Day 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft is now in the books. Similar to the opening round on Thursday night, there were plenty of notable moves that took place in Cleveland only this time we had two rounds to unpack. As you'd except, some clubs took another step toward contending for a Super Bowl, while others may have taken a bit of a step back in that pursuit of a championship. Below, we've got you covered with some of the winners and losers of this second day at the NFL Draft:
Winner: Jets offense
New York only had one pick on Day 2, but it carried the baton of a strong first round on Thursday night into Friday and continued to add to its offense. The club used its No. 34 overall selection to bring aboard Ole Miss receiver Elijah Moore, who should immediately come in and help boost a pass-catching group that has seen an upgrade over the course of this offseason. Moore is a dynamic receiver that could prove to be a strong slot option for No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson. This pick should be even more encouraging as it's a strong signal that New York is committed to building solid pieces around Wilson, which is what the Jets failed to do with Sam Darnold. While the Jets may be considered a winner with this pick, Jamison Crowder could be looked at as a potential loser as this choice may now make him expendable, which is something to monitor as we move forward.
The future of Deshaun Watson is still very much unclear, but the Houston Texans are acting like a team that is gearing up for a reset at the position. With the club selecting Stanford quarterback Davis Mills in the third round, this may be a signal by Houston that it is bracing for Watson to be elsewhere in 2021 in one form or another. At the very least, the Texans are adding a developmental piece behind Tyrod Taylor -- who signed a one-year deal with the club in free agency -- that they could look to groom and eventually turn the keys over to. While this reality that the Texans are facing is less than ideal when talking about a talent like Watson, you can also look at Mills as a possible winner here. Out of all the quarterbacks that came off the board on Day 2, he may have the clearest path to a starting job. Getting an opportunity to hit the field is half the battle.
Winner: Sam Darnold
The big critique about Darnold's time in New York is that he wasn't surrounded with enough weapons to succeed. Well, it looks like the Panthers are making sure that he doesn't reach a similar fate in Carolina. After bolstering its defense with corner Jaycee Horn in the first round on Thursday, the Panthers dived into the offensive side of the ball in Round 2 by selecting LSU receiver Terrace Marshall Jr., who is another big-bodied receiver Darnold can lean on in the passing game. They also added BYU tackle Brady Christensen and tight end Tommy Tremble out of Notre Dame in the third round. After seeing the club add some weapons and protection up front, Darnold is likely very happy with his new club.
When the Denver Broncos moved on from Phillip Lindsay earlier this offseason, the road was wide open for Melvin Gordon to receive the lion's share of the touches out of the backfield in 2021. That couldn't have come at a better time for the veteran either as he's set to enter a contract year. However, those dreams of once again becoming a workhorse back are seemingly dashed after the club traded up to select North Carolina back Javonte Williams at No. 35 overall. With Gordon only having one year left on his contract, Williams should be looked at as the clear future in the Denver backfield and the coaching staff will likely give him every opportunity to eat away at Gordon's touches.
Winner: Kyle Trask
Trask was the first quarterback to come off the board on Day 2 and the Florida product couldn't have landed in a more ideal situation. With the last pick in Round 2, the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers brought Trask aboard the pirate ship. Like the rest of his fellow second-tier quarterbacks, Trask is going to need time to develop and what better way to be groomed in the NFL than learning behind Tom Brady in a Bruce Arians offense? Trask has a similar playing style to Brady as well, which should only further help his development. A true win-win for both sides here as Tampa Bay now has a potential heir to Brady whenever he decides to hang up his cleats.
Loser: Dolphins backfield
Miami finds itself on this list for the same reason that Gordon does. It wasn't a hugely kept secret that the Dolphins were likely eyeing UNC's Williams had he fallen to them at No. 36. However, the Broncos -- likely with the knowledge of Miami's affinity toward the player -- leapfrogged over Brian Flores' club to take Williams from right under its nose. That move sent the Dolphins to the defensive side of the ball, selecting Oregon safety Jevon Holland, but the backfield is still one of the bigger questions as they move forward with this draft.
Cleveland just continues to come up aces this offseason. At No. 52 overall, the club selected Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, which is a pick that has tremendous value. Throughout the pre-draft process, Owusu-Koramoah was looked at as a potential first-round pick. Instead, Cleveland gets a player who it likely would have been content taking at No. 26 overall on Thursday in the second. Owusu-Koramoah only adds to what is primed to be a stout Browns defense in 2021 as the linebacker is said to be extremely explosive and has the strong ability to drop back in coverage like a safety. They also added a speedy slot receiver in Anthony Schwartz in the third round, who should be also able to help the club stretch the field in the passing game. As crazy as this sounds, the Cleveland Browns continue to build a legit Super Bowl contender.
Loser: Steelers offensive line
Pittsburgh taking Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth at No. 55 was one of the more puzzling moves of Round 2 and it really has little to do with the prospect. After electing to take running back Najee Harris at No. 24 overall on Thursday, addressing the offensive line was the clear need heading into the rest of the draft. They were able to add Illinois lineman Kendrick Green in the third round and he should be a candidate to start at center out of the shoot, but it still feels like the unit is thin. That's, of course, less than ideal when you're heading into Day 3 when selecting prospects becomes more of a game of finding the needle in the haystack. For Pittsburgh to be able to contend in 2021, Ben Roethlisberger will need to be upright and if feels like the Steelers didn't clear up that need as firmly as some would have liked by now.
The rich continue to get richer. After trading the No. 31 overall pick to the Ravens in a deal that landed them Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Brown, Kansas City finally got into the mix in the NFL Draft, making two selections in the second round. As we've grown accustomed to seeing from Andy Reid's club, both picks seem to be extremely solid. The first was Missouri linebacker Nick Bolton, who should immediately be able to come in and fill out some depth at one of the thinner positions on Kansas City's roster. Meanwhile, the bolstering of the offensive line continued at No. 63 overall where they brought in Oklahoma center Creed Humphrey, who didn't allow a single sack in 1,297 pass-blocking snaps in college. Both additions should be able to help the Chiefs right out the gate and continue to be developmental pieces that can blossom into even bigger roles going forward.
Seattle doesn't have many kicks at the can this year as it only had three selections heading into the 2021 draft. With its first pick, the club elected to bring in Western Michigan receiver D'Wayne Eskridge, who does have the potential to be a solid option for the Seahawks in the slot as their No. 3 receiver behind DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. That said, the offensive line continues to be the key need for this roster and the second round may have been a solid place for the Seahawks to continue addressing it. Eskridge is also already 24 years old, which makes him no spring chicken heading into the NFL, so he may already be at his ceiling.
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