2023 NFL Draft | Who are the best players left on Day 2?
By The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It’s Day 2 of the NFL draft! Who will pick Will Levis? The standout Kentucky quarterback will be the biggest name on the board when the second round kicks off at 7 p.m. EST from Kansas City’s Union Station with the Pittsburgh Steelers on the clock.
Bryce Young went first overall to the Carolina Panthers followed by C.J. Stroud to the Houston Texans for a 1-2 quarterback combo at the top of the draft Thursday. The second round can be viewed on NFL Network and ESPN. Follow for live updates from Associated Press reporters across the country (all times EST).
LEVIS LEAVES KANSAS CITY
Levis didn’t stick around to hear his name called in the second round of the NFL draft.
After the Kentucky QB slipped out of the first round, he decided not to return to Union Station for Day 2.
He was expected to go in the top 15 with some draft analysts projecting him among the top five. Levis sat uncomfortably in the green room, sometimes squirming in front of the TV cameras, as he watched three quarterbacks picked in the first four selections: Young to the Panthers, Stroud to the Texans and Anthony Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts.
CHIEFS OWNER SAYS NFL DRAFT IS A SHOWCASE FOR KC
The owner of the Kansas City Chiefs believes the NFL Draft has been a spectacular showcase for their hometown.
Clark Hunt, the son of Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt, added Friday that he’s “heard nothing but compliments from league personnel about the job the city has done,” AP’s Dave Skretta reports.
The draft is being held at Union Station, where the Chiefs celebrated their latest Super Bowl triumph in February. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce began the draft Thursday night by bringing the Lombardi Trophy onto the stage to hype up a crowd of about 125,000.
MAHOMES TO RAIDERS PICK: TAKE IT EASY ON ME
Mahomes tweeted at new Las Vegas pass rusher Tyree Wilson to “take it easy on me” when the Raiders play the Chiefs this season.
The Raiders drafted Wilson seventh overall Thursday out of Texas Tech, where Mahomes starred before leading the Chiefs to two Supers Bowl titles.
“Pat is from the same area I’m from,” Wilson said Friday at the Raiders’ facility in Henderson, Nevada. “I know his family, and it’s ironic that me and him both went to Texas Tech, and now we’re in the same division. So it’s going to be a lot of competition and excitement for Texas Tech and East Texas.”
RAIN DAMPENS NFL DRAFT
Showers started in the Kansas City area with the second and third rounds of the NFL Draft approaching, dampening the festive spirit that came with Thursday’s first round at Union Station.
Still, thousands of fans descended on the downtown area for the second straight night to take in the scene. Many headed for the NFL Draft Experience and the little cover it provided in an otherwise open expanse of grass.
The stage erected in front of the train station is covered, as are the seats immediately in front of it. But most of the crowd, which figures to be far less than on opening night, will have to deal with the intermittent rain expected throughout the second and third rounds.
JOEY PORTER JR. TO FATHER’S TEAM?
Former Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is among the top remaining prospects going into the second round of the NFL draft.
The son of former Pittsburgh linebacker Joey Porter was a first-rounder in many mock drafts, including by The Associated Press.
The Steelers have the first pick of the second round at No. 32 overall.
LEVIS TO THE COLTS?
Colts owner Jim Irsay raised eyebrows on Twitter hours before the start of the second round of the NFL draft by asking fans if the team should take Levis for a Joe Montana-Steve Young QB combo.
Irsay asked the question after Indianapolis took Richardson with the fourth overall pick. The Colts have the fourth pick in the second round, the 35th overall.
Montana and Young are both Pro Football Hall of Famers who won Super Bowls in San Francisco. Young was Montana’s backup before replacing him.
WHO ARE THE BEST PLAYERS AVAILABLE?
Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker is another intriguing prospect still on the board after being bypassed on a wild Thursday night that featured several surprising swaps, two running backs selected among the top dozen picks and a late run on a thin class of wide receivers.
Other players expected to go in the second round include tight ends Michael Mayer (Notre Dame) and Luke Musgrave (Oregon State), cornerbacks Brian Branch (Alabama), Porter Jr. (Penn State) and Kelee Ringo (Georgia), and guard O’Cyrus Torrence (Florida).
WHO’S ON THE CLOCK IN THE SECOND ROUND?
The Steelers, Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions have the first three picks in Round 2.
The Los Angeles Rams (36th overall) and Miami Dolphins (51st) jump into action in Round 2 after being spectators on Thursday night. The Rams traded away their first-round pick and the Dolphins were punished by the league for tampering.
The Denver Broncos (67th) and Cleveland Browns (74th) must wait for the third round, barring a trade to move up.
DRAFT PICKS SO FAR
AP College Football Writer Ralph Russo breaks down all 31 first-round picks, including Alabama defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who was once projected to be the first overall pick and went ninth to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Carter’s stock dropped after pleading no contest to two misdemeanors (reckless driving and racing) and being sentenced to a year of probation and community service in March on charges related to an automobile accident that killed a Georgia teammate and football staffer.
Young, Stroud, Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. (Texans), Richardson and Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon (Seattle Seahawks) were the top five selections, while Kansas State defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah was the last player picked in the first round by the Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs.
BIJAN ROBINSON, BACK WHERE HE STARTED
Robinson knew all about the Atlanta Falcons – and their Dirty Birds nickname – long before there was any hint he might one day be picked by the team in the first round of the NFL draft.
Robinson, a native of Tucson, Arizona, played for the Tucson Falcons as his first team in youth football. He posted photos on his Twitter account of him holding his No. 1 Falcons jersey on Thursday night and wearing his No. 8 Tuscon Falcons jersey.
“We stole every slogan from the Falcons. We were the Dirty Birds,” Robinson said during first news conference at the Falcons’ practice facility on Friday. “That was my first team. It’s just crazy that now we’re here because I wore No. 8 the first year and wore No. 1 the year after.”
STELLERS FIRST ROUNDER HONORS GEORGIA TEAMMATE
Steelers first-round pick Broderick Jones began his NFL career by honoring former Georgia teammate Devin Willock.
Jones, a 6-foot-3, 310-pound offensive tackle taken 14th overall by the Steelers, will wear No. 77 in Pittsburgh. That’s the number Willock wore during his time with the Bulldogs.
“I just wanted to show my respects by taking that number and letting (Willock) live through me,” Jones said.
Willock and Georgia recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy died in a car accident in January, shortly after the Bulldogs won their second straight national title. Willock started every game at right guard for Georgia last season. Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, taken ninth overall by the Eagles on Thursday, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing related to the wreck.
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