Official Day 2 (Rounds 2&3) Of The 2018 NFL Draft Thread

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Austin Corbet, OL, Browns

STRENGTHS
Compact, well-distributed frame with broad shoulders, a stout core and thick limbs. Shows good quickness off the ball, initiating the contact with defenders in the running game and showing good upper body strength, including an explosive punch. Powerful. Roll his hips on contact, creating the torque that can defenders off-balance and lead to pancake blocks. Efficient athlete with light enough feet and balance to get to the second level, with the awareness to locate and stalk defenders. Eases off the snap in pass protection, comfortably sliding to his left to protect the edge, showing the coordination to shift into a second gear to recover if late off the snap. Plays with his knees bent and on the balls of his feet, showing good lateral agility and balance to shuffle. Anchors well due to knee bend, a flexible core and his upper body strength. Highly competitive. Gives good effort until the echo of the whistle, often blocking downfield and multiple defenders on the same play. Voted a team captain in 2017. -- Rob Rang 1/15/2018

WEAKNESSES
Lacks ideal height and arm length to remain outside, an issue that did show up on tape with longer defenders able to disengage quickly (Notre Dame-2016). Can get a bit wild with his technique once blocking on the move, including shooting his hands outside of the defenders' numbers, which leave him vulnerable to slipping off blocks as well as drawing holding calls. Faulty timing and execution of cut blocks, diving at their legs too early and impeding opponents but not stopping them. - Rob Rang 1/15/2018

COMPARES TO: John Greco, Giants - I still remember scouting Greco at Toledo a decade ago. As he has at times in the NFL, Greco played tackle for the Rockets but did so with a frame better suited to guard, leaving as a four-year standout just like Corbett. Greco's competitive nature and ability to play multiple positions has kept him earning NFL paychecks since being drafted in 2008 by the then-St. Louis Rams in the third round. Corbett appears to possess the talent and intangibles to also be a long-time NFL player.

IN OUR VIEW: Corbett started 48 of 49 possible games for the Wolfpack with all of them at tackle. Average height and arm length, however, could push him inside to guard where, theoretically, his powerful punch and brawling nature project well. A position switch is always a bit of a risk but Corbett's smooth athleticism, competitive nature and durability suggest that this Nevada gamble could hit big.

[denverYooper]

Aren't the Packers due for their next 2nd Round WR Gem?

Time to find out if Gutes has that magic.

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Giants Will Hernandez, OG

STRENGTHS
Hernandez looks like he was cut from an "OG" template with very broad shoulders and a thick overall musculature including meaty thighs and stubby limbs very conducive to winning the leverage battle. He is an impressive athlete for the position, showing terrific initial quickness out of his stance when asked to pull as well as explosive power in his hands and hips to generate clear movement at the point of attack.

High school defensive tackle, Hernandez still plays with the fire of a defender, jolting opponents with an explosive initial pop and showing legitimate nasty in his play, looking to pancake and dominate opponents. Hernandez shows light feet, balance and excellent core strength in pass protection, sliding laterally and anchoring effectively when opponents attempt bull rushes. He keeps his head on a swivel and reacts aggressively to twists and stunts, firing outside when necessary to flank his left tackle and protect the edge.

As a run blocker, Hernandez shows an explosive initial punch and leg drive to generate movement at the point of attack and sells out when blocking at the second level, lunging into opponents to often create eye-popping collisions. He looks for work in pass protection, delivering well-timed punches to knock defenders off balance. UTEP's former and current coaches all rave about Hernandez's work ethic and commitment. - Rob Rang 12/2/2017

WEAKNESSES
Though he occasionally squared off against Big 12 opponents (including Oklahoma and Texas), the majority of UTEP's games were against inferior competition. Further, though he saw some time at center during practice over his career, Hernandez has zero starting experience at any other position other than left guard and does not long snap.

He can be a bit sporadic with his hand placement, grasping outside of the numbers and leaving himself vulnerable to slipping off or drawing penalties. Though Hernandez possesses impressive initial quickness (including when pulling), he occasionally gets a too far ahead of his skis once on the run, lacking the elite body control and anticipation to consistently hit moving targets. At times, he'll resort to lunging at opponents here, delivering some terrific hits but occasionally missing, as well. - Rob Rang 12/2/2017

COMPARES TO: Randall McDaniel, Vikings. McDaniel starred in an era in which 300 pound offensive linemen were rare but it is easy to remember the great No. 64's squatty frame, physicality and consistency when watching Hernandez. Like McDaniel (who started 202 consecutive games and earned All-Pro designation nine straight seasons), Hernandez earns top marks for durability and overall dominance, at least at the college level.

IN OUR VIEW: Do not make the mistake of thinking that because the Miners finished winless in 2017 that the team lacks talent. In fact, in Hernandez UTEP boasts its best NFL prospect since the Raiders made linebacker Thomas Howard the No. 38 overall selection of the 2006 draft.

Hernandez is a plug and play candidate with 49 consecutive starts (all at left guard). As his size suggests, he is a mauler in the running game with terrific power. Hernandez also shows excellent awareness to recognize stunts and twists, as well as the athleticism to react appropriately.

[Joemailman]

Aren't the Packers due for their next 2nd Round WR Gem?

Time to find out if Gutes has that magic.

Several still out there. Chark, Sutton, Washington

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Browns Nick Chubb RB

STRENGTHS
Desired build with thick legs and lower body. Physical mentality and delivers blows mid-run. Finishes with low pads and forward lean, carrying tacklers for a few extra yards. Above average run balance, vision and cutting ability to make quick decisions based on his reads. Strong footwork in the hole to plant-and-go, keeping his eyes and feet in sync. Smooth lateral cuts and quickly regains his momentum.

Sees through the first defender and locates blocks, setting up his second and third moves. Professional work habits since high school and pushes himself in the weight room. Highly productive and finished his collegiate career ranked top-3 in the SEC in rushing yards – tied Herschel Walker for the SEC record with 13-straight 100-yard games. Football bloodlines – father (Henry) played at Valdosta State; uncle (Aaron) played at Georgia; cousin (Brandon) has spent time on NFL practice squads last two seasons; cousin (Bradley) is a first round prospect in the 2018 draft class. Three-time team captain. Developed mental toughness dealing with his sophomore knee injury. – Dane Brugler 11/28/2017

WEAKNESSES
Not a dynamic start-stop athlete in space. Moves with one consistent speed, but lacks explosive gears. Gets himself in trouble when he stops his feet in the backfield. Shows soft hands when targeted, but wasn’t a high volume receiving threat in college (29 career catches). Ball security improved, but still room for improvement.

Featured runner most of his career, but benefited from deep backfields, allowing him to have fresh legs – only one game with 20+ touches as a senior. Medicals will be important after his ugly knee injury (Oct. 2015), tearing the PCL, MCL and LCL (but not the ACL) in his left knee, missing the second half of his sophomore season – also missed some time due to a left ankle injury as a junior (Sept. 2016). – Dane Brugler 11/28/17

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Colts take Darius Leonard OLB

STRENGTHS
Tall, good-looking frame with long arms. Balanced athleticism to mirror. Flows fast and pursues laterally. Rangy long-strider to make plays outside the numbers. Shoots gaps and closes well as a blitzer. Uses his length to lasso ballcarriers. Contact balance to work through blockers without taking himself out of the play. Alert and eyes stay trained on the ball to be in the right place at the right time. Performed well in four career games vs. FBS competition, including a career-best 19 tackles and a blocked field goal at Clemson (Sept. 2016). Mature, respectful individual and has an “old soul” according to his former high school coach. Works hard to add weight to his frame. NFL bloodlines – older half-brother (Anthony Waters) was drafted in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft and played linebacker for four seasons in the NFL. Productive resume with a school-record 394 career tackles, starting 43 games the last four years. – Dane Brugler 2/7/2018

WEAKNESSES
Lanky with questionable growth potential. Below average play strength. Struggles to tackle in motion, overpursuing shifty ballcarriers. Bad habit of waiting on his heels, allowing runners to set up moves. Flows with the action, easily falling for fakes and misdirection. Needs to expand his vision to spot blocks. Raw take-on skills, lacking the hand technique to quickly work off blocks. Late to anticipate and doesn’t always trust his instincts. Almost all his collegiate experience came vs. FCS-level competition. – Dane Brugler 2/7/2018

IN OUR VIEW
Leonard needs to improve his play strength and reaction quickness to handle full-time linebacker responsibilities in the NFL, but he competes with the athletic range and reliable football character that fits today’s game.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Draft is going fast right now.

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Braden Smith, G Auburn

Physically impressive frame with essential body thickness. Core strength to anchor at shallow depth. Balanced feet, both in space and when locked up. Flexible lower body to drop and roll his hips at contact. Clean puller to seal or stick defenders in space. Stubborn hands to punch, reload and fire again. Reliable – when the offense needs one yard, they often ran behind the right guard. Consistent knee bend in pass protection. Quick to recover after a jab to his chest. Never content, staying busy and searching for a body to lay a lick. No stranger to the weight room. Humble up-bringing and not a “me” player – “he has really come a long way from a leadership standpoint.” – Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn. Four-year SEC Academic honor roll and graduated with a degree in education (Summer 2017). Athletic bloodlines – father (David) played football and ran track at Kansas. Versatile experience with starts at both guard and tackle. – Dane Brugler 1/2/2018

WEAKNESSES
Active hands, but placement lacks refinement, often landing outside his target. Needs to better protect his breast plate. Occasionally forgets his feet at the point of attack, which hurt his ability to sustain. Low pad level rushers will give him trouble. Stout and rarely gives up ground, but not a bully who will simply overwhelm the point of attack. Has steadily improved his playing demeanor, but would benefit with a little more killer instinct to his game. – Dane Brugler 1/2/2018

COMPARES TO: David DeCastro, Pittsburgh Steelers – From a physical standpoint, these two players are very similar with their power at the point of attack and ability to hold up as both a run blocker and pass protector. DeCastro has developed into a Pro Bowler so this is high praise, but Smith has that type of potential if he improves his technique.

IN OUR VIEW: Smith needs to improve his hand tactics and leverage to better sustain the point of attack, but he projects as a NFL starter with his balanced lower body powerful upper body. He is best at guard, but his experience outside at tackle is welcomed versatility to help on the edges if needed.

[Joemailman]

I could see Gutey trading back here. Want a 3rd round pick.

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TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
RONALD JONES, RB

STRENGTHS
Field fast and accelerates into the hole. Drops his hips and explodes laterally. Fantastic feet to brake, allow defenders to whiz by him and quickly regain his speed. Takes away outside pursuit angles with his pace. Transitions inside to outside without throttling down. Necessary run instincts to set up open-field moves. Runs more physical than expected for his frame, driving his legs and not surrendering at contact. Not a content ballcarrier and runs with urgency. Toughness to meet blitzers in the hole and keep them occupied. Ran track in college as the third leg on USC’s winning 400-meter relay team (39.89). Well-liked and humble teammate. Admittedly lazy as a high school underclassman, but matured following the death of his father (Ronald, an Army sergeant) due to a heart attack in 2012. Appetite for the end zone with at least one touchdown in 19 of his final 20 games at USC. – Dane Brugler 1/3/2018

WEAKNESSES
Tall and lean-muscled, lacking an ideal build for the position. Lacks move-the-pile power. Not a consistent tackle-breaker unless his speed is shifted in high gear. Must improve his tempo and patience as an inside runner to better set up blocks. Needs to further his development as a receiver (32 catches for 302 receiving yards and two scores at USC). Limitations as a pass blocker with spotty technique. Marginal body armor leads to durability and usage concerns – missed the Cal game (Sept. 2017) due to a left ankle sprain and leg bruise. – Dane Brugler 1/3/2018

COMPARES TO: Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs – With the body types, explosive runs and even the same jersey number, the Charles comparisons are unavoidable.

IN OUR VIEW: Overall, Jones needs to improve his run tempo and his workload will need to be monitored, but he flashes the home run speed, understated power and run determination to elevate a NFL backfield.

[Joemailman]

There goes Sutton.

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Bears James Daniels C

STRENGTHS
Still growing into his body but possesses ideal traits for the position including naturally thick frame with a powerful lower half and very long arms. Easy athleticism pops off the tape, showing excellent snap to step quickness to make difficult angle blocks as well as the burst to skate downfield to find secondary targets. Shows rare body control to adjust to moving targets with sticky hands to reach, snatch, control and sustain blocks through the whistle. Good agility and awareness in pass protection, as well, showing light feet and flexibility in his core to turn and adjust to surprise blitzes and stunts. Proper hand placement when helping his guards, delivering powerful jolts to the ribs and hips of opponents, occasionally knocking them off their feet. Plays with easy knee bend and possesses the core strength and long arms to anchor against bull rushers. Played in a pro-style offense, showing comfort with the quarterback taking the ball directly from him and firing accurate crisp snaps out of shotgun. Appears to be just scratching the surface of his potential. -- Rob Rang 1/11/2018

WEAKNESSES
Not yet the sum of his parts. Is almost too quick to the second level, rushing downfield but failing to anticipate where defenders will be when he gets there, allowing savvy linebackers to slip past him entirely or failing to deliver the accurate pop to eliminate them from the play. Can get a little frenetic in his play, attempting to do too much and getting himself off-balance. Pad level rises as he tires and can get walked deep into the pocket when he loses the leverage battle, needing to continue to gain more core and upper body strength. Will occasionally leave his feet to attempt cut blocks but needs to do a better job of targeting the knees of opponents, coming in too low and failing to roll, allowing defenders to leap over him. Does come with some medical red-flags after missing three combined games (and numerous practices) with knee issues, wearing braces on both knees the past two years. - Rob Rang 1/11/2018

COMPARES TO: Rodney Hudson, Raiders - As a two-time All-American who stayed through his senior season at Florida State, Hudson was clearly more polished entering the NFL than Daniels. The 6-2, 300 pounder possesses a similar bowling ball-like frame as Daniels, however, as well as the quickness and power to be a difference-maker inside. Hudson has earned two Pro Bowl nods and a five year, $44.5 million dollar deal to leave the Chiefs (the franchise which selected him 55th overall back in 2011) for Oakland.

IN OUR VIEW: The 2018 center class is a significantly better group than last year, which only resulted in five centers total being drafted. This class could double that with a few legitimate plug and play options. Daniels isn't necessarily one of them, needing to iron out some wrinkles in his game before he can be counted on as a full-time starter in the NFL. Due to his rare blend of body style and athleticism, however, it wouldn't be surprising to see him drafted earlier than most of his well-known peers as he possesses the highest upside of the bunch.
…

[red]

damn, no more sutton

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Broncos, Courtland Sutton, WR, Southern Methodist

STRENGTHS
Possesses the build of a prototypical No. 1 NFL receiver with broad shoulders, long arms and a tapered, athletic frame with good overall musculature. Natural hands receiver who collects passes easily, showing very good concentration and hand strength to secure the contested grab. Can track the ball over his shoulder, as well as come back towards the ball and pluck before taking the big hit. Is not afraid to use his size and strength to box out defenders for the ball, showing good timing and body control to win 50-50 throws and adjust to poorly thrown balls. Can contort in the air to adjust, making him a natural red zone threat.

Smooth accelerator off the line of scrimmage with enough build-up speed to be a vertical threat. Surprisingly agile for a receiver of his size with good lateral agility and a stop-start move. Shows good vision to set up blocks, weaving through traffic and using his natural size and strength advantage to bully his way and create additional yardage after the catch. Showed improved savviness as a route-runner in 2017, varying his gait to create separation and using shoulder fakes to leave defenders guessing and recognizing the potential for big gains on "free plays" when the defense was clearly offside... Experienced playing inside and out, theoretically easing his transition to the NFL. The clear-cut top option at SMU and might blossom with a greater supporting cast... - Rob Rang 12/14/2017

WEAKNESSES
Lacks elite suddenness off the snap to frighten NFL defensive backs, showing smooth but not sudden acceleration to create separation. Does not explode out of his breaks and throttles down on comebacks and stop routes which could lead to interceptions against the elite cornerbacks he will face in the NFL.

Can be too physical, resorting to pushing off defensive backs to create separation and drawing offensive pass interference penalties (TCU, Houston 2017). Could improve in his ability to recognize and improvise, failing to adjust his routes when his quarterback is in trouble. Did not face much press coverage in college and will need time to adjust in this area. Despite playing multiple receiver positions at SMU, ran a fairly limited route tree... Gets in the way as a blocker but is not the dominator that his build and hype suggest... -- Rob Rang 12/14/2017

COMPARES TO: Hall of Famer Art Monk, Washington Redskins. The elite size-speed matchup in recent NFL history is Randy Moss, a 2018 Canton finalist. Sutton's blend of height, agility, underrated straight-line speed and reliable hands is a closer comparison to Monk, a 6-3, 210 pounder who earned a yellow jacket based on consistency, including in the red zone with 68 career touchdowns.

IN OUR VIEW: Today's NFL passing attacks feature physical mismatches and perhaps no one in the 2018 draft class boasts a more intriguing combination of size, athleticism and ball-skills than Sutton, who recorded 31 touchdowns over the past three seasons, building upon his production each year after tying current Denver Broncos' standout Emmanuel Sanders' SMU freshman record with nine touchdowns.

Critics will point to Sutton's lack of ideal straight-line speed and questionable level of competition. His production (and this year's relative average receiver corps, however) are likely to earn him a top 50 grade with a first round selection in his very large catch radius.

[Joemailman]

Best available:

Connor Williams
Derrius Guice
Harold Landry
Maurice Hurst
Josh Jackson
Christian Kirk