Every year immediately following the NFL Draft, I do the same thing: I watch and take notes on nearly 40 hours’ worth of Post-Draft Press Conferences. It’s a brutal mind-numbing slog, but it’s also quite possibly the most important and most valuable thing I do every offseason.
NFL GMs and head coaches lie all the time, fearful of giving away any important pieces of intel to the enemy, but the NFL Draft is something different. Teams have poured so much time and energy into this event. And most importantly, for a brief shining moment, they’re happy. They’re happy they got their guy and they’re excited to brag about him. And so, for once, they’ll tell us honestly why they liked a player, what they think about him, and how they envision him fitting into their scheme, and sometimes they’ll tell us even more than that.
Again, this is massively time-consuming, but not for you. I condensed all of the most important fantasy-relevant information here for your reading pleasure. We’ve broken this up by round (today’s article will cover all of Round 1) and each article is split into halves, where the top half contains my analysis, and the bottom half contains only the most important and most fantasy-relevant quotes from these press conferences. Consider the latter half of this article optional, as a sort of bibliography for the analysis at the top.
Check out my Round 1 Post-Draft Presser Review here.
Author Analysis
Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson
Round 2, Pick 33
Cincinnati Bengals
As the kids say, OC Bryan Callahan might have accidentally “told on himself.” After taking Joe Burrow on Day 1, a reporter asked him if he thought the team might select a wide receiver on Day 2, and if that wide receiver “would come in and be an immediate impact player.” He responded, “I think the philosophy is, if you’re picking at 33, you’re picking a starter… I would anticipate yeah, whoever that is, would come in and have an impact.”
HC Zac Taylor said this pick didn’t address a need, but rather they really liked the player. He said that multiple times, and reiterated that Higgins was “one of the top receivers in the class.” Further, “This is a guy that’s going to help us immediately.”
I wouldn’t be shocked if Higgins starts immediately in 3WR sets, or, if Cincinnati runs 4WR more than any other team – in part because of talent disparity between their wide receivers and tight ends and in part because that’s something Burrow saw frequently at LSU.
Michael Pittman Jr., WR, USC
Round 2, Pick 34
Indianapolis Colts
Colts HC Frank Reich couldn’t be any happier the team landed Michael Pittman. He was quoted as saying, “I’m not sure this guy isn’t the best receiver in the class. That’s how strongly I felt.” That’s high praise, and it didn’t stop there. Reich added, “I think he can have a big impact in Year 1.”
He and GM Chris Ballard both comp’d him to Vincent Jackson and said they believe Pittman can be effective at all three levels as a receiver, playing inside and out. Owner Jim Irsay said, “We really needed a guy like this on our roster, a guy that you know is gonna be there for four years and hopefully beyond. And I tell ya, I don't always say this, but we couldn't be more excited. I mean, just really, really excited…”
D’Andre Swift, RB, Georgia
Round 2, Pick 35
Detroit Lions
This is a straight-up bad landing spot.
GM Bob Quinn made it clear, just as he had in 2019 and 2018, that Detroit is a team that prefers a committee-approach at the running back position. He reiterated this point to reporters, “We always want a stable of backs. I think I’ve said for a long time that you can count on one hand how many backs really carry the load. There’s not a lot of those guys walking around. So, I think we always need multiple backs. It’s a position that guys get hit. They take a pounding.”
Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin
Round 2, Pick 41
Indianapolis Colts
GM Chris Ballard, at home surrounded by small children, summed up the trade-up and selection of Jonathan Taylor succinctly when he said, “Nice work. Holy sh----. Excuse my language.” OC Nick Sirianni had a similar reaction, “I just wanted to say thank you. Oh my goodness. I am feeling great. Feeling GREAT.” While Ballard and Reich compared Pittman to Vincent Jackson, Area Scout Matt Terpening said of Taylor, “He’s Captain America.”
The team almost took Taylor at 34, 36, and 37, before ultimately grabbing him at 41. Owner Jim Irsay implied the team needed to take Taylor where he did (because Jacksonville was going to draft him at 42) and that adding both Taylor and Pittman was their “dream scenario.”
Unfortunately, HC Frank Reich did seem to confirm that the team envisions “a 1-2 punch” with Taylor and Marlon Mack at least in Year 1, and that Nyheim Hines will maintain his role as the team’s pass-catching back.
Laviska Shenault, WR, Colorado
Round 2, Pick 42
Jacksonville Jaguars
GM David Caldwell told reporters Shenault was their top-ranked wide receiver heading into the 2019 season, and he would have had no issue taking him in the first round this year. Shenault told reporters after being drafted that he would have run the forty-yard-dash in the 4.39-4.44-range had he been healthy; but, per Caldwell, Jacksonville’s “team doctors have a good grade on Shenault” and “feel good about his health moving forward.” Shenault’s numbers slipped in 2019, but Caldwell implied that this was because he suffered and played through number of “injuries most NFL guys don’t play through.” HC Doug Marrone feels comfortable playing him in the slot and outside, but they can also “put him in this backfield, play wildcat, and F tight end.”
Cole Kmet, TE, Notre Dame
Round 2, Pick 43
Chicago Bears
With their first pick in the draft, Chicago made Kmet the first tight end drafted. GM Ryan Pace told reporters after the selection, “You know how important the tight end position is to this offense.” I mean, clearly, given the amount of resources they’ve allocated to the position over the years. Though, in spite of it, they haven’t seen much production from the position during the Matt Nagy tenure.
After already adding Jimmy Graham this offseason (and Demetrius Harris), Pace views Kmet as a different style of tight end to Graham. Whereas Graham is the “U tight end”, Kmet is “your classic Y tight end.” For perspective, the “U tight end” is how Nagy saw Travis Kelce during their time together in Kansas City, while Kmet’s position is a little less sexy for fantasy, with more time spent blocking than Graham and typically running chip routes in-line rather than from the slot.
K.J. Hamler, WR, Penn State
Round 2, Pick 46
Denver Broncos
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to analyze here. GM John Elway and HC Vic Fangio liked Hamler as an explosive, speedy, field-stretcher that “scares the heck out of defenses.” They really liked him, he was their target heading into the day, and they had good intel that a number of teams behind them also wanted him. OC Pat Shurmur’s offenses typically run out of 11 personnel (3WR) at one of the highest rates in the league, so he could be on the field quite a bit this year, assuming he beats out current starting slot wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton. Our own Greg Cosell, via the Fantasy Points Draft Guide, projects Hamler as a slot-only wide receiver in the NFL.
Chase Claypool, WR, Notre Dame
Round 2, Pick 49
Pittsburgh Steelers
Make no mistake, Pittsburgh views Claypool as a wide receiver, though some teams may have preferred him as a tight end. And, impressively, this was the highest the team has selected a wide receiver in the Mike Tomlin-era, though they’ve drafted a number of good ones. GM Kerry Colbert said wide receiver wasn’t viewed as a position of need, but they really liked the player, praising his size, speed, physicality, and umm… especially his “special teams practices at the Senior Bowl”?
Cam Akers, RB, Florida State
Round 2, Pick 52
Los Angeles Rams
HC Sean McVay and GM Les Snead were their typically evasive selves, but, reading through the lines, there might be a few important takeaways. McVay said he had keyed in on Akers as the player he wanted to take with his first pick in the draft, and that he felt running back was a top need for the Rams. He and Snead both repeatedly told reporters how much they valued Akers’ versatility. Snead praised his “size, speed, and power” along with his “ability to catch the football, ability to protect the passer.”
When asked if he had the capability to be a bellcow running back, as Snead had just seemingly implied, McVay was non-committal (of course), answering, “I think that’s to be determined. He adds great value to the group. Darrell [Henderson], you’ve seen flashes. Same thing with Malcolm [Brown]. And Cam brings everything Les just brought up. The distribution of carries? That’s to be determined. We’ll have to see what happens in live practices.”
McVay might not have been looking for someone to assume the Todd Gurley-role in his offense. Maybe he wants a committee backfield. But, after taking Akers with his first pick of the draft, I think it’s a very strong possibility, and he has the best odds of anyone on the team to assume that would-be hyper-valuable role.
Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma
Round 2, Pick 53
Philadelphia Eagles
I wouldn’t read too much into this. Carson Wentz’s starting job couldn’t be any safer. Howie Roseman is THE “draft the player, not the need” GM, and he took a backup on Day 2. Who cares? If any team is going to value a backup quarterback more than the rest, it’s going to be the team that won a Super Bowl with their backup quarterback three years ago.
J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ohio State
Round 2, Pick 55
Baltimore Ravens
GM Eric DeCosta couldn’t believe his good fortune, landing J.K. Dobbins where he did. He didn’t really view running back as a need, but it’s an important position to the team (more so than most other teams), and he really liked the player and how he fit the offense. Actually, he thought Dobbins was going to be drafted in the first round and “maybe as the first running back taken.” He told BaltimoreRavens.com the next day, “We were ecstatic to get J.K. He was, by far -- by far -- the highest-rated guy that we had on the board. We kind of felt like he fell out of the sky right to us, the type of team that we are to get a running back like that." Our own Greg Cosell seems to share a similar sentiment on Dobbins’ landing spot.
Van Jefferson, WR, Florida
Round 2, Pick 57
Los Angeles Rams
Akers and Jefferson were the two players HC Sean McVay was hoping to land in Round 2. He praised Jefferson’s versatility, being able to play all three wide receiver spots, his route running, hands, maturity, and ability to separate. GM Les Snead said, "As we dug into him, we kept saying, ‘God, this guy reminds us of some combination of Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods.’ And both of those guys have been really successful for us and we didn't think we could pass on him." Indeed, those were common comps for Jefferson – Charles Davis compared him to Woods pre-draft, while Daniel Jeremiah and Danny Kelly both compared him to Kupp.
Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor
Round 2, Pick 59
New York Jets
Considered a little raw as a route-runner coming out, but with sky-high upside, it was a little surprising to see Mims fall as far as he did, after earning significant first-round hype by the end of the pre-draft process. Adding to that, it’s a little worrisome Mims hinted that the Jets were always the team showing the most interest. HC Adam Gase vaguely agreed with the notion of Mims being more of a project, saying “We’re going to keep improving with him, too. I think there’s room for growth with what he’s already brought to the table. I think as a coach that makes you excited to be able to help him grow over the years and see how far we can take him.”
The landing spot is attractive in the short-term because there’s not much target competition and he should start immediately in 3WR sets, but it’s worrisome in the long-term due to regime uncertainty – the lame-duck head coach who drafted him with a clearly defined vision and role in mind is probably going to be on another team by next season. (This is a similar concern for someone like Laviska Shenault.)
A.J. Dillon, RB, Boston College
Round 2, Pick 62
Green Bay Packers
HC Matt LaFleur and the Packers didn’t give us much to analyze here. No real insight as to why it was deemed necessary to draft a running back in Round 2 after Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams combined for 1,538 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground. Just 21 of Dillon’s 866 touches came through the air at Boston College, but HC Matt Lafleur did say a few times he saw untapped potential in Dillon as a receiver.
Key Quotes
Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson
Round 2, Pick 33
Cincinnati Bengals
OC Brian Callahan
Q: (On drafting a wide receiver tomorrow at 33) “Do you think the guy who would be in that position would come in and be an immediate impact player if you do get a [wide receiver] at 33?”
A: I think the philosophy is, if you’re picking at 33, you’re picking a starter… I would anticipate yeah, whoever that is, would come in and have an impact.
HC Zac Taylor
“A guy that we really liked was there at 33… If he wasn’t there, we might have gone in another direction [drafting a position other than wide receiver]…”
“Our scouting department had really high grades on him…”
Q: “We’ve heard how deep this WR class is. With six wide receivers drafted in Round 1, was there a concern the upper crust of the position was going too fast?
A: “I think him specifically we feel so strongly about, we needed to get him. Didn’t have much to do with the guys going before or after him. It was just more, Higgins is there, we have high regard for him, we need to add him to our team.”
Q: “What separated him from the other wide receivers? Michael Pittman went right after him.
A: “Excellent hands. Great catch radius. Consistency. He’s going to score points down the field. When the ball is in the air, it’s his.”
Q: “What sold you on Tee Higgins more than anything else?”
A: “His ability to catch the ball… It’s hard to find guys who are tough and can catch. He has both of those qualities. Tough guy. Can sacrifice himself over the middle. He can catch. Spectacular catch radius. Top receiver coming out of high school. One of the top receivers in this class.”
“We really like A.J. Green. This in no way affects him.”
“I certainly thought there was a great chance he wouldn’t be on the board.”
“This is a guy that’s going to help us immediately. We didn’t score enough points on offense last year.”
Michael Pittman Jr., WR, USC
Round 2, Pick 34
Indianapolis Colts
HC Frank Reich
“From the first time I watched him, I’ve loved him. I got on this guy early and I’m having a hard time letting go of him.”
“I’m not sure this guy isn’t the best receiver in the class. That’s how strongly I felt.”
“He can have a big impact in year one.”
“He basically dominated college football last year. He’s big and strong and he can win at all three levels.”
Area Scout Chris McGaha
“I know this might sound crazy but I never saw him lose a one-on-one rep in practice. And I was there a bit in practice. And I know that sounds crazy. I’m not just saying it.”
GM Chris Ballard
“Frank had a conviction on him. He’s a guy that can win on all three levels. He’s big. He’s strong to the ball. He competes. He got better every year in college. We think he’s got a chance to be a heck of a player.”
“When Higgins went at 33, we said that was the time to take Pittman. We had him ranked pretty high. This kid’s going to be a heck of a Pro.”
“He's a unique talent. Any time a unique talent starts to fall a little bit. At that point, we were like man we needed to go get that player. We decided to go get him. To me, he’s too unique a talent.”
Owner Jim Irsay
“That was our dream scenario – Taylor and Pittman.”
“I mean, we have Parris Campbell coming back, and of course T.Y. (Hilton) is the bellcow of the corps, and has been for many years, and (Zach) Pascal is really, really an outstanding young player, and so, you know, we like some of the other young guys, but, boy, I tell you, we really needed a guy like this on our roster, a guy that you know is gonna be there four years and hopefully beyond. And I tell ya’, I don't always say this, but we couldn't be more excited. I mean, just really, really excited, because when it started and we were getting ready to go early, around 6:30 or so, we just didn't know what would happen. And we did some exploration — we were looking to see, could we get a one (first-round pick) next year, and that wasn't in the cards — so we said, 'OK, which guys do we really want, and how do we get them?' And thankfully Michael Pittman came to us, and then thankfully, we moved up and swapped a five to get Taylor, because he wasn't going to be there at 44."
D’Andre Swift, RB, Georgia
Round 2, Pick 35
Detroit Lions
GM Dan Quinn
“We always want a stable of backs. I think I’ve said for a long time that you can count on one hand how many backs really carry the load. There’s not a lot of those guys walking around. So, I think we always need multiple backs. It’s a position that guys get hit. They take a pounding.”
“Felt really good about that pick. Three-down value.”
“I was a little bit surprised that he was still up there. Crossed our fingers for a couple of picks. But last night he was the guy that was on my mind the most.”
Q: How does he complement Kerryon?
A: Different back. Shorter, thicker. This guy is really good in the open field. Catches the ball out of the backfield. Good route runner.
Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin
Round 2, Pick 41
Indianapolis Colts
GM Chris Ballard
“Nice work. Holy sh----. Excuse my language.”
“We almost took Taylor at 34. 36 and 37. Irsay said, ‘y’all been talking about this kid and how much y’all love him. You gotta go get him.’”
OC Nick Sirianni
“I just wanted to say thank you. Oh my goodness. I am feeling great. Feeling GREAT.”
Area Scout Matt Terpening
“He’s Captain America.”
Owner Jim Irsay
“That was our dream scenario – Taylor and Pittman.”
"Well I'll tell ya’, we had some really, really good intel about a team our Colts fans know a little bit about that was gonna take (Taylor) if we didn't, and so we talked about sitting tight — I didn't like the idea, and Chris didn't and Coach (Reich) didn't. I think that, you know, it just really was something that, honestly, when I look at it, to have them both is incredible.” (The assumption is, he’s talking about Jacksonville.)
HC Frank Reich
Q: “You’ve had a running back by committee before. How confident are you in this running back by committee?”
A: You’re right Joel, we do do it by committee. We do it by committee but everyone has their emphasis. Nyheim is our go-to scheme-up pass guy. We do some unique things with him. Jordan has been our No. 2 back. And he’s done a very good job. Now with Jonathan into the mix, I really envision that you know it’ll be Jonathan and Marlon really being that 1-2 punch, or really being a 1-2 punch. You know when you look at good teams over the year it’s really a long season. It’s a grind. And when you run the ball as much as we run, it’s really good to be able to change that up. And I think their styles will really complement each other really well. Marlon has that great vision. Can run that outside zone well. And then a guy like Jonathan has that size and the speed to be able to have good vision and hit. How do we add explosiveness to this offense? He’s an explosive player. We want to turn those 10-yard gains into 50- and 60-yard plays.
Laviska Shenault, WR, Colorado
Round 2, Pick 42
Jacksonville Jaguars
GM David Caldwell
"We would have had no issue selecting him in the first round."
“Our team doctors and trainers have a good grade on Shenault. We feel good about his health moving forward.”
“Heading into the 2019 season we had him ranked as the top WR.”
"He played through injuries this year most NFL guys don’t play through. He’s tough as nails.”
“I thought going into the season that Laviska Shenault would be in the conversation with Jeudy and Lamb.”
HC Doug Marrone
“He is just a tough guy. He does not run out of bounds. He breaks tackles. He can really do a lot of things. He is physical, he is fast. The guy is a definite playmaker. We talked about getting playmakers on offense and today was the start of that.”
“He has the size and the speed to play outside. Both Jay and I had a plan. How we were gonna use him. We have some plans. Can put him in the backfield, can play wildcat, can put him in the F tight end.”
Cole Kmet, TE, Notre Dame
Round 2, Pick 43
Chicago Bears
GM Ryan Pace
“We came away really excited with the two players we acquired. Your classic Y tight end. Proto typical size. Athleticism we look for at the position. Big target. Natural hands. Really tough after the catch. Strength and Temperament in the run game. Still improving as a blocker. Lots of upside. Baseball taking up a lot of time.”
“I think. You know how important the TE position is to the offense. This was an area we wanted to improve. Started with Demetrius Harris, and then Jimmy Graham, and now with Cole. You really have two different types of tight ends in this offense. The U tight end, that’s Jimmy. And then the Y tight end. More of an in-line guy. Hand in the ground. Good in the run game. Needs size. That’s what we see with Cole. We think he pairs really well with Jimmy. Really well with Demetrius.”
“It’s hard to find these Y tight ends that are really well rounded in that He’s an asset in the pass game because of his size and his hands. He knows how to post up and body collision and push off. He runs really well for his size. And then his blocking… We all think he’s going to get better as a blocker.”
K.J. Hamler, WR, Penn State
Round 2, Pick 46
Denver Broncos
GM John Elway
“Obviously with Hamler, he’s very, very explosive, really can run and has big-play ability. A guy like as Vic would say, scares the heck out of defenses. Plus, he has the ability to run routes, he’s quick, he’s tough and again you can go back and say he is a great returner. We’ll have to go back and see how much he does return, but he does have that ability. He’s a tough guy for his size. He’s a guy that can really really run and that’s why we’re excited about him.”
“That’s part of the draft game. We’re happy with the way it fell today with the players that we really—after yesterday, coming out with [WR] Jerry [Jeudy], then Hamler was a target for us in the second round because of his is explosiveness and speed, he’ll be able to really stretch the field for us. We felt like we needed another speed guy and that was Hamler. He was our target earlier in the day. Obviously, in the first part of the day, when we were coming out, sitting there waiting to see if he was going to be there—we’ve heard of plenty of teams behind us that were very interested in KJ also. It fell well for us. I think looking back on the way things fell, we’re excited with the players that we had. It was a good day for us.”
Chase Claypool, WR, Notre Dame
Round 2, Pick 49
Pittsburgh Steelers
GM Kerry Colbert
“Size, speed. Special teams practices at Senior Bowl. Receiving ability.”
“Wide receiver wasn’t a position we were chasing. We were excited that player was available to us. Not the position.”
Cam Akers, RB, Florida State
Round 2, Pick 52
Los Angeles Rams
GM Les Snead
"Ultimately, we did feel that he was going to give us an element of size, speed, power, ability to catch the football, ability to protect the passer. Very versatile weapon for us, and, definitely, we'll take a really good weapon every day of the week."
Q: What separated Akers from the other guys on the board? (Dobbins, Dillon, Gibson, Moss)
A: First of all, go back to high school, this kid runs like a warrior, he runs angry. He wants to punish a defense. One of the things you really appreciate about him is they struggled a little bit at Florida State over the years. Wasn’t as stout up front on the OL. He was one of their better players. A lot of those teams went into their ACC matchups saying we have to stop that man. And they had trouble stopping him…. Other than hey this is a big man that’s explosive and powerful, it looks like he has fun punishing defenses.”
HC Sean McVay
“The first two picks were the first two picks we wanted to get done. That doesn’t always happen.”
Cam is just an impressive human being. What he was able to do, the versatility, the skillset. You know there's certain players when you flip on the tape, you just feel them, and they're a threat to score anytime they touch the football. Really listing to [RB Coach] Thomas Brown, the scouts, you know they've done such a good job vetting the human being and we're really excited to add him to our group of guys the guys we have in place."
“All players we had a real high appreciation for and they also happened to fill some needs that we felt were some things we wanted to address going into this thing. To be able to have the players that were there at 52 and 57 were instrumental to start the day off on the right foot.”
Q: Does he have the capability to be that bell cow type of running back? Is that what you’re looking for?
A: I think that’s to be determined. He adds great value to the group. Darrell [Henderson], you’ve seen flashes. Same thing with Malcolm [Brown]. And Cam brings everything Les just brought up. The distribution of carries? That’s to be determined. We’ll have to see what happens in live practices.
Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma
Round 2, Pick 53
Philadelphia Eagles
GM Howie Roseman
“He has a unique skillset.”
“We want to be a quarterback factory.”
“This is the most important position in sports.”
J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ohio State
Round 2, Pick 55
Baltimore Ravens
GM Eric DeCosta
"We were ecstatic to get J.K. He was by far -- by far -- the highest-rated guy that we had on the board. We kind of felt like he fell out of the sky right to us, the type of team that we are to get a running back like that."
“I think with our offense, we want to add as many talented guys as we can at skill positions. We’re a team that likes to run the football. So having running backs I think is really really important. And this was a guy that in my opinion was one of the very best in college football last year. Very talented guy with electric skills. … We’re excited to get him. Fits us. He’s going to be a dangerous player for us. Give us the depth to do what we like to do.”
“Yeah you know we thought he was going to be a first-round pick. We thought he might have been the first back taken. Maybe pick 25-30 somewhere in there. So you know I learned a long time ago from Ozzie – this happened all the time with Ozzie where great players would fall down the board and he would take them – you know you prepare yourself for it and when it happens you gotta be prepared to take the guy. We didn’t really expect it. We didn’t anticipate. But we just had to take him. He’s a talented guy and it made too much sense not to take him.”
"I would equate it to us last year having the tight ends that we had -- the three tight ends. Greg (Roman) did an amazing job of taking those tight ends and really creating something special that made us very tough for defenses to play. And now we've got the four running backs and they all do different things well. It just makes us, I think, a really, really well-rounded team that's tough to defend."
Van Jefferson, WR, Florida
Round 2, Pick 57
Los Angeles Rams
HC Sean McVay
“The first two picks were the first two picks we wanted to get done. That doesn’t always happen.”
“Van really provides the opportunity to play all three spots. Can separate and catch the football as well as anyone in this draft class. Great route runner.”
“All players we had a real high appreciation for and they also happened to fill some needs that we felt were some things we wanted to address going into this thing. To be able to have the players that were there at 52 and 57 were instrumental to start the day off on the right foot.
"What you really feel good about is, three players that are starting players in our offense, that from that receiver group and I think Van really provides the opportunity to play all three spots. I think he's a really polished route runner. I think one of the things that you look at, you say, 'All right, what is a receiver supposed to do? Separate and catch the football.' I think this guy does that as well as anybody in this class. he's a coach's kid, he plays like a coach's kid that's been around NFL-caliber players… He looks like he's been running routes in training camp since he's 10 years old. The way that he just understands the nuances of the game, has a great ability to get parallel at the line of scrimmage and work edges against some elite corners that he went against. And we're really excited about him."
GM Les Snead
"As we dug into him, we kept saying, God, this guy reminds us of some combination of Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods' and both of those guys have been really successful for us and we didn't think we could pass on him."
"In the draft room, once we made the trade with Brandin Cooks – we really like our wide receiver room with the emergence of Josh Reynolds – but we did want to circle back and just make sure we knew these wide receivers that might not be in that top echelon that were going to go before us. More second-, third-round players."
Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor
Round 2, Pick 59
New York Jets
GM Joe Douglas
"A long, smooth receiver with great body control, a big catch radius and soft hands."
“There’s no doubt that going in we were looking for explosive guys, explosive playmakers. We felt these guys not only bring the timed-speed element but also the play-speed element.”
GM Adam Gase
"The route tree is not a concern for me. I think he’s got the ability to learn… We’ll figure out how far he goes mentally, and we’ll take advantage of what he knows and allow him to do the things he does well as much as possible."
“We’re going to keep improving with him, too. I think there’s room for growth with what he’s already brought to the table. I think as a coach that makes you excited to be able to help him grow over the years and see how far we can take him.”
A.J. Dillon, RB, Boston College
Round 2, Pick 62
Green Bay Packers
HC Matt LaFleur
Q: How are you going to assimilate AJ Dillon into that backfield?
A: This is a physical league and you need to have talented runners. And we definitely have some depth at that position. We’ve got some good competition there. I’m looking forward to seeing how those guys respond to that.
“Yeah. He’s big and explosive. He had a ton of production at Boston College. I think the one thing that you didn’t get to see is he’s got really good hands as well. He’s got to come in and compete, because we’ve got some other backs who are pretty damn good. I’m excited to see that competition.”
