National

2023 NFL draft: Second round instant grades for all 32 picks

Alabama defensive back Brian Branch celebrates after being chosen by the Detroit Lions during the second round of the NFL football draft, Friday, April 28, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (from Bears):Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State — We get the family bond here between the Porters and the Steelers get a qualified prospect who could have come off the board in Round 1 without anyone blinking an eye. This is a perfect fit for the Steelers for a variety of reasons. Grade: A+

2. Tennessee Titans (from Cardinals via Texans):Will Levis, QB, Kentucky — Levis was in the mix for the Titans in the first round, but they were still able to grab him at the top of the second. Levis has the upside to be a franchise QB, which is something the Titans have sought for a couple of years now. He's a more legitimate prospect than Malik Willis. This gives the Titans more flexibility to pull off a trade with Ryan Tannehill as well. Grade: A+

3. Detroit Lions (from Cardinals): Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa — LaPorta is a good player, but the Lions passed on a couple of better tight end prospects on the Yahoo board to make this pick. Still, TE was a huge need for the Lions since they traded away T.J. Hockenson. Grade: C+

4. Las Vegas Raiders (from Colts):Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame — Mayer was the top tight end prospect in the draft and ends up getting drafted 25 spots later than his spot on the Yahoo big board. The Raiders get an instant impact starter after trading away Darren Waller. Grade: A+

5. Los Angeles Rams:Steve Avila, OG, TCU — The Rams had a massive need on the interior of their offensive line and got a prospect some people had first-round grades on Avila. Sometimes there's no need to overthink it and the Rams did that here. Grade: A

6. Seattle Seahawks (from Broncos): Derick Hall, EDGE, Auburn — This is a reach here as there was a chance they could have had Hall later. It's difficult to find edge rushers with his physical profile, but he struggled a bit against some of the better offensive tackles who made it into this draft and recent drafts. Grade: C+

7. Atlanta Falcons (from Colts via Raiders): Matthew Bergeron, OT, Syracuse — The Falcons needed interior offensive line help in a big way and get it here. Trading up is an interesting move at this spot, but Bergeron is athletic and can play all over the line — and potentially left tackle next year when the Falcons can decide what to do with Jake Matthews for the long term. Grade: B-

8. Carolina Panthers: Jonathan Mingo, WR, Ole Miss — The Panthers get a target for Bryce Young, adding to a thin wide receivers room following their trade of D.J. Moore to the Bears. Mingo is raw, but it's hard to find his blend of blocking, run-after-the-catch ability and overall physicality. He's a lottery ticket type pick for the Panthers. Grade: B

9. New Orleans Saints: Isaiah Foskey, EDGE, Notre Dame — Foskey is the bigger, heavy-handed type of edge rusher the Saints love to employ and they needed a bit more depth there after losing Marcus Davenport to free agency. Foskey is a potential 10-sack type of rusher, but at the very least he'll provide stalwart run defense. Grade: B

10. Arizona Cardinals (from Titans): BJ Ojulari, EDGE, LSU — Pass rush help for a team that doesn't really have any pass rushers. Ojulari is going to need time to adjust to the NFL with his frame and future workload, but he has some juice off the edge and has a nice array of pass rushing moves. Grade: B+

11. Green Bay Packers (from Browns via Jets): Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State — The Packers had a need at tight end and Musgrave may end up being the best TE in the class, but this is a risk considering Musgrave had only 11 catches last year and is coming off a knee injury. Grade: B-

12. New York Jets (from Packers):Joe Tippmann, C, Wisconsin  Even after bringing back Connor McGovern, the Jets still had a huge need at center and Tippmann will have a chance to start immediately for New York. This may be a young offensive line for the Jets, but it's a talented one. Grade: B+

13: Indianapolis Colts (from Falcons): Julius Brents, CB, TCU  Brents is a powerhouse athlete at cornerback. He's not the fastest guy, but he's big, physical and has tremendous ball skills. The Colts needed to take a dice roll at corner and Brents is perfect for the players they already have at that position. Grade: A

14. Detroit Lions (from Packers): Brian Branch, DB, Alabama — This is the best pick the Lions have made by far in this draft. This pick would have been fine at No. 12 where they took Jahmyr Gibbs. Branch can do just about anything for the Lions' secondary outside of playing outside corner. Great pick. Grade: A+

15. New England Patriots: Keion White, EDGE, Georgia Tech — White isn't a particularly dynamic defensive lineman, but he's not bad either. He'll be a competent rotation player for the Patriots and can play a ton of spots, which New England always values. Grade: C

16. Washington Commanders: Jartavius Martin, S, Illinois — This feels like a reach with the other corners who were on the board. Martin is an athletic marvel, but he has a lot of work to do to be a full-time NFL starter, especially on the outside. This is an upside swing for the Commanders. Grade: C-

17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from Packers via Lions): Cody Mauch  Mauch is the first FCS player selected in this draft — and for good reason. He's an athletic, versatile offensive lineman who can plug a few holes on the Buccaneers' line. Grade: B

18. Pittsburgh Steelers: Keeanu Benton, DT, Wisconsin — Benton was a first-round talent on the Yahoo big board this year. The Steelers got an absolute steal here and Benton can be an impact defensive tackle early against the run and pass. Grade: A+

19. Green Bay Packers (from Buccaneers): Jayden Reed, WR, Michigan State —The Packers needed some more juice in their wide receivers room and Reed can fill that void. He's a polished route runner who can push for playing time early in Green Bay. Grade: B

20. Miami Dolphins: Cam Smith, CB, South Carolina — This is the right range for Smith. He's a great fit for Vic Fangio's scheme as a do-it-all type of corner. He can also free up Jalen Ramsey to be a playmaker. Grade: B

21. Seattle Seahawks: Zach Charbonnet, RB, UCLA — Huh? The Seahawks didn't need a running back and they got one who is less dynamic than their entrenched starter Kenneth Walker III. It's hard to get behind this pick. Grade: D

22. Chicago Bears (from Ravens): Gervon Dexter Sr., DT, Florida  I love taking this dice roll at this point in the draft. There aren't many people on the planet as athletic as Dexter, running a 4.8 at 300 pounds. He's pretty raw, but defensive line is one of those positions where it's OK to gamble on traits. Grade: A

23. Los Angeles Chargers: Tuli Tuipulotu, EDGE, USC  Tuipulotu is young and raw, but he's got tons of upside to become an impact player down the line. He's a bit of a project and the Chargers could've used someone who's more ready to make an impact today. Grade: C+

24. Kansas City Chiefs (from Lions via Vikings): Rashee Rice, WR, SMU  This is the exact player the Chiefs needed to add to their wide receivers room. Rice can do a little bit of everything. K.C. adds a bigger, skilled WR to a group that was mainly relying on speed. Grade: A

25. Chicago Bears (from Jaguars): Tyrique Stevenson, CB, Miami — Stevenson is raw, but has the upside to develop into an outside cornerback for the Bears. It's not a terrible dart throw at this point, but Kelee Ringo was ranked higher on the Yahoo board. Grade: C+

26. New York Giants:John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota  Schmitz was a first-round talent on the Yahoo big board, so this is great value here. He can start right away for this team and center is a massive position of need for the Giants. Grade: A+

27. Dallas Cowboys: Luke Schoonmaker, TE, Michigan — Schoonmaker is a solid prospect, but the Cowboys might have been able to get him later in the draft. Tight end is a big need for the Cowboys, so the pick makes sense. Grade: C+

28. Buffalo Bills: O'Cyrus Torrence, OG, Florida  Incredible value here for the Bills. Torrence could have been taken with their first-round pick and it would have been a fine selection. The Bills needed to get better at guard and they definitely did with this pick. Grade: A+

29. Cincinnati Bengals: DJ Turner II, CB, Michigan  Turner was the fastest player at the NFL scouting combine and has great man coverage skills to go with that speed. He has the potential to be a long-term starter for the Bengals with his athleticism. Grade: B+

30. Jacksonville Jaguars (from 49ers via Panthers): Brenton Strange, TE, Penn State — Strange is a quality prospect, but no one had him going this high. The Jags could have had this guy on the third day of the draft. They're in the process of working out a contract with Evan Engram as well, so he might not have too many opportunities for targets as a rookie. Grade: D

31. Houston Texans (from Eagles): Juice Scruggs, C, Penn State — Man, what a reach. Not one person had Scruggs going this high in the draft and he struggled against Shrine Bowl competition. Major overpay for someone who projects to be a depth player. Grade: F

32. Denver Broncos (from Chiefs via Lions): Marvin Mims Jr., WR, Oklahoma — Mims is an explosive wide receiver and adds big-play ability to the Broncos' group of wide receivers, but trading up for him might not have been necessary. Still, a solid prospect who can fill a specific role. Grade: C

0