SECOND ROUND
The 2010 NFL Draft continued with the second and third round selections this evening at 5:00 p.m. CT. This marks the 75th anniversary of the NFL draft. Changes this year included staggering the draft into three days, with the first two days consisting of rounds one through three taking place on prime-time on Thursday and Friday.
The first selection in the second round belonged to the St. Louis Rams. With the 33rd pick, the Rams selected T Rodger Saffold from Indiana University. This 6-4, 312 pound LT started 41 of 42 games at Indiana. After his dominating performance at the East-West Shrine Game, He's considered one of the fastest rising players among NFL draft experts. Saffold should be able to provide some protection for the Rams' first round draft pick, quarterback Sam Bradford.
The Minnesota Vikings received the 34th pick from the Detroit Lions. With the second pick in the second round, the Vikings selected Chris Cook. Cook is a 6-2, 212 pound defensive back from the University of Virginia. The Lynchburg native joins the likes of Antoine Winfield and Lito Sheppard in the defensive backfield on a team that finished sixth in total defense in 2009.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked to improve their defensive front with their second round selection. With the 35th pick, the Bucs selected Brian Price from UCLA. The 6-1, 303 pound DT will play alongside first round draft choice Gerald McCoy taken with the third pick in the first round. Price is known to use his quick first step to put pressure on the opposing quarterback. The Buccaneers are also looking up to fill up the middle of the front seven that struggled against the run in 2009.
The 36th pick belonged to the Kansas City Chiefs. With the fourth selection, the Chiefs drafted Dexter McCluster, a running back from Ole Miss. Even though his 5-8, 165 pound frame is small, McCluster is a threat at any point he touches the ball. It is hard to classify McCluster at one position since he played both running back and wide receiver as a Rebel. He joins Jamaal Charles in the Kansas City backfield.
The Philadelphia Eagles gained the rights to the 37th pick from the Washington Redskins after the trade of Veteran Quarterback Donovan McNabb. With this selection, the Eagles selected Nate Allen, a 6-0 207 pound S from Florida State. Allen joins an Eagles defensive backfield that has been searching for a replacement leader since the departure of Brian Dawkins.
Announced by Hall of Famer, Jim Brown, the Cleveland Browns looked to improve their defense by selecting TJ Ward, a Free Safety from the University of Oregon. Ward measures in at 5-10, 211 pounds. He'll join Cleveland's first round selection of Joe Haden from Florida in a very young Brown's secondary. Ward will also pair with new addition Sheldon Brown, a veteran DB from the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Oakland Raiders traded their selection to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers selected Arrelious Benn from the University of Illinois. The 6-1, 220 pound Wide Receiver started 35 of 37 games at Illinois.
The Miami Dolphins held the rights to the 40th pick in the 2010 draft. With Dan Marino announcing the selection, the Dolphins drafted defensive end Koa Misi from Utah. The Dolphins hope that Misi will be able to add to a pass rush. Misi will play alongside the Dolphins first round selection of Jared Odrick, the defensive tackle from Penn State taken with the 25th pick in the first round.
Torell Troup will have a much different environment from the one at the University of Central Florida. Troup was taken by the Buffalo Bills with the 41st pick. The 6-3, 314 pound defensive tackle will play with a few veterans that make up the Bills' front four including Marcus Stroud, a veteran defensive tackle.
The Patriots first of four second round picks came as the tenth selection in the second round. With their first selection in the second round of 2010 draft, the New England Patriots selected TE Rob Gronkowski. This Arizona product will provide a 6-6, 264 pound target for veteran Quarterback Tom Brady.
Announced by LB Ray Lewis, the Baltimore Ravens selected another backer with the 43rd pick. The Ravens selected OLB Sergio Kindle from the University of Texas. This 6-2, 250 pound linebacker/defensive end hybrid started 25 of his 46 games as a Longhorn. Of those starts, 11 were played at strong-side outside linebacker and 15 at defensive end. This versatility made Kindle the first NCAA player ever to be named finalist for both The Ted Hendricks Award (nation's top defensive end) and The Dick Butkus Award (nation's top college linebacker).
The Oakland Raiders selected Defensive Tackle Lamarr Houston from the University of Texas. The 6-3, 305 pound defensive tackle will join first round selection Rolando McClain in attempting to improve the Raiders run defense that finished 29th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game in 2009. McClain and Houston played against each other in the 2010 NCAA Championship game. Houston was the 7th defensive tackle selected in the 2010 draft thus far.
The 45th selection belonged to the Denver Broncos. Announced by Hall of Fame inductee Floyd Little, the Broncos selected Offensive Guard Zane Beadles from the Utah. The 6-4, 310 pound offensive lineman will be providing protection for first round draft choice, Quarterback Tim Tebow from the University of Florida.
The New York Giants selected the fourth defensive tackle in the past 11 selections by drafting 6-4, 328 pound Linval Joseph from East Carolina University. Joseph is a large defensive tackle that can play in either the 4-3 or 3-4 scheme. He will play alongside the Giants first round selection of defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. Joseph joins a Giants defense in hopes that he can provide some run support on a defense that has plenty of pass rushing weapons in the front seven.
With the 47th selection, the Arizona Cardinals chose outside linebacker Daryl Washington from TCU. The 6'2, 230 pound linebacker will look to improve the Cardinal's defense that finished 20th in the NFL last season. Washington will join newly signed linebacker Joey Porter.
The second quarterback of the draft came off the board with the 48th pick. The Carolina Panthers selected Quarterback Jimmy Clausen from Notre Dame. Clausen came a long way from his injury plagued freshman season in which the Fighting Irish finished last in the NCAA ranks in total offense. In his 2009 campaign, Clausen finished with 3,722 yard with 28 TDs and only four interceptions. Jimmy is the third child of Jim and Cathy Clausen to play as a Division I quarterback. Both of his older brothers, Rick and Casey, played at Tennessee. The 6-2, 223 pound signal-caller looks to add a passing threat to the third best rushing attack in the NFL in the 2009 season.
Free Safety Taylor Mays from USC was taken with the 17th pick in the second round by the San Francisco 49ers. After using two first round selections to improve the offensive line, the 49ers looked to improve their defense by signing this 6-3, 230 pound safety. Mays is a large safety, but demonstrates excellent speed for his size. The 49ers finished in the middle of the pack in total defense last season, but finished 21st in pass defense.
The Atlanta Falcons traded the rights to the 50th pick in the draft to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs selected CB Javier Arenas from the University of Alabama. Arenas is the third defensive player taken from the University of Alabama in this year's draft. The 5-9, 197 pound Arenas will join the Chiefs first round selection of Safety Eric Berry from the University of Tennessee taken with the 5th overall pick.
The Houston Texans traded the 51st selection to the Minnesota Vikings. Announced by Hall of Famer John Randle, the Vikings selected Toby Gerhart. Gerhart is a 6-0, 231 pound running back from Stanford University. Gerhart will play along with current Viking's RB Adrian Peterson. With the departure of Chester Taylor, the Vikings needed to look to improve their depth at the position.
Rod Woodson, a 2009 Hall of Fame inductee announce the 52nd selection for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers selected Jason Worilds, an outside linebacker/defensive end hybrid from Virginia Tech. Worilds measures in at 6-1, 254 pounds and will be used as an outside linebacker in the 3-4 defense run by the Steelers. Worilds will work with current outside linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley.
With their second selection in the second round, the New England Patriots drafted a 6-3, 266 pound defensive end Jermaine Cunningham from the University of Florida. Cunningham will provide some help in the pass rush after the loss of Derrick Burgess to free agency.
The Cincinnati Bengals also looked to improve their pass rush by taking the same action as the Patriots; drafting a defensive end out of the University of Florida. The Bengals selected Carlos Dunlap with the 54th pick. The 6-6, 277 pound defensive end finished 2nd in the SEC in sacks. He looks to add some pass rush support to a young defense that finished 16th in sacks.
The Dallas Cowboys gained the rights to the 55th pick from the Philadelphia Eagles, and used that pick to select 6-2, 236 pound linebacker Sean Lee from Penn State. Lee is renowned for his ability to quickly recognize plays and slip blocks. He looks to add some versatility to the Cowboys linebacker core.
The Green Bay Packers selected Mike Neal, a 6-3, 294 pound defensive tackle with the 24th pick in the second round. Neal will join former first round pick Justin Harrell at defensive tackle on a Packers defense that finished first in the NFL against the run. Neal is the fifth defensive player selected in a row in the second round.
The Baltimore Ravens added another defensive lineman with their second selection of the second round. The Ravens added defensive tackle Terrance Cody from Alabama. Cody is a 6-4, 354 pound run stopper. Cody is the 10th defensive tackle taken in the first 57 picks of the 2010 NFL draft. Cody will play along with the Raven's first selection of Sergio Kindle, a defensive end out of the University of Texas. Cody was widely regarded as one of the top defensive lineman in the draft, but there were a lot of questions about his weight and work ethic.
The Houston Texans added a hard-nosed running back with the 58th selection. The Texans chose Ben Tate, a 5-11, 220 pound running back from Auburn University. He will fit well alongside Steve Slaton. Tate also fits well in Houston Head Coach Gary Kubiak's zone rushing scheme, which usually involves just one cut and go because he excels running between the tackles.
The Cleveland Browns traded up to the 59th pick to add an offensive weapon. The Browns selected Montario Hardesty, a RB out of Tennessee. After choosing defensive players with their first two selections, the Browns looked to improve their offense. Hardesty joins a young backfield and will play along with Jerome Harrison and newly added Peyton Hillis.
The Seattle Seahawks selected Wide Receiver Golden Tate. The 5'10, 199 pound Tate joined Jimmy Clausen at Notre Dame. Starting 22 games in his three year stint in college, Tate amassed 26 TDs receiving of which 15 came in the 2009 campaign. Like former Notre Dame Wide Receiver Jeff Samardzija, Tate was a two-sport athletic at the University of Notre Dame, playing baseball as well as football. Tate looks to take a role as a special team's returner and a slot or secondary receiver for the Seahawks.
The New York Jets selected Vlad Ducasse, a tackle from UMass. The 6-4, 332 pound tackle will likely move inside to G Jets, because they have plenty of depth and talent at tackle.
After trading one of their selections in the second round, the New England Patriots chose linebacker Brandon Spikes from the University of Florida. The 6-3, 249 pounder has had a lot of questions about his speed after running a 5 second 40 yard dash. This is the third defensive player drafted by the New England Patriots in this year's draft.
The Indianapolis Colts selected LB Pat Angerer with the 63rd overall pick. The 6-0, 235 pound linebacker played at the University of Iowa. Angerer is an all around player who plays faster than he tests and averaged 11 tackles/game. Angerer will play along with the Colt's first round selection of Jerry Hughes, the defensive end/outside linebacker out of TCU.
With the last selection in the second round, the New Orleans Saints selected Charles Brown, a 6-5, 303 pound T out of USC. Brown is a converted TE who played on the line for four years at USC. Brown relies on quickness as well as agility to block bigger or stronger defenders.
