Two down, 1 to go.

Sorry. That made it sound like I’m counting down the days until the NFL Draft ends. That’s not accurate. “Two down, 1 to go” is just a statement of fact.

So let’s try that one again.

Friday night was loaded with intrigue! I never wanted it to end!

OK, that sounds like I’m faking excitement. That’s not accurate, either. There were plenty of intriguing developments.

Here are my 5 SEC takeaways from Rounds 2-3 of the 2024 NFL Draft:

1. Ladd McConkey will be Justin Herbert’s new go-to target

McConkey nearly became Georgia’s first wide receiver to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since AJ Green in 2011. Instead, he became UGA’s highest-drafted receiver since Green after coming off the board at No. 34 overall with the second pick of the second round. Not too shabby for the lightly-recruited former 3-star recruit.

McConkey will have a chance to replace Keenan Allen, who was traded to the Chicago Bears this offseason. Allen was an interchangeable, route-running savant during his decade with the Chargers. That’s McConkey. It’ll be interesting to see how quickly McConkey becomes the unquestioned top receiver in that room.

My guess is that’ll be established before he plays an NFL game.

2. Maason Smith’s surprising decision to leave ended better than I thought it would

I wasn’t alone in thinking that Smith’s entry into the NFL Draft was a head-scratcher. I expected to see more from the LSU defensive tackle in his return from the torn ACL that he suffered in the 2022 season opener against Florida State. It would’ve made sense if Smith decided to stay another year and learn under new defensive line coach Bo Davis, who turned Texas defensive tackles Byron Murphy and T’Vondre Sweat into top-40 picks.

But Smith nearly became a top-40 pick himself. His selection at No. 48 by Jacksonville showed that his pass-rushing potential was worth the roll of the dice at 315 pounds. He’s definitely more of a project, though that didn’t scare the Jags when they drafted a project like Georgia defensive end Travon Walker at No. 1 overall in 2022. Walker took a nice step in Year 2.

Maybe Smith can follow a similar blueprint for an organization that desperately needs more guys who can get to the quarterback.

3. We’re still doing this with Spencer Rattler?

When Pete Thamel explained why Spencer Rattler hadn’t been taken in the middle of Round 3, I rolled my eyes. He explained that this was the skepticism for the former South Carolina quarterback, who is still on the board heading into Day 3:

  • Questions about being 6 feet tall with a 5-flat 40
  • Questions about work ethic
  • Questions about attitude
  • Questions about if he’d be a backup

Look. At certain points in Rattler’s career, you could’ve laid out those as legitimate concerns. After the Netflix show as a high school senior in 2018? Sure. After he lost his starting job at Oklahoma in 2021? Definitely.

But in the last 2.5 years, Rattler did everything right at South Carolina. He stayed the course in 2022 and closed the regular season with 2 of the Gamecocks’ most memorable wins of the 21st century. He returned in 2023, he was voted a team captain, he got better under the tutelage of Dowell Loggains, he didn’t pout when the Gamecocks were overmatched on the offensive line, he found a new go-to target when Juice Wells went down and he became the ideal face of a program.

So yeah, miss me with the notion that Rattler is still all the things that Thamel outlined.

4. Alabama fans, take note of what Washington has done so far

If you’re wondering if Kalen DeBoer can develop talent, just look at the Washington players who came off the board in the first 3 rounds:

  • No. 8 — QB Michael Penix
  • No. 9 — WR Rome Odunze
  • No. 20 — OT Troy Fautanu
  • No. 37 — WR Ja’Lynn Polk
  • No. 62 — OT Roger Rosengarten
  • No. 74 — DE Bralen Trice
  • No. 92 — WR Jalen McMillan

That’s tied with Michigan for the most picks through Round 3. Half of Washington’s starting offense is already off the board with possibly Dillon Johnson coming at some point on Day 3. Two other key contributors on that side of the ball already transferred to Alabama.

DeBoer produced that type of class after just 2 years at Washington, where he didn’t sign a top-20 class. That’s a good sign for the talent he’ll bring in at Alabama, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

5. The SEC-Big Ten battle will be interesting on Day 3

Here’s the conference-by-conference breakdown after 3 rounds:

  • SEC — 25
  • Big Ten — 20
  • Pac-12 — 17
  • ACC — 15
  • Big 12 — 13
  • Ind. — 4
  • MAC — 2
  • Conference USA — 1
  • Ivy — 1
  • Southland — 1
  • The American — 1

The SEC’s 17-year NFL Draft streak could be in jeopardy if Michigan breaks Georgia’s record of 15 players selected in the 7-round format.But that’s probably what it would take in what’ll be the last year to actually brag about Draft picks before realignment tips the scales in favor of the 18-team Big Ten.

For now, though, the SEC is in position to make it 18 consecutive years of Draft flexing.