2021 NFL Draft Winners and Losers: Day 2

Winners and Losers – Day 1 | Winners and Losers – Day 3

By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell
Published: May 5, 2021.

Second-Day Winners

New York Giants
The Giants followed up after a very good opening night of the 2021 NFL Draft with an excellent Day 2. They started the second day by landing some help at hunting the quarterback in the form of edge rusher Azeez Ojulari. While Ojulari has some limitations, those could be masked in New York’s 3-4 scheme, and playing next to interior forces like Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence will help disguise those issues as well.

In the third round, the Giants landed a sleeper steal in cornerback Aaron Robinson. I thought he was one of the best second-day values in the 2021 NFL Draft, as he is big, fast, athletic, and can really cover. Robinson has the size to take on big wideouts, the quickness to run with speed receivers, and the fluid agility to run the route and prevent separation. He just slid because of vision issues and problems reading zone coverage. Those are issues that can fixed with coaching.

Robinson can be the Giants’ third cornerback with James Bradberry and Adoree’ Jackson. Bradberry will draw the No. 1 receiver, and Jackson can slide inside to the slot in the nickel. That will give Robinson the No. 2 outside receiver and a favorable matchup. In time, I think Robinson will become a very good starting corner for the Giants, and this analyst believes Robinson was one of the steals of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Detroit Lions
New general manager Brad Holmes has laid a great foundation in his first offseason for the Lions. Along with landing extra first-round picks in the 2022 and 2023 NFL Drafts, Holmes had a superb opening draft that was boosted by the three picks the Lions made on Friday night. Washington defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike was highly regarded by teams across the league. He is quick off the snap with an ability to disrupt in the backfield. In the third round, the Lions added another high-upside strong disruptor at tackle with N.C. State’s Alim McNeil. That means Detroit can field McNeil, Onwuzurike and Michael Brockers at defensive tackle. Late in the third round, the Lions added another scheme fit with Syracuse corner Ifeatu Melifonwu. He gives Detroit another press-man corner with size and speed. Melifonwu has a good skill set, and new defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn can work with Melifonwu’s stiffness limitations to help him deliver on his upside. It will take a few years for Holmes to build up the roster in Detroit, but the 2021 NFL Draft and offseason was an excellent start.

Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars had a strong second day of the 2021 NFL Draft. To lead off Friday night, they landed a consensus first-round cornerback in Georgia’s Tyson Campbell. Campbell has excellent size, speed and athleticism to run the route and prevent separation. His addition gives Jacksonville a talented trio in the defensive backfield, and in the long term, he could become an excellent starter if he improves his ability to play the ball.

Stanford offensive tackle Walker Little has a good skill set and upside, but he was a risk at pick No. 45 considering it has been three years since he played a season of football. In the third round ,the Jaguars took another injury risk in Syracuse safety Andre Cisco, but if it weren’t for an ACL injury last fall, Cisco would probably have been a first-round pick. Once healthy, the turnover machine Cisco could be a plug-and-play upgrade for the Jaguars.

Jacksonville made some risky picks on Day 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft, but they all have boom pick-potential for the franchise.

Washington Redskins
New general manager Martin Mayhew, chief executive Marty Hurney, and head coach Ron Rivera delivered a pair of superb picks for Washington on the second day of the 2021 NFL Draft. In the second round, the Redskins landed a starting left tackle in Sam Cosmi. He has a good skill set with size, athleticism and strength. With good coaching and development, Cosmi could be a very good starter and blind-side protector. In the third round, Washington added another speed receiver and home run hitter in Dyami Brown. Brown is very fast and is a threat to score on any reception. He could be a dynamic weapon across the field from Terry McLaurin.

Both picks represent excellent value, as Cosmi could have gone late in the first round and Brown could have gone in the second round without any franchise feeling is was a significant reach. Taking good values in each round is how talented teams are built, and the brain trust in Washington executed its plan well in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Second-Day Losers

Carolina Panthers
I think Carolina did well on the opening night of the 2021 NFL Draft and made some smart choices on Day 3. In between, however, I think the Panthers made some real mistakes on Day 2. Things started poorly in the second round when they traded down twice before taking LSU wide receiver Terrace Marshall. Marshall will be Carolina’s third receiver, and while he might be a long-term replacement for Robby Anderson or D.J. Moore, the team had bigger more immediate issues with better options available. I like Marshall, and he is a good prospect, but receivers are much easier to find year in and year out compared to some of the Panthers’ other needs.

Carolina has some big holes on its roster at safety, linebacker and three-technique defensive tackle. All of those positions can be harder to find in your average draft class. In trading down and taking Marshall, the Panthers passed on an immediate starter and plug-and-play upgrade at safety in TCU’s Trevon Moehrig. They also passed on long-term left tackles in Sam Cosmi, Liam Eichenberg and Jackson Carman. At three technique, Carolina could have had Levi Onwuzurike or Dayo Odeyingbo. All those positions are harder to find and fill.

In the third round, the Panthers took two players who other teams had graded on Day 3 of the 2021 NFL Draft. BYU left tackle Brady Christensen was viewed as just a guy by other teams. One team source said some of quarterback Zach Wilson’s impressive plays came because Christensen missed his block. They feel he was a significant reach early in the third round and was not close to being as good as tackles they passed on – Cosmi, Eichenberg and Carman.

Later in the third, Carolina took Notre Dame tight end Tommy Tremble. He lacks size, and from a skill-set perspective, he is not an upgrade over the team’s starting tight end Ian Thomas. Additionally, Joe Brady’s offensive scheme does not feature tight ends. So taking Christensen and Tremble over some other options who were available like linebacker Monty Rice, tight end Tre’ McKitty, linebacker Jabril Cox, offensive tackle James Hudson, offensive tackle Spencer Brown and defensive tackle Jay Tufele. They were missed opportunities for the Panthers.

Houston Texans
The Texans didn’t pick until the third round, and I believe at least one of, if not both of, their picks were throwaways. First, Houston took Stanford quarterback Davis Mills. While Mills impressed at his pro day, he was not that impressive on the field for the Cardinal and really needed a lot more playing time to develop in college. He could easily not stick in the NFL or be just a backup. That high third-round pick could have landed the Texans a starter at a variety of positions, including cornerback – Aaron Robinson, Paulson Adebo -, linebacker – Chazz Surratt, Monty Rice -, or wide receiver – Dyami Brown, Josh Palmer. Later in the third, Houston drafted Michigan wide receiver Nico Collins, who looks like a No. 2 or 3 receiver, at best. In Ann Arbor, Collins never played up to his skill set or lived up to the hype. Perhaps these players will prove me wrong, but these feel like backup or throwaway picks who don’t help a Texans roster that is seriously lacking talent.