After an action-packed round one, I headed back to the media workroom for day two of the NFL Draft. Rounds two and three saw a ton of skill positions come off the board, which is always great to see.
Again, these takeaways will be based on my own player evaluations and the buzz I heard in the media workroom. That being said, let’s look at the biggest winners and losers from day two (Rounds 2-3) of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Winners
Ladd McConkey
(LAC - 2.34)
After passing on Malik Nabers in round one, the Chargers decided to move up for their guy at pick 34. With that selection, the team took Ladd McConkey. This is a great situation for McConkey, who looks like he’ll be Justin Herbert's number-one target on day one. There are some concerns about how much Greg Roman and Jim Harbaugh want to run the ball, which is fair.
That said, I'm still very bullish on the situation due to his incredible efficiency and lack of target competition. In my pre-draft rankings, McConkey was my WR5, and his landing spot is enough to keep that ranking (holding off Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell).
Keon Coleman
(BUF - 2.33)
Right alongside Kansas City, the Buffalo Bills are one of the best landing spots for any receiver. I’m sorry, Khalil Shakir truthers, but with the departure of Stefon Diggs Josh Allen's new WR1 will now be Keon Coleman. I’ve never been a massive Coleman fan, but like McConkey, he will have very little competition and an elite quarterback throwing him the ball.
Although the Bills have shown a willingness to run the ball more, they still finished 14th in pass attempts per game. Right now, Coleman is jumping up to my WR6 ahead of Adoni Mitchell. Without a nuts landing spot and draft capital, I’m out on Adonai Mitchell.
Ja'Lynn Polk
(NE - 2.37)
Ja'Lynn Polk going pick 37 to the Patriots was not something I had on my radar. Now, don’t get me wrong, Polk is a solid player, but there’s nothing he does that pops off the page. That said, force-feeding him targets is the best-case scenario for a guy who isn’t a fantastic prospect.
Drake Maye is being underrated, and I believe Polk could be a long-term reliable WR2 for him. I’m very split on where to rank Polk, and the main dilemma is that I want to rank Jalen McMillan higher despite the draft capital. Polk will likely be my WR9-10, depending on if the Patriots add anyone else to their receiving core.
Ben Sinnott
(WAS - 2.53)
I was pleasantly surprised to see one of my sleeper tight ends, Ben Sinnott, go to the Commanders at pick 53. Sinnott scored a 9.72 RAS, which is his main selling point outside of his hands and YAC ability. Although he’s very raw, most tight ends take time to develop, and I could see him becoming the number two target next to Terry McLaurin in the next few years.
Having Sinnott start right away (after beating out a 33-year-old Zach Ertz) and develop alongside Jayden Daniels makes me very excited. Sinnott easily slides up to become my 2024 TE2.
Malachi Corley
(NYJ - 3.65)
Malachi Corley was one of the biggest wild cards in this draft due to his gadget-type playstyle. Corley is an explosive YAC machine but isn’t a great route and lacks polish across the board. However, I love seeing him go at the top of the third round (65) to an offense that could explode next year with Aaron Rodgers.
Corley has a good path to becoming the Jets' WR2 as long as he beats out Mike Williams, which I expect him to. Corley is still going to stay around my WR15-16 range, but that’s not a knock on him; this class is just that deep.
Jermaine Burton
(CIN - 3.80)
After watching Jermaine Burton a little more, it’s clear he has incredible upside. However, the questions regarding his off-the-field issues and lack of production was a clear concern that pushed him down boards. Burton ended up getting solid draft capital at pick 80, and the Bengals are one of the best offensives in the league, especially for fantasy.
Tee Higgins is unhappy with the Bengals, and this seems like a replacement pick to me. Either way, I see Burton taking over as the team's WR2 once Higgins either leaves this year or in 2025. I am moving Burton up to my WR15 range now that we’ve seen him land in a good spot with good enough draft capital.
Roman Wilson
(PIT - 3.84)
Roman Wilson has been one of the more interesting guys to scout in this 2024 class, considering how much Michigan ran the ball. Wilson didn’t get to show off much during his 2023 season, but he gained a ton of hype after dominating at the Senior Bowl. Wilson has the tools to become a good WR2 in the NFL, which is the role he’s going to play in 2024.
Now, I do have some concerns because I believe George Pickens is a WR2 as well, but for next season, Wilson should play well and see a value bump. Wilson will stay around my WR13-15 range for dynasty rookie drafts.
Jalen McMillan
(TB - 3.92)
My guy Jalen McMillan gets solid draft capital going at pick 92 to pair with a good landing spot. I’ve been in love with McMillan after he posted an incredible 79-1,098-9 season as a sophomore alongside Rome Odunze. In 2024, McMillan will be playing most of his snaps in the slot anyways and the Buccaneers already have a fantastic offense for 2024.
Beyond 2024, Mike Evans is aging out, and Chris Godwin has a potential out in 2024. McMillan should thrive in the slot and has a clear path to earning even more targets as he develops. I’m still torn on where to rank McMillan but he’ll likely be my WR9-11.
Losers
Jonathon Brooks
(CAR - 2.46)
If you disagree with this take, fine. I don’t hate Jonathon Brooks going to the Panthers. However, when he was linked heavily to the Cowboys, this has to be seen as a loss. At the same time, even though he was drafted relatively high at pick 46, I don’t like this landing spot at all. The Panther's offensive hasn’t improved very dramatically since 2023, and even though Diontae Johnson is a fine option, taking Xavier Legette was a mistake.
Let’s not forget Brooks will be playing in a Bryce Young-led offensive, which is a complete wild card. Brooks is my RB1 talent-wise, but I expect this Panthers offense to be too inefficient to help him find success. Brooks has now swapped with Trey Benson and become my RB2.
Adonai Mitchell
(IND - 2.52)
Adonai Mitchell went from being a first-round “lock” to being drafted 52nd overall by the Colts. Again, this isn’t a bad situation, but he will be playing behind Michael Pittman Jr with an unproven running quarterback, Anthony Richardson. This is especially concerning when you see Mitchell miss out on spots such as the Bills or Chargers in the top of the second round.
What makes me most concerned is that the Patriots decided to pick Polk over Mitchell. With Mitchell, there are a ton of questions, and his draft capital/landing spot just leave me with more. I’m dropping Mitchell down from my WR6 to my WR8 range.
Blake Corum
(LAR - 3.83)
I simply don’t like the Blake Corum pick, especially since Sean McVay just said that Corum and Kyren Williams play similarly. You would think the Rams would want a more explosive back to pair with Williams, but that isn’t one of Corum’s strong points. I still expect Williams to be the lead back, but the two should eat into each other for fantasy production.
Playing on the Rams also doesn’t give me confidence that both will be able to thrive simultaneously in fantasy football. On top of this, since Corum was being projected to be drafted by the Chargers, this landing spot is a massive letdown.
MarShawn Lloyd
(GB - 3.88)
I’ve seen some positive feedback about MarShawn Lloyd going to the Packers but I don’t see it. Again, seeing these running backs miss out on situations where they’d be the clear RB1 is automatically a knock for me. On top of that, I believe Josh Jacobs will have a bounce-back 2024 season and stay as the Packers starting running back for at least two years.
Lloyd doesn’t have a trait that sticks out to me, and his path to success will be volume. Lloyd was my RB4 previously and will stay there unless Jaylen Wright goes to the Cowboys or Chargers.
