Rounds two and three of the 2018 NFL draft are in the books. Overall, 77 players were taken on the second day of the event but even though they entered the day with three selections, the New England Patriots contributed to only one of those picks: After a series of trades, the Patriots ended up at the 56th overall spot – and with Florida cornerback Duke Dawson added to their secondary.
Let's quickly recap the action of day two.
The day starts in the trenches
Round two began with multiple team investing in their lines on both sides of the football: After the Cleveland Browns selected offensive tackle Austin Corbett with the first pick of the day, four more linemen were taken within the next eight picks. Among the players picked was Boston College's standout pass rusher Harold Landry. The oft-projected first-round pick came off the board at 41, when the Tennessee Titans traded up to get him.
Trades continue to shape the draft board
Speaking of trades, they once again dominated the event. After the first round saw teams vigorously move up and down the board, rounds two and three were no different. No matter if it was the Titans, the Oakland Raiders or the San Francisco 49ers, teams were willing to invest capital to manipulate the process to their liking. Of course, the kings of trading – as usual – resided in New England.
New England moves down twice before moving back up
After making a trade for offensive tackle Trent Brown earlier today, the Patriots added three more trades during round two: The team started by moving down from 43 to 51, picking up an additional fourth-round selection in the process. New England then made another trade to go from 51 to 105 – which resulted in an additional 2019 second-round pick. Bill Belichick and company then moved back up again from 63 to 56 to pick Florida cornerback Duke Dawson.
Orlando Brown joins his late father's former team
After a historically bad scouting combine, potential first-round pick Orlando Brown saw his draft stock plummet. His fall continued until the third round, when the Baltimore Ravens picked him up with selection number 83 – coincidentally the team with which Brown's father spent most of his career: Orlando “Zeus” Brown Sr., who died in 2011 due to complications from diabetes, played six seasons in Baltimore in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Quarterbacks have a quiet two rounds
While five quarterbacks heard their name called in round one, only one was taken today: With the 76th overall selection, the Pittsburgh Steelers picked Oklahoma State's Mason Rudolph. This means that even though there was a quarterback frenzy early in round one, a lot of passers are still available as we head into round four – including potential Patriots targets Kyle Lauletta, Mike White and Luke Falk.
Maurice Hurst and Josh Sweat continue sliding down the board
Two defensive linemen seen as potential first-round picks before the draft – Michigan's Maurice Hurst and Florida State's Josh Sweat – have still not been taken three rounds in. Both bring tremendous upside to the table but come with questions about their health and scheme fit. Their fall will certainly be one of the bigger storylines of day three and potentially make a team in the mid-late round happy.