May 1, 2022
As the evening approached Saturday, so too did the conclusion of yet another NFL draft. The 2022 draft was as unique a draft as we’ve seen in years. One quarterback taken in the first round, and not another until pick 74! In fact, the first trade up for a quarterback did not occur until pick 86, when Tennessee moved up to snag the free-falling Malik Willis.
These actions verified team's talk that this is simply a weak QB class, especially being followed by a 2023 group that is viewed as very strong. Teams surprisingly mirrored their feelings on this subpar class through a rarely seen discipline and patience to not overvalue quarterbacks this year. The fact that 10 quarterbacks went in the first two rounds of the last two drafts (8 of whom are currently starters or competing to start—sorry Jordan Love and Kyle Trask) also surely effected team’s urgency to reach for a signal caller. Outside of the Josh Rosen-Kyler Murray saga, it’s very rare to see a team give up on a young, highly draft picks so quickly.
Teams like the Giants and Lions elected to roll through the 2022 season with their “lame duck” situations, not even using a late round pick for competition. The Falcons, Commanders and Seahawks all at least took mid-round fliers on quarterbacks, although all three selected seem unlikely to receive any substantial playing time this season.
Now that the quarterbacks of the 2022 draft have been touched upon, lets dive into the winners and losers of the draft:
Teams That Won the Draft
Ravens:
Some strong hometown bias here surely, but it’s hard to argue that a team had better value across the first three rounds than the Ravens. Kyle Hamilton was a consensus top 5 pick, until multiple GM’s decided to allow him to drop to Baltimore. Despite the marquee signing of Marcus Williams this offseason to shore up the back end of the secondary, the versatility and instincts Hamilton provides will have ample opportunity to shine on this defense. Expect to see him all over the field this season, as part of what could be the most dangerous a starting secondary, despite thin depth at cornerback.
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| Photo by Don Juan Moore- Getty Images |
Trading Hollywood Brown surely sat wrong with many fans, and Lamar, but this was a proactive move by DeCosta. Rather than let Brown walk for a 3rd round comp pick in two years, the Ravens GM decided to move on from the receiver early and procure the 23rd pick along the way. After a trade down to 25, and with Jermaine Johnson still sitting there, the Ravens took center Tyler Lindenbaum from Iowa. Not the flashiest pick it could have been, but reinforces Baltimore's entire starting offensive line and depth, assuming Stanley returns anywhere near full strength.
David Ojabo at 45 was another outstanding pick, one that many had linked to Baltimore at 14. He’ll need some time as he is rehabbing from his torn Achilles’, but with Booth/Gordon/Mafe and others all coming off the board right before, this was a worthwhile selection for Baltimore to make. Hamilton, Lindenbaum and Ojabo could’ve all been argued as acceptable picks at 14, so to snag all three, even at the expense of Hollywood, is undeniable value.
Travis Jones falling to 76 was another steal for the Ravens. The space eater will be able to learn under Calais Campbell and Michael Pierce, with the opportunity to earn some substantial playing time if his performance warrants it. Substantially better value here than Jordan Davis at 13, in my opinion.
The final three rounds of the draft saw Baltimore double-dip at TE and CB. Given the aforementioned lack of depth at corner, Jaylin Armour-Davis and Damarion Williams will have a chance to compete with Kevon Seymour and Iman Marshall for immediate playing time behind Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters. Daniel Faalele is very much in the mold of Orlando Brown Jr. and the Ravens are hoping for similar upside to be realized. A surprise here in Jordan Stout being the first punter selected over Matt Araiza but given Baltimore’s stellar track record of finding special teams talent, I’m inclined to give the kid a chance before writing him off. The days of Sam Koch appear to be over.
Jets:
Having picks 4 and 10 out of the gate is helpful in any draft, but the Jets use of these picks is what bumps them into the winner’s category. Sauce Gardner falling to them at 4 was a coup, as Jets fans will hope he’s more Darrelle Revis than Dee Milliner. He'll join the 30th ranked pass defense from last year, in a division featuring Stefon Diggs and now Tyreek Hill. Needless to say, having an elite corner is crucial for at least those four divisional games each year.
Garrett Wilson at 10 was a solid choice, my top-rated receiver in this draft. Suddenly the Jets’ offense features Wilson, Corey Davis, last year’s breakout second rounder in Elijah Moore, as well as free agent additions in CJ Uzomah and Tyler Conklin. Zach Wilson has to be liking what he’s seeing in his arsenal.
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| Photo by Kyle Robertson- USA Today Network |
The Jets managed to jump back into round 1 at 26 to select Jermaine Johnson at edge. A projected top 15 pick by most pundits, some GMs later admitted to being turned off to Johnson in interviews, which explains his fall. Regardless, the value is there for Robert Saleh’s defense, who were in desperate need of pass rushing help after recording only 33 sacks last year.
At a glance, Breece Hall seemed to be a bit of a luxury pick with how Michael Carter came on late for the Jets last year, but the longer I let this pick resonate, the more I like it. Hall is a fast and versatile running back who will be a strong complement to Carter in the running and passing game. Division rivals Buffalo were heavily linked to Hall throughout the draft process too, undoubtedly causing a spiteful smirk on the face of Joe Douglas as the pick was announced.
New York's draft was rounded out by TE Jeremy Ruckert, OT Max Mitchell and DE Micheal Clemons. Ruckert has steady hands as a tight end and could easily overtake Conklin as the Jets’ #2 pass-catching tight end by week 1. Mitchell and Clemons are both projects in areas where the Gang Green needed depth. Mitchell seems likelier than not to end up as a guard, given his size. Clemons is big, fast, and strong, but lacks the refined techniques to regularly beat blocks. Saleh has plenty of experience getting the most out of players like him though, making this an intriguing final selection for the Jets in this 2022 draft.
Texans:
This Texans’ draft had a strong defensive approach early for the 27th ranked defense from last year. Derek Stingley Jr. shot up the boards as the draft grew closer, ultimately becoming the apple of Lovie Smith’s eye with the 3rd overall pick. It was undeniable that Houston needed help in the secondary, where Derek will immediately be slotted as the #1 corner. His performance will be compared to Gardner for the duration of their careers as a result of this selection.
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| Photo by Stephen Lew- USA Today Sports |
Kenyon Green was the second selection by the Texans, after trades with Cleveland and Philadelphia to net them the 15th pick overall. Green will be a plug and play guard in Houston, responsible for protecting Davis Mills in an offense that gave up 44 sacks last year. Maybe a little high overall for a guard, but he works for a team with so many needs.
2nd round picks Jalen Pitre (S/Baylor) and John Metchie III (WR/Alabama) were also picks I liked. Nick Caserio hopes Pitre and Stingley will be stalwarts in the passing defense for the Texans these next 4+ years. Metchie should push Chris Moore and Nico Collins for a starting position quickly this season and will make a nice complement to Brandin Cooks.
Unpopular Opinion
Titans:
Despite losing AJ Brown, I felt the Titans had a good draft overall. They were able to immediately make up for the loss of Brown with first round selection Treylon Burks, another fast, big-bodied receiver from the SEC. 2nd round pick Roger McCreary will have a chance to start right away at cornerback for the Titans, especially if 2021 first round pick Caleb Farley continues to have injury concerns.
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| Photo by Nelson Chenault- USA Today Sports |
Malik Willis in the third round was awesome value for a player who some felt would go inside the top 10. Admittedly, Willis will have quite a learning curve coming into the league, so a year or two behind Ryan Tannehill will allow him to learn the nuances of the NFL with minimal pressure to start. Tannehill will be 34 on July 27th and has a contract that can be moved on from fairly easily after the season. If Willis develops as some think he’ll be able to, he should walk right into a starting job in 2023 or 2024. Hassan Haskins (RB/Michigan) was another likeable pick by Tennessee, who should have no problem holding down the RB2 role behind King Henry.
Draft’s Biggest Losers
Panthers:
Sam Darnold is your quarterback. Matt Rhule is your coach. You have one pick in the top 100. A moment in the life of a Panthers fan this weekend. Ikem Ekwonu was an excellent pick, who won’t have to travel far from his college of NC State to join the Panthers. He’s an immediate starter, ideally for the next decade for Carolina.
After Ekwonu, they sat for a long time without a pick. As the “top” quarterbacks of the draft dropped, the Panthers allowed Willis and Ridder to go before trading a 2023 third round pick to New England to move up for Matt Corral. For a team with so many needs, using the one third round pick they were able to acquire this year (at the expense of their 3rd rounder next year, which will likely be a high pick) seemed to be a poor choice. Time will tell about this Carolina QB situation, but I have a hard time believing that they would’ve been worse off sending that 2023 3rd round pick to Cleveland for Baker Mayfield to compete with Darnold.
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| Photo by Rob Kinnan- USA Today Sports |
Outside of Ikem, this draft didn't do much for the Panthers long-term prospects. It seems very likely that Carolina will be picking high again in next year’s draft, and even more likely that Matt Rhule will not be around for it.
Bears:
Trading up to draft Justin Fields at 11 last year was a polarizing pick in Chicago- a mix of hope and skepticism surrounding the young, physically gifted signal caller for a city so deprived of quarterback talent. So naturally the Bears help his development by letting top receiver Allen Robinson walk and replacing him with Byron Pringle in free agency.
The Bears were light on picks as a result of this trade up and did not do a lot in the draft to help Fields’ going into his sophomore season. They double dipped at OT in the 5th and 6th rounds, showing at least some commitment to keeping Justin upright, but reaching for Velus Jones Jr. as their only receiver drafted will likely stifle any major leaps from the young quarterback and this offense in 2022-2023 season.
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| Photo by Randy Sartin- USA Today Sports |
Cardinals:
Kyler Murray was clearly a fan of the aforementioned trade of their first round pick for Hollywood Brown. But with Brown being small, on an expiring contract and having a history of injuries and drops, I am skeptical of Arizona’s ceiling on this trade. It could be a one-year rental or evolve into an extremely inflated contract down the road for a 5’9” receiver. Either way, I prefer that situation to be in Glendale then Baltimore.
I like Trey McBride as a prospect, and he was good value where the Cardinals got him, but having just extended Zach Ertz, I felt this pick could’ve gone to an area of greater need. They did ultimately take two defensive ends with their next two picks to try and fill the departed Chandler Jones’ shoes, but with only three picks in the first five rounds of this draft, the Arizona left a ton of value on the board.
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| Photo by Emilee Chinn- Associated Press |
Offensively, Hollywood is an upgrade on Christian Kirk and will help take some safety help away from Nuk. However, the defense will surely take a step back from last year.
Unpopular Opinion
Steelers:
Again, trying very hard here not to show pro-Ravens bias in this article, but I was not impressed with the Steelers draft. I’m not convinced Kenny Pickett has a higher ceiling then Mitch Trubisky, who they brought in this offseason to compete for the starting job. Given the Pittsburgh's bottom-ranked rush defense last year, a pick like Devonte Wyatt, Devin Lloyd or Quay Walker likely would have made a more immediate impact.
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| Photo by Justin Berl- Getty Images |
George Pickens in the second was a selection I liked at a glance, but with receivers Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson ahead of him on the depth chart (plus a double-dip for Calvin Austin III in round 4), I can’t help but think the Steelers could have bolstered their trenches to maximize the skill sets of Najee Harris or Minkah Fitzpatrick.
DE DeMarvin Leal from Texas A&M was my favorite pick of their draft and should team up well with TJ Watt in getting after the quarterback. Overall though, double dipping at QB and WR seemed luxurious to me by the Steel City, neglecting their struggling run defense.
Patriots:
Unpopular to go against a Belichick draft when it doesn’t involve a wide receiver, but the Patriots seemingly did not acquire great value across the board here. Cole Strange was a strange overdraft by the team, as he likely would’ve been there at least a round later. They proceeded to take two running backs, despite Harris and Stevenson having solid seasons for them last year, and spent a 4th round pick on Bailey Zappe to backup Mac Jones. 3rd and 4th round picks Marcus and Jack Jones were solid picks and will have big shoes to fill for the departed JC Jackson.
Anytime one is criticizing Belichick’s work in the draft, a grain of salt must be given, so we’ll leave the jury out on this draft for a few years here. But this didn’t seem like the haul that will put New England back on top of the AFC East.
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@Choppinglines
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