04/26/24 07:42:00
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04/26 19:41 CDT Bills and Chargers get their receivers in Day 2 of the NFL
draft in Keon Coleman and Ladd McConkey
Bills and Chargers get their receivers in Day 2 of the NFL draft in Keon
Coleman and Ladd McConkey
By ROB MAADDI
AP Pro Football Writer
The Buffalo Bills got their wide receiver on Friday night.
So did the Los Angeles Chargers.
After trading down twice and out of the first round, the Bills opened Day 2 of
the NFL draft by selecting Florida State's Keon Coleman to give Josh Allen
another playmaker and help replace Stefon Diggs.
The Chargers, who chose Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt over wideouts Malik
Nabers and Rome Odunze with the fifth overall pick, traded up to take Georgia's
Ladd McConkey at No. 34. Justin Herbert will be counting on him to fill the
void following the departures of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
Seven wide receivers went Thursday night, tying a record for most in the first
round.
After Atlanta moved up to take Clemson defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro and
Washington took Illinois defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton, New England chose
Washington's Ja'Lynn Polk to make it 10 wide receivers in the top 37.
The Bills raised plenty of eyebrows in trading the 28th pick to AFC rival
Kansas City, which took wideout Xavier Worthy. Buffalo then dealt the 32nd pick
to Carolina and watched the Panthers take wideout Xavier Legette.
But the Bills added a third-rounder and more draft capital and still ended up
with a receiver in Coleman, who had 50 receptions, 658 receiving yards and 11
receiving touchdowns last season.
The Chargers swapped picks with the Patriots to get McConkey, who is a polished
receiver with deceptive speed.
The most receivers selected in the first two rounds is 13 in 2020.
The Titans took a chance on Texas defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat with the 38th
pick after he was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Sweat visited
Tennessee after the incident and new coach Brian Callahan said the team would
do its homework on players with character concerns.
"There's a ton of time invested into making sure that we get whatever those
issues might be, ironed out and whether they're real issues that have to be
dealt with or they're things that maybe aren't as detrimental as the perception
might be," Callahan said.
After Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske went to the Rams, the
Philadelphia Eagles moved up to grab Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean at No. 40.
The Eagles made Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell the first cornerback taken at No. 22
and the addition of DeJean fortifies a now-crowded secondary that includes
Darius Slay and James Bradberry.
DeJean started a run on cornerbacks with three more going in a row. Alabama's
Kool-Aid McKinstry went to New Orleans, Georgia's Kamari Lassiter was selected
by Houston and Arizona chose Max Melton from Rutgers.
The Raiders got a first-round talent at No. 44, selecting Oregon interior
lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson.
Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper went to Green Bay before Jonathon Brooks
became the first running back selected at No. 46 by Carolina.
The Giants got Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin, the Jaguars took LSU defensive
lineman Maason Smith and the Bengals chose Michigan defensive lineman Kris
Jenkins.
The Commanders, who got picks Nos. 50 and 53 from the Eagles in the deal for
No. 40, chose Michigan cornerback Mike Sainristil with the first of the two
selections.
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