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2019 NFL Draft: Day 2 Expectations

Day one went to plan, so how will day two go?

NFL: NFL Draft Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

We woke up this morning and Devin White is still the newest member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers! It happened. It’s real.

Daniel Jeremiah called him an upgrade to Kwon Alexander, and judging from Kwon’s own Twitter activity, he may agree:

But that was day one, now we’re on to day two.

2 NEEDS FOR DAY 2

NFL: Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

If I had to pick just two of the team’s remaining needs to address on day two, it’d be the cornerback position and defensive line.

I’m not getting off my spot saying Gerald McCoy will not be back just yet, but the longer it takes to find a potential replacement the less likely it’s going to be a quiet transition.

After Dexter Lawrence and Jerry Tillery came off the board in the first-round, finding a solid interior defensive lineman may be hard in the second-round when Tampa Bay picks at number 39.

Because of this, I’m looking for the Bucs to go cornerback with their first day two pick.

No cornerbacks came off the board until pick 30 when the Giants took DeAndre Baker.

This means guys like Julian Love (Notre Dame), Trayvon Mullen (Clemson) and Rock Ya-Sin (Temple) still await their NFL destiny. Among many others.

Now, some logic can be placed in the thought Jason Licht should address the defensive line first due to the amount of quality cornerbacks remaining, but I’m going for the best player here, regardless of positional depth.

2 SHOCKING PLAYERS STILL AVAILABLE ON DAY 2

NCAA Football: Mississippi at Kentucky Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

What shouldn’t be shocking is the fact at least one of these players is a cornerback.

Byron Murphy (Washington) is the guy I had as my top cornerback, but I know there was talks of Deandre Baker (Georgia) and Greedy Williams (LSU) being among candidates as the top corners on a multitude of draft boards.

D.K. Metcalf gets to be this year’s Aaron Rodgers as he falls out of the first round despite being invited to - and attending - the NFL Draft in Nashville. I always feel for those guys, but it doesn’t mean his career is a failure.

If anything, he’ll turn this disappointment into fuel for the future. Someone is about to get a pissed off receiver with freaky star potential.

2 PLAYERS WHO COULD LAND WITH THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

NFL: Combine Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Barring any trades, the Bucs have the seventh pick of the second-round. With plenty of talent available still, here are the two guys I’m targeting.

CB, Rock Ya-Sin (Temple) - Try to hold back your surprise. If you’ve read just about anything I’ve written about the draft, or heard just about any draft themed episode of the Locked On Bucs Podcast then you know I’m a big fan of Ya-Sin. Drafting him means Vernon Hargreaves will likely shift inside, and I’m ok with that.

DL, Dre’Mont Jones (Ohio State) - Likely to benefit from two second-round projections in his position group being drafted on day one, 39 is too high for Jones but he may not be there if the Bucs wait until the third-round. Jones is a trade-back target in case Licht decides to get working on wheeling and dealing this Friday.

2 TWEETS TO START DAY 2 OFF RIGHT