LAS VEGAS — Both players of the year from the Big 12, a standout receiver from an FCS powerhouse, and more trades marked yet another dizzy and busy round at the NFL draft.
The New England Patriots were among the movers, jumping up in a trade with Kansas City to draft Baylor wide receiver Tyquan Thornton at 50th overall. It cost them a second-rounder at No. 54 and fifth-round pick at No. 158.
Thornton is a deep threat with good hands who can also return kicks. He clocked a 4.28 in the 40-yard dash at the combine, one of the fastest times in the class, and posted some of the best marks in the broad and vertical jumps Though he plays tougher, Thornton is rail thin at 6-2, 181 pounds. Last season, he caught 62 passes for 948 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The round began Friday with Houston defensive tackle Logan Hall going to the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay, under new head coach Todd Bowles after Bruce Arians retired last month, owned the spot after trading with Jacksonville the previous night. Bowles’ background is on defense, so Hall seems a natural choice. He goes 6-foot-6, 275 pounds and is known for his relentlessness. He comes off elbow surgery and missed the Senior Bowl.
Green Bay began another bevy of trades by moving up to the second spot to at last help Aaron Rodgers with a highly drafted rookie receiver. Rodgers famously has sought more input into Green Bay’s drafts, and the Packers didn’t select a wideout in the first round with their two picks because the top prospects were gone. But they used the second slot in the second round to grab North Dakota State’s Christian Watson, who averaged 20.4 yards per reception in his career. The Packers drafted his father, former Howard defensive back Tim Watson, in 1993.
Yes, Watson comes from a FCS school, but the Bison are as close to FBS as you can get, perennial championship contenders on their level, winning nine of the past 11 national titles. It’s the fourth consecutive year a North Dakota State player has been drafted.
The Packers traded their All-Pro receiver, Davante Adams, to Las Vegas this offseason.
Ten teams didn’t select on Thursday, when the Jets got three players. On Friday, they made another deal, with the other New York team. Getting the fourth position in the round from the Giants, the Jets not only took the first running back, two-time All-American Breece Hall of Iowa State, but the first player from the Big 12, the only Power 5 conference blanked on the opening night.
Hall was the top offensive performer in the Big 12 last season, and one spot later, the defensive player of the year, safety Jalen Pitre, went to Houston.
Kyler Gordon, one of four invitees not chosen on Thursday, got his time onstage when the Washington cornerback went to Chicago at No. 39 – the Bears’ first selection of the draft.
Other interesting picks included Michigan’s second-team All-American linebacker David Ojabo going to Baltimore. Ojabo was pegged as a possible first-rounder before he tore the Achilles tendon in his left leg during a pro day workout.
Ojabo, born in Nigeria and raised in Scotland, had a breakout season as a junior with 11 sacks playing for Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh. Now he moves on to Coach John Harbaugh with the Ravens.
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