Titans Take Will Levis, Raiders Land Michael Mayer, Lions Land a QB, and Other NFL Bullets
Night two of the NFL Draft started with a bang, just as the previous night did. The intrigue started earlier in the day when reports surfaced that the Pittsburgh Steelers were fielding multiple trade offers for the 32nd pick in the NFL Draft. The Steelers ended up keeping that pick and drafting cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Still, one of those teams trying to trade up, the Titans, did just that and selected quarterback Will Levis.
- Tennessee was considered a favorite landing spot for Kentucky QB Will Levis, but that didn’t happen on night one. Instead, the Titans circled back and landed Levis after trading for No. 33 with the Cardinals.
- Levis heads to Tennessee after all, and the wait on night two wasn’t nearly as long and laborious for the young quarterback as it was the night prior. Ryan Tannehill is entering the final year of his deal in Tennessee, and none of the remaining money is guaranteed. So, Levis’ time in Tennessee could be right around the corner.
- Titans head coach said that as of today, “Ryan (Tannehill) will be the starting QB on Monday. Malik (Willis) will be the backup. Will (Levis) will be the third quarterback. And what I’ve told them is whatever happens after that will be up to the players.”
- Titans GM Ran Carthon also said that if Northwestern offensive lineman Peter Skoronski hadn’t fallen to them at No. 11, the Titans would have taken Levis in the first round.
- The trades in the front half of the second round didn’t stop there, though. Two picks later, the Raiders moved up in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts to select Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer.
- The Raiders landed the best tight end in the draft for my money. Sure, Dalton Kincaid was the superior vertical threat. But Mayer is a more well-rounded three-down tight end who can dominate the middle of the field and is a far better blocker than Kincaid. So, the Raiders replaced Darren Waller, whom they traded to the New York Giants last month.
- Let’s talk about the Lions. I said in yesterday’s bullets that I would wait until day two was in the books to make an early judgment on Detroit’s decision to select Jahmyr Gibbs (No. 12) and Jack Campbell (No. 18) on Thursday night. They started by drafting Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta, checking a box at TE.
- Then, they ended up moving up in a swap with the Packers. With Brian Branch still on the board at No. 45, the Lions jumped three spots from No. 48 to grab him. All it ended up costing them was a fifth-round pick. I love the Branch pick, it addressed a need for the Lions, and I think Green Bay might regret that trade.
- With LaPorta and Branch joining Gibbs and Campbell, the Lions selected Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker at No. 68. Hooker was widely considered a late first-round prospect, even with the ACL injury. Now he’s heading to Detroit, where there’s zero pressure to play immediately. He will also work with Ben Johnson, the Lions OC who turned Detroit’s offense into a dynamic scoring machine last season and was one of the hottest head coaching candidates this year.
- The Lions were a perfect landing spot for Hooker. Detroit wrapped up day two by selecting Western Kentucky DT Brodric Martin at No. 96.
- I actually like the Lions draft class. I’ll have more thoughts on it this week, but I can definitely see this being a strong class for Detroit.
- Accoridng to a release from the NFL, ratings for the NFL Draft were up big from last year:
- Luis had you covered on the Bears day two haul:
