Insider Notes on Steelers' contingency plan after passing on Shedeur Sanders, Browns Day 2 targets, Quinn Ewers' rising stock, and more

Other than Shedeur Sanders not being selected last night, Round 1 of the draft was uneventful. There’s still a lot of talent remaining on the board, and word is that the team at the top is looking to trade down. Here are the notes leading into Day 2 of the draft.

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I’m told the Cleveland Browns are targeting two players at the top of Round 2: Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson and LSU tight end Mason Taylor. The Jets would jump all over Taylor if he’s available to them at No. 42, but that seems unlikely.

The Tennessee Titans' pick in Round 2 looks as though it will be a receiver, and this could be the landing spot for Jayden Higgins of Iowa State or possibly Luther Burden III of Missouri, though it all depends on the Houston Texans.

The Texans now own the selection immediately before the Titans, pick No. 34, after trading down with the New York Giants last night. I’m told the Texans will go offense and take a receiver or a lineman with that choice.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selecting Emeka Egbuka with the 20th selection was a bit of a surprise to everyone involved, other than the Bucs. Egbuka had no visit with the franchise, and Tampa Bay did not let out any signals that it could look in his direction. The former Ohio State wideout now finds himself in the perfect situation, as he’ll be the third wideout on the depth chart and will slowly move up the chain when Mike Evans inevitably finishes out his brilliant career.

Jalon Walker’s drop out of the top 10 to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 15 was a bit surprising. While I knew teams were concerned about the fact that he’s 6-foot-1 and had limited growth potential, I’m also told that a shoulder injury was a prime factor in Walker’s drop. I’m told there’s a very good chance Walker will need a surgical procedure soon to alleviate the injury.

At some point in time during Day 2, a team will select quarterback Quinn Ewers and end up with one of the best bargains at the position, in my opinion. I’m told the meetings and interviews that teams held with the former Texas passer have been terrific.

They’ve been very impressed with his recall when asked to break down specific plays over the past season, as well as the football intelligence displayed by Ewers. One other note on Ewers: teams pointed out that when other Texas Longhorns were brought into their facilities for official-30 visits and interviewed, teammates all raved about the quarterback and pointed out he was the leader of the team.

Now that they passed on Sanders, when will the Pittsburgh Steelers take a quarterback? The team doesn’t own a selection in the second round and has just one pick on Friday, the 83rd choice. They like Kyle McCord of Syracuse and will have to decide when to take him, whether in the third round or roll the dice and hope he’s available with their next pick, No. 123 in Round 4.

A few players whose names have not been talked about much could end up being selected at some point Friday as Day 2 of the draft closes out, one of them being Nohl Williams, the cornerback from California. He had been getting a lot of attention from the New York Giants, yet with the team trading one of their third-round picks, the 99th overall selection, I don’t think that’s feasible anymore. The Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins have shown a ton of interest in Williams.

Ozzy Trapilo, the massive offensive tackle from Boston College, could also slide into the third round. Keep an eye on the New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs, who may double-dip at the offensive tackle spot, as we move through the third round.