Some leftover thoughts on what went down both in the AFC East and around the NFL during night two of the 2020 NFL Draft.
– One notable move on Friday night in round two came by the Philadelphia Eagles, who took Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts with the 53rd overall selection.
Considering their current financial investment in the oft-injured Carson Wentz, the pick shows that they may have some doubt in their current signal-caller. The fact the Patriots took Kyle Dugger in the second round ahead of Hurts also further reinforces the fact that Jarrett Stidham has earned some confidence by New England’s coaching staff, allowing them to put their focus elsewhere after they grabbed a player who can help them both on defense and in the return game.
– Miami added another offensive lineman to protect Thursday night’s additional in QB Tua Tagovailoa, selecting Robert Hunt with the 39th overall pick in round two.
Hunt has some decent size, coming in at 6’5″, 323 pounds and he’s a fierce blocker and excelled both at guard and tackle. Despite his size, one of the things he’s been praised for is his athleticism and his footwork, both being traits that impressed scouts. It’s a nice addition for Miami, who appear to be building a foundation to finally get their offense back on track as Brian Flores continues rebuilding that football team.
– With the 54th overall pick, the Bills selected defensive tackle A.J. Epenesa from Iowa, who is a beast and bolsters a Buffalo defense that was already pretty tough in 2019.
The 6’5″, 275-pound Epenesa was thought to be a first-round pick but slipped to round two after running a less-than-impressive 40-time (5.04) at the combine. But he’s incredibly strong and was a player who some projected might have ended up in New England given his style of play. Now he could potentially be a player who the Patriots will have to deal with moving forward, depending on how he develops in the Bills’ defense.
The Bills also later added Utah running back Zach Moss at #86 overall with their final selection of the night.
– The Dolphins made an interesting pick Friday night, selecting Tagovailoa’s teammate in defensive tackle Raekwon Davis, bringing the massive standout of Alabama to Miami.
Davis is huge, coming in at 6’7″, 312-pounds but he slid thanks to not building on his strong start that saw him earn first-team All-SEC honors during his sophomore season. That year he finished with 69 tackles including 10 for a loss, along with 8.5 sacks. He also had two sacks and an interception during Alabama’s two playoff wins during their title run.
But his production went down as a junior and senior, although he was still one of the best in college football. If Flores can develop him at the next level, he could end up being a difficult player for the Patriots offense to have to account for. The Dolphins also later added safety Brandon Jones at #70 overall.
– One pick before the Patriots jumped up and grabbed linebacker Josh Uche, the Jets added a receiver after taking Baylor’s Denzel Mims.
Mims was a player who was projected as a first-round pick but he slipped far enough to fall where the Jets were able to grab him. He ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the combine and put up some impressive numbers in his final collegiate season, hauling in 1,010 receiving yards on 66 receptions, as well as 12 touchdowns.
He appears to be a decent addition for quarterback Sam Darnold, who needed another player on offense after losing Robby Anderson in free agency to Carolina this offseason.
New York also added a couple of additional defensive players in the third round Friday night, adding safety Ashtyn Davis (68th overall) and Florida edge rusher Jabari Zuniga (#79 overall). Zuniga is an interesting pick, having been a pretty dominant player in the SEC at Florida and could be another problem the Patriots may end up needing to worry about down the road.
The final day of the draft begins at 12pm ET, with rounds 4-7 being selected today.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
