Landing their highest-graded defensive player, the Seattle Seahawks had all the dominos fall in their favor on Thursday night to select Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy with the 16th overall pick and immediately bolster their defensive line with a blue chip talent.
If there’s a downside to Murphy unexpectedly landing in Seattle’s lap, however, choosing to stick and pick instead of trading down as many anticipated would happen now leaves general manager John Schneider without another selection until No. 81 overall in the third round. With a historically offense-heavy first round pushing some very talented defensive players into day two, it isn’t an ideal situation for a team not to have a second round pick.
Lacking many draft assets for this year, Schneider may not have the ammunition to trade back into the second round unless he dips into future picks. But given the talent still on the board, such aggression shouldn’t be ruled out.
Keeping the possibility Seattle could trade back into day two for a second selection in mind, here are my top 10 players still available heading into day two in Detroit:
Viewed by many as a surefire first-round pick, Cooper DeJean remains available on Friday in part due to a historic run on quarterbacks in the first round.
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
An All-American selection, DeJean played outside cornerback and with his athletic traits, elite ball skills, and extraordinary instincts, some teams may want to keep him at that position at the next level. However, his wide array of talents coupled with a high football IQ could make him a candidate to unleash as a fun do-it-all safety chess piece. In two seasons as a starter at Iowa, he intercepted seven passes and returned three of them for touchdowns, demonstrating remarkable playmaking ability. Opposing quarterbacks struggled mightily to complete passes against him, connecting on less than 50 percent of their targets thrown his direction in coverage and producing sub-50.0 passer ratings when attempting to challenge him.
A 6-2, 295-pound ball of raging fury coming off the line of scrimmage, Newton overwhelmed Big Ten guards and tackles as a versatile weapon who dominated both as a 3-tech defensive tackle and a 5-tech defensive end, demonstrating elite quickness thanks to previously playing running back in high school. Playing significant snaps as a true freshman, he emerged as one of the premier interior disruptors in all of college football, racking up 18 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss in four seasons while earning consensus All-American honors in 2023. Lack of length will be a concern for some teams in the draft process and he didn’t test at the combine due to recovering from surgery to repair a broken foot, but he looked healthy at his pro day and should go quickly on day two.
Breaking out in his junior season with the Ducks, Powers-Johnson served as a catalyst for the No. 2 ranked offense in the country at the pivot position, demonstrating a superb blend of athleticism and explosive power as a run blocker and outstanding hand usage and technique in pass protection. Keeping defenders away from quarterback Bo Nix all season long and holding his own both against speed and power rushers, he yielded only one pressure and no sacks on 471 pass blocking snaps.
Spearheading a rushing attack that averaged nearly 185 yards per game, he also earned PFF’s highest run blocking grade (85.2) out of 100 qualified centers, demonstrating proficiency creating push at the line of scrimmage as well as reaching the second level for effective blocks on linebackers and safeties.
Part of a talented Crimson Tide secondary, McKinstry started each of his final two seasons with the program, playing lockdown coverage allowing just three total touchdowns and a career 47 percent completion percentage. Offering solid size at 6’0, 199 pounds, he’s a sure tackler who only missed two attempts all of 2023 and has played a fair amount of snaps in the box away from primarily being a boundary cornerback. While he did have a whopping 16 pass breakups in 2022, his ball production has been hit and miss, as he only had four pass breakups last year and picked off only two passes in three collegiate seasons. Without elite speed or athletic traits, he fell out of the first round, but should be an immediate starter available early on day two.
While the Huskies have struggled mightily in recent years, Haynes has risen above the ineptitude as a viable NFL guard prospect who earned All-American honors in each of his final two college seasons. After playing in two games as a freshman, the Bowie, Maryland product started 49 consecutive games in a five-year span for the Huskies, evolving into one of the country’s most fearsome blockers. Aside from loving to shoot out of his stance and fire heavy hands into opponents as a drive blocker, he’s a technician in pass protection, using his hands and feet in sync as well as any lineman in his class. Allowing just 15 pressures in the past two years combined, he answered questions about level of competition as one of the stars at the line of scrimmage at the Senior Bowl. He also tested well in Indianapolis, showcasing the athleticism he put on film against his peers with a quality 40 time.
A four-year starter for the Mountaineers, Frazier’s background as a state champion wrestler shows up on film, as he’s an athletic technician throwing heavy hands with excellent placement and has a high finish rate once he latches onto opponents. He made marked improvements in pass protection as a senior, allowing only six pressures and no sacks, but his lack of length could create a bit more trouble for him in that aspect at the next level. Still, his movement skills and power as a drive blocker coupled with a high football IQ should set him up to start early at the pivot position as an early-to-mid second round selection.
One of the best all-around safeties in this year’s draft class, Tyler Nubin could be a candidate for the Seahawks to consider if he somehow slips into the third round.
Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports
Compared to other top safety prospects in this year’s class, Nubin isn’t the most athletic defender, as evidenced by a pedestrian 4.62 40-yard dash and poor 31 1/2-inch vertical jump at his pro day workout. But his instincts and discipline in coverage help offset athletic limitations, particularly in coverage, where he picked off 12 passes in his final three seasons with the Golden Gophers and allowed a sub 45.0 passer rating in each of those years. At 6-1, 199 pounds, he also has demonstrated some pass rushing ability as a blitzer with a pair of sacks and 11 pressures during that span. His pursuit angles can be shaky at times and lead to missed tackles, but his aggressiveness should lend well to making plays against the run and his all-around game should land him on a team early on day two.
Once a highly touted recruit, Cooper busted out as a redshirt freshman in 2021 for the Aggies, totaling 58 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss in his first year as a starter. After another solid season in 2022, the athletic 230-pound linebacker exploded onto the scene as one of the country’s most dynamic playmakers in the middle, earning consensus First-Team All-American accolades after racking up 84 tackles, eight sacks, 17 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. While his size remains a question mark and could make him a fit only for certain teams scheme-wise, his athletic traits, coverage potential, and pass rushing prowess likely pushes him near the front of the second round.
Another highly decorated starter with versatility, Beebe started 48 games for the Wildcats as a left guard, left tackle, and right tackle in five years on campus. Built with a thick, powerful 335-pound frame, he throws bricks for hands and consistently knocked opponents backward off the snap for a physical Kansas State rushing attack that ran more than 50 percent of the time. Light on his feet for a player of his size, he demonstrates good, yet unspectacular movement skills mirroring opponents, giving up just 28 combined pressures in his final three years as a starter. He has buzzed off arms and athletic deficiencies may be more of a problem at the next level, but he oozes toughness and plays with sound technique, setting him up to be an early starter in the league.
Starting as a true freshman at Michigan, Colson quickly emerged as one of the Big Ten’s best linebackers. Built with a powerful 240-pound frame, he excelled as a run defender and tallied nearly 200 tackles in his final two seasons with the Wolverines, earning Second-Team All-Big Ten honors twice. Despite battling through a broken left hand late in the 2023 season and wearing a club to protect it, he registered 16 tackles in wins over Alabama and Michigan in the College Football Playoff. One of the younger prospects in this class as an early entrant to the draft, he has immense upside and already brings a polished game with him to the pros to build off of.
