1 of 7 | Two more rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft will be held Friday at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo. Photo by Kyle Rivas/UPI |
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KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 28 (UPI) -- Former Kentucky quarterback Will Levis, Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr., Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer and Alabama safety Brian Branch are among the best players available entering Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft on Friday in Kansas City, Mo.
Second- and third-round coverage will start at 7 p.m. EDT Friday on ESPN, ABC and NFL Network.
Thirty-one prospects became professional, ceremoniously, when the first round was completed Thursday at Union Station. Alabama's Bryce Young was one of three quarterbacks picked on Day 1, which was marked by six trades, typical stylish suits and raw emotion of the annual event.
Cameras often scanned over to the backstage green room, filming Levis as he waited and was not selected. The expected first-round pick now will wait again to potentially hear his name called Friday or Saturday.
The Pittsburgh Steelers get the first pick of the second round. The Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Rams are the other teams with Top 5 picks in that round.
Sources told ESPN and NFL Network that the Steelers are receiving calls for a potential trade of the No. 32 overall pick -- the first pick of the second round. Those offers started Thursday during the first round.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told reporters last week that the team would be willing to trade the No. 32 pick.
The Steelers selected former Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett at No. 20 overall in last year's draft and likely won't pick a quarterback early this year.
The Texans selected former Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with the No. 2 overall pick in the first round. The Cardinals already roster quarterback Kyler Murray, and the Indianapolis Colts selected former Florida passer Anthony Richardson at No. 4 overall in the first round.
None of those teams are expected to pick another passer on Day 2.
The Los Angeles Rams are among the teams that could be interested in a quarterback. The Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans might want to select someone for that position, and they have early picks on Day 2.
Former Tennessee star Hendon Hooker is among the other highly rated quarterbacks still available. Some talent evaluators expected Hooker to draw first-round consideration.
Rams coach Sean McVay told reporters in March that he could eye a quarterback in the draft as a potential backup to starter Mattew Stafford. He said the Rams wouldn't necessarily need to pick a passer in an early round.
"You have to be open-minded," McVay said. "Obviously, Matthew is the only quarterback we have on the roster right now, so in some form or fashion, we have to be able to address that, whether that's via draft or free agency. So those are things that we're definitely monitoring."
Fellow coach Pete Carroll said this off-season that the Seattle Seahawks could be interested in selecting a quarterback with one of the team's first picks.
Porter and Branch are among the top-rated defensive backs available on Day 2. Porter is the son of longtime NFL linebacker Joey Porter.
Georgia's Kelee Ringo, South Carolina's Cam Smith, Kansas State's Julius Brents, Michigan's D.J. Turner and Alabama's Eli Ricks are the other cornerback prospects available.
Branch was the top-rated safety in the class. Texas A&M's Antonio Johnson, Alabama's Jordan Battle, Sydney Brown of Illinois and Jammie Robinson of Florida State are the other top safeties on the market.
Many analysts had Mayer as the top-rated tight end prospect, but he was passed over on Day 1. Georgia's Darnell Washington, Oregon State's Luke Musgrave and South Dakota State's Tucker Kraft are among the other top tight ends available.
At running back, teams will still be able to choose from Texas A&M's Devon Achane, UCLA's Zach Charbonnet and Tulane's Tyjae Spears, among others.
Tennessee's Jalen Hyatt is the top-rated wide receiver still available.
Offensive linemen Dawand Jones of Ohio State, John Michael Schmitz of Minnesota, O'Cyrus Torrence of Florida, Cody Mauch of North Dakota State and Matthew Bergeron of Stanford remain on the market.
LSU's B.J. Ojulari, Georgia Tech's Keion White, Notre Dame's Isaiah Foskey and Northwestern's Adetomiwa Adebawore are among the top remaining defensive linemen.
Clemson's Trenton Simpson, Auburn's Derick Hall and Army's Andre Carter II are among the top remaining linebackers.
Third-day coverage, featuring the final four rounds of the draft, will start at noon Saturday and air on ESPN, NFL Network and ABC.
Day 2 draft order
Second round
32. Pittsburgh Steelers
33. Houston Texans
34. Arizona Cardinals
35. Indianapolis Colts
36. Los Angeles Rams
37. Seattle Seahawks
38. Las Vegas Raiders
39. Carolina Panthers
40. New Orleans Saints
41. Tennessee Titans
42. Green Bay Packers
43. New York Jets
44. Atlanta Falcons
45. Green Bay Packers
46. New England Patriots
47. Washington Commanders
48. Detroit Lions
49. Pittsburgh Steelers
50. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
51. Miami Dolphins
52. Seattle Seahawks
53. Chicago Bears
54. Los Angeles Chargers
55. Detroit Lions
56. Jacksonville Jaguars
57. New York Giants
58. Dallas Cowboys
59. Buffalo Bills
60. Cincinnati Bengals
61. Chicago Bears
62. Philadelphia Eagles
63. Kansas City Chiefs
Third round
64. Chicago Bears
65. Houston Texans
66. Philadelphia Eagles
67. Denver Broncos
68. Denver Broncos
69. Los Angeles Rams
70. Las Vegas Raiders
71. New Orleans Saints
72. Tennessee Titans
73. Houston Texans
74. Cleveland Browns
75. Atlanta Falcons
76. New England Patriots
77. Los Angeles Rams
78. Green Bay Packers
79. Indianapolis Colts
80. Pittsburgh Steelers
81. Detroit Lions
82. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
83. Seattle Seahawks
84. Miami Dolphins
85. Los Angeles Chargers
86. Baltimore Ravens
87. Minnesota Vikings
88. Jacksonville Jaguars
89. New York Giants
90. Dallas Cowboys
91. Buffalo Bills
92. Cincinnati Bengals
93. Carolina Panthers
94. Arizona Cardinals
95. Kansas City Chiefs
96. Arizona Cardinals
97. Washington Commanders
98. Cleveland Browns
99. San Francisco 49ers
100. Las Vegas Raiders
101. San Francisco 49ers
102. San Francisco 49ers