The Panthers may have broken Jerry Jones’ heart as it appeared they put a chip in the Cowboys’ draft board.
Jonathan Brooks became the first running back selected in the 2024 draft on Friday when the Panthers traded to acquire the Texas prospect in the middle of the second round. His profile was enhanced by the Cowboys’ owner and general manager.
“I think it was the best interview I’ve had with a player in 30 years,” Jones said Thursday night after the first round. “He’s just good. He’s a great football player. We got him high, high, high.”
The Cowboys’ team doctor performed ACL reconstruction surgery on Brooks after he was injured last season.
So was Brooks meant to land with Dallas?
“Did you get the feel of it? I don’t know,” Brooks said. “Let’s just say I’m happy to come to Carolina. I like the plan they’ve set up for me.”
The value of depreciating positions was clearly defined in the short term. The first linebacker, first running back and first safety in the class were selected in succession.
The Packers selected Edgerrin Cooper at No. 45, the Panthers traded Brooks at No. 46, sensing the Giants might be looking to replace Saquon Barkley, and the Giants took Xavier McKinnie in return. They started safety Tyler Nubin at No. 47.
“We’re focused on running back,” Panthers general manager Dan Morgan said. “To have a guy like Jonathon Brooks there, he was a guy we loved.”
Morgan, who hopes Brooks will be healthy for training camp, actually first inquired with the Giants about trading him for No. 47, general manager Joe Schon revealed.
The two are close friends and former Bills colleagues.
Rutgers cornerback Max Melton was selected No. 44, three spots ahead of the Giants, and visited on the day of the Giants game to pick up local prospects.
Melton is the 98th Rutgers player to join the NFL after playing under head coach Greg Schiano (2001-11, 2019-present) and the first second-round pick since Kemoko Turay in 2018. , making him the highest pick since 2011 first-round pick Devin McCourty.
After meeting with head coach Jonathan Gannon, Melton said to himself, “I want this to be my head coach.”
After a record-tying six quarterbacks were taken in the first round (all in the top 12), none were taken in the second or third round, and top prospect QB Spencer Rattler would wait until Saturday afternoon to learn his fate.
DT Tuvondre Sweat is a first-round talent whose stock was supposed to take a big hit after his DWI arrest this month, only to end up falling to the Titans at No. 38. Sweat was labeled a “class clown” and “a party animal from Texas,” a scout told The Athletic.
He was the third of four defensive tackles selected with the first seven picks of the second round.
The Eagles traded cornerback Cooper DeJean to No. 40, giving him a chance to become the first white full-time starting cornerback in the NFL since Jason Seehorn of the Giants in 2002.
He was the first of four cornerbacks selected by the Eagles in a row, and the second in the same round after first-round pick Kunyon Mitchell, as their biggest need was not yet addressed. .
The Eagles reportedly jumped over the Packers to acquire DeJean, and DeJean reportedly responded by trading him back.
Dejan is also a dangerous punt returner.
WR Adonai Mitchell, who was pegged as the fourth receiver taken in the first round in many mock drafts, fell to the Colts at No. 52.
how?
During interviews, he seemed “uninterested” in the team, according to NFL Network, and one scout told GoLongTd.com that low blood sugar levels could make him “uncoachable.” He was the 11th receiver overall.
