The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft is behind us and, after a rather unspectacular start, brought a multitude of trades, including a real blockbuster. In addition, only one quarterback has been drawn so far.
NFL Draft 2022: Defense Dominates Top 5
The 2022 NFL Draft started with five picks, all of which were used for defensemen. In the end, the Jacksonville Jaguars actually drew edge rusher Travon Walker from the Georgia Bulldogs with the first pick overall. This pick was hinted at after Walker was initially considered risky as he is still more of a project than a finished player.
Walker was one of four players from national champions Georgia to dominate the first round.
After the Detroit Lions picked their local hero Aidan Hutchinson from Michigan, the two best cornerbacks went straight off the board – the Houston Texans chose Derek Stingley with the third pick, the New York Jets then followed suit with Sauce Gardner, so Edge Rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux fell into the laps of the New York Giants at 5.
NFL Draft 2022: Trades dominate first round
As the top 10 progressed, there were no speculated trades, so the Carolina Panthers drew on 6 and Giants on 7 offensive tackles in Ickey Ekwonu and Evan Neal, thus serving clear needs. The first surprise came from the Atlanta Falcons, who drew the draft’s first wide receiver, Drake London, in 8th place.
The trades then started from position 11, which led to surprising picks. The New Orleans Saints grabbed wide receiver Chris Olave with that pick, then the Detroit Lions came up from 32 to grab Deep Threat Jameson Williams.
The shocker of the day came from the Philadelphia Eagles, who not only moved to 13th position after a trade with the Texans defensive tackle Jordan Davis, but also acquired wide receiver AJ Brown from the Tennessee Titans for the 18th pick in the draft, among other things . He then got a new $100 million contract in Philly.
The Titans, in turn, then drew his successor in Treylon Burks.
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–Kenny Pickett will play for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
NFL Draft 2022: Pittsburgh Steelers draft lone quarterback in Round 1
Somewhat surprising was the fact that only one quarterback was actually drawn in round 1. And all without a trade! The Pittsburgh Steelers patiently waited in 20th position and then drew their dream quarterback, Kenny Pickett, from Pitt. The Local Hero will immediately attack Mitchell Trubisky, as was heard from Pittsburgh immediately afterwards.
The QBs Malik Willis and Desmond Ridder, who were rated higher before the draft, are still available on Day 2 and should then be the focus of attention quite early.
NFL Draft 2022: Baltimore Ravens serve two needs
The Baltimore Ravens had a good first day, drawing 14th pick safety Tyler Hamilton, who will be an ideal fit on their defense. They later traded the Buffalo Bills back into the first round in 25th position to bring in center Tyler Linderbaum as well. He should be a direct starter too.
NFL Draft 2022: All 32 first-round picks-
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The first round of the 2022 draft started very moderately – and then it got wild: A multitude of trades, a conspicuous disinterest in the quarterbacks, and a run on the wide receivers! SPOX shows you all 32 picks in round 1.
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1. PICK – JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: TRAVON WALKER, EDGE, GEORGIA
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2. PICK – DETROIT LIONS: AIDAN HUTCHINSON, EDGE, MICHIGAN
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3. PICK – HOUSTON TEXANS: DEREK STINGLEY, CB, LSU
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4. PICK – NEW YORK JETS: SAUCE GARDNER, CB, CINCINNATI
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5. PICK – NEW YORK GIANTS: KAYVON THIBODEAUX, EDGE, OREGON
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6. PICK – CAROLINA PANTHERS: IKEM EKWONU, OT, NC STATE
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7. PICK – NEW YORK GIANTS: EVAN NEAL, OT, ALABAMA
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8. PICK – ATLANTA FALCONS: DRAKE LONDON, WR, USC
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9. PICK – SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: CHARLES CROSS, OT, MISSISSIPPI STATE
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10. PICK – NEW YORK JETS: GARRETT WILSON, WR, OHIO STATE
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11. PICK – NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (Trade mit Washington): CHRIS OLAVE, WR, OHIO STATE
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12. PICK – DETROIT LIONS (Trade mit Minnesota): JAMESON WILLIAMS, WR, ALABAMA
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13. PICK – PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (Trade mit Houston): JORDAN DAVIS, DT, GEORGIA
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14. PICK – BALTIMORE RAVENS: KYLE HAMILTON, S, NOTRE DAME
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15. PICK – HOUSTON TEXANS: KENYON GREEN, OG, TEXAS A&M
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16. PICK – WASHINGTON COMMANDERS: JAHAN DOTSON, WR, PENN STATE
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17. PICK – LOS ANGELES CHARGERS: ZION JOHNSON, OG, BOSTON COLLEGE
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18. PICK – TENNESSEE TITANS (trade with Eagles for AJ Brown): TREYLON BURKS, WR, ARKANSAS
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19. PICK – NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: TREVOR PENNING, OT, NORTHERN IOWA
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20. PICK – PITTSBURGH STEELERS: KENNY PICKETT, QB, PITTSBURGH
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21. PICK – KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (Trade mit Patriots): TRENT MCDUFFIE, CB, WASHINGTON
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22. PICK – GREEN BAY PACKERS: QUAY WALKER, LB, GEORGIA
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23. PICK – BUFFALO BILLS (Trade mit Ravens): KAIIR ELAM, CB, FLORIDA
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24. PICK – DALLAS COWBOYS: TYLER SMITH, OT, TULSA
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25. PICK – BALTIMORE RAVENS: TYLER LINDERBAUM, C, IOWA
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26. PICK – NEW YORK JETS (Trade mit den Titans): JERMAINE JOHNSON, EDGE, FLORIDA STATE
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27. PICK – JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (Trade mit den Buccaneers): DEVIN LLOYD, LB, UTAH
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28. PICK – GREEN BAY PACKERS: DEVONTE WYATT, DT, GEORGIA
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29. PICK – NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: COLE STRANGE, OG, CHATTANOOGA
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30. PICK – KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: GEORGE KARLAFTIS, EDGE, PURDUE
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31. PICK – CINCINNATI BENGALS: DAXTON HILL, DB, MICHIGAN
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32. PICK – MINNESOTA VIKINGS: LEWIS CINE, S, GEORGIA
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NFL Draft 2022 – Round 1: Picks that fell
All the picks of the Jets! The Jets served two big needs with their first two picks in Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson and certainly brought in players who were among the best players available at the time. And then they traded the Titans for pick 26 to get edge rusher Jermaine Johnson as well. A player they may have already targeted at position 4. Good job from General Manager Joe Douglas!
All the Giants picks! The other team in New York also impressed on the first day. Kayvon Thibodeaux could be the best pass rusher in this class, and Evan Neal is one of the best tackles. Both are construction sites of the Giants and have been for years. Joe Schoen got off to a good start on his first draft in New York.
Ickey Ekwonu on the Panthers: The Panthers certainly tried to trade the 6th pick, but there were simply no takers. Therefore, Ekwonu was just the right pick for the Panthers’ philosophy at this spot. He’s a top run blocker and Carolina loves to run. That may not please everyone, but it’s their idea of a good offense. They have now found the ideal left tackle for this.
NFL Draft 2022 – Round 1: Picks that didn’t please
The Packers’ Picks: Green Bay had two first-round picks after the Adams trade, and what did they do with them? They initially got a promising linebacker in Quay Walker, but one they don’t really need for their defense, especially since they just paid the first DeVondre Campbell. And then they pulled Devonte Wyatt, who certainly has his value, but just isn’t a wide receiver. And that would be the position that really needs an upgrade.
Uptrades for receivers: Nothing against Chris Olave (#11 Saints), Jameson Williams (#12 Lions) or Teylon Burks (#18 Titans), but did it really take aggressive trades? Specifically, the Titans trade that sent Brown to Philly is shocking. You give up a superstar and get a receiver of a similar type, but it’s still a long way from Brown’s level. And the other two trades also seem exaggerated.
Kenny Pickett on the Steelers: Did the Steelers really decide with their heads or with their hearts? While Pickett is certainly ready for the NFL, the big upside just isn’t there. He might challenge Mitch Trubisky, but how much better than ex-Bear and Bill can he really be? Ridder or Willis would have made more sense here.
Strange to the Patriots: The Patriots did what many expected – they traded away the 21st pick to generate more picks in the coming days. That was good. Not So Good: Drafting Cole Strange in Turn 1. That was probably a third-round pick, judging by PFF goes. Taking it on round 1 is quite wasteful as you could have easily gotten it on day 2 as well.
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