Teams focus on defense in Round 2 with 22 defensive players selected

Defense was the priority in the second round of the NFL draft. Twenty-two of the 32 picks were defensive players and the Philadelphia Eagles acquired 2024 Pro Bowl edge rusher Jonathan Greenard from Minnesota on Friday night. Eight teams made their first selections of the draft after sitting out Round 1, with the 49ers kicking off the second day by taking Mississippi wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling. San Francisco traded down twice to end up with the 33rd pick. The Bills, who traded back three times, ended up with an edge rusher, choosing Clemson's T.J. Parker at No. 35. Two players who came to Pittsburgh but didn't hear their names called Thursday went back-to-back at 36 and 37 on Friday. Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald was selected by Houston and Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood went next to the New York Giants. The Bengals strengthened their defense with their first pick of the draft, taking Texas A&M edge Cashius Howell at No. 41. Atlanta's first pick was Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell with the 48th pick. Green Bay also chose a cornerback with its first pick, taking South Carolina's Brandon Cisse 52nd. The Colts got Georgia linebacker CJ Allen at No. 53 after trading their first-rounder in a deal for Sauce Gardner last season. Jacksonville's first pick was Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher. The Broncos had to wait until the third round to make their first pick after trading No. 62 to Buffalo. Denver previously sent Miami its first rounder in a trade for wideout Jaylen Waddle. After losing Makai Lemon to the Eagles on Thursday night, the hometown Steelers got their wide receiver, taking Alabama's Germie Bernard 47th. Thousands of fans, many wearing yellow-and-black and waving Terrible Towels, watched various former players announce the selections. They booed NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell when he walked on stage. The Super Bowl champion Seahawks closed out the second round by adding Texas Christian safety Bud Clark at No. 64. No quarterbacks went in Round 2 but Arizona opened the third round by selecting Miami's Carson Beck. Just 16 of the 32 first-round picks were made by the original teams that owned them. The eight teams that didn't pick was the second-most teams sitting out Round 1 since 1970. Ten teams didn't pick in the first round in 2022. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl