NFL Draft: Bengals pick N.C. State's Germaine Pratt in the third round
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell estimates 200,000 turned out for the first night of the NFL draft in Nashville on a rainy night, and Music City has an even bigger show ready in the wings.
Country star Tim McGraw will perform a free concert Friday night on the draft stage once the third round concludes along with fireworks.
Luckily for Friday, only partly sunny skies are expected.
The second and third rounds are Friday night.
FIRST ROUND: Duke QB Jones, State's Bradbury taken in first round of NFL Draft
SECOND-ROUND DRAFT PICKS
No. 33: CARDINALS
One day after opening the NFL draft by selecting Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Kyler Murray of Oklahoma, the Arizona Cardinals chose Washington cornerback Byron Murphy.
Considered by some scouts as the best cover defender in this draft, Murphy was projected to go in the opening round, but did not. Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins, taken 15th by the Redskins on Thursday, said Murphy was the best defensive back he faced last season. He was the fifth Huskies DB taken since 2015.
Former Titans running back Eddie George and country music star Tim McGraw joined Commissioner Roger Goodell onstage for the selection. McGraw is to perform a concert on the same stage after the third round concludes.
No. 34: COLTS
Next up was Temple's Rock Ya-Sin, a cornerback with a penchant for hard hits who has had some issues with using his hands too much. But the Colts, with their initial selection this year, loved his aggressiveness.
No. 35: JAGUARS
Florida tackle Jawaan Taylor went to the Jaguars next ; he said Jacksonville is only two hours from his home.
The Jags dealt with Oakland for that spot.
No. 36: 49ERS
San Francisco went for a deep-threat receiver, South Carolina's Deebo Samuel.
Only two receivers went in the first round with Baltimore taking Oklahoma's Marquise Brown 25th overall and New England using the 32nd pick on Arizona State's N'Keal Harry. No receivers went in the first three picks in the second round before the Niners pounced on Samuel to replace the departed Pierre Garcon.
Samuel had 62 catches for 882 yards and 11 touchdowns last season for South Carolina and is also skilled as a returner with four kick return touchdowns in his career with the Gamecocks. He has experience playing both outside and in the slot and excels with his ability to run after the catch. He forced 21 missed tackles last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
No. 37: PANTHERS
The Carolina Panthers traded up in the second round of the NFL draft to select Mississippi left tackle Greg Little with the 37th overall pick.
The Panthers Friday night traded a second-round pick (No. 47) and a third-round pick (No. 77) to Seattle to get Little. Carolina has one pick remaining in the third round (No. 100).
General manager Marty Hurney said he felt the Panthers needed to make a move to trade up because left tackles were "flying off the draft board."
Little fills a huge need for the Panthers.
Carolina cut left tackle Matt Kalil with three years left on a $55 million contract after he missed all of last season with a knee injury. Little will be in charge of protecting Cam Newton's blind side with the quarterback coming off offseason shoulder surgery.
No. 38: BILLS
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane promised no hesitations about drafting an offensive lineman on the heels of signing six newcomers in free agency.
The Bills traded up two spots in the second round of the NFL draft to select Oklahoma offensive tackle Cody Ford with the 38th overall pick on Friday night.
Ford is listed at 6-foot-3 and 329 pounds, and earned first-team Big 12 honors with 14 starts at right tackle as a junior last season. He was part of a Sooners line that won the Joe Moore Award, given to college football's best unit. Ford also has experience playing guard.
The Bills dealt their second of two fifth-round draft picks - 158th overall - to move up two spots in a trade with the Oakland Raiders.
Ford was initially projected to be a first-round selection and was still in Nashville, Tennessee, where the draft was held. He was watching the draft on television in his hotel room.
No. 39: BUCCANEERS
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to seek help for a leaky defense, selecting Central Michigan cornerback Sean Bunting in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday night.
Bunting is the first defensive back drafted out of the Mid-American Conference school in 34 years and the highest drafted player from Central Michigan since offensive lineman Eric Fisher was the No. 1 overall pick in 2013.
In Tampa Bay, he'll join first-round selection Devin White as part of a potential fix for one of the NFL's worst defenses.
No. 40: RAIDERS
The Oakland Raiders drafted Clemson cornerback Trayvon Mullen with the 40th overall pick after twice trading back in the second round following deals with Jacksonville and Buffalo.
Mullen was a second-team All-ACC pick during his junior year with the Tigers. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Mullen has not allowed a touchdown in coverage since 2017, according to Pro Football Focus. He was the defensive MVP in the national championship game after tallying six tackles with a sack, interception and forced fumble.
Mullen joins an increasingly crowded secondary with the Raiders. Former first-round pick Gareon Conley is expected to start at one of the cornerback spots. Oakland also tendered Daryl Worley, who started nine games in 2018.
No. 41: BRONCOS
The Denver Broncos grabbed Kansas State tackle Dalton Risner, a, 6-foot-5, 312-pounder with the ninth pick of the second round.
He grew up in Colorado and can play center or right guard in Denver. He bolsters an offensive line that has been Elway's biggest headache as general manager.
No. 42: BRONCOS
It took another 27 picks since Washington took Dwayne Haskins before a quarterback went in the NFL draft.
Denver, pretty much searching for its guy since Peyton Manning retired, took Missouri's Drew Lock with the 42nd spot. Lock had been projected by some to wind up in the Mile High City, but in the opening round.
Broncos boss John Elway lured Manning to Denver as a free agent in 2012 and Peyton got them to two Super Bowls, winning one. But Elway pretty much has struck out with his choices at the key position since.
So Elway traded up with Cincinnati to get Lock.
No. 43: LIONS
The Detroit Lions have drafted Hawaii linebacker Jahlani Tavai in the second round of the NFL draft.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Tavai is second on Hawaii's career list in tackles and was on preseason watch lists last year for the Bronko Nagurski and Butkus awards. He averaged 10.2 tackles a game in an injury-shortened 2018.
In 2017, he started all 12 games at middle linebacker and ranked 10th nationally in tackles.
Detroit took Tavai with the 43rd pick - the highest a Hawaii player has been drafted since Tennessee took defensive end Travis LaBoy at No. 42 in 2004.
No. 44: PACKERS
After spending their first-round selections on defense, the Green Bay Packers went to new coach Matt LaFleur's side of the ball to start Day 2 of the NFL draft.
They did not pick a weapon for quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Instead, the Packers used their second-round pick (No. 44 overall) on offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins, who started Mississippi State's last 26 games at center over the past two seasons but played all five spots on the offensive line during his career. He is expected to start at guard in Green Bay
No. 45: PATRIOTS
Joejuan Williams of Vanderbilt has gotten to experience the rarity of being drafted into the NFL in the same city where he was born, grew up and went to college.
And he's going to the defending Super Bowl champs, too.
The New England Patriots traded up and made a deal with the team they beat in the Super Bowl in February to take the 6-foot-4 cornerback at No. 45 overall.
Williams says this was special being born and raised and going to school in Nashville. The cornerback kept repeating how special this was. He says he had no words, but he sees playing for coach Bill Belichick as the right fit.
No. 46: BROWNS
The Cleveland Browns addressed the need for another starting cornerback, moving up three spots in the second round of the NFL draft to select LSU's Greedy Williams with the No. 46 overall pick on Friday night.
Browns general manager John Dorsey sent the No. 46 pick and No. 144 to Indianapolis to get Williams, considered the best cornerback in the powerful SEC.
The sixth cornerback selected in the second round, Williams joins fellow LSU alums Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry in Cleveland.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Williams will likely start opposite Denzel Ward, the fourth overall pick in 2018 who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
No. 47: PANTHERS
The Carolina Panthers drafted Greg Little on Friday night to protect Cam Newton's blind side.
The move was costly for the Panthers, who gave up their own second round pick (No. 47) and an early third round pick (No. 77) to Seattle to move to get Little.
No. 48:SAINTS
The New Orleans Saints have traded up 14 spots in the second round of the NFL draft to take Texas A&M center Erik McCoy with the 48th overall pick they received from Miami.
The decision Friday night to take the 6-foot-4, 303-pound McCoy comes after 2018 Pro Bowl center Max Unger's recent decision to retire.
No. 49: COLTS
Indy selected Ben Banogu, a pass-rushing linebacker from TCU, at No. 49.
Banogu is a 6-4, 249-pound linebacker who started his career at Louisiana-Monroe but recorded 8 sacks each of the last two seasons at TCU and could become the starter opposite Leonard.
No. 50: VIKINGS
The Minnesota Vikings selected Alabama tight end Irv Smith Jr. with the 50th overall pick in the second round on Friday night, adding another potential field-stretching pass-catcher for quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Smith became the fourth Alabama tight end drafted in the last eight years, with O.J. Howard the most recent in 2017 by Tampa Bay with the 19th overall pick in the first round. Smith is the son of former NFL tight end Irv Smith, who played the first five of his seven seasons in the league with New Orleans.
The Vikings have one proven tight end in Kyle Rudolph, a two-time Pro Bowl pick and ninth-year veteran who's long been a reliable receiver.
No. 51: TITANS
The Tennessee Titans have added another offensive weapon by selecting Mississippi wide receiver A.J. Brown in the second round with the 51st overall pick in the draft.
Brown set Ole Miss single-season records in catches (85) and yards receiving (1,320) while earning Associated Press All-America third-team honors last season. The 6-foot Brown departed Ole Miss with a school-record 2,984 career yards receiving.
Tennessee needed to spend the second round of the draft boosting an offense that scored just 19.4 points per game last season. The Titans used their first-round pick Thursday on Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and focused on defense in their 2018 draft.
No. 52: BENGALS
The Bengals took tight end Drew Sample from Washington in the second round Friday after trading down 10 spots with Denver, which went for quarterback Drew Lock.
It's the third straight year that Cincinnati traded down in the second round.
No. 53: EAGLES
The Philadelphia Eagles added a pair of offensive weapons in the second round of the NFL draft, selecting Penn State running back Miles Sanders with the No. 53 overall pick and Stanford wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside at No. 57 on Friday night.
Sanders had 1,274 yards rushing, an average of 5.8 yards per carry and nine touchdowns as a junior last year after replacing Saquon Barkley. He helps replace Jay Ajayi, who wasn't re-signed after tearing an ACL last season.
No. 54: TEXANS
The Houston Texans used back-to-back picks in the second round Friday night to draft Kentucky cornerback Lonnie Johnson Jr. and offensive lineman Max Scharping of Northern Illinois.
Johnson started 18 games for the Wildcats after a series of twists and turns.
Originally, he committed to Ohio State but did not qualify academically. In 2014, Johnson played at San Bernardino Valley Community College before spending the next two years at Garden City Community
No. 55: TEXANS
Scharping joins Alabama State's Tytus Howard, the Texans' first-round pick as Houston tries to better protect oft-banged up quarterback Deshaun Watson. Howard was a quarterback in high school before growing into his 6-foot-5, 322-pound frame while Scharping (No. 55 overall pick) is a 6-foot-6, 327-pound tackle who started in 53 consecutive games for the Huskies.
No. 56: CHIEFS
Kansas City finally made its first selection at No. 56 on Friday night, when it sent a fifth-round pick to the Rams to move up five spots and select Georgia speedster Mecole Hardman.
An undersized wide receiver, Hardman ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash. Throw in his elusiveness and open-field playmaking ability, and it appeared as the Chiefs had drafted a replacement for Tyreek Hill, who is under investigation for his role in a suspected child-abuse case.
No. 57: EAGLES
The Philadelphia Eagles added a pair of offensive weapons in the second round of the NFL draft, selecting Penn State running back Miles Sanders with the No. 53 overall pick and Stanford wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside at No. 57 on Friday night.
No. 58: COWBOYS
The Dallas Cowboys have added to the interior of their defensive line with their first pick in the draft, taking Trysten Hill of Central Florida 58th overall in the second round Friday night.
Dallas didn't have a first-round pick because of a trade last season for receiver Amari Cooper. The Cowboys have said they thought defensive line was one of the deepest positions in the draft. They kept the focus there despite Dallas' two biggest moves of the offseason being at that spot.
No. 59: COLTS
Indy selected receiver Parris Campbell from Ohio State at No. 59.
Campbell gives the Colts another speedster to pair with Andrew Luck. The 6-1, 208-pound Campbell joins a receiving corps that includes Pro Bowler T.Y. Hilton, recent signee Devin Funchess and two draft picks from last season - Daurice Fountain and Deon Cain. Campbell caught 90 passes for 1,063 yards and 12 TDs last season.
No. 60: CHARGERS
The Los Angeles Chargers selected Delaware safety Nasir Adderley with the 60th overall pick in the second round Friday night, giving them someone to pair with Derwin James in the secondary.
James made an instant impact last season at strong safety and was an Associated Press All-Pro selection. The Chargers did not have a true free safety, however.
No. 61: RAMS
The Rams waited until near the end of the second round before making Washington safety Taylor Rapp the 61st pick overall.
They came into the draft with the No. 31 pick after losing the Super Bowl to the Patriots. They swapped that pick and moved to No. 45 in the second round to sit out the opening night of the draft completely. Then the Rams wound up moving down three times before their first pick because general manager Les Snead is confident in his ability to unearth starters and contributors in the middle rounds.
No. 62: CARDINALS
Arizona added Andy Isabella, a wide-receiver from UMass.
Arizona and the Miami Dolphins finally have agreed to the trade expected for weeks with the Cardinals taking quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 1 pick overall in the draft.
The Cardinals sent quarterback Josh Rosen, the 10th overall pick just last year, to Miami for the No. 62 pick overall and a fifth-round pick in 2020. Rosen had to wait until late in the second round before changing teams after the former UCLA star had a rough rookie season with the Cardinals going 3-13.
No. 63: CHIEFS
The Chiefs then used the 63rd overall pick in the second round to select Juan Thornhill, a versatile defensive back from Virginia. He has the speed and ball skills of a cornerback and the ability to defend the run like a safety, making him a good match for new running mate Tyrann Mathieu.
No. 64: SEAHAWKS
The Seattle Seahawks focused on defense by drafting safety Marquise Blair from Utah with the first of two second-round picks and later traded up to land Ole Miss wide receiver D.K. Metcalf with the final pick of the round Friday night.
THIRD ROUND
N.C. State's Germaine Pratt was picked No. 72 in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He is headed to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Track the draft here.
