2016 NFL Draft: Highlights and recap from Rounds 2 and 3

BDay 2 of the 2016 NFL draft had quite a lot to live up to after a dramatic Day 1. We didn't quite have quite the same level of drama on Friday, but there were still plenty of interesting moves during the course of the night. Teams like the Jaguars and Packers fell in love with certain players and traded up to get their guys, while teams like the Ravens and Titans traded down and bolstered their total haul with extra picks.

The draft began with the Browns picking up one of the most talented players left available, Emmanuel Ogbah. Guys who were thought to be top five picks before the draft in Myles Jack and Jaylon Smith eventually found teams willing to take chances on their knee issues and the rest of the draft generally went on as expected, save for a few particular surprises.

In the third round, the Patriots made one of the more questionable moves in the draft by taking Jacoby Brissett in the third round, much like they did with Ryan Mallett in 2011 and Jimmy Garoppolo in 2014. Does this mean that Garoppolo is on his way out in New England? Tom Brady is 38-years-old, so they clearly need to be thinking about the future. But, going through quarterbacks like candy is an interesting strategy, to say the least. This was just one of the many compelling moments of the day.

Biggest highlights:

Jaguars trade up to steal Myles Jack

The Jaguars were among the biggest winners in the first round, picking up one of the most talented player in the draft, Jalen Ramsey. Due to Jack's medical issues involving a degenerative issue with his knee, the Jaguars were able to get another one of the most talented players in the draft in the second round. Before the recent revelations about how serious his knee injury was, many expected the them to target Jack with their first round pick, so it's safe to say they really got a steal, as long as Jack's knee proves OK.

Cowboys take a chance on Jaylon Smith

Before his injury, Jaylon Smith was another name considered to be one of the best and most talented in the draft. However, after tearing his ACL and MCL in the Fiesta Bowl, nobody wanted to touch him. He has nerve damage in his foot that caused him to fall completely out of the first round and even a few picks into the second round. However, he's an elite prospect for the NFL if he can fully recover. Like the Jaguars, the Cowboys got two of the most talented players in the draft with their first and second picks.

Connor Cook falls completely out of the second and then third rounds

Before the draft, many people were talking about Connor Cook as a potential surprise pick in the first round. They were still talking about it as the first round was wrapping up, but it never happened. Nothing happened for him on Day 2 either. The word around the league is that coaches don't like him because he was a winning quarterback with so many positive traits, yet his teammates at Michigan State apparently didn't think highly enough of him to pick him as a team captain. Is that really enough of a reason to completely pass over him for guys like Christian Hackenberg and Jacoby Brissett? The Jets and the Patriots seemed to think so.

The Bengals finally get their wide receiver in the second round

The Bengals needed to draft a wide receiver at some point this year, and they got an incredibly talented player in Pittsburgh's Tyler Boyd. There have been questions about his long speed as well as some notable issues with fumbling punt returns. However, he's intelligent enough in his routes and agile enough to make up for some of the issues. It should be interesting to see how the receiver depth chart behind A.J. Green shakes up this year with Boyd, Brandon LaFell, James Wright, Jake Kumerow, Mario Alford, Michael Bennett and Brandon Tate all competing for spots.

Biggest winners:

Jacksonville Jaguars

As previously discussed, picking Ramsey up in the first round was huge. Finding Myles Jack in the second and then Yannick Ngakoue to shore up their defensive line in the third round means you can probably go ahead and call them the biggest winners of the draft so far. Is it an overreaction to say they're starting to look like a playoff team after a great free agency and an incredible Day 1 and Day 2 of the NFL draft? I would argue that it's not, and many others would too. Jack could end up being a bust due to his knee problem, but he's talented enough with elite-level potential that he was a can't miss in the second round.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints were in desperate need of a talented wide receiver and picked one up in Ohio State's Michael Thomas. Thomas was once considered to be one of the best receivers in the draft, particularly by Mike Mayock who had him ranked third best at the position back in February.

The Saints also gave up their third round selection to wind up with a second pick in the second round, picking up one of the most talented defensive backs left on the board in Vonn Bell. The Saints still need plenty of work to get back to the consistently competitive state that they embodied a few years ago, but they took a step in the right direction today.

Urban Meyer

The Ohio State Buckeyes' football program was probably one of the biggest winners of round one, having five players picked up in the first round. That's a testament to their excellence that could be a great recruiting tool for years. On Day 2, Urban Meyer guest hosted NFL Network's draft coverage and had a chance to brag about his former players as they added five more names to the draft list.

That's 10 total players through the first three rounds, and Urban Meyer couldn't help but brag about his guys on national television. It certainly helped that he got to tease University of Michigan alumnus Rich Eisen, who only saw a single player from his college (Graham Glasgow) taken throughout all three rounds.

Biggest losers:

Andrew Billings

Sounds like Baylor DT Andrew Billings has a knee issue that's concerning teams as the draft wears on.

— Scott Bischoff (@Bischoff_Scott) April 30, 2016

The fact that Andrew Billings is still available as we head into Day 3 is pretty shocking. If he really does have a serious knee issue, it's a real shame because the kid came out of college really early to take a chance on playing in the NFL. He is losing millions of dollars with every round he falls.

Sources close to Andrew Billings say one reason for drop may be bc he "plays a certain type of DT & will play about 35% of the plays."

— Jessica Morrey (@JessicaMorrey) April 30, 2016

There's also been talk about Billings having fallen in the draft because he's not 21-years-old yet. As young as he is, you're probably going to need a strong locker room situation to develop him into a mature NFL player. If he's available for the Bengals in the fourth round, it might seem crazy for them to pass him up again.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Kickers are people too, but the fact that the Buccaneers traded up 15 picks to take one in the second round was a bit of a head scratcher. Robert Aguayo was, by all accounts, the best kicker of his class. But, did they really need to pick him in the second round, much less give up the picks they did to take him when they did? Their kicking position got a big win with this addition, but their overall draft strategy probably took a hit.

Bottom half of WR depth chart

The Bengals picking up Tyler Boyd in the second round means that he's going to be on the roster in 2016. Second round picks rarely get cut, so go ahead and pencil him in now. Unfortunately, that means two of the Bengals' wide receivers currently on the depth chart likely won't make the roster. With Brandon Tate, James Wright, Mario Alford, Jake Kumerow and Michael Bennett looking for a spot behind A.J. Green and Brandon LaFell on the depth chart, there will be cuts at the position in August and September. Kumerow now seems to have a much tougher path to the active roster. Chances are he could have beaten out Michael Bennett for the final spot on the roster, but it's hard to see him beating anyone else out now that there's less room. 2015 seventh round pick Alford will also need to have a good showing in training camp to earn his spot. And, it will be interesting to see how Wright recovers from his August 2015 micro-fracture surgery.