Best available players for Day 2 of the 2017 NFL draft

PHILADELPHIA — It was a wild opening night in the NFL draft. We had three quarterbacks land in the top 12 picks, all going to teams that traded up and mortgaged 2018 picks in the process. Three wide receivers landed in the top nine selections — anyone see that coming? Plus, there was the big surprise of Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley landing with the Oakland Raiders with the 24th pick, despite some serious allegations being thrown at him.

All told, it was a frenzied and fascinating start — and yet there’s a lot more to come on Friday and Saturday in Rounds 2-7.

Here are the highest rated players left on Shutdown Corner’s board, along with their scouting reports:

20. Florida State RB Dalvin Cook

The skinny: Elite prep recruit overcame two incidents early in his high school days — arrested and charged with robbery as a juvenile in 2009, and also arrested and charged with firing a weapon and possessing a weapon at an event on school property in 2010 — both of which were dropped by the prosecutors. He signed with the Seminoles but then got in trouble again before reporting to the team, with two separate incidents. First, he was charged with criminal mischief in October 2014 for his participation in a BB gun fight from June 2014 in which several vehicles were damaged. Then in July 2014, Cook was cited by the City of Tallahassee Animal Services for mistreatment of three pit bull puppies, chaining them together by the neck.

Dalvin Cook celebrates after Florida State’s Orange Bowl win. (Getty Images)
Dalvin Cook celebrates after Florida State’s Orange Bowl win. (Getty Images)

Cook sat out the season opener as a true freshman that year but turned in the best year by a freshman runner in school history. The following summer, Cook was found not guilty of of misdemeanor battery after being accused of punching a 21-year-old woman outside of a Tallahassee bar in June 2015. He turned himself into police and initially lied about his involvement in the incident, but he and other witnesses say Cook tried to play peacekeeper in the situation. With no clear video of the incident and testimony from only one intoxicated witness, the jury took less than 30 minutes to return its verdict. In 2015 and 2016, Cook scored 40 touchdowns and totaled 4,188 yards from scrimmage, breaking the single-season total-yard mark each year. The 2016 team captain declared early for the 2017 NFL draft and turns 22 in August.

Full scouting report

21. Western Kentucky OL Forrest Lamp

The skinny: Under-recruited prep standout was forced to leave the Tampa area to make the trek north to find his best opportunity. After redshirting in 2012 to gain weight, Lamp stepped in as a starter for the Hilltoppers in 2013 (three games at right guard before moving to left tackle for the final nine). He started the next 30 straight games through the 2016 season at left tackle before missing two contests (Vanderbilt and Houston Baptist) with a knee sprain and bruise. Lamp then returned to start the final nine games of his career there, including the Boca Raton Bowl in which he caught a 9-yard TD pass to cap off his career. Lamp was a two-time captain at WKU and was named first-team all-Conference USA in 2015 and 2016. He was forced to leave the Senior Bowl after one day of practice after suffering a high ankle sprain. He will turn 23 this season.

Full scouting report

28. Notre Dame QB DeShone Kizer

The skinny: Former four-star dual-threat recruit turned down offers from other big-time programs (Alabama, Ohio State, LSU) to join the Irish but found himself stuck behind Everett Golson and Malik Zaire his first season, and lost the starting battle to Zaire to start his second season.

Kizer stepped in for an injured Zaire late in the third quarter of the second game of the 2015 season to rally the Irish to victory (one of three fourth-quarter comebacks that season) with a final-minute TD pass. Led Notre Dame to No. 11 ranking and 10-3 season in 2015 but struggled in 2016 as the Irish fell to 4-8 following the graduation of a lot of talent. Kizer declared for the 2017 NFL draft following his junior season. He will turn 22 next January.

Full scouting report

29. Alabama OT Cam Robinson

The skinny: Elite prep recruit who stepped immediately into the starting lineup for the preseason No. 2 team in the country in 2014 and never left. Robinson has been the team’s left tackle for the past three seasons, including three SEC title games and five CFB playoff games, and has been named all-SEC each of the past two years.

He was arrested last May along with teammate Hootie Jones on gun (possession of a stolen firearm) and marijuana charges in Louisiana before the local prosecutor dropped all charges a month later. Robinson was not suspended for any games. He declared early for the 2017 NFL draft after the season and will turn 22 in October.

Full scouting report

31. Tennessee RB Alvin Kamara

The skinny: Elite prep back committed to Nick Saban and Alabama but redshirted as a freshman following a knee injury. But he was suspended twice that season — once for behavioral reasons, the other time for an undisclosed violation — and arrested on charges of driving on a suspended license, driving without a safety belt and failure to appear. Kamara was granted a release following the season and transferred to Hutchinson Community College (Kan.) for a year, where he won conference offensive player of the year, scoring 21 touchdowns in 2014.

Kamara returned to the SEC with Tennessee, sharing the load for parts of two seasons with Jalen Hurd in the Vols’ run-based attack led by QB Josh Dobbs. Kamara averaged 6.5 and 5.8 yards per carry, respectively in 2015 and 2016. He also averaged 8.6 and 9.8 yards in each of his two seasons as a receiver and scored 24 TDs in 24 games with Tennessee. After missing time in 2016 with two different knee sprains, Kamara, who turns 22 at the start of training camp, declared early for the 2017 NFL draft.

Full scouting report

32. Florida CB Quincy Wilson

The skinny: The son of former Miami (Fla.) cornerback Chad Wilson, who played for Dennis Erickson from 1992 to 1994, Quincy Wilson chose a different path at UF. After Vernon Hargreaves III and others left a supremely talented Gators secondary, Wilson shined in 2016, teaming with fellow corner Teez Tabor to form one of the best duos in the country. Wilson improved from a part-time player as a true freshman to an all-SEC pick as a junior and had little more to prove after making such big strides. There was some thought that he might want to play with younger brother, Marco Wilson, who signed with the Gators as a freshman this fall. But Quincy, 21, declared early for the draft and should be one of the top corners selected, even in a deep crop at the position.

Full scouting report

Oklahoma RB Joe Mixon remains on the board in Day 2 of the NFL draft. (AP)
Oklahoma RB Joe Mixon remains on the board in Day 2 of the NFL draft. (AP)

34. Oklahoma RB Joe Mixon

The skinny: Everything Mixon did on the field at Oklahoma was overshadowed by a well-publicized incident in which he punched a female student at a restaurant. Mixon was suspended for the entire 2014 season, but it wasn’t until 2016 — after the video of the incident was made public — that he issued a formal apology. He also was suspended one game in the fall for getting into an argument with a campus parking attendant after receiving a ticket.

Over the past two seasons, Mixon has been one of the best running backs in the country, sharing the load with another quality runner in Samaje Perine. Mixon improved on his 2015 numbers as a rusher (753 yards, seven TD) and receiver (356 yards, four TDs) to become one of the premiere backs in the country. Against Texas Tech in 2016, Mixon rushed 31 times for 263 yards with two TDs and caught four passes for 114 yards with three scores … and had a 68-yard TD called back.

Mixon was not invited to the NFL scouting combine because of a provision that allows the league to bar players with checkered pasts, but it didn’t seem to hurt his cause and some NFL teams lamented the fact that Mixon was not in Indianapolis, thus preventing them from having another opportunity to question him about what happened on that day in 2014. Mixon tested well at his pro day and was interviewed by a number of teams about the incident and other off-field concerns.

Full scouting report

35. Washington DB Budda Baker

The skinny: Prep track star who went three straight seasons in high school without suffering a loss. Baker has been a starter at safety from Day 1 with the Huskies, earning honorable mention All-Pac 12 honors as a true freshman, first team All-Pac 12 on defense the past two seasons and All-America honors in 2016. He applied early for the 2017 NFL draft and won’t turn 22 until next January. Baker had a strong performance at the NFL scouting combine (ranking in the top five among safeties in the 40-yard dash, 3-cone drill and short shuttle) and looking fluid in position drills there and at Washington’s pro day in March.

Full scouting report

38. Michigan State DL Malik McDowell

The skinny: As one of the top recruits in the country, McDowell was a big signing for the Spartans coming out of high school. After playing as a reserve as a true freshman, he elevated to the starting lineup in 2015 and has been a centerpiece of the MSU defense the past two seasons. Although he was named second-team All Big Ten both years, McDowell’s play leveled off in 2016 because of more double teams and a midseason ankle injury that seemed to slow him down considerably. After saying last season that he would not declare early for the 2017 NFL draft unless he was a guaranteed top pick, McDowell declared after the season. He will not turn 21 until late June.

Full scouting report

41. Connecticut DB Obi Melifonwu

The skinny: Prep running back (17 TDs, 10 two-point conversions as a senior) and DB redshirted as freshman at UConn in 2012 before stepping into starting lineup for next four seasons at free safety. Melifonwu collected 224 tackles, eight interceptions, 16 pass breakups, 11 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles in 48 career games. Was one of the standouts at the Senior Bowl at safety and even lined up at cornerback. Backed that up with a combine performance for the ages, and his stock has been on fire since. He turns 23 in April.

Full scouting report

42. Florida DT Caleb Brantley

The skinny: Highly touted prep prospect who committed to Florida, decommitted and then recommitted before redshirting as a freshman in 2013. Was a reserve but played a big role on Will Muschamp’s defense in 2014 alongside NFL talents such as Dante Fowler Jr. and Jonathan Bullard, and started the majority of the games the past two seasons under new head coach Jim McElwain. Brantley proudly boasted prior to the 2016 season that he was “the best defensive tackle in the country” and was named second-team All-SEC by the conference’s coaches after last season.

Full scouting report

43. Ohio State RB-WR Curtis Samuel

The skinny: The multi-talented runner served as Ezekiel Elliott’s backup for his first two seasons in Columbus, also contributing as a special teamer. Samuel finally got a chance as a showcase performer in the “Percy Position” of Urban Meyer’s offense, so named after Percy Harvin at Florida, earning Associated Press All-American mention. Samuel also was named first-team All-Big Ten, rushing for 771 yards (8.0 average) and eight touchdowns and catching 74 passes for 865 yards (11.7 average) and seven scores. He led the Big Ten in all-purpose yards per game at 128.8 and paced the Buckeyes with his 15 TDs. Scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime in thrilling win against Michigan this past season. Has experience returning both punts and kickoffs, too.

Full scouting report

44. Alabama LB Ryan Anderson

The skinny: Gradually increased his role on the most talented defense in the country over the past four seasons and finished strong in his final year for the national runners-up. Collected 38.5 tackles for loss over his final three seasons as an edge player in Nick Saban’s scheme. Only ran the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine. Saw his 40 time get worse at his pro day less than a week later (from a best time of 4.78 seconds to 4.84 and 4.85) and turned in a vertical jump of 28.5 inches, which would have been the worst combine mark among all linebackers and tied for 36th (out of 51) among defensive linemen.

Full scouting report

45. Washington CB Sidney Jones

The skinny: As Shutdown Corner first reported, Jones suffered a torn Achilles tendon at the Washington pro day — on what was the final defensive back rep of the day, adding insult to injury. That setback could force him to miss significant time and perhaps all of his rookie season in the NFL, depending on the severity of the injury.

Underclassman has starred on a talented defense that came together in 2016. Jones followed up a strong sophomore season in 2015 with a Pac-12 best 14 passes defended, four interceptions and three forced fumbles with a three-pick junior year in 2016, being named first team all-conference both seasons. He then declared for the draft, as expected, after receiving a strong evaluation from the underclassman advisory board.

Full scouting report

46. Alabama pass rusher Tim Williams

The skinny: Earning playing time on Nick Saban’s stacked unit — where former five-star recruit Da’Shawn Hand was stuck on the third team in 2015 and second team in 2016 — is difficult, and Williams had to prove he was more than just a one-trick pony as a pass rusher. That was his assigned role in 2015, and as good as Williams was he briefly considered entering the draft last year. He took on more responsibility this past season, even though Williams started only two games, and rewarded the team with strong play — mostly in the middle part of the 2016 season.

Full scouting report

48. Vanderbilt LB Zach Cunningham

The skinny: Underclassman declared after another strong season for one of the better seasons in school history as a finalist for the Butkus Award, given to the best linebacker in the country. Cunningham had four games with 10 or more tackles in conference play this season. Missed only one game the past three seasons because of injury (2014 vs. Charleston Southern). Has played in both 3-4 and 4-3 fronts at Vandy. Head coach Derek Mason said Cunningham was “among the most decorated players in Commodore football history, and he works as hard as any student-athlete I have ever coached.”

Full scouting report

49. Iowa DB Desmond King

The skinny: Decorated corner won a slew of awards following the 2015 season in which he intercepted eight passes, including the Jim Thorpe Award and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and was named Consensus All-American and First Team All Big Ten. But King returned to Iowa City after hearing lower-than-expected grades from the NFL’s underclassmen advisory board. He had a strong 2016 season, being named First Team All-Big Ten again, but didn’t get as much attention with the Hawkeyes falling from 12-2 to 8-5.

Full scouting report

50. Indiana OG-C Dan Feeney

The skinny: Lunch-pail worker who opted to return to school in 2016, much to the surprise and delight of many Hoosiers fans. Missed four games as a senior because of a concussion and missed the entire 2013 season with a foot injury. When he returned, the team had a need at right tackle and Feeney filled it. Feeney was a four-year starter, a two-time team captain and an anchor for an improved Hoosiers team that ran the ball well during his time in Bloomington. Despite redshirting one season, Feeney turns 23 years old a month after the draft, which would not put him in some teams’ “overaged” category.

Full scouting report

Nos. 51-100: Look who just missed the cut

More NFL draft coverage from Yahoo Sports:
Grading every pick: Who did the best in Round 1?
Falcons’ pick wins draft night with emotional, expletive-laden interview
Watson’s heartwarming moment after being drafted
Raiders take risk, pick CB at center of rape investigation
49ers take Bears’ pick, deliver cold Twitter shot

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!