The NFL Draft is in the books. We’ve discussed each first round pick on Friday. Now we’ll look at the Day 2 picks (Round 2 and 3) for each North team.
Chicago Bears
The Bears trades up in Round 1 and lost a 4th round pick (106) for Leonard Floyd at pick 9. The Bears made up for that loss by trading down twice in Round 2. The Bears traded to pick 49 from 41 with the Bills. The Bills took Reggie Ragland and the Bears got pick 49, a 2016 4th (117) and a 2017 4th round for moving down 8 spots.
The Bears traded down again from pick 49 to pick 56 with Seattle after the Packers traded up and stole Jason Spriggs. The Bears added pick 124 in the 4th round for making this move with the Seahawks. The Bears now had 3 4th round picks in the draft.
The Seahawks took DT Jarran Reed and the Bears eventually selected Cody Whitehair at 59. Whitehair is a guard/tackle but most likely will play guard for the Bears. The Bears cut starter Matt Slausen after the draft.
Round 2 Pick 59: Cody Whitehair Guard
“Whitehair is 6’4 and 301 pounds. Whitehair was a four year starter and team captain. He played left tackle for the Wildcats but has shorter arms and projects to guard in the NFL. Cody has good balance and solid athleticism but must work on his punch and stance on the next level.”
Whitehair ran a 5.08 40 with only 16 bench reps. He must work on his strength. However, he had a good 3 cone drill (7.32) and a 110 inch broad jump.
This was a solid pick for the Bears adding a versatile player on the offensive line.
Round 3 Pick 72: Jonathan Bullard DE
The Bears stayed put in Round 3 and took a much needed 3-4 DE. Bullard is 6’3 and 285 pounds DT/DE tweener. Bullard is quick and explosive and ran 4.93 40 with a 7.31 3 cone drill and 116 broad jump. Bullard had 23 reps on the bench from the Gators. He has good pad level and was good against the run and disruptive plays in the backfield. He can bull rush but needs to beat more double teams.
Chicago had a good day 2 adding three 4th round picks and getting two starter quality players at need spots. Ryan Pace is doing a good job for the Bears.
Detroit Lions
Round 2 Pick 46: A’Shawn Robinson DT
The Lions and new GM Bob Quinn didn’t make any trades during the entire 2016 draft. Detroit got great value in Round 2 after taking Taylor Decker at pick 16 (LT/RT). The Lions nabbed a long term solution at DT with a first round quality player in A’Shawn Robinson. Alabama DT A’Shawn Robinson offers great run defense, double team ability and some pass rush at only 20 years old.
Robinson is 6’3 and 307 pounds from the Crimson Tide. Robinson is powerful, explosive and a good tackler. He can generate a strong pocket push and finish plays. He must work on his pad level and balance but should be a good run defender in the league with solid pass rush. Robinson was a 1st round pick candidate and a steal for Quinn. Ngata is 32 years old and Tyrunn Walker and Stefan Charles are only one year deals. Gabe Wright didn’t show much his rookie season. The Lions have a very good five deep DT rotation for the 2016 season and good talent for the future.
Round 3 Pick 95: Graham Glasgow
The Lions selected some competition for struggling center Travis Swanson (2014 3rd rounder). The Lions selected former Wolverine Graham Glasgow. Glasgow played center the last two years for the Wolverines and played guard his sophomore year.
“Glasgow is a versatile center from the Wolverines. The Wolverine is 6’6 and 305 pounds. Glasgow played some guard and has adequate strength. Glasgow has some trouble at the second level and had some off the field alcohol issues at Michigan.”
He has a good anchor against the bull rush and a mean streak. He developed under Jim Harbaugh and is strong to handle big DTs. He must work on quickness and mature from his off field problems.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers traded up in Round 2 from pick 57 to pick 48 giving up a 4th round pick (125) and 7th round pick (248) to the Colts. The Packers made a great pick adding Jason Spriggs. Spriggs is a very athletic LT from Indiana.
Round 2 Pick 48: Jason Spriggs
Spriggs is a very athletic tackle that had a great combine. He is 6’6 and 301 pounds with long arms. Spriggs is quick and a good bender with balance but needs to add some bulk. He could project to be a starting left tackle in the league.
The Hoosier must work on his punch but has the skill set to be a starter with some good coaching. Spriggs had late first round or early second round pick value and the Packers got a future starter. They have four offensive line free agents next season including LT David Bakhtiari. Spriggs should be the future in Green Bay.
Round 3 Pick 88: OLB Kyle Frackell
The Packers added an athletic OLB from Utah State in Round 3. Mike Neal is gone and the Packers needed one more OLB for the rotation. Peppers and Nick Perry are free agents next year and Frackell could play a lot in the future. Frackell ran 4.72 and had 15 reps on the bench. He has good length and athleticism. He is solid against the run and dropped in coverage often for Utah State. Frackell tore his ACL in 2014 and must work on his pass rush moves. He compares to Connor Barwin. Frackell will add much needed LB coverage for Green Bay. Ted Thompson had a good day of the 2016 draft.
Minnesota Vikings
Round 2 Pick 54: CB Mackensie Alexander
The Vikings took WR Laquan Treadwell in Round 1. They focused on defense in Round 2 and took CB Mackensie Alexander. Alexander is only 5’10 and 190 pounds but was a shut-down corner for the Clemson Tigers. Alexander had Round 1 potential and the Vikings add to their young secondary. Captain Munnerlyn and Terrence Newman are free agents after 2016. Xavier Rhodes should get the 5th year option for 2017 and Trae Waynes (2015 1st round pick) waits in the wings to start on the outside. The Vikings load up on cornerbacks now for Mike Zimmer. This was a strategy for the Bengals (Zimmer’s old team). Alexander could be their future nickelback.
The Vikings traded their 3rd round pick (86) to Miami for a 2017 3rd round pick, 2017 4th round pick and 2016 6th round pick (186). The Vikings load up for the 2017 draft with this trade. It was a good move for GM Rick Spielman after adding a weapon and good CB.
It was good day 2 for all NFC North teams. Two teams added a couple mid-round picks. All four North teams filled some big needs with quality players. We’ll look at Day 3 picks for 2016 tomorrow.