NEW YORK -- Just admit it: The second round of the 2013 NFL Draft was more entertaining than the first round. Thursday was about the big uglies. Friday night was about big names and big quarterback decisions.
NFL '13 DRAFT XTRA
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Let's break down the winners and losers from Day 2:
Winners
San Francisco 49ers: General manager Trent Baalke knows how to play the board and acquire versatile talent. The 49ers moved down only six spots in the second round before drafting one of our favorite pass rushers in the draft, Florida State's Tank Carradine. In exchange for that small move down with the Tennessee Titans, they picked up a seventh- and third-round pick in 2014. That's serious value.
Tight end Vance McDonald, another second-round pick, was one of the most complete players at his position in the draft. He could be a "joker" for the team's offense much like Delanie Walker, who signed with the Titans in free agency.
Tyrann Mathieu: Did missing a season because of substance abuse problems really hurt Mathieu's stock that much? A short, slow cornerback wasn't going to be a top-20 pick regardless. Mathieu landed in a terrific situation, with his mentor and friend Patrick Peterson on the Arizona Cardinals.
Cincinnati Bengals: Owner Mike Brown quietly has turned into one of the best drafters in the NFL. He backed up one of our favorite first-round picks in Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert with North Carolina running back Giovani Bernard and SMU defensive end Margus Hunt in the second round. This Bengals offense needed more explosiveness; it has it with Eifert and Bernard.
Hunt is the poor man's Ziggy Ansah (drafted No. 5 overall by the Detroit Lions). Cincinnati is the perfect spot for a raw talent with immense physical skills because of coordinator Mike Zimmer. No one coaches up pass rushers better.
Manti Te'o: He couldn't have picked a better situation. San Diego and its big Polynesian community should be a comfortable home for the Hawaiian product. The relative lack of media attention also should be welcome. The Chargers need a plug-and-play inside linebacker, and Te'o fits perfectly inside John Pagano's 3-4 defense. You get the sense Te'o wants the cameras to go away. This is his best chance.
Oakland Raiders: They needed players. They needed promise. Florida State offensive tackle Menelik Watson is a high-ceiling selection, and Connecticut outside linebacker Sio Moore very well could start from Day 1. Along with Houston cornerback D.J. Hayden, the Raiders are better.
Green Bay Packers: Alabama running back Eddie Lacy was a logical pick for the Packers in the first round. They grabbed the injury risk deep into the second round, likely finding a multi-year starter. Lacy adds toughness and pass protection skills, two much needed things in Green Bay.
Tom Brady: Anytime you can add a teammate in Marshall wide receiver Aaron Dobson who can make a catch like this, it's a very good day.
Whoever coaches the Rutgers secondary:Your entire group now plays for the New England Patriots.
New York tabloids: Just when the New York Jets appeared to be fading into irrelevance, West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith at least makes them interesting.
Losers
Geno Smith: I'm rooting for Smith, but the guy doesn't know what's about to hit him. His uphill battle toward competence will include non-stop tabloid covers, a quarterback battle and an organization that has all sorts of competing agendas. Rex Ryan has shown no ability to develop quarterbacks or find a coach who can do so.
Unless Smith improbably can turn the Jets into a winner right away, the West Virginia product probably will have a new coach and a new system to learn a year from now. This is not a recipe for NFL success.
Tennessee Titans: They overpaid to move up for Tennessee wide receiver Justin Hunter. The Titans felt the need to do so in part because they don't trust wide receiver Kenny Britt. Chasing former mistakes is a common problem with poor-drafting teams.
Josh Freeman: We knew that Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano wasn't fully sold on quarterback Josh Freeman when the team kicked the tires on Matt Cassel and Carson Palmer this offseason. Drafting Mike Glennon in the third round will push Freeman and give Schiano an option if Freeman struggles.
Kansas City Chiefs: No matter how they want to spin it, the Chiefs were hoping to move offensive tackle Branden Albert. They reportedly wanted the Miami Dolphins' first second-round pick (No. 42). After the Dolphinsdealt that away Thursday to take Oregon defensive end Dion Jordan, the Chiefs apparently wouldn't bend by taking Miami's No. 54 overall selection. (The Dolphins wound up drafting Boise St. cornerback Jamar Taylor with that pick and a potential left tackle candidate in Tennessee's Dallas Thomas in the third round.)
Albert is a fine player, but he no longer makes sense on the Chiefs' roster because of No. 1 overall pickEric Fisher. At best, they will pay Albert nearly $10 million, and then wave goodbye in 2014. They shouldn't give up on a trade because even a second-round pick in next year's draft is worth more than one year of Albert.
Willis McGahee, Denver Broncos: The arrival of Wisconsin running back Montee Ball in Denver could spell the end of McGahee's time with the Broncos.
The 2013 quarterback class: They probably won't be making a "30 for 30" documentary about this class in 2043. After hearing about how poor this class was for months, NFL teams decided not to reach at the position. USC's Matt Barkley and Syracuse's Ryan Nassib were rumored to be in play for the Buffalo Bills' No. 8 overall pick. They still are on the board, just like Arkansas' Tyler Wilson and Tennessee's Tyler Bray.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
