term solution on their linebacking corps, so they nab Sapp, who needs to improve his tackling in the ground game but can both rush the passer and help in coverage immediately.
59. Dallas Cowboys select Chad Jones, safety, LSU
Jerry Jones was enamored with Dez Bryant and got his man in the first round, but after missing out on Mays and Allen, the Cowboys will have to gamble on Jones to improve their secondary. Already solid against the run, Jones could become a solid all-around talent if he improves his agility in coverage.
60. Seattle Seahawks select Damian Williams, wide receiver, USC
It’s hard to fault Pete Carroll for going with one of his former protégées, and Williams should offer an instant upgrade to Seattle’s aging group of wide receivers.
61. New York Jets select Austen Lane, defensive end, Murray State
Rex Ryan likes guys who give it their all, and even though Lane doesn’t have outstanding measurables, strength or speed, he gives 110 percent on every down, and has plenty of talent to boot.
62. Minnesota Vikings select Ben Tate, running back, Auburn
The Vikings could use a capable third-down back after Chester Taylor bolted for Chicago, and Tate — who has a penchant for hitting the hole with authority — fits the bill well.
63. Indianapolis Colts select Jared Veldheer, offensive tackle, Hillsdale
Another Division II prospect, Veldheer stands an enormous 6-foot-8, 312 pounds, and that size makes him an ideal developmental left tackle. He won’t step in immediately, but if Veldheer pans out, Peyton Manning might not have to worry about his blind side for the rest of his career.
64. New Orleans Saints select Navorro Bowman, outside linebacker, Penn State
Sean Payton has to find a way to replace the departed Scott Fujita, and Bowman has excellent upside for a late pick in the second round.
