Most of the attention for the NFL draft goes to the players selected in the 1st round. That is understandable given most of the elite players will be taken early and most of the betting markets at the top-rated sportsbooks involve them. But some of the best players in the 2024 NFL draft will also be found in the Day 2 prospects who go in the 2nd and 3rd rounds on Friday.
Some Examples
Just consider some of these players from the 2nd and 3rd rounds of the last few drafts and how they have performed so far:
- TE Sam LaPorta, Lions (2023 – 2nd round)
- WR Rashee Rice, Chiefs (2023 – 2nd round)
- WR Tank Dell, Texans (2023 – 3rd round)
- RB Kenneth Walker, Seahawks (2022 – 2nd round)
- WR George Pickens, Steelers (2022 – 2nd round)
- RB James Cook, Bills (2022 – 2nd round)
- OG Landon Dickerson, Eagles (2021 – 2nd round)
- C Creed Humphrey, Chiefs (2021 – 2nd round)
- WR Nico Collins, Texans (2021 – 3rd round)
We look at a dozen of the best day 2 prospects for teams to throw darts at in the 2024 NFL draft below.
QB Bo Nix (Oregon) and QB Michael Penix Jr. (Washington)
- Bo Nix: Draft Position – Over 32.5 (-200) at Bovada
- Michael Penix Jr: Draft Position – Over 32.5 (+150) at Bovada
* (check our Bovada Review)
This draft is unlikely to get 6 quarterbacks selected in the 1st round, so at least one of Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. should fall to that 2nd round. The odds were initially in favor of Nix going higher, but they are now heavily in favor of Penix Jr. going in the 1st round.
However, someone is likely going to try one of these players with a top-40 pick on Day 2. If you’re drafting Bo Nix, you get a very coachable player who could excel in the right system with high-percentage, easy throws after he completed an NCAA record 77.4% of his passes last year at Oregon. Maybe the Broncos and Sean Payton could be interested in him if they miss out on a quarterback in the 1st round.
The Broncos quietly did a lot of work on Oregon QB Bo Nix—they had an hour-long Zoom with him on March 7, then sent a Sean Payton-led contingent to Eugene to work him out on March 18, per sources.
So interest is there. Fit, too. But not having a 2nd-rounder could complicate it.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) April 24, 2024
The Other Option
With Penix Jr., you are looking at more of a talented passer who could put a team on his back and play some hero ball. He is favored to go to the Raiders (+300 at Bovada), but that seems very unlikely to happen with the No. 13 pick the Raiders hold. Maybe their 2nd-round pick makes more sense, or maybe a trade down to a more reasonable slot than No. 13.
After Caleb Williams goes No. 1 to Chicago, the possibilities for this quarterback class are almost endless. Some think Penix Jr. could be a star while others think he’ll be a massive bust. Some think J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) should be QB2 and some think he’ll be the worst of the Big 6.
No one knows anything, but chances are someone will take Penix or Nix with a high 2nd-round pick and give them a shot to prove they should have been a 1st-round pick at the most important position.
PAC-12 Throwback:
9/17/22 – Washington stunned #11 Michigan State behind an aerial assault from Michael Penix Jr.
— WestCoastCFB (@WestCoastCFB) April 6, 2024
WR Ricky Pearsall (Florida)
Wide receiver is arguably the deepest position in this draft. We could see 13 wideouts go in the first 2 rounds this year. That should make for a very interesting 2nd round as teams fight for value with the best of what’s left on the draft board.
A receiver many experts like is Ricky Pearsall from Arizona State and Florida. We’ve seen him produce with a different starting quarterback in each of the last 3 years, including Jayden Daniels (hopeful No. 2 overall pick this year) and Anthony Richardson (Colts’ current quarterback).
He has solid size, speed and he averaged 15.2 yards per catch in college. It wouldn’t be crazy to see him fit in as a great No. 3 option as a big slot in Cincinnati (Tyler Boyd still not re-signed) or Philadelphia.
He could even go higher to Carolina, an offense still in need of wideouts for new coach Dave Canales. In the right landing spot, it wouldn’t be surprising if Pearsall outperforms several of the wideouts who are going to be drafted ahead of him.
WR Troy Franklin (Oregon)
Troy Franklin exploded last year at Oregon with 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns in that prolific offense with Bo Nix at quarterback. He progressed each year in college, and he is a light-framed receiver at 6’2” and has a real chance to be one of the first 10 names read on Day 2.
With the Panthers holding picks No. 33 and No. 39, that will be a hot landing spot for him. It would be a shock if he lasted past picks No. 46 (Colts) and No. 47 (Giants) if those teams don’t come away with a pass catcher in the 1st round.
WR Keon Coleman (Florida State)
Keon Coleman may have hurt his stock a little with a slow 40-yard dash time (4.61 seconds), but he has a good initial burst, and he’s a big target at 6’3” and 213 pounds.
Coleman excelled at his role at Michigan State (2022) and Florida State (2023) the last 2 years. He’ll be someone who plays faster on game day than he did at the combine.
A team looking for a big target and secondary receiver in the 2nd round should take an interest in Coleman. That could be anyone from the Giants to the Bengals, Chargers and Falcons.
RB Jonathon Brooks (Texas)
- Odds to be 1st running back selected: +140 at Bovada
The odds are heavily against any running back going in the 1st round this season. Jonathon Brooks from Texas is the odds-on favorite to hear his name 1st among this year’s running back prospects, which also includes Trey Benson (Florida State) and Blake Corum (Michigan). All these players should go on Day 2, but why is Brooks the top choice for many when he’s coming off an ACL tear?
For starters, Benson tore basically everything in his knee and also his hamstring in 2020 at Oregon, and he was still able to recover and play at an explosive level in college. Players recover better than ever from those serious injuries now, so that’s not a huge concern with Brooks even if it could impact him in just 2024.
But Brooks also has less wear and tear on his body from college, he showed last year he can still average over 6.1 yards per carry on more carries and he can catch the ball.
The Dallas Cowboys lost Tony Pollard and did little to replace him this offseason. With the No. 56 pick in the 2nd round, Dallas could be looking to keep Brooks in Texas and make him the top running back in this 2024 NFL draft class.
Jonathan Brooks is projected to be one of the top Running Back’s taken in the NFL Draft. But is there any concern about his recovery from his torn ACL? @rapsheet joined @profootballdoc Podcast and discussed.
Watch: https://t.co/8f1FpZu10S
Listen: https://t.co/HxM05QPQuE pic.twitter.com/02vTP5iFcW— Sports Injury Central (@SICscore) April 23, 2024
TE Ja’Tavion Sanders (Texas)
Everyone knows Brock Bowers from Georgia is considered the top prize at tight end in this year’s draft for many reasons. But if you’re looking for that TE2 in this draft class, Ja’Tavion Sanders from Texas is almost certainly that player, and he should be a Day 2 pick.
Sanders is coming off back-to-back seasons with over 600 receiving yards. He averaged 13.1 yards per catch at Texas.
It would be something if the Chiefs, who hold the No. 64 pick, grabbed Sanders as a potential future replacement for Travis Kelce, who turns 35 this season. But Sanders may even go earlier than that to a team looking for someone who can make a big impact like Sam LaPorta (Lions) and Dalton Kincaid (Bills) did at tight end last year.
People have mocked Bowers to the Jets at No. 10, but they may be able to hold off and take Sanders with the No. 72 pick in the 3rd round.
OT Kingsley Suamataia (BYU)
This draft is also deep at offensive tackles with more than a handful likely going in the 1st round. But there are bound to be some values found high in the 2nd round as well.
One of those hopeful value picks is BYU tackle Kingsley Suamataia. A transfer from Oregon, he showed his versatility at BYU with 12 starts at right tackle in 2022 and 11 starts at left tackle in 2023.
Teams will certainly value that ability to slide over in a pinch if necessary. Maybe a team like the Bengals, who hold the No. 49 pick, would certainly appreciate that versatility with the shortcomings they have had at the tackle positions over the years.
SAF Tyler Nubin (Minnesota)
Odds are against any safeties getting drafted in the 1st round, which is not that uncommon anymore in the NFL draft. But the top-rated safety by many experts is Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin, a very solid 2nd-round prospect.
He was a 5-year player at Minnesota where he amassed 13 interceptions and 207 tackles. Pro Football Focus graded Nubin as the top safety on coverage snaps where the defense did not generate pressure in 2023.
Where could a player like Nubin land? The Commanders had the worst pass defense in the league last year with many breakdowns in the secondary. With new defensive-minded coach Dan Quinn in town, he may want to grab the top safety on the board with that No. 40 pick.
CB Kamari Lassiter (Georgia)
Kamari Lassiter was a multi-year starter on those great Georgia defenses. He only allowed 15 receptions on 39 targets for 136 yards in 2023 according to PFF’s coverage stats.
Lassiter didn’t show many ball skills with 1 career interception, but he defended 8 passes last year and should be a willing tackler in run support. Teams can never have enough good corners in the NFL.
A lesser athletic profile could drop Lassiter to the 3rd round, but a team ready to get a coachable, smart player might find him to be good value. Maybe Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers would be a good fit with the 69th pick.
LB Edgerrin Cooper (Texas A&M)
Similar to 2023, off-ball linebackers are not popular at the top of the NFL draft, so the best ones will likely have to wait until Day 2 to hear their names called.
This year’s top off-ball linebacker according to most experts is Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper. He is athletically gifted and has production to match after he racked up 8.0 sacks in 2023 – he had 0.5 sacks in 2020-22.
Cooper can be a quarterback spy and off-ball blitzer, an increasingly important role with the number of mobile quarterbacks in the game now. He might not have the instincts to be a top-40 pick, but someone searching for a speedy tackler in the 2nd or 3rd round could be a great landing spot for him.
Edge Chris Braswell (Alabama)
The top-rated edge rusher in this draft is Alabama’s Dallas Turner, who likely will be a top-10 pick. But teammate Chris Braswell is also a highly-rated prospect as Alabama keeps cranking them out year after year.
Braswell had 8.0 sacks himself last year, easily his best season yet after playing behind several NFL prospects. Braswell led the team in 2023 with 3 forced fumbles and returned an interception for a touchdown.
He’s not as polished as the top prospects, but a team willing to work him into the pass-rushing rotation may find a steal in the 2nd round.
