The second day of the NFL draft had some notable names that went undrafted in the first round. Let’s take a closer look at round two to see which players are relevant.
Keon Coleman 2.33 – Buffalo Bills
After trading down twice in round one, the Bills finally landed their receiver, a position they desperately needed. Keon Coleman will bring size to this Bills team on the outside. Coleman isn’t fully polished, but he does many things right on the field. He can be one of those field-stretching receivers who can win contested catch-ball situations for big gains. Allen needed a receiver like this with the departure of Gabe Davis to be a more consistent red zone threat.
Coleman should be able to come in and start on day one. He should be able to line up as the X receiver for this offense alongside Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel. Coleman will also need to work on his game regarding separation and footwork if he wants to be a great receiver. He’ll have an elite quarterback in Josh Allen throwing him the ball who can air it downfield and allow Coleman to make a play. It’s a solid team pick, but I would have gone with Adonai Mitchell over Coleman. Coleman should be looked at as a late first-round to early second-round pick.
Ladd McConkey 2.34 – Los Angeles Chargers
Despite the Chargers skipping out on Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze, they get themselves an excellent receiver on the team. McConkey was one of my favorite receivers coming into this draft, reminding me of a Cooper Kupp-style player. He offers speed, route running, and quickness to the position they don’t currently have. McConkey should be able to play in and out of the Chargers slot as they see fit.
Ladd McConkey, great pick by the Chargers. Their wide receivers, beyond Keenan Allen, couldn't get open last season. That's what Ladd does.
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) April 26, 2024
Might be the best out route runner in the class. pic.twitter.com/9rLAUCwiqF
McConkey is in an excellent position to be the WR1 for this Chargers team. His biggest competition for targets would be Josh Palmer and last year’s first-round pick Quentin Johnston. McConkey could play a similar role to Keenan Allen and be a receiver who gets over 90 receptions in a season. Let’s not forget that he’ll be attached to Justin Herbert, who has few options among the pass catchers. McConkey is a riser for me after day two. He should be able to come in and produce off the bat. He’ll be another player in that late first to early second-draft selection.
Ja’Lynn Polk 2.37 – New England Patriots
The Patriots landed Ja’Lynn Polk for their new franchise quarterback, Drake Maye. Polk was projected to be more of an early third-round pick, but he landed in the early second. Polk is a receiver who can help a young quarterback succeed early in his career. He has some elite ball skills and knows how to come down with the football. Polk wins with the burst and strength that he offers. He lacks speed and needs to work on beating zone coverage at the NFL level.
The Patriots usually don’t know how to get it right with the receiver, so that history is scary. Polk doesn’t seem like a player who will end up being a star, but he could be a reliable WR2 or WR3 for the Patriots, which they need. In year one, Polk can compete for a starting job. The Patriots’ best three receivers are JuJu Smith-Shuster, Kendrick Bourne, and DeMario Douglas. I don’t see him making that quick impact on fantasy football, but he has some long-term appeal. He is a round-three pick in rookie drafts.
Jonathan Brooks 2.46 – Carolina Panthers
This one hurts for fantasy, especially since I wanted Brooks to land in Dallas or a spot where they needed a running back. The Panthers are coming through some new changes under head coach David Canales. He is helping bring weapons around their young quarterback, Bryce Young. Brooks is coming off a torn ACL but should be ready for week one. Brooks was my top running back in this draft, offering immense upside in his game. He offers elite speed and vision as a prospect. He knew how to make defenders miss and was great in the passing game. Brooks had very little to worry about outside of coming off an injury.
The regime has no ties to overpaid Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard, who did decent last season. Brooks could quickly come in and be the RB1 for this backfield. The Panthers may take it easy on Brooks coming off that ACL, but he should eventually take over at some point during the season. Note that Brooks was the only running back taken in the first two rounds of the NFL draft. He may start slow for fantasy but should, in the late half of the season, be able to make noise in starting lineups. Brooks isn’t the slam dunk spot we thought he would end up in, but talent should win. He is a late first-round pick in the rookie draft, so you should take that chance.
Adonai Mitchell 2.52 – Indianapolis Colts
The Colts in round two got a steal in the draft as we saw Adonai Mitchell fall to him. Mitchell offers the Colts a vertical presence downfield. He is an exciting athlete, a big target, and an excellent ball-tracking receiver. I’m not sure why Mitchell fell to where he did, but there were rumors that he was not a coachable player in the draft. He also was very inconsistent throughout his college career and on film. I’m impressed with the Colts wanting to continue to give Anthony Richardson weapons on the offense.
Adonai Mitchell made it look easy in the SEC and the Big 12. If you like big, fast receivers who at any given moment give you a proper mismatch, then AD is your guy. Love the fit with the @Colts because he won’t be the end all be all right away but gets to grow with AR. pic.twitter.com/gQ7qdxal78
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) April 27, 2024
Mitchell’s upside was something I liked about him as a prospect. He’ll likely have a chance to compete to start opposite Michael Pittman Jr. The Colts need that vertical presence that Alec Pierce has not given them over the years. For fantasy, I’m a little lower on Mitchell landing with the Colts. They have a solid run game and a WR1 who commands a big target share in the offense. They already have a potential rising player, Josh Downs, heading into year two. Mitchell will have a few games early on where he shines, but he may be inconsistent for fantasy. He should be considered an early to mid-second-round pick in rookie drafts.
Ben Sinnott 2.53 – Washington Commanders
Ben Sinnott, a tight end from Kansas State, was the last fantasy player in round two. He was a very interesting tight end. I wanted to see what type of draft capital he got during the draft. He landed in round two to the Commanders, a team that didn’t have a difference-maker tight end. Zach Ertz signed there this offseason, but he is not the same player he once was, nor does he offer a long-term solution. Sinnott offers an elite offensive weapon option at the tight end. He is a tight end with speed and can make plays after the catch. Sinnott can get the ball in tough situations and has the NFL size for the position. He is a tight end who likely will line up on the outside rather than a traditional in-line.
Sinnott getting round two capital does make things interesting for fantasy football. He’ll learn behind an excellent veteran tight end and hopefully develop into a star. There are talks about OC Kliff Kingsbury not using tight ends, but that’s not entirely true. He had a tight end over 400 yards in three of his four seasons. I couldn’t imagine that Commanders drafting Sinnott for his blocking ability. He is a weapon that needs to be used in an offense. His year-one success will depend on if Ertz stays on the field in 2024. In TE premium leagues, Sinnott could have a chance to get a late-round two selection but likely is an early-round-three pick for rookie drafts. He would be a tight end I’m targeting in drafts.
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