NFL Draft Recap (Day 2)

A great day for the Bears and the NFL. Our Golden Bears were represented well in the NFL, with three Cal players drafted in rounds 2 and 3.

2nd Round
Mitchell Schwartz (37th Overall) - Cleveland Browns

The four year starter became the first Bear taken in the draft. With the 37th overall pick, Cleveland chose Mitchell Schwartz as their future right tackle to work alongside another former Cal offensive lineman Alex Mack.

If you had told me that Schwartz would have been drafted before Stanford's Jonathan Martin before the weekend, I would have been highly skeptical to say the least.

Although some Cleveland fans may not have heard too much about Schwartz, the guy is going to be a dependable lineman for a long time. Although Schwartz won't wow any scout as an athletic freak, he is smart, durable (hasn't missed a single as a starter), and has a solid set of skills. He's going to be the kind of lineman whose name you won't hear too often, as he won't often explode off the ball to dominate defenders, but he'll hold his own and rarely make mistakes.

It's a solid pickup for the Browns.

Mychal Kendricks (46th Overall) - Philadelphia Eagles

Although some might be surprised by Kendricks going in the second round, I wasn't surprised in the least. Kendricks went just about where I expected him to. The bigger surprise is Schwartz going before Kendricks.

Despite being undersize at just 5'11, Kendricks has a lot of what you'd like from a 4-3 linebacker. He's got the collegiate productivity (Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year) and the freakish athleticism (running the best 40 time from an inside linebacker in years).

But perhaps most importantly, Kendricks' biggest asset is his versatility. Kendricks in playing nearly every linebacker position for the Bears, but will likely battle for a starting outside linebacker spot in the Eagles' 4-3 scheme.

Third Round
Bryan Anger (70th Overall) - Jacksonville Jaguars

Last week Bryan Anger said he was confident he'd not only be drafted (a rarity for punters), but that he'd be the first punter to go.

Clearly, Anger knew more than most of us did.

I was fairly confident Anger was going to indeed be drafted, but I had no inkling whatsoever that it'd be in the third round. I certainly had no idea that he'd be the first punter to go in the Top 100 of the draft in nearly 20 years.

He's a multiple time Ray Guy award finalist and has about as good of a leg as you'll find in a punter. He's accumulated a bit of a cult following for his ability to drop the Anger Smash or drop a punt into McCovey's Cove. He's struggled with his consistency at times, but a lot of that has to do with what he's been asked to do rugby style punts. Plain and simple, Bryan Anger is one of the nation's best punters, and one of the best at his position for the Bears.

But here's the craziest part. Battling Anger for the starting punter job will be none other than Nick Harris, arguably the best punter the Golden Bears have ever had.

Wow.