Best available players still on board in Day 2 of NFL Draft 

Fernando Mendoza took the headline story in Thursday’s first round, but there were plenty of storylines still left to write at the end of the 32nd pick. Now we shift focus to rounds 2 and 3 of the draft on Fridauy with some big names still on the board.

First round full of surprise

The first day from Pittsburgh was a full of surprises aside from the first overall pick which everyone saw coming. The Las Vegas Raiders “earned” right to be the first team on the clock three months ago when they finished the regular season with the worst record in the NFL. They took the Indiana quarterback with hopes of finally finding their franchise gunslinger of the future.

Tennessee took a chance on Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate which might have opened up some eyes just four picks into the first round. Not many people had Tate going to the Titans in their draft board, but now Cam Ward will have a top receiver at his disposal as he heads to his sophomore season from Nashville.

The Los Angeles Rams took Alabama QB Ty Simpson which seemed to take head coach Sean McVay by surprise considering current QB Matt Stafford is coming off of an MVP season. Simpson was one of two quarterbacks taken in the first round, with the other being Mendoza with the very first pick of the draft.

Best available in Rd 2 and 3

While neither QBs, nor McVay had a great night on Thursday, there was one particular position that did have a fantastic showing in the first round. Teams across the league chose to ramp up their offensive lines, and offensive tackles stole the show on Day 1. There were seven different offensive tackles taken with the first 32 picks starting with Spencer Fano out of Utah. He went to Cleveland to start the domino effect of tackles being taken.

There were two running backs taken in the first round, both out of the same school. Notre Dame saw their two ball carriers get drafted with the 3rd and the 32nd pick. Jeremiah Love was considered the best talent in the draft, and he ended up going to the Arizona Cardinals with the third pick while his teammate Jadarian Price went to the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks with the final picks of the night.

There are still plenty of big names left on the board, especially when it comes to defensive backs. CB Jermod McCoy out of Tennessee is widely considered one of the top talents in the minds of many draft experts. DBs Avieon Terrell and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren could be some of the first picks to go, but that will depend on the needs of San Francisco, Arizona, Buffalo, Las Vegas and New York who have the first five picks of the second round. Here are the top players still left on the board after Day 1.

The big board after Day 1

CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

CB Avieon Terrell, Clemson

S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo

CB D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana

DL Lee Hunter, Texas Tech

DL Kayden McDonald, Ohio State

EDGE Cashius Howell, Texas A&M

EDGE Gabe Jacas, Illinois

CB Treydan Stukes, Arizona

EDGE R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma

LB Jake Golday, Cincinnati

IOL Chase Bisontis, Texas A&M

WR Germie Bernard, Alabama

LB Josiah Trotter, Missouri

WR Antonio Williams, Clemson

IOL Connor Lew, Auburn

CB Keith Abney, Arizona State

WR Denzel Boston, Washington

LB CJ Allen, Georgia

IOL Trey Zuhn III, Texas A&M

WR Brenen Thompson, Mississippi State

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