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In what was one of the craziest first rounds in recent NFL history, Day 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft started subtly but soon left us wishing it would never end.
Georgia EDGE Travon Walker, whose name rose up late in the pre-draft process, was drafted with the first overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars despite Michigan EDGE Aidan Hutchinson drawing most of the 1.01 buzz all offseason.
Hutchinson’s fall (if you want to call it that) in the draft would be short-lived, as he quickly found his way to the Detroit Lions with the second overall pick. Hutchinson remains in his home state, and Lions’ head coach Dan Campbell gets himself a player who can stand at the front line of the Knee Cap Buffet for the next 10 years.
If there’s one thing Thursday night reminded us of, it’s that there’s nothing quite like the NFL Draft.
In addition to players’ long-time dreams being realized, the tilts and elation felt worldwide on social media have turned the draft into one of the more entertaining experiences on the sports calendar.
As we prepare for Day 2, here are some takeaways from what we saw on Thursday.
Willis’ Ceiling Not Enough to Attract Buyers
One of the more polarizing players heading into Thursday night was Liberty QB Malik Willis. Viewed by some as overall QB1 of the class, and one who possesses potentially elite upside, the first round came and went and Willis remains on the board heading into Day 2.
Viewed as a raw prospect who likely needs to sit his rookie year, teams will be all the more comfortable letting Willis sit as a rookie knowing they didn’t invest first-round draft capital to acquire him.
Omg what happened to malik 😂😂😂
— Malik Willis (@malikwillis) April 29, 2022
Willis’ ceiling is that of an elite playmaker at the quarterback position. In his two seasons at Liberty, he totaled 5,107 passing yards, 47 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions while rushing for a 338-1822-27 line.
With the recent successes of mobile quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Kyler Murray, and Jalen Hurts, one has to wonder what the league sees in Willis that it didn’t deem him worthy of a top-32 pick.
Last season, the 49ers drafted FCS North Dakota State QB Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick. Lance, like Willis, was also viewed as a raw player in need of development. That however didn’t stop the 49ers from trading up to acquire him.
Giants Do the Right Thing, Take Thibodeaux at 1.05
Oregon EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux spent much of this offseason defending himself against rumors about his “passion” or love for the game.
Despite a highly-productive career at Oregon that featured 39.5 TFLs and 19 sacks along with a strong showing at the Combine and his Pro Day, Thibodeaux was mocked outside the top-10 by some analysts.
Fortunately for Thibodeaux and Giants fans, new head coach Brian Daboll didn’t buy into the narratives pushing down Thibodeaux’s stock. Once viewed as the potential 1.01, Thibodeaux may prove to be the steal of the draft in a few seasons.
Jets Appear Ready to Take Flight After Strong 1st Round
Hours before the draft started, I took a minute and 39 seconds to have a laugh at traumatized Jets fans throughout NFL Draft history.
Annual reminder to watch the best draft day video EVER
— Chelsa Messinger (@ChelsaMessinger) April 28, 2022
"Jets Draft Day Blunders" pic.twitter.com/PTGdslSdWi
The Jets and bad drafting has felt as American as baseball and apple pie, but 2022 appears to be off to a much different start.
With their first two picks, the Jets selected Cincinnati CB Ahmad Gardner with the fourth overall pick and ran it back with Ohio State WR Garrett Wilson with the 10th overall pick.
Both Gardner and Wilson have a legitimate chance to be the best players at their position in this draft, with Gardner bringing a uniquely strong profile.
In three seasons, Gardner never allowed a defensive touchdown per Pro Football Focus, despite allowing 58 receptions for 703 yards on 135 targets.
As if landing one of the top receivers and cornerbacks in the draft wasn’t enough, New York went on to take advantage of the plummeting stock belonging to Florida State EDGE Jermaine Johnson after making a trade with the Titans.
The Titans trade: Pick 26, 101
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 29, 2022
The Jets trade: Pick 35, 69, 163
Viewed by some as a potential top-10 pick, Johnson’s fall in the draft was a puzzling one. The 2021 ACC Defensive Player of the Year totaled 70 tackles, 17.5 TFLs, and a conference-high 11.5 sacks last season, and finished his career with 18 sacks.
A tip of the cap to Jets head coach Robert Saleh on a job well done on Day 1.
A Tradition Unlike Any Other, Ravens Put on a Master Class
Watching the Ravens execute a draft is like watching da Vinci paint the Mona Lisa. For years we’ve expected Baltimore’s drafts to look like a work of art, and every year they deliver.
At times, it comes naturally, as was the case of Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton, who simply fell to Baltimore at pick 14. The unquestioned No. 1 safety in the class, Hamilton underwhelmed at the Combine, which proved to be enough for teams to talk their way out of taking him in the top-10. Some even had him in their top-5 before his slow 40-time.
The @Ravens just got an absolute steal.
— cynthia frelund (@cfrelund) April 29, 2022
Kyle Hamilton is my model's #2 overall prospect.
Computer Vision ranked him in the 95th percentile in body control (8-year sample) on plays resulting in INTs, PBUs, effective blitzing and shutting down outside/slot pass catchers.
Stud.
The Ravens would later trade veteran wide receiver Marquise Brown and the 100th overall pick to the Cardinals for the 23rd overall pick, which they then flipped to the Bills in exchange for their 25th and 130th overall pick.
The end result?
Baltimore landed arguably the best center of the class and one of the most talented offensive linemen overall in Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum.
Earlier this offseason, our own Thor Nystrom mocked both Hamilton and Linderbaum in his top-12. While that’s not how it played out in the end, one can’t deny the potential that may exist with the picks the Ravens took at 14th and 25th overall.
Baltimore currently holds six fourth-round picks and still holds the 45th and 76th overall pick heading into Day 2.
Washington Fails to #TakeCommand After Savvy Trade Back
Earlier this offseason, the Commanders desperately took a shot on quarterback Carson Wentz after failing to acquire Russell Wilson from the Seahawks or pry Aaron Rodgers from the Packers.
In a trade with the Colts, the Commanders gave up a 2022 third-round pick, a conditional 2023 third-round pick that could turn to a second, and swapped 2022 second-rounders. They also voluntarily ate all $28 million of Wentz’s 2022 salary, despite the rumors that the Colts were willing to pay a large portion of his salary to outright cut him.
Heading into Thursday, the Commanders held the 11th and 47th overall picks. With the wide-held belief that Washington would look to add one of the draft’s top receivers to build around Wentz, the team instead made a trade with the Saints to acquire extra picks.
The Saints are trading the 16th pick, a third-rounder and a fourth-rounder to Washington for the 11th pick.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) April 29, 2022
It was a strong first move by Washington, sliding back five spots in the first round to gain two extra picks in the later rounds.
But when the 16th overall pick came around, nobody, including Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson, was ready for what would happen next.
Jahan Dotson said he was watching the Suns-Pelicans game when Ron Rivera called.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 29, 2022
When it came time for the Commanders to make their pick, Washington reached out to Dotson to let them know they would be taking him with the 16th overall pick.
Dotson was viewed by many as a fringe Day 1 wide receiver who most thought would be lucky to sneak into the end of the first round. The fact that Dotson himself wasn’t watching the draft suggests that he didn’t expect to hear his name called on Thursday night.
Even so, there’s a lot to like about Dotson’s game.
Last season with Penn State, he totaled 91-1182-12 despite playing with an underwhelming talent in Sean Clifford and had a solid 2.56 yards per route run. In 2020, Dotson totaled 52-884-8.
Dotson could prove to be a productive prospect for years to come. However, the value at 16th overall simply wasn’t there. After the wide receiver run died down, the only other receiver taken in the first round was Arkansas’ Treylon Burks at 18th overall to the Titans.
Washington likely could have flipped the 16th pick for additional picks and still had a shot at Dotson late in the first. Even if they gambled with another trade back and lost out on him, there’s a chance that the difference between Dotson and second-round receivers proves marginal at best.
Steelers Take Pickett as Only Round 1 QB
In a move that some Pittsburgh fans may have preferred didn’t happen, the Steelers kept hometown kid Kenny Pickett in the Steel City by selecting him with the 20th overall pick.
Questions surround Pickett’s profile as a fifth-year breakout player who never threw for more than 13 touchdowns in any of his first four seasons. His small hand measurement at the Combine also didn’t do him any favors.
With that being said, Pickett feels like an educated shot on a QB of the future by the Steelers, who under Mike Tomlin aren’t used to drafting high.
In 15 seasons as the Steelers’ head coach, Tomlin has yet to have a losing season. The team was reportedly much higher on Pickett than other QBs in the class.
Mike Tomlin said Kenny Pickett will compete to start in 2022 with Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph. Kevin Colbert said they had him rated much higher than the other QBs.
— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) April 29, 2022
Whether Pickett ends up as the Steelers’ long-term solution at quarterback is to be determined. But for a team accustomed to winning, there’s no guarantee their 2022 performance would lead them to a top pick in next year’s draft.
If Pickett proves to be the guy for the job, Pittsburgh’s transition from one franchise QB to another will feel almost seamless. They get bonus points for not trading up to make this happen.
The Wide Receiver Market Broken By Christian Kirk Leaves its Mark
The Jacksonville Jaguars and Christian Kirk created an inflated market for wide receivers when they agreed to a four-year, $72 million contract early in free agency.
Since then, several wide receivers have been shuffled around the league, while others have demanded a trade or a glorified extension.
The latest of these receivers to be traded and signed to a new deal is A.J. Brown. After requesting a new deal from the Titans, Tennessee ultimately opted to trade Brown to the Eagles for the 18th overall pick and a third-round pick. Brown and the Eagles immediately reached an agreement on a four-year, $100 million extension that includes $57 million in guaranteed money.
As part of the trade, the #Eagles and WR AJ Brown reached agreement on a 4-year, $100M extension with $57M guaranteed, per @RapSheet. Trade wasn't happening without a deal. It's all done.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 29, 2022
Suddenly in need of a receiver, the Titans then selected Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks with the 18th overall pick. Ironically, Brown has been a common comp for Burks throughout the draft process. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein comped Burks to Brown as “A.J. Brown (but with more wiggle).”
In addition to the trade of Brown, the Baltimore Ravens also sent wide receiver Marquise Brown and the 100th overall pick to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for the 23rd overall pick.
Drafted in the same 2019 draft as A.J. Brown, Marquise Brown has not been nearly as vocal about his desire for a big extension, but he has made known his desire to play in a more traditional, pass-oriented offense.
Now set to play his 2022 season with the Cardinals, assuming Brown doesn’t receive an extension this offseason, he’ll have a chance to earn a new deal of his own heading into 2023. One that the Ravens may be been unwilling to play in light of the recent deals in the wide receiver market.
During his three seasons in Baltimore, Brown improved in every season. He finally surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in 2021, when he went for 91-1008-6.
In total, Brown has a career receiving line of 195-2361-21, and an impressive 24% target share.
