Five teams that topped their Round 1: Steelers shake off draft-day gut punch, Bills cash in after trading back

Plus, Howie Roseman continues to show why he's one of the NFL's best GMs

Zachary Pereles

Apr 25, 2026

12:48 am ET

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6 min read

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For the two-plus months between the end of the NFL season and the start of the NFL Draft, the major focus -- by a huge margin -- is on the top of the draft. No. 1 overall. Then the top 10. Then the top 32. Day 1 is what everyone wants to talk about, and rightfully so. These are the biggest names, the best performers, the players most likely to become stars.

But Day 2 is crucial to finding value in that next tier of prospects -- the players who, for one reason or another, weren't quite able to sneak into the first round. Maybe it's their position. Maybe it's that the tape, production, traits and projections didn't all align. Maybe it's that they went to a small school. Whatever the reason, there's tons and tons of talent available on Friday night.

Fred Warner was a third-round pick. He's been the best off-ball linebacker in the NFL almost ever since. The 2025 All-Pro first team featured six former second- or third-round selections. It's not really about selecting stars -- if it happens, great -- but finding players who can be starters and major contributors. The best teams make the most of these early-middle selections.

Here are five who not only did a nice job making the most of Day 2, but surpassed their Day 1 performance, given relative value.

(NOTE: The six teams who entered the draft with no first-round picks -- the Packers, Bengals, Colts, Jaguars, Falcons and Broncos -- were not considered for this exercise.)

Pittsburgh Steelers

DayPicksDay 1OT Max Iheanachor (No. 21)Day 2WR Germie Bernard (No. 47), QB Drew Allar (No. 76), CB Daylen Everette (No. 85), G Gennings Dunker (No. 96)To say the Steelers' opening night of the draft in their own city didn't go well is putting it lightly. They called Makai Lemon to tell him they were selecting him, thinking the Cowboys were taking a defender at No. 20. As it turned out, the Eagles actually traded up to No. 20 to take Lemon. Awkward!

There's nothing inherently wrong with the Iheanachor pick. He's new to football (began playing in 2021), but the potential is sky-high. The combination of physical stature and physical skills is rare. He's a project, and maybe that doesn't fit Aaron Rodgers' timeline perfectly. But considering Pittsburgh still doesn't know if Rodgers is coming back, I actually like that Pittsburgh didn't tie its pick to Rodgers' future.

Day 2 was strong. It started with Bernard, a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none wide receiver. He can play anywhere, he's dependable, and he should contribute right away -- just a good football player. Allar was once a ballyhooed recruit and viewed as a potential future top pick. Mike McCarthy has done good work developing talented quarterbacks before. Maybe Allar can be a starter one day. Maybe he'll be a valuable backup. It's worth them finding out.

Everette should fit right in as a physical cornerback with an outstanding size/speed/skill combo, and he can learn from Joey Porter Jr. and Jamel Dean. Dunker brings major nastiness to the middle of the offensive line, and how can we not love the mullet??

> Some would say Gennings Dunker's NFL Combine was majestic 🔥 @HawkeyeFootball pic.twitter.com/aDtWoAMy0H

— NFL (@NFL) March 5, 2026

2026 NFL Draft grades, picks analysis for Round 2: Steelers grab 'A+' for WR, Bears get 'D+' for reaching

Mike Renner

Cleveland Browns

DaySelectionsDay 1OT Spencer Fano (No. 9), WR KC Concepcion (No. 24)Day 2WR Denzel Boston (No. 39), S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (No. 58), OT Austin Barber (No. 86)When your wins don't come on the field, they'd better come in the draft. For the Browns, that's very much been the case. Their Day 1 was very, very good -- they were able to trade back and still get the top offensive lineman off the board in Fano, and Concepcion is a lot of fun -- meaning their Day 2 had to be truly outstanding to land on this list.

It was.

Boston was a projected first-round pick. He's huge (6-foot-4 and 210 pounds) and moves well. He can win deep, but he can also be a possession-based receiver, too. He has the huge wingspan and strong hands that can turn 50-50 balls to 80-20 balls in his favor. I love the pick, and he and Concepcion provide strong complementary skill sets.

I love the McNeil-Warren pick even more. Another projected first-rounder, McNeil-Warren has great range and can be a heat-seeking missile when ball carriers come into his area (nine career forced fumbles). He's a major talent on a majorly talented defense.

Barber is a strong run blocker, and the Browns -- who are completely overhauling their offensive line -- did well to grab a guy who could play guard or tackle.

CBS Sports draft analyst Mike Renner has handed out grades in the "A" range for all five of Cleveland's picks