I will post my reaction to Seattle’s pick in this blog post when it happens. I won’t be giving reaction to every selection — only notes — but when the Seahawks have made their pick, we’ll jump on a live stream.
I will also be appearing on the Cigar Thoughts broadcast at about 6:30pm PT.
Use this as an open thread to discuss in the comments and let me know your reaction to every pick. Here’s the horizontal board for day two:
— I’m not surprised Jer’Zhan Newton lasted as long as he did. He was highly disruptive at Illinois but when you’re undersized and don’t have testing numbers — plus you’re recovering from injury — it’s hard to make the call on a player like that in round one.
— When I was at UW in November, I was told Ja’Lynn Polk was the junkyard dog on the team. He fought through so many injuries, was a leader and gave absolutely everything.
— I can’t believe the Titans took T’Vondre Sweat at #38. How can you trust him? That’s a huge, 380lbs gamble.
— The Rams pairing Braden Fiske with Jared Verse is scary. They work so well together on stunts. They pushed each other on and off the field at FSU. We’re talking two very physical, aggressive, all-out defenders. Fiske is an elite athlete too. The Rams used their 2025 second rounder to move up for Fiske. Very expensive.
— Kamari Lassister is a great pick for the Houston Texans. I liked him, thought he had a good field workout at the combine. He doesn’t have the lofty testing numbers but I think he’s a quality addition at #42.
— Max Melton was generating a big buzz in the last few weeks but I thought his tape was maddening and inconsistent. This is the first NFC West pick I’m not a big fan of.
— I’m not surprised the Raiders announced Jackson Powers-Johnson as a guard. There aren’t many teams who want a massive center these days. His angles aren’t great, even though he can recover. Let him play with size and aggression without having to worry about snapping. He was never worthy of being considered at #16, even though he was a trendy prospect for some Seahawks fans online.
— With Seattle’s pick in round two, used in the Leonard Williams trade, the New York Giants selected safety Tyler Nubin. He’s a really good player.
— I don’t know how you can take Maason Smith in round two. He was too upright, sluggish, he has no twitch in his movement. He’s just big and a former top recruit. I thought that was a big reach by the Jaguars at #48.
— There’s been a real trend in round two with the same positions being taken — receivers, defensive tackles and cornerbacks.
— Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier is how you set the tone with toughness and aggression up front on your offensive line. A great pair of picks for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
— Ben Sinnott is a great pick for the Commanders. Extremely talented, major athletic upside, A+ character. I didn’t understand why some people were saying rounds 3-4 when he was a clear round two for me. He led Kansas State’s passing game last season and he’ll be a great outlet for Jayden Daniels.
— Marshawn Kneeland at #56 feels like good value for the Cowboys. He’s a hard charging pass-rusher who needs to develop some different moves — but his elite agility testing in the short shuttle hints at significant upside.
— Javon Bullard as a top-60 talent was one of the easier projections in this draft. Just an enjoyable watch — versatile, physical, he can run up and hit you, I like his coverage. This is an excellent pair of second round picks for Green Bay (they also took Edgerrin Cooper).
#81 — Seattle Seahawks — Christian Haynes (G, Connecticut)
I’m a big fan of this pick. Haynes plays with the aggression and violence you want to see from a guard. He brought it every week for UConn, regardless of the situation or score on an often overmatched team. He has athletic upside, he had a good Senior Bowl and he’ll have a chance to compete to start very quickly. I had a fringe second round grade on him so getting him at #81 is terrific value.
