NFL Draft Day Open Thread, Day Two

Duke isn't likely to see any players drafted on Day Two of the NFL Draft, but there's still plenty of action and drama as the second and third rounds are held remotely.

Duke played Alabama and Notre Dame last season and Clemson the year before, giving the Blue Devils games against three of the four College Football Playoff teams from 2018. While several Tide and Tiger players were taken in Thursday's first round, Notre Dame is expected to join the festivities in round two, and there are still plenty more Alabama and Clemson players on the board.

We'll look at how the Giants continue to support Daniel Jones and chime in with some Duke Draft history on another night of actual sports news to cover during a time when everything else is in a pandemic-induced lull.

And the first pick is in. Cincinnati leads off round two with Tee Higgins from Clemson. He had four catches for 47 yards against Duke in Death Valley in 2018.

Once again, ESPN insists on leading off discussion of the player with the least relevant information possible. Michael Irvin started talking about his football skills and they had to stop him ... because first they wanted to show highlights of Higgins' sister playing basketball.

They do it again with the third pick (after the Colts pick Michael Pittman from USC). Detroit picks RB D'Andre Swift from Georgia and they open the highlights package with ... his dad lifting weights at the gym he owns.

The Giants take Alabama safety Xavier McKinney with pick 36. He led Alabama with eight tackles against Duke in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game, including two solos.

A quick look at how the draft is impacting some of the Duke players currently in the NFL. Jacksonville used a first-round pick on linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson, which is bad news for current Jaguars linebacker Joe Giles-Harris, who will have more competition for a roster spot.

Meanwhile, Daniel Jones got good news as the Giants used their first-round pick to get him some protection in Georgia tackle Andrew Thomas.

Harsh, but true...

The state of North Carolina has seven FBS football programs. Only Texas (12) and Ohio (8) have more.

Yet a player from D-II Lenoir-Rhyne is the first from an in-state football program selected in the NFL Draft.
— Bryan Ives (@awaytoworthy) April 24, 2020

The Irish make their first appearance in the draft. Tight end Cole Kmet goes to the Bears at 43. He had two catches against Duke for nine yards in last November's game.

Another Irish player goes in the second as Pittsburgh selects WR Chase Claypool with the 49th pick.

Claypool played against Duke twice. He played in the 2016 game in South Bend but didn't have any statistics. In 2019, at Wallace Wade, he had five catches for 97 yards and also picked up a pass interference call against a Duke defensive back. Claypool also had a seven-yard touchdown catch.

Trevon Diggs goes to the Cowboys with pick 51. The cornerback had two tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery against Duke in the Chik-fil-A game.

The Rams take Cam Akers, RB, FSU with 52. He had 15 carries for 115 yards at Wallace Wade in 2017. He also caught two passes for 20 yards and scored on a 42-yard run in the fourth quarter to break a 10-10 tie.

Another Alabama guy goes at 56. The Dolphins take DT Raekwon Davis. He had six tackles, including one solo stop in Atlanta against the Blue Devils.

Jets get another receiver to pair with Jamison Crowder, taking Denzel Mims of Baylor with No. 59. He played one of Baylor's two games against Duke in recent years, getting two catches for 67 yards at Wallace Wade. He scored on a 44-yard pass in the first minute of the game.

Green Bay takes AJ Dillon with pick 62. Despite three years at Boston College, Dillon never played against Duke, due to the unbalanced ACC schedule.

Lions take Notre Dame's Julian Okwara early in the third round. The end/linebacker played Duke in both 2016 and 2019. He had a solo tackle for his only production in the first game against Duke. Last November, he had two tackles and added a quarterback hit.

Matt Hennessy goes to Atlanta at 78. The Temple center started against Duke in the 2018 Independence Bowl. He is former Blue Devil (and current Jets) long snapper Thomas Hennessy's brother.

The Rams grab another Tide player in Terrell Lewis, linebacker. He had three tackles, two solo, a tackle-for-loss and a sack against Duke.And the Patriots follow up a few picks later with teammate Anfernee Jennings, linebacker. He had six tackles, including two solo stops, against Duke.

Clemson's Tanner Muse goes with pick 100 to the Raiders, a few rounds earlier than expected. He had eight tackles, five solo, against Duke in 2018. He added a sack and tackle for loss.

Immediately after, the Patriots take Virginia Tech tight end Dalton Keene. He had a 40 yard catch against Duke in 2017, two for 82 yards in 2018, scoring on a 67-yard catch.