Reviewing Last Decade of NFL Drafts, Who Have Been Best Picks at No. 34 and 44?
INDIANAPOLIS — Scanning the past decade of NFL drafts, what kind of quality players could the Indianapolis Colts select when on the clock at No. 34 and 44?
Looking at specifically those draft spots, the best player chosen has been two-time Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence out of Boise State. The Dallas Cowboys picked him at No. 34 in 2014. Lawrence has 39 career sacks, most notably 14.5 in 2017, when he was All-Pro.
Carolina defensive end Kawann Short has been named to two Pro Bowls and an All-Pro second team since the former Purdue star was chosen 44th overall by Carolina in 2013. His 2019 season was cut short after two games by a partially torn rotator cuff injury.
The Cowboys added another second-round keeper in 2016 when they drafted Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith at No. 34. They knew Smith was coming off a serious knee injury with two torn ligaments, so it took some time for him to make the pro adjustment. But Smith earned his first Pro Bowl nod in 2019 after making 142 total tackles. He had 121 total tackles the year before that.
Offensive guard Will Hernandez, chosen 34th by the New York Giants, was the second offensive guard selected in 2018 after Colts All-Pro Quenton Nelson. While Nelson has been All-Pro each of his two seasons, Hernandez made the Pro Football Writer Association’s All-Rookie Team.
Green Bay took center Elgton Jenkins of Mississippi State at No. 44 in last year’s draft and he made the PFWA’s All-Rookie Team.
The Colts selected cornerback Rock Ya-Sin from Temple at No. 34 last year and the jury is still out on him. He struggled early on, drawing more than his share of holding and pass-interference penalties. But he settled down in stretches, and in a thin secondary, he’s expected to improve as a second-year starter. Pro Football Focus liked him enough to add Ya-Sin to its All-Rookie team.
L.A. Rams tight end Gerald Everett has shown flashes of potential after South Alabama prospect was taken at the 44th spot in 2017. He has 86 catches for 972 yards and seven TDs, but head coach Sean McVay said recently he expects Everett to be more involved in the offense.
Offensive tackle Donovan Smith of Penn State had his name called at No. 34 by Tampa Bay and he made the PFWA’s All-Rookie Team. He received a $41.25-million, three-year extension in 2019, but at least one Bucs writer has referred to the contract as the worst on the roster.
But it could be worse. Consider that linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha, drafted at 44 by the Saints in 2015, is already out of football. And offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio, taken at 44 by Buffalo in 2014, lasted just three NFL seasons with the Bills and is playing in the Canadian Football League.
Boise State wide receiver Titus Young, drafted 44th by Detroit in 2011, lasted just two seasons and ended up in prison. Released from prison in 2018 after serving almost 20 months for multiple assaults in California, Young was linked to at least 25 criminal charges in Southern California since 2013. According to diary excerpts he gave to The Los Angeles Times, Young said he has suffered from a bi-polar disorder and hearing voices.
Second-round draft picks the past decade
2019 — No. 34, CB Rock Ya-Sin, Temple (Colts); No. 44, C Elgton Jenkins, Miss. St. (GB).
2018 — 34, OG Will Hernandez, UTEP (NYG); 44, WR Dante Pettis, Washington (SF).
2017 — 34, OT Cam Robinson, Alabama (JAX); 44, TE Gerald Everett, South Alabama.
2016 — 34, LB Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame (DAL); 44, DE Jihad Ward, Illinois (OAK).
2015 — 34, OT Donovan Smith, Penn State (TB); 44, LB Hau’oli Kikaha, Washington (NO).
2014 — 34, DE DeMarcus Lawrence, Boise State (DAL); 44, OT Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama (BUF).
2013 — 34, WR Justin Hunter, Tennessee (TEN); 44, DT Kawann Short, Purdue (CAR).
2012 — 34, TE Coby Fleener, Stanford (Colts); 44, G Jeff Allen, Illinois (KC).
2011 — 34, CB Aaron Williams, Texas (BUF); 44, WR Titus Young, Boise St. (DET).
2010 — 34, CB Chris Cook, Virginia (MIN); 44, DE Lamarr Houston, Texas (OAK).
Colts’ second-round picks the past decade
2019 — No. 34, CB Rock Ya-Sin, Temple.
2018 — 36, LB Darius Leonard, S. Carolina St.; 37, OG Braden Smith, Auburn; 52, DE Kemoko Turay, Rutgers; 64, DE Tyquan Lewis, Ohio State.
2017 — 46, CB Quincy Wilson, Florida.
2016 — 57, CB T.J. Green, Clemson.
2015 — No selection (61st pick and 128th traded to Tampa Bay for 65th and 109th).
2014 — 59, OT Jack Mewhort, Ohio State.
2013 — No selection (54th pick traded to Miami in trade for CB Vontae Davis).
2012 — 34, TE Coby Fleener, Stanford.
2011 — 49, OT Ben Ijalana, Villanova.
2010 — 63, LB Pat Angerer, Iowa.
