LIVE DRAFT BLOG: DAY 2

Day 2 of the NFL Draft is about to begin and I am hear again to follow along with the action in Chicago. Along with the draft I will be watching NHL hockey, Pearl Jam in Philadelphia, and whatever else comes to mind. A few questions I will be hoping are answered tonight:

• When will Myles Jack be selected? Jaylon Smith?
• Will Pearl Jam finally play Release?
• When will Derrick Henry be picked?
• Can the Stars defend well enough to beat the Blues?
• Who will be the first quarterback selected tonight?
• Will my dog Colston still be awake when the Saints pick tonight?

With that said, lets do this.

7:10- The Browns are on the clock and the pick is in. The Browns remind me of an expansion team. They have a QB looking for a fresh start and holes all over the field. They also have very mean fans. I suppose everyone has mean fans when you are in their building rooting for their opponent. Buffalo is by far the worst that I have been to.

7:14- The Browns pick a DE from Oklahoma State named Emmanuel Ohbah. This dude was all over first round mock drafts and I was a little surprised he didn’t get picked last night. I watch a lot of Big 12 football and I didn’t even notice this dude against Oklahoma last year. The year before was a different story. I assume the Browns will work on his consistency.

7:21- The Titans waste little time and pick Kevin Dodd from Clemson.

7:22- Before I can even say a word about Dodd, the Cowboys get their pick in and select Jaylon Smith from Notre Dame. I love this pick. Anytime you have a chance to pick someone who could be the best player in the draft on the second day I think you have to do it. The injury was scary but everyone who knows him seems to think he is the kind of kid who can overcome it. Smith might not play this season but three guys picked in the first round last year didn’t play because of injury. I love the pick and I’m glad the Cowboys had the balls to pull the trigger. Who is going to do the same with Myles Jack?

7:27- We are only a half an hour into the second round and I am already annoyed. First of all, people are tipping picks all over the place on twitter. If you don’t want to know who is picked before the pick is made on television you’ll have to sign off of. Second, ESPN and the NFL Network are already falling way behind. The Jaguars have traded up and made a pick and the pick after the Jaguars has been made as well. Instead of announcing any of that stuff we are in commercial. The NFL draft needs to be treated like a World Cup game. Get a sponsor for each hour of the thing and plaster their logo all over the screen. We don’t have time to go to commercial when picks could be made at any time.

7:31- We return from commercial and ESPN has missed the announcement of the Chargers pick. Seriously? I love Trey Wingo but I am bailing out of here. For the record, the Chargers picked Hunter Henry a tight end from Arkansas.

7:32- Roger returns to boos and Fred Taylor is going to make the Jaguars pick. The Ravens traded out of this spot to allow the Jaguars to move up. Jacksonville picks, MYLES JACK. The Jaguars are killing it. If the Jaguars would have picked Jack at 5 last night I wouldn’t have had a problem with that. Instead, the make the move on day two and get the guy at 36th overall. I said it last night and I will say it again. The Jaguars are building a juggernaut.

7:34- The Chiefs pick is in but ESPN has went to commercial, again. I am out and turn the channel to the NFL Network.

7:36- Its a good thing I did because the NFL Network is live and the Chiefs have picked Chris Jones a defensive tackle from Mississippi State. Chris Jones should have stayed in college another year. He left hoping to be a first round pick but had to wait until the second day. Jones was pumped though. I’m glad for him.

Side note- I spilled my iced tea all over the place.

7:42- The Ravens have no interest in making a pick. They moved out of 36 to fall back to 38 and now have traded that pick to the Dolphins. The Dolphins pick Xavien Howard a corner back from Baylor. The NFL Network cuts to a Dolphins fan in the crowd that is pumped about the pick despite the fact that they don’t seem to really have any idea who he is.

7:47- The Buccaneers select Noah Spence a DE from Eastern Kentucky. Eight picks into round two and we have seven defensive players off the board and one offensive player. The Giants picked Eli Apple last night and are up next. I wonder if they would think about taking the Heisman Trophy winner.

7:50- The Giants pick my favorite player in the entire draft, Sterling Shepard. Shepard is a wide receiver from Oklahoma and is fantastic from the slot. He will be a great compliment to Beckham on the outside. Shepard is a great kid. Giants fans are going to love him.

7:53- The Bills move up from 49 to 41 for 2 fourth round picks. That seems like a lot to give up to move eight spots. Do they want a quarterback?

7:55- The Bills pass on Connor Cook and pick Reggie Ragland a LB from Alabama. I think that is a lot to give up to pick a linebacker. Rex obviously wants to make the Bills defense great again.

7:56- The Ravens will make a pick after moving back twice. They pick Kamalei Correa from Boise State. I wonder if that is they guy they wanted all along and the trades worked out or they settled for Correa because the guy they wanted was gone. We will never know. In the end, the Ravens get Correa, an extra fourth round pick, and an extra fifth round pick.

8:02- The second round is moving very fast. The Titans make their second pick of the night and pick Austin Johnson a DL from Penn State. Johnson is the tenth defender selected in round two.

8:06- The Oakland Raiders pick Jhad Ward a DE from Illinois. I think the people of Las Vegas are going to love this guy. The Titans are on the clock again?

8:10- We have puck drop in Dallas. I would love to see the Fighting Lindy’s take the Blues out but I don’t think they defend well enough. Jamie Benn might be the most underrated player in the NHL. He had 5 goals in round one and he is going to need at least that many if they want to see the Western Conference Final.

8:13- The Titans pick the Heisman Trophy winner. I think when you have three picks in the first fourteen of round two you might as well take a gamble on a guy as talented as Derrick Henry. I’m not sure they needed him with Demarco Murray in town but he is a much different back and offers a different skill set.

8:16- The Lions continue the run on Alabama players and take A’Shaen Robinson. Robinson is a massive human being. I was surprised that only one player form Alabama went last night, but we have a different story tonight. Three guys from Alabama have been picked in the first fifteen.

8:18- The Saints pick is in and again I wonder if it could be a quarterback. The Saints played it safe last night picking Sheldon Rankins from Louisville. Drew Brees is 37 and if they think a guy who could start for them when Brees retires is available I don’t have a problem with the pick. With that said, I would rather see the Saints pick someone who can contribute to the team while Brees is still on the roster.

8:21- The Saints do the right thing and pick Michael Thomas a 6′ 3″ wide receiver from Ohio State. Instead of picking Brees’ replacement Loomis and Payton instead get him a weapon. Thomas is a big dude who can help add some size to the position that they lost when Marques Colston was let go.

8:25- The Packers move up and if you are a fan of the Packers you know that their GM Ted Thompson never moves up. They must really want someone. That someone is Jason Spriggs a T from Indiana. Aaron Rodgers was running for his life last season so this pick makes sense. Regardless, I am surprised the Packers moved up.

8:33- The Bears were on the clock and the fans in Chicago got all pumped up only to find out that the Bears bailed on the pick. The Seahawks move up to 49 and pick

8:36- Pearl Jam has taken the stage in Philadelphia. Surprisingly, they open with Once for the second night in a row. I am just going to guess that they might be playing Ten from start to finish tonight.

8:37- The Seahawks select Jarren Reed a DT from Alabama. Yesterday was the day of Ohio State and today is apparently the day of Alabama. I figured the Seattle moved up with the purpose of building their offensive line but they must really like Reed.

8:40- Pearl Jam follows Once with Even Flow and the people of Philadelphia are getting Ten from beginning to end tonight.

8:44- The Texans select Nick Martin an OG from Notre Dame. That is who I thought Seattle was going to take.

8:46- The Jets send a message to the beard from Harvard and pick Christian Hackenberg from Penn State. This is the kind of pick that the back pages in New York dream off. Hackenberg is a polarizing talent that was once the number one overall recruit out of high school. He has a ton of upside but he struggled at Penn State. I like it. He is absolutely worth the risk.

8:54- The Falcons pick Deion Jones a LB from LSU. BUST. I feel terrible that a kid born and raised in New Orleans has to go play for the Falcons. Interestingly, the Saints first round pick yesterday was from Georgia.

8:58- The Redskins pick SU’a Cravens a LB from USC. I think Cravens is the first SU’a I have ever heard of. So far we have had 15 defenders selected and 7 players who line up on offense. The Stars and Blues are tied at 0 and Pearl Jam is finishing Black as we head into the 9:00 hour on the East coast.

9:05- The Vikings pick Mackenzie Alexander a DB from Clemson. Alexander was absolutely awesome against Oklahoma in the National Semi-Final on New Year’s Eve.

9:06- The Bengals select Tyler Boyd a WR from Pittsburgh. Boyd is a little shorter than Thomas the WR that the Saints took but he is probably a little more polished as a route runner. Are the Bears finally going to pick???? The fans have been waiting.

9:09- Dick Butkus announces that the Bears have picked guard Cody Whitehair from Kansas State. A guard is absolutely the right position to pick when Dick Butkus is announcing it. Mayock seems to think that this well be a great fit for the Bears and if he says so then who am I to argue.

9:13- I forgot the Indianapolis Colts were playing today. They are, and Marshall Faulk tells us that T.J. Green from Clemson is selected to play defensive back. Green can fly but he has only played defense for a couple of years. I would bet this pick will have plenty of critics.

9:18- The Steelers pick Sean Davis a DB from Maryland.

9:20- WHATTTTTTT??????? The Buccaneers pick Roberto Aguayo a kicker from Florida State. A kicker, in the second round, a kicker. To do this the Buccaneers had to give up multiple picks to get back into the round. I don’t get it. I wouldn’t be happy if my team did it. That is a head scratcher.

9:22- GOAL. Antoine Roussel pounces on a rebound in front and the Stars take a 1-0 lead over the Blues.

9:24- The Patriots select Cyrus Jones a DB from Alabama. It seems like every guy picked is from Alabama tonight.

9:26- The Saints move back into the second round. I thought they might move back into the first round last night but they pull the trigger tonight.

9:28- The Saints pick another guy from Ohio State and grab safety Vonn Bell. Jairus Byrd has basically been the worst free agent signing of all-time. I like he idea of strengthening that position. Loomis and Payton did a great job tonight.

9:30- Pearl Jam is finishing the chronological performance of their album TEN with a passionate version of Release. Ed talked before the song about pain and losing people and dedicated it to a few fans in attendance that lost a brother. Wow. Powerful.

9:33- The Panthers pick James Bradberry a DB from a small school. I have never heard of the guy but when you go 15-1 you can take a chance and try to draft a diamond in the rough.

9:40- The Broncos finish off the defense heavy second round with Adam Gotsis a DT from Georgia Tech. I am surprised the Broncos think they need a defensive lineman but when you win the Super Bowl you can do whatever you want.

9:41- The Titans open the third round with a defender. Kevin Byard is a safety from Middle Tennessee St. The picks are going to be flying in now so I won’t necessarily post for every single pick. I will just drop in here and there when something interesting happens in the draft, the hockey game, or at the Pearl Jam concert.

9:57- The Jaguars get another quality defender. They are having the best draft of any team so far. Also, Pearl Jam just played Let The Records Play and Spin the Black Circle back to back. That is starting to become a thing. If one song is played the other usually isn’t far away.

10:06- Pearl Jam is playing Bee Girl a quirky little b-side that is about the little girl dressed as a bee in the Blind Melon video for No Rain.

10:58- The Patriots grab a quarterback and it’s not Connor Cook. Instead Bill grabs Jacoby Brisset from N.C. State. His name sort of reminds me of a breakfast bread.

11:00- It’s 11:00 and another team has passed on Connor Cook. The Browns pick Cody Kessler from USC. The NFL Draft has turned into a nightmare for Cook.

11:17- The third round is over, Pearl Jam is still playing, and Connor Cook still hasn’t been drafted. Goodnight.