You might have had a point if it was only me saying it, unfortunately for you it seems to be the national consensus
R2 (39) — CB Kyler Gordon, Washington
R2 (48) — S Jaquan Brisker, Penn State
R3 (71) — WR Velus Jones Jr., Tennessee
R5 (168) — T Braxton Jones, Southern Utah
R5 (174) — EDGE Dominique Robinson, Miami (OH)
R6 (186) — T Zachary Thomas, San Diego State
R6 (203) — RB Trestan Ebner, Baylor
R6 (207) — C Doug Kramer, Illinois
R7 (226) — T Ja'Tyre Carter, Southern University
R7 (254) — S Elijah Hicks, California
R7 (255) — P Trenton Gill, North Carolina State
Day 1: The Bears’ 2022 first-round pick was sent to the Giants as part of the Justin Fields trade last offseason.
Day 2: There were a couple of different ways the Bears could have gone with their first pick, but they again decided not to add an offensive lineman or wide receiver to support Justin Fields. Gordon does fill a need as a projected starter opposite Jaylon Johnson, though. His athletic testing was disappointing, but Gordon showcased impressive burst on tape at Washington. He earned a career-high 89.6 PFF coverage grade in 2021.
This is fantastic value for Brisker, and the Bears’ secondary looks promising after this pick along with
Kyler Gordon at 39th overall. But again, this doesn’t help
Justin Fields, making this a good but not very good or elite pick despite the value. Brisker earned three straight 80.0-plus PFF grades from 2019 to 2021. He recorded a couple of interceptions and four pass breakups en route to an 89.5 coverage grade this season. He is a smart player who has a high floor at the next level.
Velus Jones Jr. is one of the oldest prospects in the draft, and he didn’t break out until his sixth season in college. Still, he possesses elite speed and showed real playmaking ability for the Vols in 2021. Jones generated 2.67 yards per route and a 131.0 passer rating on passes thrown his way.
Day 3: Braxton Jones put up dominant tape at Southern Utah en route to a 93.9 overall grade. He combines an egregiously long wingspan with some legit explosiveness off the line.
Draft Grade: B-
R1 (2) — EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan
R1 (12) — WR Jameson Williams, Alabama
R2 (46) — EDGE Josh Pachal, Kentucky
R3 (97) — S Kerby Joseph, Illinois
R5 (177) — TE James Mitchell, Virginia Tech
R6 (188) — LB Malcolm Rodriguez, Oklahoma State
R6 (217) — EDGE James Houston IV, Jackson State
R7 (237) — CB Chase Lucas, Arizona State
Day 1: The Lions gladly take the hometown Hutchinson falling into their laps. The Michigan product has been labeled as the “high floor, lower ceiling” prospect of the top group of edge defenders, but that may be underselling his upside. The only edge rushers drafted in the first round over the last five drafts with a higher overall PFF grade in college than Hutchinson are
Chase Young,
Nick Bosa and
Myles Garrett. The high-end production and athleticism are both there in a versatile 6-foot-7, 268-pound frame.
Detroit also made a massive move up the board for Williams, who is a game-changing talent when healthy. No one else in this class sniffs Williams’ speed or movement skills. You don’t need to look much further than what he was able to do to Georgia’s defense to see the kind of impact that he can have. In 2021, Williams tied
Ja’Marr Chase’s 2019 record for the most 50-plus-yard receiving touchdowns since 2014. Williams teams up with second-year wideout
Amon-Ra St. Brown to give the Lions two building blocks to work with at receiver.
Day 2: Detroit is beefing up the defensive front with
Aidan Hutchinson in Round 1 and now Paschal in Round 2. The Kentucky Wildcat was quietly one of the highest-graded edge defenders in the country this past season with a 90.0 overall mark. Paschal is a strong, explosive player who can play on the interior and the edge. He may be a tad stiff and can get out of control from time to time, but this is good value for an all-around solid player.
Joseph is still very much learning the safety position, but he has uncoachable ball skills and length. He’s also such an easy mover and should get looks at split-field safety and in the box in Detroit. He just needs more experience at the position to really develop into a legitimate starter in the league.
Day 3: Mitchell was a hit as a sophomore in 2019 when he proved to be one of the best big-play tight ends in the country. He averaged 17.2 yards per reception that season. With Dalton Keene out of the picture in 2020, Mitchell started to be featured more while still maintaining a high 17.3 yards per reception average. With high hopes for his draft potential in 2021, Mitchell unfortunately went down with a torn ACL in Week 2 against Middle Tennessee State.
Draft Grade: A+
R1 (22) — LB Quay Walker, Georgia
R1 (28) — DI Devonte Wyatt, Georgia
R2 (34) — WR Christian Watson, North Dakota State
R3 (92) — T Sean Rhyan, UCLA
R4 (132) — WR Romeo Doubs, Nevada
R4 (140) — T Zach Tom, Wake Forest
R6 (179) — EDGE Kingsley Enagbare, South Carolina
R7 (228) — S Tariq Carpenter, Georgia Tech
R7 (234) — DI Jonathan Ford, Miami (FL.)
R7 (249) — T Rasheed Walker, Penn State
R7 (258) — WR Samori Toure, Nebraska
Day 1: Walker slots in as the 45th-ranked overall player on
PFF’s big board and the LB4. The Georgia off-ball linebacker isn’t a downhill player in the run game, and he was still more of a reactor than a playmaker. On the bright side, he does have an elite physical profile. Walker is so good at wrapping defenders up with his near 80-inch wingspan. He missed just seven tackles on 138 attempts in his college career.
Many expected Green Bay to break its streak of not selecting a wide receiver in Round 1, but the team opted not to do so by grabbing PFF’s
top-ranked interior defensive lineman, Devonte Wyatt. No Power Five interior defensive lineman earned a higher PFF grade in 2021. Wyatt also earned a grade above 80.0 both as a run defender and a pass-rusher — something no other player at the position in the Power Five accomplished. The former Georgia Bulldog continued to dominate through the Senior Bowl, where he led the position in win rate during one-on-ones.
Day 2: The Packers made a big move up to add their wide receiver of choice at the top of the second round. Watson has all the physical tools of a No. 1 wide receiver at 6-foot-4 with 4.36-second speed in the 40-yard dash. However, there are concerns about Watson’s play strength and lack of polish translating to the NFL on a team that needs an immediate contributor, especially with George Pickens and Skyy Moore both still on the board.
Rhyan showed steady growth throughout his collegiate career, going from a 57.6 PFF grade in 2019 to 73.9 in 2020 before posting a 83.9 mark in 2021. Still, Rhyan is going to be a project at the next level. He is far from refined technically, but his natural athleticism, build and progression at UCLA make him a good bet late in Round 3.
Day 3: Wake Forest offensive lineman Zach Tom has a chance to end up being one of the best values. Many have projected Tom to kick inside in the NFL, but his mirroring ability and athleticism should allow him to stick at tackle if that’s how Green Bay plans to use him. He’s coming off a career-best 92.1 pass-blocking grade last season at Wake Forest.
Draft Grade: B+
R1 (32) — S Lewis Cine, Georgia
R2 (42) — CB Andrew Booth Jr., Clemson
R2 (59) — G Ed Ingram, LSU
R3 (66) — LB Brian Asamoah, Oklahoma
R4 (118) — CB Akayleb Evans, Missouri
R5 (165) — EDGE Esezi Otomewo, Minnesota
R5 (169) — RB Ty Chandler, North Carolina
R6 (184) — T Vederian Lowe, Illinois
R6 (191) — WR Jalen Nailor, Michigan State
R7 (227) — TE Nick Muse, South Carolina
Day 1: The Minnesota Vikings traded all the way back from No. 12 to No. 32 in the first round, picking up No. 34 (2nd) and No. 66 (3rd) in the process and sending No. 46 (2nd) the other way.
After trading back, the Vikings land PFF’s No. 2 safety and 26th-best prospect overall, Lewis Cine, at No. 32. The Georgia Bulldog — like most players on the team — is an elite athlete. He posted a 4.37-second 40-yard dash and an 11-foot-1 broad jump at the NFL Scouting Combine. He was one of the best safeties in college football last year, turning in an 82.4 PFF grade that ranked eighth in the Power Five. Cine was also one of the best tacklers in the country at Georgia, with just 11 misses on 159 career attempts. He was primarily a deep safety in college, but he can fill a more versatile role in Minnesota.
Day 2: The Vikings were trading back in the second round as well, first trading back from No. 34 before trading up to No. 42 to select Andrew Booth Jr., the cornerback from Clemson. Booth projects as a scheme-versatile starter on the outside with some of the best feet in the class. Medical concerns pushed him into Day 2, but he’s a first-round talent. Patrick Peterson, who is playing on another one-year deal, is a short-term solution for the Vikings, who need to continue to add competition at the position.
Ed Ingram started as a true freshman in 2017 as a four-star recruit coming out of DeSoto, Texas, but he missed all of 2018 after he was charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault. The charges were eventually dropped, and he went on to play over 400 offensive snaps in all three seasons following (2019-21). He never earned a PFF grade above 75.0 in his career due in large part to lackluster pass protection, but he’s a people-mover in the run game. He’s a project in the passing game but a Day 1 impact player as a run-blocker.
Few linebackers have the same range and potential in coverage as Brian Asamoah. At the Senior Bowl in drills set up for losses on the defensive side, Asamoah was able to cover backs and tight ends well. The Vikings have a need alongside Eric Kendricks, and Asamoah has the capacity to complement him very well.
Day 3: Ty Chandler spent his first four seasons at Tennessee in a timeshare role every single year. Despite seeing the bulk of the carries his last few years there, Chandler grad-transferred to North Carolina this past fall to see an expanded role. He set career highs in every category imaginable for the Tar Heels. Known for his speed, Chandler more than doubled his previous career-high for explosive runs.
Draft Grade: B
PFF grades all 32 teams' 2022 NFL Draft classes after three days and seven rounds of selections.
www.pff.com