Just like that, three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft are complete. One hundred college football players have officially gone pro. After a first round in which the Atlanta Falcons offered one of the few surprises thanks to a top-10 quarterback splash, Day 2 provided even more storylines, including a slew of AFC squads adding receiver help.
Before we pivot fully to the final four rounds of the draft, here are some key things we learned from Day 2:
Eagles, Lions are all in on improving secondary
On Day 1, Philadelphia sat tight at No. 22 overall and still got a consensus top-two cornerback in Quinyon Mitchell. Two spots later, Detroit moved up to stop the surprising slide of Mitchell's fellow cover man, Terrion Arnold. But they only doubled down on their defensive-back focus on Day 2, with the Eagles moving up to No. 40 to snag Cooper DeJean, and the Lions adding Ennis Rakestraw Jr. toward the back end of Round 2. Between just these two NFC contenders, you're talking about a haul of four different starting-caliber corners in a matter of two days.
Chargers, Raiders are prioritizing toughness
Not that other teams aren't, but it's easy to see a connective thread between the first picks of both AFC West squads. After taking the consensus top tackle at No. 5 overall in Joe Alt, Los Angeles went for a physical (and speedy) technician out wide in Ladd McConkey. The Raiders, meanwhile, followed up their surprise No. 13 overall pick of tight end Brock Bowers with Oregon lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson, a former wrestler known for his powerful punch as a run blocker. This feels a lot like two organizations taking on the identity of their respective coaches, Jim Harbaugh and Antonio Pierce.
The Panthers want to get physical for Bryce Young
After trading into the back end of Round 1 to get the twitched-up Xavier Legette out wide, the Panthers went right back to the offensive side of the ball in Round 2, spending the No. 46 overall pick on Texas running back Jonathon Brooks. While Brooks isn't necessarily a power back, he's credited as a strong runner against contact with a willingness to lend a shoulder in pass protection. At the end of the day, back-to-back early-round investments in supporting pieces for Young is another signal the new regime, namely coach Dave Canales, is prepared to squeeze all they can out of the young signal-caller.
The OL class was even deeper than anticipated
Many draft experts forecast a big run on offensive linemen, but through three rounds, this year's group has had a historic draft output. Nine different blockers went in the first round alone, and another 16 went off the board on Day 2. Some of the most notable second- and third-round selections: Zach Frazier to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Blake Fisher to the Houston Texans and Zak Zinter to the Cleveland Browns. If your team badly needed help in the trenches, this was certainly the year to go fishing. Now let's see how many of the rookies end up in Week 1 starting jobs.
