Apr 27, 2013
As day two, rounds two and three, of the 2013 NFL Draft are complete, there are many big stories that came out of day two, including the fate of many high-pick draft prospects that include the likes of Geno Smith, Manti Te’o, and more.
The first huge story of Day Two was when the San Diego Chargers selected Notre Dame linebacker and one of the highest rated prospects, Manti Te’o with the 38th overall pick in the NFL Draft. Te’o was projected to go as high as the first round, but due to the Catfish controversy he faced earlier in the year, it caused his draft stock to fall. Te’o admitted that when he received the call from the Chargers, he thought his friends were trying to prank him. Now, his dreams to play in the NFL have come true. This is a huge pick-up for the Chargers, the ability of Te’o at his position will fill a need for a hole in San Diego’s defense.
Geno Smith has been drafted! Many thought that he or Matt Barkley would be the first QB taken in the draft (as high as the first round), but the shocker came when Buffalo drafted Florida State quarterback, EJ Manuel with the 16th overall pick. Smith was the highest rated quarterback in the draft, and he sat in the green room for the entire first day of the draft, waiting to hear his name called, but it was not. In the second round of the NFL Draft, his patience paid off as the New York Jets selected West Virginia’s signal caller with the 39th overall pick, giving the Jets five quarterbacks at their disposal. Geno states that he is “proud to be a Jet,” and is hoping that he gets to become the future long-time starter for the organization.
Eddie Lacy wasn’t the first running back drafted? Many projected Alabama’s star running back to be the first running back taken in this year’s draft, but it was not the case. In fact, North Carolina’s running back, Giovani Bernard, was the first back to be taken with the 37th overall pick by Cincinnati, following Michigan State running back, Le’Veon Bell, with the 48th overall pick by the Steelers, and Wisconsin running back, Montee Ball, with the 58th overall pick by Denver. Eddie Lacy was the fourth running back to be selected in the draft, picked with the 61st overall pick by the Packers. With this selection adds a powerful runner and a back that is able to play on all four downs for Green Bay, as well as making Aaron Rodgers happy by taking the heat off of him.
Former Louisiana State corner back, Tyrann Mathieu, is also one of the biggest stories of the night. He was selected by Arizona with the 69th overall pick in round three. Some questioned if the Honey Badger was going to be drafted at all, but now he joins his former LSU teammate, two-time Pro Bowler and star corner back, Patrick Peterson, in Arizona in Mathieu’s biggest moment of his life. Mathieu said he is ready to go out on the field and start playing while proving he can stay clean. “I’m ready to go back out there… show everybody that I’m ready to play.”
The final big story is the drafting of North Carolina State quarterback, Mike Glennon, to the Buccaneers with the 73rd overall pick in the third round. Prospects Matt Barkley and Ryan Nassib were rated higher than Glennon and still remain undrafted, and many people question whether or not Tampa made the right choice, or what the future holds for the top-rated signal callers in the draft. Barkley was projected to go as high as Geno Smith, and was reportedly being sought out by the Buffalo Bills, but instead they drafted EJ Manuel. The question still remains where either Nassib and Barkley will go, or if they will even be drafted by a team at all, as both were projected as potential top-10 players in the draft. With Day three of the NFL Draft tomorrow, the fate of Barkley and Nassib will be decided, as well as many other prospects, hoping to get their name called by an organization.
