Live 2019 NFL Draft Grades: Round 2

These Live 2019 NFL Draft Grades will be posted minutes after each pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Follow @walterfootball for updates.

2019 NFL Draft Grades - Round: Picks 1-16 | Picks 17-32 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | NFL Draft Team Grades | Supplemental

Arizona Cardinals: Byron Murphy, CB, Washington A Grade
I had this in my 2019 NFL Mock Re-Draft, so I have to like this, right? I do. Murphy is a steal atop Round 2. Charlie Campbell spoke to some teams that had Murphy as a top-20 prospect, thanks to his great instincts. The Cardinals have needed a solid starter across from Patrick Peterson for quite some time, and now they finally have one in Murphy.
Indianapolis Colts: Rock Ya-Sin, CB, Temple A Grade
Make that two “A” grades to kick off the second round. Rock Ya-Sin is a prospect who could’ve been chosen as high as No. 20 overall to the Steelers, and I think that was Pittsburgh’s plan prior to trading up for Devin Bush. Ya-Sin is a steal here. He is a tough cornerback who will fill a huge need for the Colts, who have had trouble stopping the pass for quite some time.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Jawaan Taylor, OT, Florida B Grade
I’m sure many publications will give this an “A” grade because of the perceived extreme value. However, I was told that Jawaan Taylor would be chosen in the 20s or later because of his knee problems and some off-the-field concerns. Still, it’s a nice time to take a gamble on Taylor because if he pans out, he’ll be an excellent protector for Nick Foles. The Jaguars had to address their offensive line, and it could be argued that Taylor is the best player available. He comes with considerable risk, however.

San Francisco 49ers: Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina B+ Grade
This is a very logical pick. Deebo Samuel was always expected to be chosen early in the second round, and the 49ers really need a receiver. They were in on the Antonio Brown sweepstakes at one point, but saw him go to the other Bay Area team. Samuel obviously isn’t Brown, but he’ll give San Francisco a considerable upgrade at the position across from Dante Pettis.
Carolina Panthers: Greg “Mr. Reliable” Little, OT, Ole Miss C Grade
I don’t really think the Panthers needed to move up for this pick. There’s a chance that Greg “Mr. Reliable” Little would’ve fallen to their own selection, and if not, Carolina could have obtained a comparable prospect. Little has great upside and could eventually emerge to be a good starter, but he’s raw and will probably need to sit for a year. He’ll have the opportunity to do that in Carolina, as the Panthers re-signed Daryl Williams for one season.

Buffalo Bills: Cody Ford, G/OT, Oklahoma A+ Grade
The Bills moved up two spots to ensure that they’d land Cody Ford. Well done. For the second time in two picks, they obtained an absolute steal. Ford is someone who could’ve been drafted at No. 14 overall without any sort of criticism. I currently don’t know why Ford fell into Round 2 – if there’s even a reason – but the Bills are clearly able to take advantage of this situation, finding themselves a much-needed upgrade for Josh Allen.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Sean Bunting, CB, Central Michigan B Grade
I had Sean Bunting slotted to the Buccaneers in the third round, but that was more of there being plenty of Round 2 cornerbacks available to find a slot for him. I considered Bunting to be a second-round prospect as well, so I think the range makes sense for them. Bunting is a versatile, talented cornerback, and he should be able to be a much-needed upgrade for a secondary that has struggled for quite some time. This is a solid choice.

Oakland Raiders: Trayvon Mullen, CB, Clemson B- Grade
I mocked Trayvon Mullen to the Raiders in the second round of both the real mock and the re-draft, but I thought that was a bit too high for him. I had Mullen pegged as a third-round prospect, so I think this is a bit too early to take him. However, the Raiders traded down twice prior to making this pick, so I don’t mind the value aspect of this selection too much. Also, Mullen has plenty of upside as a developmental cornerback. I’m not sure if he’ll be able to help much this year, but he could be a terrific player for them in the future.
Denver Broncos: Dalton Risner, C/OT/G, Kansas State A Grade
This is a terrific pick. The Broncos are not only getting a skilled offensive lineman who can play any position, but they’re also obtaining a super-high character person for their locker room. Risner is going to give his new team 110 percent all the time. I assume Risner will slide in at center to replace Matt Paradis. This was a huge hole for the Broncos, yet they plugged it with a nice prospect.

Denver Broncos: Drew Lock, QB, Missouri A- Grade
The Broncos used the second-round pick they acquired from the Steelers to trade up for Drew Lock. This is a great move, as Denver obviously needed a quarterback from the future to learn behind Joe Flacco. I wasn’t a fan of Lock as a first-round prospect because of his accuracy and field vision question marks, but he’s absolutely worth the gamble in the second round because of his arm and upside.
Detroit Lions: Jahlani Tavai, LB, Hawaii B- Grade
Jahlani Tavai is a linebacker with pedestrian instincts, which doesn’t sound great. However, he has three-down ability. He’s forceful against the run and athletic enough to drop into coverage. I think this is a bit early for Tavai, who was a low Round 2/high Round 3 prospect, but he makes sense for the Lions, who had to upgrade their horrible linebacking corps.

Green Bay Packers: Elgton Jenkins, C/G, Mississippi State A- Grade
It’s not going to be a long, long time until Elgton Jenkins has to start for the Packers. They have some interior offensive line concerns, and it’s nice that Jenkins can play any position on the inside. Jenkins could have been chosen a bit earlier than this, as I wouldn’t have criticized a team for taking him at the very end of the first round, so this is a solid pick by the Packers, for once.
New England Patriots: Joejuan Williams, CB, Vanderbilt C Grade
I don’t understand why the Patriots traded up for Juejuan Williams. I thought there was a good chance they could obtain him or someone comparable at the end of the second frame, which is where I had him pegged. I don’t think Williams is ready to start right away, as he’s just a developmental, athletic player with great size at this point. The Patriots need a cornerback for the future, so it makes sense to take Williams, but I don’t believe that trading up for him was necessary.

Cleveland Browns: Greedy Williams, CB, LSU A Grade
Greedy Williams was expected by many to be chosen in the opening round. Teams gave him second-round grades, however. There was still a chance he’d sneak into the opening frame because of how weak this class is, so I think the value the Browns are getting with Williams is great. Williams doesn’t like to tackle, but he has plenty of talent, and he should be able to fill the need across from Denzel Ward.
Seattle Seahawks: Marquise Blair, S, Utah D Grade
I don’t know why the Seahawks are selecting third-day prospects on the first two days of the draft. I won’t give them an “F” for this because they moved down several times, but Marquise Blair is a tweener safety who could have fallen to the fifth round.

New Orleans Saints: Erik McCoy, C/G, Texas A&M A+ Grade
This is one of the best picks of the draft thus far. There was a team in the teens that was considering Erik McCoy, so to have him drop all the way to No. 48 is a major steal. The Saints needed to replace Max Unger, who retired so unexpectedly. McCoy should fill in very well. The Saints surrendered a 2020 second-round pick to select McCoy, which is not ideal, but they had to do it because McCoy was not dropping to them at the end of this round.
Indianapolis Colts: Ben Banogu, DE/OLB, TCU C Grade
This mirrors the Seattle pick a bit earlier, though I don’t think Ben Banogu is as much of a reach as Marquise Blair was. Banogu was a fringe third-fourth-round prospect, but the Colts moved down for him, so I think it’s acceptable. Indianapolis needed an edge rusher, and Banogu should be able to help if he can live up to his great athleticism and develop into a quality player.
Minnesota Vikings: Irv Smith Jr., TE, Alabama A Grade
I thought Irv Smith Jr. would be chosen earlier than this, so I like the value. But what about the need? The Vikings have Kyle Rudolph on the roster right now, but he’s an impending free agent after this season. Smith can develop for a year behind Rudolph and then become a nice weapon for Kirk Cousins in 2020 and beyond. There’s also a chance the Vikings to deal Rudolph and play Smith right away.
Tennessee Titans: A.J. Brown, WR, Ole Miss A+ Grade
This is another favorite pick of mine. A.J. Brown was a spectacular player at Ole Miss, unlike D.K. Metcalf. Brown would’ve been even more productive in school if the program wasn’t such a mess at the very end. I thought Brown should’ve gone in the back end of the first round, so I absolutely love this value. Brown also fills a need across from Corey Davis.
Cincinnati Bengals: Drew Sample, TE, Washington FARMER FAIL, GRIGSON GAFFE, CERRATO SUCKAGE, BAALKE BLOOPER, CHIP TRAGEDY, KING CALAMITY, SASHI SUFFERIN SUCCOTASH Grade
Oh no. Ooohhh nooo. Teams overpaid blocking tight ends in free agency, and now the Bengals used a second-round pick on one in the 2019 NFL Draft. Sample should have been chosen in the fifth or sixth round. I had him mocked at No. 174 overall. Teams have made mistakes in the past by using high selections on blocking tight ends, and this is yet another blunder.
Philadelphia Eagles: Miles Sanders, RB, Penn State A+ Grade
I mocked Miles Sanders to the Eagles, but I wasn’t quite sure he would last this long. Rather than Philadelphia wasting a first-round choice on a running back, the team obtained much better value with one in the second frame. Sanders seems like he’ll be a terrific complement to Jordan Howard, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Sanders ended up being Philadelphia’s primary runner.

Houston Texans: Lonnie Johnson, CB, Kentucky D+ Grade
It’s not a surprise that the Texans’ gutted front office continues to draft poorly, ignoring all sense of value. Lonnie Johnson is a great physical specimen, and he had a terrific pro day. However, Johnson’s tape at Kentucky was awful. He was frequently lost in coverage and appeared to lack any sort of awareness. I thought Johnson should go in the fourth round, so this is a reach, though it does potentially fill a need.
Houston Texans: Max Scharping, G/OT, Northern Illinois C Grade
This is Houston’s best pick so far, and yet it earns only a “C” grade. Perhaps the franchise shouldn’t have fired all of their smart personnel people because Bill O’Brien wanted “yes men.” At any rate, Max Scharping was introduced as a tackle, but he’s going to have to move to guard in the NFL. He’ll get smoked if he plays tackle. Scharping could be a decent guard, but he’s a slight reach in the second round.
Kansas City Chiefs: Mecole Hardman, WR/KR, Georgia D- Grade
This isn’t nearly as bad as Cincinnati’s pick, but why in the world did the Chiefs trade up for Mecole Hardman. He would have been available for them at the end of the second round. Hardman has great speed and athleticism, and he’s going to help on special teams, but he’s a raw project who should have been chosen in the fourth round. I don’t think this pick would’ve been horrible at Kansas City’s natural selection, but there was no reason to trade up for him whatsoever!

Philadelphia Eagles: J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, WR, Stanford B Grade
I’m fine with this pick, but I think the Eagles had better options at multiple positions, including receiver. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside is a physical wideout who will catch 50-50 balls in the end zone. He fits the range, so this is solid choice. I just wonder if the Eagles should’ve addressed their horrid linebacking corps instead. Receiver is a need with Nelson Agholor’s unreasonable contract demands, but linebacker seems to be more pressing.
Dallas Cowboys: Trysten Hill, NT, Central Florida C+ Grade
This is a slight reach, so I wonder if the Cowboys were trying to trade down, given how much time they took on the clock. Trysten Hill is a very physically gifted nose tackle, but he’s very raw. I don’t know if he’ll be ready to contribute all that much as a rookie, so I thought he should have been chosen in the third round. Still, the upside is there, and Hill could potentially fill a huge need.
Indianapolis Colts: Parris Campbell, WR, Ohio State A+ Grade
Wow, what a steal. Parris Campbell could have been chosen late in the first round without any sort of criticism. Campbell didn’t produce much early at Ohio State because of quarterbacking problems, but he was excellent this past season. Campbell is extremely explosive and talented, and he’ll be a nice No. 2 receiver for the Colts. Also, Campbell is a high-character prospect as a team captain, so this is an excellent choice all around.
Los Angeles Chargers: Nasir Adderley, S, Delaware A Grade
Nasir Adderley is another prospect who could have been chosen in the opening round. Adderley has tremendous coverage ability and play-making skills. He should have been chosen earlier than this, but the Chargers won’t complain, as they’re getting a much-needed upgrade next to Derwin James.
Los Angeles Rams: Taylor Rapp, S, Washington A Grade
The Rams finally made a pick! Taylor Rapp was once expected to be chosen late in the first round, but a poor combine performance and an injury – the two may have been connected – dropped him into the second frame. With that in mind, I think the Rams are getting good value with Rapp, and I love that they traded down so many times. Rapp will be a nice successor for Eric Weddle in a year or two.

Arizona Cardinals: Andy Isabella, WR, UMass B+ Grade
The Cardinals just acquired this pick from the Dolphins after shipping first-round bust Josh Rosen to Miami. The Cardinals are finally moving on from Rosen and his drama, and they’re giving Kyler Murray a nice weapon to work with. Isabella was expected to be chosen here, as he’s a talented slot receiver who fits well into Arizona’s new offense.
Kansas City Chiefs: Juan Thornhill, S, Virginia A- Grade
The Chiefs could’ve obtained Mecole Hardman at this spot. Instead, they’re actually picking a player at a solid value slot with this choice. Juan Thornhill is a versatile defensive back who has put together good tape. I didn’t think it was out of the question that Thornhill would be selected in the opening round, so this is later than I expected him to go. The Chiefs are likely upgrading a big position of weakness with this pick.
Seattle Seahawks: D.K. Metcalf, WR, Ole Miss B Grade
People who didn’t watch D.K. Metcalf will consider this a steal because “he raanannn a great 40 tiiimmeeee,” but Metcalf is not a good player. He is an unbelievable athlete, but he’s not a good football player. He’s a receiver who has no clue how to run routes, and I expected him to be chosen in the second round. This is right where Metcalf should’ve been chosen. He has immense upside and could develop into a good player, but he won’t be a consistent wideout for a while.