What…..what happened last night? Last year, I said “oh, everything went about as we expected it to – not a lot of surprises.” Well, that wasn’t the case this year. From the moment the Atlanta Falcons selected Drake London and teams started scrambling to get a wide receiver, the 2022 NFL Draft felt off the rails. Trades left and right, for picks and players alike, started littering the board, and I was looking at my broadcast partners, Sean Atkins and Steven McCash, like, “this NFL Draft is drunk.” But, by the time all of the dust settled on the first round, I actually found it quite difficult to find any real losers in this year’s first round.
Nashville would probably have me put the Tennessee Titans among the losers after they traded AJ Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles, but I’m going to reserve judgment on that move considering the Titans picked up extra draft picks and drafted Treylon Burks. Maybe you put the Cleveland Browns among the losers because they’re now stuck with Baker Mayfield, but I felt like that was inevitable. No one is going to trade for Mayfield when they know the Browns are probably going to end up cutting him. The Green Bay Packers failed to draft a wide receiver yet again, but it’s hard to be mad about the value they got with the Devonte Wyatt pick alone. New England Patriots fans might be confused about the selection of Cole Strange, but I mentioned that I thought he could be a sneaky first round selection a week ago, and he fills a huge need for them. I’m not mad about that one at all.
So, with that context in mind, let’s get to my short short list of losers from last night’s first round before shifting gears and talking about my lengthy list of winners.
Losers
Atlanta Falcons – Drake London, huh? I know the Falcons needed a receiver badly, and maybe Arthur Smith and company felt like they needed to go get their tough 50/50 guy, but I wonder how London will project as the first receiver taken in the draft. Jameson Williams was right there, and maybe the fact that he won’t be able to play right away deterred them from taking them, but I still think Treylon Burks and Chris Olave bring a more impactful skill set to the NFL game, and are more likely to develop into WR1s than London. Maybe this is a nitpick, and I’ll admit that I had some real trouble coming up with losers this year, but London was WR4 for me. I wrote in more detail about what I like and don’t like about London here.
Pittsburgh Steelers – Sorry, Steelers fans. I gotta pick on the Kenny Pickett pick a little bit. Same deal as the Falcons – I get the vision behind the pick, I just don’t think it was the right guy. Way back in February at the Senior Bowl, the “Malik Willis to the Steelers” train left the station, and it made all the sense in the world. He has the most explosive traits and highest ceiling of any quarterback in this class, where Pickett has some legitimate concerns. They took a guy that I would assume they feel has the higher floor, but man…I’ll be eager to see where this one sits in a couple of years.
Winners
Baltimore Ravens – If you’re a SoBros Patreon subscriber, you know I thought Kyle Hamilton was the best player in this draft, and Tyler Linderbaum was on my list of the 12 safest prospects in this draft class. As a Titans fan, I hate to see the Ravens doing well, but I have to give credit where it’s due. This was highway robbery.
Houston Texans – I know our boy Sean was NOT happy about Derek Stingley, Jr., but I think he’s going to be a franchise corner for years to come. His change-of-direction ability is the best in the draft, and he can play press, zone, whatever the Texans need him to. He’s a cornerstone piece on a rebuilding defense. Then, to get another safe prospect in Kenyon Green, the best guard in the draft and a guy who is a downright punisher in the run game, felt like a steal.
Los Angeles Chargers – The Chargers have been sneakily loading up in free agency. I expected this pick to be offensive line, but to add Zion Johnson to pair with Rashawn Slater instantly gives them a solid young nucleus on the offensive line that should be impactful right away. Protecting Justin Herbert is of paramount importance.
Kansas City Chiefs – Don’t love the George Karlaftis pick, but man, the Trent McDuffie pick may be my favorite pick of the entire night. That fits like a glove – it’s the closest thing to a 1:1 replacement for Tyrann Mathieu that the Chiefs were going to get in this draft. McDuffie is fluid, quick, and rangy…my concern was his size in going up against big-bodied NFL wide receivers, but if you put him in the slot, or even play him more at safety, you don’t have to worry about that as much. This was a no-brainer.
New Orleans Saints – I’m leery of what it took to trade up to get Chris Olave, but man, that guy is a burner. He’s the best route runner in this draft class, and that man looks like he was tailor made to be a New Orleans Saint. The pick was made better by the fact that they were still able to get Trevor Penning, a guy who could be their left tackle of the future at #19.
New York Jets – I’m not as high on Garrett Wilson as others are, but I can at least acknowledge that he has a good all-around game, creates good separation, and has potential to be the team’s WR1 right out of the gate. This one’s all about adding Sauce Gardner and Jermaine Johnson to Robert Saleh‘s defense. You know the head coach was doing cartwheels last night.
New York Giants – Safe picks, for sure, and maybe it wasn’t all that sexy, but the Giants stumbled into two guys who could’ve very easily been the #1 overall pick in this draft class. I love Kayvon Thibodeaux‘s potential, and I love that he ended up in a situation where he won’t necessarily be relied upon to be “the guy” along the defensive line right away. Then, you get a guy in Evan Neal who is a powerful athlete at the tackle position and can play either side of the line for you. If you need an impact right tackle, he can do it. If you end up deciding Andrew Thomas isn’t the guy, then you can slide Neal over to left tackle and he will excel. The Giants are building things out through the trenches.
Seattle Seahawks – If McDuffie isn’t my favorite single pick of the night, it’s the Seahawks stumbling into a guy that I think is the best tackle in this draft class. For a team that has plenty of rebuilding to do, Charles Cross is an excellent place to start.
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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