Grading Every Pick From The First Two Rounds Of The 2022 NFL Draft
Hey everybody! Welcome back to another article. Today is a very special one because it is my favorite time of year. Draft time!
I am grading two rounds here, and if I wrote everything I wanted to on these prospects and these picks, it could end up being a very long week for me, and it would likely take almost three hours a day to do that for so many picks. That’s why it will be two-sentence grading for mostly all of the first-round prospects. I will be doing five in-depth reactions on selections or trades of my choice. There were so many trade-ups and swaps that I won’t be grading or even keeping track of those, just the picks. In the second round, I will be doing one-sentence reactions.
Let’s get into it!
Round 1
Jaguars Select Travon Walker At #1 — B-
Walker is an athletic freak, and while I do love me some athleticism, this pick screams of boom or bust, and the Jags are really not in that kind of position right now. What perplexes me about this pick is that Walker doesn’t have the highest floor or the highest celling in the class, and while picking at #1, it’s generally a good rule to pick somebody who either is the best or has the best potential.
Lions Select Aidan Hutchinson At #2 — A
This isn’t a true steal, but this pick checks every single one of my boxes in evaluating a player with a draft grade. The Lions keep the hometown boy in Detroit, and this is a flat-out excellent pick.
Texans Select Derek Stingley Jr At #3 — B+
Squatting behind a tent on Thursday night, checking my phone, and praying it wouldn’t get taken away, I was under the impression that the Texans had sold the bag yet again. I read more on it, and it turns out that he shot up boards in the final week, and rightfully so; I was always a big Stingley fan, possibly even as CB1 in the class.
Jets Select ‘Sauce’ Gardner At #4 — B+
I like this pick a lot because I’ve always loved Sauce, but it doesn’t quite get an A from me. Gardner is an excellent cornerback, and he should pair well in the Jets’ defense, but I still prefer getting Thibbs or Zach Wilson an O-Lineman at this spot.
Giants Select Kayvon Thibodeaux At #5 — A+
Thibbs is a player that has always stood out to me in the draft process. He is simply the highest celling player in the class because of the raw football talent he possesses. He can get down on the line and fight blocks and shed to get run stops, and he can use pure finesse moves and pace to simply toss the defender away en route to the Quarterback. He is a top-3 player in this class at a premium position, so to get him down at 5 is a steal for the Giants. He’ll fit in really nicely with this defense because under Dave Gettleman, they took a lot of DTs that played 3-tec, such as Dexter Lawrence. They are a team full of run-stopping power-rushers, and getting a speed rusher in Thibbs is a massive help to this defense.
Panthers Select ‘Ickey’ Ekwonu At #6 — A
If I’m being sincere, The Panthers really had no business getting Ickey here as the Giants, Jets, and Texans were all on the watch to take a tackle. The Panthers will protect CMC and their QB of the future with a formidable tackle duo while keeping Ickey in-state.
Giants Select Evan Neal At #7 — A
Yet again, the Giants really shouldn’t have gotten a top tackle down the board at #7. Neal is more than an excellent player, though; he makes it so Saquon can hopefully stay healthy, Daniel Jones has some help, and Andrew Thomas can move over to RT, where he will be much better.
Falcons Select Drake London At #8 — A-
I like the Drake London selection from the Falcons here because, for obvious reasons, this team needs a WR. People thought they would address QB here, but they decided to do that in the later rounds and get their man some help first, and no matter how good a QB you are, you need assistance, and London is a big physical receiver that resembles a better Tee Higgins hopefully.
Seahawks Select Charles Cross #9 — A-
I actually really like Charles Cross, but the reason there isn’t a solid A after his name is because I question his fit with the Seahawks because they drafted an RB in Round 2, and they are shifting to more of a running offense (that’s how it seems at least), and I’m wondering why the drafted the best pass-blocking tackle in the class. That said, he was likely the best player for them in the draft, and I think he’ll do really well in Seattle.
Jets Select Garrett Wilson At #10 — A-
Wilson continues the string of A- picks as the Ohio State product ends up heading to the Big Apple (More like East Rutherford). Wilson has the explosiveness that this team needs, and most importantly, this team is trying to help Zach Wilson be special, and they are investing in him, which is a hearting sight.
Saints Trade Up And Select Chris Olave At #11 — B-
Look, I like Olave as a player and think he brings an excellent complement to Michael Thomas in New Orleans, but I believe that this is a little early for him. I like Jameson Williams a bit better anyway, and while I do like Olave, I see this as a little bit of a reach.
Lions Trade Up And Select Jameson Williams At #12 — B+
This may be a controversial grade for drafting Williams, a player with injury concerns, and the fact that he’s generally a little raw, but I like the pick from the Lions. Williams will help them stretch the field, and he will bring a new dimension to this offense, so I believe that when push comes to shove, this pick was well worth it.
Eagles Select Jordan Davis At #13 — C+
Look, I like Jordan Davis as a player because, well, who wouldn’t? The reason his grade is so low is a couple of things; first of all, isn’t this a reach for a player that is a 2-down player in the league and has a small sample size as a nose tackle and secondly, Davis is supposed to be a luxury pick for a contending team, and the Eagles are simply not there yet.
Ravens Select Kyle Hamilton At #14 — A+
FINALLY. I may be higher on Hamilton than other people as I have him sitting atop my biog board at the #1 spot but on draft night and the week of the draft, Hamilton took a tumble down the board and landed at 14. This is the best pick of the draft so far because when you get the best player in the draft (maybe second best actually, have you seen Matt Ariza?) at 14, it should be a perfect grade. Hamilton will slot into a safety room that consists of Chuck Clark and the newly signed Marcus Williams, which means that Hamilton will either take over at Strong Safety or he will be the overhang defender like Derwin James, Isiah Simmons, or Jerimiah Owosu-Koramoah. He will be a significant difference-maker on this defense, and his ability and size to play anywhere will instantly significantly improve this Ravens defense. Hamilton is a high floor/super celling player and, generally, one of the best safety prospects ever. Home Run pick from the Ravens with this one.
Texans Select Kenyon Green At #15 — C+
I’m very simply just not a fan of the Texans selecting Kenyon Green here. He is a solid talent, but I already prefer Zion Johnson, and with so many team needs, the Texans should be flat-out selecting the best player available here.
Commanders Select Jahan Dotson At #16 — B+
This is a selection that people may question, but I give it a solid B+ because I’m higher on Dotson that almost anybody. If Dotson had slid into the 20s, I believe I would’ve given him something with an A in front of it, but I do see the fit in Washington, and his ability to tun routes is always tantalizing in a struggling weapons room.
Chargers Select Zion Johnson At #17 — B
While the Chargers do need Zion Johnson, and he is my OG1 in the class, I believe investing in Trevor Penning is a much better pick because he does play tackle, and he is an athletic freak. The Chargers need a tackle and simply speaking, Johnson was the third-best O-Lineman on the board, so I can’t justify giving it anything better than a B.
TRADE: Eagles Get AJ Brown Using The 18th Pick
- Eagles Grade: A+ (Receive AJ Brown)
- Titans Grade: B- (Receive Picks 18, 101)
Well, well, well. AJ Brown, in my eyes, a top-8 receiver in the league, was just shipped away for a first-round pick. Brown is an absolutely phenomenal player and one of the best deep-threat receivers in the league. He is a top-tier threat, and while they did draft his replacement instantly, the Titans will. have a hard time filling his void. The Titans may get a bit of a biased grade here, but this all falls on them paying Derrick Henry. I would very easily take AJ Brown for 5 million extra a year, and the Titans faltered there, and after losing Julio as well, this team has a bare receiving corps outside of Treylon Burks. For the Eagles, this is an absolute winner of a trade. They need a receiver after passing on Justin Jefferson for spits Jaleon Reagor. Instead of making a mistake again and drafting somebody like Kyle Phillips here, they go out and get themselves a superstar at the X receiver that will deliver.
Titans Select Treylon Burks At #18 — B+
Purely based on selection, this isn’t a bad pick, but I don’t think it’s a home run pick. Factoring in the trade, I’m not a fan of this, but I don’t think it’s horrible, and the Titans do save a lot of money with this as they try to replace Brown with. another big, physical deep threat receiver.
Saints Select Trevor Penning At #19 — B+
I’ve seen places like The Ringer give this pick a B- but I simply disagree with that. The Dolphins signed Terron Armstead away from the Saints, and this team needed a tackle, so they went out and picked up Trevor Penning, a very solid player who has high athletic upside and high run blocking upside as well.
Steelers Select Kenny Pickett At #20 — C
I’m sorry to all the Steelers fans out there who love the narrative of keeping the Pitt boy in the Steel city, but I won’t even mince words here; I hate this pick. I graded it a C+ because this fit and the story is there, but Pickett is. not the QB that is going to win you a Super Bowl. He’s accurate, but he lacks great athletic tools and arm strength. He will never be the flashy, fast, big arm QB that you kind of need to win the Super Bowl in this NFL. He’s good enough to win, but there’s no way he can ever carry his team to the Super Bowl as Patrick Mahomes does. I see him a lot like Jared Goff and let’s just say that he’s not a superstar franchise QB. It’s not bad, but I just don’t like Pickett, and I had him as my QB4 in the class. Not a favorable selection for the Steelers here.
Chiefs Select Trent McDuffie At #21 — A
The Chiefs hit an absolute 450-foot home run with this pick. McDuffie is a true cover corner, and he likely possesses the most versatility of any corner in this class which is a huge gain, and I’m absolutely in love with this selection from KC as they’re able to add another player to bolster the defense and they just got a top-12 prospect at 21.
Packers Select Quay Walker At #22 — C
Dear Green Bay, this is why Aaron Rodgers, your back-to-back MVP Quarterback, wants to leave your team. Quay Walker was my LB4 in the class, and he wasn’t even the best LB on his own team, so this pick, after seeing where Nakobe Dean was drafted, is a massive miss from the Packers, who had some very solid prospects left on the board.
Bills Trade Up To Select Kaiir Elam At #23 — B
I don’t mind Kaiir Elam, but I personally like Andrew Booth way better, and with him on the board, Elam looks like a little bit of a reach. He possesses a great compliment to TreDavious White as a big, physical boundary corner, but I would’ve heavily preferred Booth and maybe even McCreary here.
Cowboys Select Tyler Smith At #24 — B-
I see the upside of Smith, I really do, but this pick could’ve been much better spent on a receiver like Christian Watson and EDGE like Jermaine Johnson or traded for a tackle. That said, Smith possesses rare upside and athleticism for the position, and he could turn out to be excellent.
TRADE: Cardinals Get Marquise Brown Using The 23rd Pick
- Cardinals Grade: A-
- Ravens Grade: B
The receivers with the last name Brown both packed their bags to head to a different city on Thursday night. Marquise Brown is going to be great on the Cardinals in a lesser role next to DeAndre Hopkins and Rondale Moore. He betters the Christian Kirk role and gives them another small and fast receiver that can get separation downfield. The Ravens may need Brown, but they simply won’t be able to pay him, and their gonna have to rely even more on the run now. That said, Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay aren’t complete nobodies, and the Ravens should look to get Julio Jones.
Ravens Select Tyler Linderbaum At #25 — A
Linderbaum is an excellent selection from the Ravens, hereafter trading back further to 25. He is the best center prospect ever, and he just further improves their run game with his mauling block style.
Jets Trade Up And Select Jermaine Johnson At #26 — A-
I like this pick a whole lot for the Jets, but I am struggling a little bit with the purpose of Johnson, and that’s why this isn’t an A. This is 100% a steal and an excellent pick from the Jets, but being the Jets and having so many needs, they really didn’t need Johnson with John Franklin-Meyers and Carl Lawson already on the team and taking the EDGE spots.
Jags Trade Up And Select Devin Lloyd At #27 — A
I am a huge fan of this pick for the Jaguars, especially after they waved goodbye to star inside linebacker Myles Jack this offseason. Lloyd was my LB1 in the class, and the Utah prospect is an excellent fit on the Jaguars as he tries to be one of the centerpieces of this new-look defense.
Packers Select DeVonte Wyatt At #28 — B
This isn’t a great pick, and while I do love Wyatt as a player, where is the need for this with Kenny Clark on the roster. With ZaDarius Smith and Davante Adams off of the roster going into 2022, this team needed a receiver or an EDGE rusher, and they had two picks to get that done, but instead, they selected an IDL and ILB.
Patriots Select Cole Strange At #29 — F
The best thing about Cole Strange is the name of his college.
Chiefs Select George Karlaftis At #30 — A
I’m a big fan of the Karlaftis pick for the Chiefs, and while they could’ve looked receiver, I think that they were wise not to, and looking to the defense was a huge gain for them. They bolster the line with this selection as Karlaftis can help Chris Jones and sometimes Frank Clark, and those three can make a formidable rush trio.
Bengals Select Daxton Hill At #31 — A
This pick is one of my favorite in the entire draft because of simply how much I love Dax Hill. He can play overhang in a Cinnciannti defense that needs somebody to do that for them, and he can help cover any holes for them as a chess piece.
Vikings Select Lewis Cine At #32 — B
With the last pick of the first round, the Vikings selected Lewis Cine, who is a pretty solid safety prospect out of the National Champions, Georgia. He is gonna be helpful on the back end as Harrison the Hit Man Smith starts to wind down his career.
Round 2
Bucs Select Logan Hall At Pick #33 — B
I wouldn’t call this a bad selection, and he fills a need for the Bucs, but there were better and more useful players on the board.
Packers Select Christian Watson At Pick #34 — A
I’ve been a Christian Watson fanboy for the longest time, and I’m glad he’s heading to a system where he gets to work with a star QB.
Titans Select Rodger McCreary At Pick #35 — A
The Titans desperately needed a cornerback, and while Andrew Booth was on the board here, I love McCreary, and I think he’ll be special on the Titans.
Jets Select Breece Hall At Pick #36 — A-
I was a big fan of Michael Carter last year, and I believe that there are better ways to use this pick, but Hall is clearly the RB1 in the class, and I think he could make a sick tandem backfield in New York.
Texans Select Jalen Pitre At Pick #37 — A
The Texans are clearly still in the best player available spot so getting Pitre, who was a top-3 player on the board, is a win for the Texans secondary that needs some help.
Falcons Select Arnold Ebiketie At Pick #38 — A-
The Falcons traded up, and I was sure Malik Willis was coming off of the board, but this was a very solid pick, and I think Arnold will help out the Atlanta defense right away.
Bears Select Kyler Gordon At Pick #39 — A-
Kyler Gordon did not look happy when he heard he was going to the Windy City, but this is a good selection, and he and Jaylon Johnson will be a cool corner pairing.
Seahawks Select Boye Mafe At Pick #40 — C+
Cool name, but Boye is kind of a mid-player, and while he’ll be solid in Seattle, it’s just an unessecary selection.
Seahawks Select Kenneth Walker III At Pick #41 — C
I like Ken Walker a lot, but Seattle simply does not need him to be their Running Back.
Vikings Select Andrew Booth Jr At Pick #42 — A+
The Vikings have needed a cornerback forever, and Booth is an ideal selection for them as he is a first-round talent and likely the best ballhawk in the class.
Giants Select Wan’Dale Robinson At Pick #43 — B-
Well, Kadarius Toney wants to leave New York, so I figure that it was simply rinsed and repeated for the Giants.
Texans Select John Metchie III At Pick #44 — B-
Metchie would certainly not be my first choice to draft a receiver here, but I don’t hate the selection; Metchie is still a silky smooth route runner and has the potential to be a round 1 talent.
Ravens Select David Ojabo At Pick #45 — A+
Ojabo was one of my favorite players from this class, and he could be crazy with his high-school teammate, Odafe Oweh.
Lions Select Josh Paschal At Pick #46 — B
I like his pairing with Aidan Hutchinson, and I think that this is a pretty solid pick from the Lions yet again.
Commanders Select Phidarian Mathis At Pick #47 — D
If you have DaRon Payne, Jonathan Allen, and Matt Ionidas on the bench, why do you need a 4th string DT?
Bears Select Jaquan Brisker At Pick #48 — A
A great pick from the Bears here, Brisker is a top-tier safety, and stopping his slide here just further improves their secondary.
Saints Select Alontae Tyler At Pick #49 — B-
Taylor has wheels, and I don’t mind the pick, but I do believe that there were better options on the board.
Patriots Select Tyquan Thornton At Pick #50 — D
I love speed, but like, this guy had a 4th-round grade on him.
Eagles Select Cameron Jurgens At Pick #51 — B+
Jason Kelce won’t be around forever, and Jurgens is a very solid replacement to keep this OL running like a well-oiled machine.
Steelers Select George Pickens At Pick #52 — A
I’ve been a massive Pickens fan forever, and I believe that the Steelers made a great selection here for a receiver with one of, if not the highest celling in the class.
Colts Select Alec Pierce At Pick #53 — B+
I’m a fan of this Colts pick as they are trying to make it as easy for Matty Ice to succeed as Pierce offers a diverse skill-set at receiver.
Chiefs Select Skyy Moore At Pick #54 — A
I really couldn’t be happier with this pick; Moore is a sick player, and getting Moore, McDuffie, and picks in the Tyreek deal makes me feel better about losing him, that’s for sure.
Cardinals Select Trey McBride At Pick #55 — B-
McBride is one of the best Tight Ends in the class, but that’s not really saying too much with this TE class.
Cowboys Select Sam Williams At Pick #56 — B
I like Williams next to Parsons on the Cowboys, but he’s still a little bit raw as a player.
Bucs Select Logan Goedeke At Pick #57 — B
Another B-graded pick as Goedeke is another solid enough prospect, but I’m not sure the Bucs maximized their selection here.
Falcons Select Troy Anderson At Pick #58 — B+
Yet another solid B+, and while I do like Anderson a lot as a player, I prefer Drake Jackson, who’s still on the board at this spot.
Vikings Select Ed Ingram At Pick #59 — B+
I like ‘The Mauler’ Darrian Kinnard a little bit better because of his raw power at the position, but Ingram is no slouch himself, and he could work really well on the Vikings OL.
Bengals Select Cam Taylor-Britt At Pick #60 — B
Britt is simply not the best safety on the board in my eyes, but he is the second-best, and he isn’t too far away from a player that will be mentioned pretty soon.
49ers Select Drake Jackson At Pick #61 — A-
For almost any other team, this would be an A, but because of such a glaring need at the corner, the 49ers only get an A- for this pick.
Chiefs Select Bryan Cook At Pick #62 — A
My personal S3 in the draft (counting Pitre and Dax at corner or hybrid), Cook has wheels and excellent ball skills that help out Justin Reid on the back end.
Bills Select James Cook At Pick #63 — A
James Cook is a great Running Back, and he could be the next great back like his brother in the NFL; I also love the fit with the Bills.
Broncos Select Nik Bonitto At Pick #64 — B
Bonitto is a thumper from Oklahoma, and the Sooner prospect could be a great addition to this Broncos defense.
Thanks for tuning in today!
ShreyKanji
