The dust has settled & the sun has set on the highly entertaining 2022 NFL Draft event. This year’s headlines included a historic class of Georgia Bulldog prospects, a record-breaking amount of trades, a surprising tumble down the board for quarterback prospects, and much more. I’ll put it to you this way, the first round was more entertaining than I thought that it would be. Developments from the first round made some of the later round choices more intriguing as well. Let’s dive in & recap what all happened at the NFL’s most important event for college prospects.
Georgia has historic draft class
Georgia Bulldogs prospects went flying off the draft board, with 5 first round selections. This included DE Travon Walker being selected by the Jaguars with the No. 1 overall draft pick. Fifteen UGA prospects were selected in this year’s 7-round draft, which set an NFL draft record. Georgia’s title winning team featured a historic defense, so maybe we shouldn’t be so surprised. That said, Georgia’s 2022 draft class featured elite level talent up and down many draft boards.
Trades: lots & lots of trades
There were tons of trades in this draft, including a record nine in the first round this year. The headliners including WR AJ Brown being dealt to the Eagles, WR Marquise Brown being sent to the Cardinals, and a rare, inter-division first-round trade between the Lions & Vikings. No doubt about it, the Eagles trade for (& extension of) Brown was the highlight of draft night. Marquise Brown’s trade to the Cardinals was also an important development, along with the Lions trading up into the first round with the Vikings to select Alabama WR Jameson Williams. That’s not all, as the Falcons selection of WR Drake London with the No. 8 pick triggered a run on receivers between picks 11 & 18 where four WRs were selected with new, traded-for picks. Plenty of trades were made in later rounds as well, which made the entire draft event intriguing.
QBs tumble down the board
Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett was the only quarterback drafted in the first round this year. This was surprising development, despite the negative narrative surrounding this year’s QB crop. What was even more surprising was that many of these talented prospects were still available in the second, third, fourth, and even fifth rounds! Why did these guys slide so far down the board? I guess we should’ve paid more attention to the QB activity in free agency & via trade earlier this offseason, as all of that movement seemed to foreshadow a down year at the draft’s QB position. Time will tell whether Desmond Ridder (Falcons) or Malik Willis (Titans) start games this year.
Draft starts with defense
The old saying “defense wins championships” seems appropriate to enter in this space as the draft began with five consecutive defenders being selected with the draft’s first five picks. This was the first time the feat was accomplished since all the way back in the 1991 NFL Draft. Travon Walker, Aidan Hutchinson, Derek Stingley, Sauce Gardner, & Kayvon Thibodeaux headlined an elite group of defenders in this year’s draft class, which featured 16 first rounders. What a curious development for a league driven by offensive firepower & skill position talent.
Eagles, Ravens, Jets nailed it
I’m not a draft expert, but by all accounts the Eagles, Ravens, & Jets won their drafts. The Eagles drafted 3 fantastic players in DT Jordan Davis, C Cam Jurgens, & LB Nakobe Dean. Oh yeah & by the way, they also picked up WR AJ Brown for one of their two first round picks. Meanwhile, the Ravens featured an 11-man draft class headlined by S Kyle Hamilton & C Tyler Lindenbaum. They also set an NFL draft record with six fourth-round pick selections this year. Finally, the Jets draft class featured three first round selections in CB Sauce Gardner, WR Garrett Wilson, & DE Jermaine Johnson II. All three of those guys, plus RB Breece Hall (2nd round), seem likely to start & have an immediate impact on their team’s performance in 2022.