Winners and losers from Day 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft

We are through the first three rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft. It has been a wild ride so far, with record numbers of trades and wide receivers taken. After one quarterback went in the first round and none were taken in the second, Malik Willis, Desmond Ridder and Matt Corral all fell to the third round. The best linebacker in the 2021-2022 NCAA season Nakobe Dean, also fell to the third round. Some teams had a better second day of the draft than others. Here are the winners and losers from the second and third rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Day 2 Winners

Philadelphia Eagles

Don’t look now, but the Eagles are having a great draft. Not only did they make a splash trade in the first round bringing in and extending WR AJ Brown, but they also drafted Georgia DT Jordan Davis. They followed up this momentum on the second day by bringing in Nebraska C Cameron Jurgens and Davis’ teammate ILB Nakobe Dean. The latter was projected to be a first-round pick, but due to a pec injury, he fell all the way to the third. The Eagles picked up the best LB in the NCAA last season.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans made a decision to ship out Brown via trade and brought in their franchise wide receiver of the future, Treylon Burks in the first round. They had three picks on Day 2 and chose to shore up their secondary and offensive line with their first two. Willis finally got his name called with the 22nd pick in the third round and is the heir apparent in Tennessee. He was favored to not make it past the 15th overall pick in the entire draft and the Titans got him for basically free in the middle of the third.

Detroit Lions

It feels weird to type, but the Lions are crushing the 2022 NFL Draft. They drafted DE Aidan Hutchinson and WR Jameson Williams in the first and continued to address team needs on Day 2. Kentucky DE Josh Paschal and Illinois S Kerby Joseph were their selections as they continued to fill holes. They still need to find their quarterback of the future as well as some running back depth, but so far they are having a strong draft that improves their team.

Day 2 Losers

New England Patriots

The Pats drafted Baylor WR Tyquan Thornton in the second round and Houston CB Marcus Jones in the third. They are working on addressing their team needs, but their selections have been interesting. We have learned not to question the almighty Belichick, but after taking G Cole Strange in the first round, they followed it up with an interesting receiver choice. Thornton should be a solid pick but based on projections New England reached by nearly two rounds.

Seattle Seahawks

There is obviously something up with the reviews teams did on the quarterback class. Willis was mocked as high as No. 2 and he fell to the latter part of the third round. The Seahawks have Drew Lock and Geno Smith on the roster as quarterbacks. They had three chances on Day 2 to grab a rookie quarterback and chose not to upgrade. They also have Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny on the roster and brought in Ken Walker III from Michigan State in the second round. They have made solid picks upgrading their offensive line, but the hole at quarterback is concerning.

Washington Commanders

The Commanders made some interesting choices in this draft so far. They brought in a solid wide receiver in the first round and took a DT and RB in the second and third rounds. Yes, you read that correctly. A team with Antonio Gibson and JD McKissic, as well as a UDFA rookie RB last year, decided to take another running back. Their team needs also included ILB, CB, S and OG and the talent was there on Day 2 to address them and they chose not to.