2022 NFL Draft Hott Reads

So after sleeping on it I have some more thoughts on the first round of the NFL Draft so I thought I’d write them down.

• The Jaguars taking Travon Walker is still just a massive swing for the fences. He has no real pass rush moves and they don’t have a great track record of developing players. They also traded up back into the end of round one to take Devin Lloyd. I love Lloyd as a player but they paid a steep price to move up a few spots when there were a number of good LBs that could have still been there at pick 33. This first round once again proved the Jaguars still don’t really get it and having Trent Baalke as your GM is a bad idea.
• The Lions set a land speed record in turning in the card to pick Aidan Hutchinson, hey, when you know, you know. Trading up from 32 to 12 for WR Jameson Williams is a ballsy move. It’s great for them, they need playmakers, and it’s great for Williams. The Lions won’t rush his recovery. They don’t care if he plays this year at all. He’s an investment in the future. They may have paid a lot to move up, but when you have sucked as long as they have sucked, a bold move is often needed.
• I love Derek Stingley Jr and I’m glad he didn’t fall in the draft but I think that choice has a deeper meaning. Texans GM Nick Caserio took a CB that doesn’t really fit Lovie Smith’s preferred scheme, I think that says a lot about Caserio’s plans for the future and means Lovie is a short term coaching solution. Caserio just took the best player to improve the team roster, not the guy who fits the current coach. I think Caserio settled for Lovie during the coaching search and he’ll get his guy once he has a better roster to sell to a potential coach.
• The Jets took a cornerstone corner in Ahmad Gardner, a perfect fit WR Garrett Wilson, and then traded back into the first round to grab the biggest steal DE Jermaine Johnson. Gardner gives them a legit #1 CB and makes free agent DJ Reed a #2, like he should be. Wilson is the perfect Z receiver to complement Corey Davis (the big X) and their slot guy Elijah Moore. Jermaine Johnson is going to be a menace under the tutelage of Robert Saleh. As a Patriots fan, I couldn’t hate this draft more. That’s a good sign for the Jets.
• The Giants got an elite pass rusher in Kayvon Thibodeaux and a legit OT in Even Neal. Thibodeaux can be a star as long as he doesn’t let the glitz and glamour of New York consume him. I don’t like Neal as much as others but he’s a real starting NFL OT and he solves their RT problem for good. He’s not always as dominant of a run blocker as you might want but he will make Daniel Jones’ life a lot safer.
• Carolina and Seattle did the smart thing by both grabbing starting LTs. The Panthers got Ekwonu, he’s a rising star and he’ll start for them from day one and probably for the next decade. He’s a running game beast so if they can keep Christian McCaffrey healthy, the run game can improve. Charles Cross goes to Seattle and he’s the best LT they have had since…Walter Jones? Maybe I’m not giving Russell Okung and Duane Brown enough credit but it’s been a while. Cross wasn’t asked to run block much in college but he’s a pass blocking savant.
• There were six WRs drafted between picks 8-18, and they all went to places were they can excel. I’m not a Drake London fan but he’s immediately the #1 WR in Atlanta and Marcus Mariota can’t throw every pass to Kyle Pitts, so London will get plenty of chances. Garrett Wilson is perfect for the Jets’ needs. The Saints traded up for Chris Olave, he’s a great complement to Michael Thomas and his precision in being where he is supposed to be will give Jameis Winston his best chance to be successful. Jameson Williams needs time to heal and the Lions don’t need to rush him. Jahan Dotson was probably over drafted at 16 overall but there was a run happening and Washington didn’t want to miss out. He would be miscast as a true #1 immediately but with Terry McLaurin there he can ease in. He’s also a potential replacement if McLaurin becomes too expensive and Washington decides to move on. Finally, the Titans traded AJ Brown for a pick and then immediately drafted his exact replacement in Treylon Burks. Burks is a raw version of Brown and needs some work but the Titans will find ways to get the ball to him and let him make plays in mean time.
• Speaking of WRs. There were two big WR trades that went down. The first, AJ Brown going to the Eagles is huge. The Eagles have drafted a number of WRs over the past few years who haven’t worked out (Jalen Reagor, JJ Arcega-Whitside, etc.) so they just traded for a very good 24 year old guy. Also, Brown is a great complement to Devonta Smith, the one WR they actually may have hit on. Brown is big, physical and thick as opposed to Smith who is a string bean. The Titans went for the cheaper option, the Eagles are trying to win. I’m not sure this helps Jalen Hurts. Brown is a master of playing the game over the middle of the field and Hurts is pretty bad at throwing over the middle, it may be the thing that exposed Hurts as not the guy moving forward.
• The second WR trade was the head scratcher. The Cardinals traded the 23rd pick to the Ravens for Marquis “Hollywood” Brown. Hollywood is a small stature, one-trick pony. He’s fast, that’s it. The one thing he has going for him in Arizona is he is close friends with Kyler Murray. Once again, Steve Keim has no idea what he’s doing. The Ravens dumped Brown because they don’t want to pay him in another year and don’t care to pick up his fifth year option. Smart decision. Keim gave up a premium pick for on one dimensional WR he’s going to have to pay up for in a couple of years. WR wasn’t really a glaring need for the Cardinals and they gave up a pick that ended up being Kaiir Elam, a guy they could have really used, or Jermaine Johnson, George Karlaftis, Devonte Wyatt, or Daxton Hill, all guys they could have used. I’m not a Hollywood Brown fan so Steve Keim liking him is not a surprise. Brown is the third best WR on the Cardinals, at best.
• The Ravens ended up with the best safety in the draft Kyle Hamilton, and the best center in draft Tyler Linderbaum. The lesson, as always, draft like you’re the Ravens, it usually goes well. They turned Hollywood Brown into Tyler Linderbaum and an extra pick from Buffalo.
• The Chargers got one of the best offensive lineman in Zion Johnson, they may have to sign a veteran RT since Johnson is best at OG but they could even consider moving Matt Feiler from LG to RT and put Johnson at LG. Either way, he upgrades the line protecting Justin Herbert, win.
• The Saints not only got Chris Olave but they got Trevor Penning to fill their LT need. He’s not as polished as the first three guys (Ekwonu, Neal and Cross) but he’s starter worthy and he has a high upside.
• The Steelers took Kenny Pickett. The Rooney family has never gotten over passing on Dan Marino out of Pitt almost 40 years ago, they just couldn’t help themselves this time.
• The Packers took two Georgia defenders. That will improve their defense but how did they not move up for a WR or trade for one of the Browns (AJ and Marquise, not the Cleveland kind). That’s a whiff.
• The Patriots spent a first-round pick on a guy who was a third-team All-American guard…in the FCS. If they had picked him with their 2nd round pick (54th overall), I would have been fine with it, that would have been a small reach for a potential starter. They didn’t have to take him here, even if he would have been gone before 54th, I can name five interior offensive linemen they could probably get at 54th that could start (Sean Rhyan, Dylan Parham, Ed Ingram, Darrian Kinnard, and Jamaree Salyer, I said I could name five). I’m starting to think Belichick got lucky with last year’s draft because this has been his usual for the past several years. With Nick Caserio and now Dave Ziegler gone, they need someone to challenge Belichick a bit when it comes to the draft. Matt Groh took over as Director of Player Personnel after Ziegler left but he came up in the Patriots organization. I wish they would empower someone with at least some outside perspective, like Eliot Wolf, to challenge the draft decisions of Belichick. Cole Strange may end up being a good player but he would still end up a good player if he had been drafted in round two or three and the Patriots could have him and a LB like Nakobe Dean, a pass rusher like George Karlaftis, a CB like Andrew Booth Jr or Roger McCreary, I could go on. I already hate this draft for the Patriots, if he takes WR Christian Watson at 54, I’m going to lose my mind.
• The Chiefs kind of killed it. They moved up to grab a CB they need in Trent McDuffie, he’s really good and he can start for them either outside or in the slot. He upgrades the secondary a lot. Then they stayed put at 30 and had DE George Karlaftis fall in their laps. He’s an excellent pass rusher, he’s strong as an ox and if he outplays Frank Clark next year, I won’t be even a little shocked. They really improved their defense in round one. A good organization making smart picks because they have a smart GM they listen to who isn’t their head coach, novel approach.
• Finally, the two safeties that went at the end of the round. Daxton Hill is more than a safety and Bengals defense is going to love having him around. He can do a lot of things well and they need that in back end. Lewis Cine is the type of modern safety the NFL loves and now the Vikings have a guy who can play with Harrison Smith now and be his replacement eventually.