Full NFL Draft 2024 Rounds 2 and 3 picks: Expert analysis, grades and reaction

The Indianapolis Colts selected Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell with the 52nd pick.

The Athletic NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler on Mitchell: A one-year starter at Texas, Mitchell was an outside wide receiver in head coach Steve Sarkisian’s spread, RPO offense. After helping Georgia win a pair of national championships, he transferred to Texas (to be closer to his daughter) and helped the Longhorns reach the College Football Playoffs. He also became just the fifth player in Texas history with 11 touchdown grabs in a single season.

Despite some wasted movements in his routes that need to be tightened up, Mitchell cleanly accelerates/decelerates at will with the fluid movement skills to create separation out of his breaks (his 81.8 percent first down/touchdown rate in 2023 was the best among the receivers in this draft class). Though not the strongest player through contact, he has the hand-eye coordination and pliable frame to adjust, high point and reach throws most receivers cannot.

Overall, Mitchell needs to become a more detail-focused receiver to fully unlock his talent, but he has the body length, loose athleticism and catch-point skills to be a chain-moving weapon. He projects as a rangy, outside-the-numbers target with the lean, limber body type reminiscent of the late Chris Henry.

If you’re looking for one snap that sums up West Virginia center Zach Frazier, look no further than the last play of his decorated college career.

With just 1:14 remaining in the regular-season finale, the Mountaineers trailed Baylor by four points and needed to drive 80 yards for the win. On the first play of the drive, receiver Hudson Clement caught a short pass and was tied up short of the sticks. Frazier wrapped the 6-foot-1, 199-pound receiver in a bear hug and, more or less, lugged him ahead for the first down to temporarily stop the clock.

But as he did, a Baylor defender rolled up on Frazier’s massive left leg, twisting and snapping it.

“I was just in a lot of pain,” Frazier said at the Senior Bowl in February. “It felt like my leg was twisted kind of the wrong way.”

Frazier’s leg was broken. The natural response in that situation would have been to stay down and wait for medical attention. That’s not how Frazier is built. Realizing that the Mountaineers would have been slapped with a 10-second runoff for an injury timeout, Frazier hopped onto his one healthy leg and bear-crawled off the field.

The team-first sacrifice and football-guy toughness proved pivotal, as the Mountaineers marched down the field and scored the game-winning touchdown with just 23 seconds remaining.

“I just kind of did it without thinking twice about it,” Frazier said. “I knew I had to get off and I didn’t want our team to get that 10-second runoff."

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If there was anyone built to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s West Virginia center Zach Frazier. This is a perfect match, and it could be one for a long time. One of the most consistent offensive linemen entering the draft, Frazier started 46 games, including 38 at center, for the Mountaineers. Frazier (6-2 ½, 313). Frazier was a four-time high school heavyweight wrestling champion and a second-team All-American center last fall.

Grade: A

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected West Virginia center Zach Frazier with the 51st pick.

The Athletic NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler on Frazier: A four-year starter at West Virginia, Frazier was the starting center in head coach Neal Brown’s balanced scheme, using both zone and gap principles. He put together an All-American resume (on and off the field) during his time in Morgantown, starting 37 consecutive games at center before his broken leg in the 2023 regular-season finale.

Frazier is a leverage-based blocker with the knee bend and grip strength expected of a four-time state champion high school wrestler (he won the genetic lottery for a center — his father’s side were football players and his mother’s side were wrestlers). At times, his hands get out in front and his feet are late to catch up, but he consistently finds a way to stay under control and finish.

Overall, Frazier might not boast elite athleticism or length, but he is good enough in those areas and will win over NFL teams with his core strength, football IQ, competitive toughness and understanding of leverage. He projects as a quality NFL starting center the moment he is drafted.

New Raiders general manager Tom Telesco doesn't move around the draft much and watched teams move up and take corners ahead of them, which is the primary Raider need. Instead, he waits and once again takes the best player available in Jackson Powers-Johnson, who some thought could have been a first-rounder. Powers-Johnson is an absolute mauler who will likely bump out to right guard for the Raiders. Powers-Johnson is raw but he'll likely be a Day 1 starter. The Raiders still have a question at right tackle but it's looking like they'll have to depend on the third-year player Thayer Munford developing into a solid starter.

The Washington Commanders selected Michigan cornerback Mike Sainristil with the 50th pick.

The Athletic NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler on Sainristil: A two-year starter at Michigan, Sainristil was the starting nickel in former defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s 4-2-5 scheme, although he also saw 22.1 percent of his 2023 snaps at outside cornerback. After spending three years on offense for the Wolverines (when he enrolled, the coaches had internal battles as to which side of the ball he would play), Sainristil moved to defense for his final two years and was voted team MVP of the nation’s No. 1 defense.

He is a fluid and alert athlete with a wide receiver background — one of just five FBS players with at least six interceptions in 2023 (ranked No. 2 in the FBS with 232 interception-return yards). Though he has some overaggressive tendencies, he trusts his instincts to anticipate and properly position himself so he can make plays, both in coverage and versus the run.

Overall, Sainristil has obvious size limitations that will remove him from some team’s draft boards, but other teams will be more than happy to bet on his outstanding toughness, instincts and ball skills. He will compete for immediate starting reps as a rookie nickel.

Cincinnati needed a replacement for D.J. Reader and it couldn’t have found a better fill-in than with Kris Jenkins. At Michigan, Jenkins tied up blockers for the national champions. Jenkins (6-2 1⁄2, 299) finished with 36 tackles, including four for loss, and two sacks last fall. Perhaps playing a different role will help him statistically. Jenkins had a quality combine with a 4.91-second 40-yard dash and measuring 34-inch arms.

Grade: A

A mountain of a human, one of the biggest dudes in this class, Maason Smith exploded on the scene as a freshman at LSU at 6-foot-5, 306 pounds (35-inch arms) with four sacks. Then he tore his ACL in game one of his sophomore year and hasn’t quite been the same. This is a traits-and-developmental prospect, though not necessarily a reliable one. The injury history combined with the body type is concerning here, though if he pans out it’ll certainly fill a need.

Grade: B-

Fantasy managers can’t like that the Carolina Panthers may be headed towards the dreaded running back by committee approach in the 2024 season, as Jonathon Brooks joins a backfield that already has Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders. The good news there is that RBBC backfields can turn into platoons or lead/alternate setups in a hurry, so stocking two of these backs on a fantasy roster may provide a good return on draft investment.

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected LSU defensive tackle Maason Smith with the 48th pick.

The Athletic NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler on Smith: A one-year starter at LSU, Smith was primarily a three-technique defensive tackle in former defensive coordinator Matt House’s even fronts, although he has experience everywhere from nose tackle out to the five-technique. He flashed impact potential as a true freshman in 2021, but he tore his ACL in the 2022 opener and was still working his way back to form during the 2023 season, finishing his final season with only 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

With his long, large frame and body quickness, it is very easy to see why Smith was a five-star recruit — and why NFL teams are intrigued with his pro ceiling. But he needs to land with a patient coaching staff that can help him maximize his rare toolset.

Overall, Smith is a traits-based prospect with his size, movement skills and pop at contact, but his inexperience is evident on tape with his inconsistent technique, block recognition and rush plan. NFL teams covet 6-5, 300-pound athletes on the defensive line and those types are in short supply in this draft class, which will only boost Smith’s draft projection.

Jackson Powers-Johnson was a unanimous All-American at center last season, but that’s not the only position he can play. He spent time at guard in high school and primarily lined up at right guard through his first two seasons at Oregon. Throughout his time at Oregon, he got a lot of experience in a zone-based blocking scheme, which is what the Raiders will use under offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. Given the Raiders just signed center Andre James to a three-year, $24 million extension this offseason, Powers-Johnson will have to look to compete for a role at guard.

Maybe the most underrated player in the draft, Tyler Nubin was both a solid coverage safety and a tremendous tackler at Minnesota. He will step in immediately for Xavier McKinney and thrive. With 43 starts, Nubin was experienced and highly respected. He finished his career with a school-record 13 interceptions and 24 passes defended along with 207 tackles. Nubin is a day-one starter.

Grade: A

If Jonathon Brooks hadn't suffered his injury, the first round might have been in play, as Brooks is ultra-talented. This points to the Panthers being as disappointed as fantasy teams were with Miles Sanders, who Chuba Hubbard outplayed. It also means the Panthers could be patient with Brooks and bring him along slowly, sharing the work in 2024. Brooks likely won't hit his ceiling until 2025, when he could be an RB1 with the lead role and workload. For 2024 though, he's a lottery pick given the risk.

Jonathon Brooks, who was RB1 for many teams this year, missed three games last season with an ACL but showed terrific short-area quicks during an 1,100 yard season with the Longhorns in 2023. A good receiver with reliable hands (only one fumble), Brooks (just 20) has a lot of upside. Same time, the Panthers – a team that still can’t protect Bryce Young – just traded up in the second round for a running back. I like Brooks a lot. I think Carolina could’ve done more here.

Grade: B-