Mel Kiper Jr Names The 'Losers' Of 2024 NFL Draft Day 2

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Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft is in the books and ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr wasted no time delivering his favorite – and least favorite – selections from the second and third rounds.

Unfortunately, three teams received Kiper’s negative criticism with a few “questionable” picks that made them the “losers” of Friday night.

New England Patriots (wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk and offensive tackle Caeden Wallace):

Here are the available wide receivers I had ranked above Polk when the Patriots selected him: Adonai Mitchell, Malachi Corley, Roman Wilson, Troy Franklin and Polk’s college teammate, Jalen McMillan. I thought Polk was more likely to go near the end of Round 2. Sure, the Patriots had to get some help for Drake Maye, but Polk is not a burner and he thrived on contested catches last season, which can be a risky profile. This was just a little high based on my board, where I have him No. 74 overall.

I didn’t love the value for Wallace, either. I saw him as more of a mid-Day 3 pick. He’s No. 154 in my rankings. He will compete for time at right tackle, but he gave up too many pressures for my liking.

San Francisco 49ers (corner Renardo Green):

This was the biggest reach of Round 2, by far. I graded Green as more of a fourth- or fifth-round pick. He is No. 143 on my Big Board and is my No. 21 corner. My pal Louis Riddick called Green the best press-man cornerback in this class, but when I watched his 2023 tape, I saw too much grabbing on routes. That won’t translate well to the NFL level, where referees protect wide receivers. Green led the ACC with 13 pass breakups, but I’m not sure he’s going to be a starter at the next level.

Arizona Cardinals (offensive guard Isaiah Adams and tight end Tip Reiman):

The Cardinals reached for Adams; I have him as my No. 10 guard and he somehow went ahead of Cooper Beebe. That’s a head-scratcher for me. Some teams think he can stick at tackle, but I didn’t see great feet on tape.

Reiman, meanwhile, went ahead of Ja’Tavion Sanders, Theo Johnson and Cade Stover. If Arizona really wanted a tight end to play next to Trey McBride, I would have gone with any of those over Reiman.

Kiper’s full list of winners and losers from Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft can be found here.

Day 3 of the draft kicks off at 12:00 p.m. ET.