ARLINGTON, Texas — The New England Patriots picked Florida defensive back Duke Dawson in the second round of the NFL draft after a flurry of trades during the day.
Dawson is a 5-foot-10, 197-pound cornerback who tied for the team lead with four interceptions last season. He picked off six passes in his career and returned three of them for touchdowns.
The Patriots came into the day with two second round picks and a third. They traded them all, but then traded back into the second round to grab Dawson.
New England also made a trade for offensive lineman Trent Brown from San Francisco.
In the second round, the Cleveland Browns took Georgia’s Nick Chubb at pick No. 35 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took USC’s Ronald Jones at pick No. 38 before the Lions traded their second- and fourth-round picks to the Patriots to move up eight spots.
“He’s a really, really good player,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said of Johnson during a teleconference earlier this month. “Right now I have him just outside my top 50. Really kind of a testament to just the overall depth of this class. I think he is a first-round-caliber player that’s going to go in the second round.”
The Lions averaged just 76.3 yards rushing per game last season, more than 9 yards fewer per game than any other team in the NFL.
The Indianapolis Colts opened the second round of the draft by selecting South Carolina State linebacker Darius Leonard and then chose Auburn guard Braden Smith with the very next pick, eager to add more protection for quarterback Andrew Luck.
Leonard, taken with the 36th overall pick, is projected to be a weak-side linebacker who can play all three downs in the Colts’ new 4-3 scheme. He has the skills to not just make tackles but rush the passer and cover tight ends.
One day after second-year general manager Chris Ballard chose Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson at No. 6 overall, he used the 37th pick on Smith, a 6-6 and 315-pound lineman named to All-SEC teams in his last three years of college.
The Colts have struggled for years to protect Luck, who missed all of 2017 due to shoulder surgery. Jacoby Brissett took most of the pounding in his absence as the 31st-ranked Colts offense allowed a league-high 56 sacks.
Smith allowed just 11 hurries in 1,103 pass-blocking snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Just 4-12 last season and missing from the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, the Colts have numerous holes to address.
Leonard will be counted upon to strengthen a 29th-ranked defense lacking an identity, especially after leading tackler Jon Bostic departed in free agency. The 6-2, 234-pound linebacker was the MEAC defensive player of the year with 124 total tackles, including 14.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks. He had a season-high 19 tackles against Clemson and 14 tackles in the Senior Bowl.
An offseason overhaul of the coaching staff, including the hiring of coach Frank Reich, led to a switch from a 3-4 scheme and the subsequent release of nose tackle Johnathan Hankins.
Leonard is known as a self-motivated prospect. After high school, he turned down a Clemson preferred walk-on invitation to sign with South Carolina State.
The Colts moved down three spots with their third second-round selection by trading the 49th overall choice to Philadelphia in exchange for the Eagles’ 52nd overall pick and a fifth-round selection, 169th overall.
Later, the New York Giants didn’t wait long to find a blocker to help No. 2 overall draft pick Saquon Barkley.
The Giants grabbed mammoth guard Will Hernandez of UTEP with the second pick of the second round, a 345-pounder who moved into the Miners’ starting lineup as a redshirt freshman and started all 49 games at left guard.
The Giants considered Hernandez a first-round choice, general manager Dave Gettleman said.
“He played for an 0-13 team last year and if you look at him in Game 13, the kid has heart because he played as hard in that game as he played on Game 1,” Gettleman said. “I love the heart part. This guy has a lot of talent, very athletic for his size. He can run. He played very smart.”
Coach Pat Shurmur said that Hernandez will give the Giants strength in the middle and he is good in both the run and pass games.
“This is a guy who has a really good chance to play very early in his career,” Shurmur said, adding he will be tested at both left and right guard.
Hernandez also has a mean streak the Giants like. Gettleman described him as “cranky.”
Hernandez believes he can step in and play right away. He laughed when asked about his on-field demeanor.
“On the field I am a completely different person than I am off the field,” Hernandez said. “I take football very serious. It’s more than a game to me. It’s who I am. So whenever I get on that field I take it with all seriousness.”
The Giants offensive line struggled last season with injuries and poor play. The team ranked No. 26 in the league in rushing, averaging 96.8 yards and finishing 31st in points scored.
New York lost center Weston Richburg and left guard Justin Pugh to free agency. Gettleman signed New England Patriots left tackle Nate Solder and guard Patrick Omameh as free agents and planned to move 2015 first-round pick Ereck Flowers from left tackle to right tackle.
Flowers, however, is not taking part in the organized team activities and the recent minicamp, both voluntary events.
Brett Jones played well at center after Richburg was sidelined by a concussion. The guard positions are wide open with John Jerry, Jon Halapio and John Greco all returning and Hernandez and Omameh now in the mix.
New York has two picks in the third round, the second and fifth overall. The latter came from Tampa Bay in the deal that sent Jason Pierre-Paul to the Buccaneers.