NEW YORK (AP) - Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick waited only a few minutes on the second day of the draft to find out where they would begin their NFL careers.
Ryan Mallett sweated it out for three hours.
All three quarterbacks will now join the rest of the NFL players in waiting who knows how long to report to their teams now that the lockout is back in place.
In a draft that has seen teams reaching out for passers _ four of the first 12 overall picks were quarterback Thursday night _ Dalton of TCU was snapped up by the Cincinnati Bengals with the third pick of the second round Friday night.
The next pick saw the San Francisco 49ers trade up with Denver to snag Kaepernick of Nevada.
Mallett, the Arkansas quarterback who might have been a first or certainly second-rounder if not for off-field issues, fell to the third round, landing with the New England Patriots at No. 74.
The second day of the draft also brought more chaos on the labor front: The lockout is on again after a federal appeals court in St. Louis put a judge’s order lifting the lockout on hold.
Hours after players reported to their team headquarters to work out and pick up playbooks, the league issued a memo Friday night to all 32 teams saying “lockout rules are reinstated effective immediately.”
Dalton, meanwhile, will be stepping into an intriguing situation whenever the league resumes business: The Bengals’ incumbent, Carson Palmer, has demanded a trade, and Dalton has all the tools that just might pave the way for Palmer’s exit _ whenever the league allows it.
“We spent a lot of time on this, no question,” coach Marvin Lewis said. “It’s a big, important, important pick, important piece.”
The 49ers, also in need of a quarterback to challenge Alex Smith, went for Kaepernick, a former pitcher with a powerful arm.
Kaepernick was watching the draft with his family in Turlock, Calif., about a two-hour drive from the 49ers’ practice facility in Santa Clara. He was so excited he was contemplating making the drive immediately _ even though he might be turned away when he gets there.
“That just makes it that much easier for my family, friends to come and see me,” Kaepernick said. “I know everybody in Reno was hoping I went to the 49ers as well. For me, it was the perfect pick.”
Mallett, at 6-foot-6 and 253 pounds, is experienced with the prostyle offense. His stock dropped, though, due to character concerns, which included a 2009 arrest for public intoxication.
With Tom Brady around for at least four more years, the Patriots probably figured why not take a chance on an heir apparent. After all, the only other quarterback on their active roster last year was Brian Hoyer.
“He’s had a lot of production,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said of Mallett. “He’s won wherever he’s been. … I don’t think you can have too much depth at that position.”
The second round got under way with New England standing pat and taking Virginia cornerback Ras-I Dowling. The Patriots, though, still made a few deals that brought more draft picks, including a second-rounder in 2012 from Oakland.
Virginia Tech running back Ryan Williams was another disappointed player after the first round. He cheered up when he went to the Arizona Cardinals with 38th pick.
“When I went to visit, they told me I would not slip past pick No. 38,” Williams said after becoming the second running back selected in the draft (Alabama’s Mark Ingram was New Orleans’ first-rounder). “And I respect them 100 percent.”
Williams left school with two years of eligibility remaining. He rushed for 1,655 yards and 21 touchdowns, averaging 5.6 yards per carry, as a redshirt freshman in 2009, but was limited by a hamstring injury last season.
“The passion that I play with separates myself from a lot of people on the job,” he said.
Earlier, the fans’ mood over the labor dispute hadn’t changed as, for the second straight night, they showered Commissioner Roger Goodell with boos. And that was way before the latest court decision.
The second round also saw Clemson sack master Da’Quan Bowers _ at one point considered a top-five pick before undergoing right knee surgery_ fall to 51st overall. Tampa Bay grabbed Bowers 10 spots after Jarvis Jenkins, a less-regarded defensive end from Clemson, went to Washington.
“The last 24 hours have been crazy long,” said Bowers, who assured the Buccaneers his knee was fine. “It’s been grueling just waiting for that one phone call. I didn’t expect the wait to be this long. I was expecting to go off the board in the first round.”
Kyle Rudolph of Notre Dame was the first tight end chosen, by Minnesota at No. 43. Two picks later went the first safety, UCLA’s Rahim Moore to Denver.
The final pick of the second round was Kentucky’s Randall Cobb, an All-America all-purpose player projected as a receiver in the pros.
Twelve players from the Atlantic Coast Conference went in the second round.
Still waiting to be chosen were All-America linebacker Greg Jones of Michigan State, and Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich, who is making a comeback from cancer.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.