Day 2: Cincinnati QB Ridder heads to Atlanta
LAS VEGAS >> It took 42 selections Friday before a second quarterback was taken in the NFL draft. And it was a proven commodity in college, Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder.
A full 54 spots after Kenny Pickett of Pittsburgh went 20th to the Steelers on Thursday night, Ridder was taken by Atlanta. The Falcons traded longtime starter Matt Ryan to Indianapolis in the offseason and they have Marcus Mariota as the potential starter.
Ridder, who led a nonPower Five team to the College Football Playoff for the first time, has a skill set that's been compared to Mariota's.
This is the first draft since 2000 that only one quarterback went in the first two rounds: Pickett this year, Chad Pennington to the Jets back then. It's the latest since 1996 for the second QB to go: Bobby Hoying went 85th that year.
Before Ridder was called, both players of the year from the Big 12, a standout receiver from an FCS powerhouse, and more trades marked yet another dizzy and busy round.
The draf began Friday with Houston defensive tackle Logan Hall going to the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay, under new head coach Todd Bowles after Bruce Arians retired last month, owned the spot after trading with Jacksonville the previous night.
Bowles' background is on defense, so Hall seems a natural choice.
He goes 6-foot-6, 275 pounds and is known for his relentlessness. He comes off elbow surgery and missed the Senior Bowl.
“We need D-linemen,” said Bowles. “We like depth. We play a lot of people down there and platoon a lot of people, so it has no bearing on the other guys.”
Green Bay began another bevy of trades by moving up to the second spot to at last help Aaron Rodgers with a highly drafted rookie receiver. Rodgers famously has sought more input into Green Bay's drafts, and the Packers didn't select a wideout in the first round with their two picks because the top prospects were gone.
But they used the second slot in the second round to grab North Dakota State's Christian Watson, who averaged 20.4 yards per reception in his career as 49ers quarterback Trey Lance's top target. The Packers drafted his father, former Howard defensive back Tim Watson, in 1993.
The Packers traded their All-Pro receiver, Davante Adams, to Las Vegas this offseason.
“Obviously being able to catch passes from one of the best to ever do it is something
I'm definitely excited about,” Watson said.
Ten teams didn't select on Thursday, when the Jets got three players. On Friday, they made another deal, with the other New York team. Getting the fourth position in the round from the Giants, the Jets not only took the first running back, two-time All-American Breece Hall of Iowa State, but the first player from the Big 12, the only Power 5 conference blanked on the opening night.
Hall was the top offensive performer in the Big 12 last season, and one spot later, the defensive player of the year, safety Jalen Pitre, went to Houston.
Kyler Gordon, one of four invitees not chosen on Thursday, got his time onstage when the Washington cornerback went to Chicago at No. 39 — the Bears' first selection of the draft.
Baltimore gambled at No. 45 by taking Michigan edge rusher David Ojabo, who was a certain first-rounder before tearing his Achilles tendon during his pro day. Ojabo, of course, played for Jim Harbaugh with the Wolverines, and the Ravens are coached by his brother, John.
Kansas City, seeking a wideout with Tyreek Hill dealt to Miami, used the 54th spot for Skyy Moore of Western Michigan. Presumably, Moore can sky for passes. With 4.4 speed, he caught 95 passes for 1,292 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Broncos last season. RAIDERS DECLINE OPTIONS
ON JACOBS, FERRELL, ABRAM >> The Las Vegas Raiders are declining the fifth-year options on all three of their 2019 first-round picks as the new regime doesn't want to commit to players inherited on the roster.
General manager Dave Ziegler announced the team will let defensive end Clelin Ferrell, running back Josh Jacobs and safety Johnathan Abram play out the final year of their rookie contracts instead of extending them through 2023.
The options were worth $11.5 million for Ferrell, and about $8 million each for Jacobs and Abram.
“We look forward to working with all three players and we will evaluate each situation individually moving forward,” Ziegler said in a statement.
The 2019 class was supposed to lay the foundation for a rebuilding project for the Raiders after the team acquired extra first-round picks by trading away star edge rusher Khalil Mack and receiver Amari Cooper the previous year.
While then-coach Jon Gruden and then-general manager Mike Mayock found two gems late in that draft in edge rusher Maxx Crosby and slot receiver Hunter Renfrow, the first round was mostly a flop.