In the 2021 NFL Draft that has already been defined by teams trading furiously to jockey for optimal position, the frenzy has only accelerated moving into the second round.
Bleacher Report summed up the flurry of Day 2 trades perfectly:
Trying to keep up with these draft day 2 trades pic.twitter.com/JjlIUinf1S
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) April 30, 2021
The Denver Broncos kicked the party off, doing a deal with the Atlanta Falcons to select running back Javonte Williams from North Carolina (7.3 YPC, 22 TDs in 2020) with the 35th overall pick of the NFL Draft. They were clearly raring to replace Philip Lindsay in the backfield, and they are likely to continue the timeshare situation with Melvin Gordon as lead back. The Miami Dolphins were right behind at 36 (via the Houston Texans), bolstering their only weakness on defense with safety Jevon Holland from Oregon.
The New England Patriots (38, from the Cincinnati Bengals) and Chicago Bears (39, from the Carolina Panthers) finished off the initial frenzy. New England opted for DT Christian Barmore from Alabama, who made waves on the national scene by decimating Ohio State’s protection in the national championship game. Chicago meanwhile opted to invest in protection for new franchise quarterback Justin Fields by selecting Teven Jenkins, a versatile tackle from from Oklahoma State who should be able to get real starting minutes on the right side.
The Dolphins weren’t finished wheeling and dealing in the NFL Draft by the way: New York Giants GM Dave Gettleman traded down again, letting Miami take OT Liam Eichenberg, the first player off the board for Notre Dame, with the 42nd pick. Finally, the Las Vegas Raiders brought up the rear of the whirlwind, moving up to 43 to select S Trevon Moehrig from TCU, last year’s Jim Thorpe Award recipient.
Here’s the thing too: the second round isn’t even over yet. Stay buckled in, folks, there’s bound to be more to come.
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