Final thoughts
So, after all that speculation, here’s the complete list of first-round selections in the 2022 NFL draft.
1) Jacksonville, Travon Walker, DE, Georgia
2) Detroit, Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan
3) Houston, Derek Stingley Jr, CB, LSU
4) NY Jets, Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
5) NY Giants, Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon
6) Carolina, Ikem Ekwonu, OT, North Carolina State
7) NY Giants (from Chicago), Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
8) Atlanta, Drake London, wr, Southern Cal
9) Seattle (from Denver), Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
10) NY Jets (from Seattle), Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
11) New Orleans (from Washington), Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
12) Detroit (from Minnesota), Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
13) Philadelphia (from Cleveland through Houston), Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
14) Baltimore, Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
15) Houston (from Miami through Philadelphia), Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M
16) Washington (from Indy through Phila and NO), Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State
17) LA Chargers, Zion Johnson, G, Boston College
18) Tennessee (from New Orleans through Philadelphia), Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
19) New Orleans (from Philadelphia), Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
20) Pittsburgh, Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
21) Kansas City (from New England), Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
22) Green Bay (from Las Vegas), Quay Walker, LB, Georgia
23) Buffalo (from Arizona through Baltimore), Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida
24) Dallas, Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa
25) Baltimore (from Buffalo), Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa
26) NY Jets (from Tennessee), Jermaine Johnson II, DE, Florida State
27) Jacksonville (from Tampa Bay), Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
28) Green Bay, Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia
29) New England (from SF through Miami and KC), Cole Strange, G, Chattanooga
30) Kansas City, George Karlaftis, DE, Purdue
31) Cincinnati, Daxton Hill, S, Michigan
32) Minnesota (from LA Rams through Detroit), Lewis Cine, S, Georgia
That was a lot of names (and a lot of trades) in a short amount of time. Thanks to everybody for following along with the Guardian’s live coverage of the draft, especially those who contributed their thoughts. Ciao!
Updated
Malik Willis goes undrafted in the first round
Labeled by many as the top quarterback in the entire draft, Malik Willis will have to wait until tomorrrow’s second round to be drafted. Just for fun, here’s what I had written about him:
Profile: Malik Willis, Quarterback, Liberty. A dual-threat QB who, nonetheless, has some serious concerns regarding accuracy, Willis is Exhibit A of why this is not a quarterback-centric draft. He also picked up a worrying 13.3% sack rate in his 2021 season. Still, he’s the exact type of exciting speedy QB that modern teams are eager to give a shot.
32. Lewis Cine, Safety, Georgia
The Minnesota Vikings select yet another Georgia player in safety Lewis Cine. That’s five defensive players from Georgia going in the first round of the NFL Draft.
The Minnesota Vikings have the final pick in the first round, via the Los Angeles Rams through the Detroit Lions.
And because it’s Las Vegas, they’re playing a Killers song in the background while the Vikings make their decision.
31. Daxton Hill, Safety, Michigan
The Cincinnati Bengals select safety Daxton Hill from Michigan with the 31st pick. Just one selection left today.
Updated
Willis is still on the board, but I’m assuming that the Cincinnati Bengals are happy with their starting QB.
As a Bostonian, I am attempting to make sense of the Patriots’ move. All that I’m coming up with is a “Cole Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” joke.
30. George Karlaftis, Defensive End, Purdue
Kansas City Chiefs just want this thing over with, they rush to make their selection: George Karlaftis, a defensive end out of Purdue.
29. Cole Strange, Guard, Chattanooga
The New England Patriots have selected Chattanooga guard Cole Strange with the 29th pick. This is definitely a Strange pick.
Updated
The New England Patriots are on the clock, once again continuing a long tradition of not making the first draft pick until 80% of the East Coast is in bed.
28. Devonte Wyatt, Defensive Tackle, Georgia
The Packers take another defensive player from Georgia by selecting Devonte Wyatt with the 28th pick. I’m sure Aaron Rodgers is psyched that they once again didn’t get him any offensive weapons.
Roger Goodell brings out Andrew Whitworth, the 2021 Walter Payton Man of the Year recipient. This is great but this is not exactly the best time for a long speech.
The Packers are on the clock. It’s now at the point where it’s not impossible that we won’t see another QB taken tonight.
Profile: Devin Lloyd, Linebacker, Utah. This is my random pick for the player in this year’s draft who probably deserved to be picked earlier than he did. “He’s the best defender that’s ever come through the University of Utah,” according to his coach Kyle Whittingham. His last season certainly backed up that lofty praise: 110 tackles, including 22 tackles for a loss, eight sacks and four interceptions in 14 games. That’s a ridiculously helpful combination of skills AND he was also a receiver and punter in high school.
27. Devin Lloyd, Linebacker, Utah
The Jacksonville Jaguars take Devin Lloyd! Yes, love it!
ESPN wants Malik Willis drafted soon and badly.
I think the Jets have had the best draft night so far? Meanwhile, the Jaguars (remember them?) have a draft pick they received from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
26. Jermaine Johnson II, Edge Rusher, Florida State
The New York Jets clearly decided to trade back up from the second round specifically to land Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson, who probably should have been taken much earlier.
BREAKING: At 26, the Jets select Florida State DE Jermaine Johnson II. It cost them 35 + a third rounder. #jets #NFLDraft
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) April 29, 2022
Updated
Nope, never mind, the Jets have moved up and taken the Titans’ pick. Of course they have.
The Tennesse Titans, with their own 26th pick, are now on the clock. We’re getting into the home stretch here in the first round.
25. Tyler Linderbaum, Center, Iowa
After all that, the Baltimore Ravens settle on Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum.
Updated
Oh, also the Ravens also picked up an additional fourth-rounder in the deal with the Bills. The Patriots would approve.
Okay, now the Ravens are going on the clock with that pick that they previously received from the Buffalo Bills.
You thought I was kidding about this draft being the live blogging equivalent to a pop quiz.
24. Tyler Smith, Tackle, Tulsa
I’m guessing whoever the Dallas Cowboys pick here won’t be a Michah Parsons-caliber difference maker. They select Tulsa offensive tackle Tyler Smith.
I stand by my guess.
Updated
The Dallas Cowboys not only have not traded the 24th pick, but it’s also actually their own pick that they “earned” and not the result of a previous trade. It feels like its been centuries since we had one of those.
23. Kaiir Elam, Defensive Back, Florida
The Buffalo Bills go with one of the best defensive players left on the board with Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam.
Updated
Yes, the 23rd pick was the one that the Ravens just acquired from the Arizona Cardinals like an hour and a half ago. Maybe this pick is cursed?
So much for “this is an unpredictable draft, so teams probably won’t be doing that much first-round trading.” So, the Buffalo Bills are apparently up next with the 23rd pick.
22. Quay Walker, LB, Georgia
The Green Bay Packers select... Quay Walker. Our analysts have to give a spelling and pronunciation guide for his name, which is normally a sign for “I didn’t have him going this round.”
The Green Bay Packers are up next, they’re apparently keeping the pick they received from the Las Vegas Raiders. I’m guessing they don’t go quarterback again, the last time they did they opened up a huge can of worms.
21. Trent McDuffie, Defensive Back, Washington
The Kansas City Chiefs take New England’s pick and use it to take Trent McDuffie from Washington to help shore up their defense.
The Patriots will now be picking at 29 and have also received the 94th and 121st pick from Kansas City. Because Bill Belichick loves nothing better than the all-important “value.”
Up next is the New England Patriots unless... oh, of course, they just traded down. In this case, to the Kansas City Chiefs.
This is the one thing I’ve gotten right, so I’ll just point out that I had Pickett as being the draft’s top quarterback:
“Kenny Pickett. It’s possible there won’t be a long-term starting quarterback in the first round of this draft, but there are always teams that are desperate enough that they feel it’s worth a gamble. Pickett maybe isn’t the first quarterback in most mock drafts, but he did few things wrong last year for Pittsburgh.”
Profile: Kenny Pickett, Quarterback, Pittsburgh. Pickett’s something of a one-year wonder, and would not have been anywhere close to a first-round pick in 2021’s quarterback-rich draft. Still, what a year he had in college! In just the span of 13 games, he threw for 4,319 yards and 42 touchdowns. I’m not sure there is a career starter in the first-round draft, but it’s not impossible that he’s it. It’s also not impossible that he’s out of the league within three seasons.
20. Kenny Pickett, Quarterback, Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Steelers select Kenny Pickett with the 20th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. That answers that question. It might be something of a shocker for some since Malik Willis was getting hyped as the best QB prospect, but Pickett is already a Pittsburgh guy so why not?
Updated
The Pittsburgh Steelers should be looking for a quarterback now that Ben Roethlisberger has retired, but is there one in this draft worth committing to? They’re on the clock, so let’s find out!
19. Trevor Penning, Offensive Tackle, Northern Iowa
With the 19th overall pick, the New Orleans Saints go with oversized-but-penalty-prone tackle Trevor Penning to improve their offensive line.
So that explains why Tennessee was like “no thanks, let’s go young.” We’ll see how that works out for them in the next few seasons.
Source: New #Eagles WR AJ Brown gets a 4 Yr ext for $100M
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 29, 2022
57M Guaranteed
Now it’s time for the Saints to make their selection. It’s also around the time when our Draft analysts are getting angsty that we haven’t had a quarterback selected yet.
Listen: we in sports media love talking QBs, it’s just our thing.
18. Treylon Burks, Wide Receiver, Arkansas
Well, the Tennessee Titans now could use a receiver. Well, they get one with the 18th pick of the draft in Arkansas WR Treylon Burks.
I don’t think he will be a replacement for a Pro Bowl talent like A.J. Brown, but I guess he was headed for free agency too soon for Tennessee’s tastes.
Titans trade A.J. Brown to the Eagles
Apparently, the Tennessee Titans are on the clock here? I don’t...
Oh, here we have the reason: The Titans have traded receiver A.J. Brown to the Eagles for the 18th overall pick plus a third-rounder.
Well, I guess that’s one way for Philadelphia to get a receiver in the draft.
17. Zion Johnson, Offensive Guard, Boston College
Well, that was quick. The Los Angeles Chargers take a Boston College product in offensive guard Zion Johnson.
16. Jahan Dotson, Wide Receiver, Penn State
The Washington Commanders take Jahan Dotson, a wide receiver I didn’t even have on my own personal mock first-round draft. Our NFL analysts praise him for having just two drops on the season.
Updated
Okay, now the Washington Commanders are actually on the clock, with the 16th pick of the draft.
Meanwhile, fresh off the Kyle Hamilton heist, the Ravens have made a trade involving an actual player. They’ve sent Hollywood Brown to the Arizona Cardinals for two more draft selections.
The #AZCardinals trade No. 23 to the #Ravens for 100 and Hollywood Brown. https://t.co/nrpsSVQjiq
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 29, 2022
15. Kenyon Green, Guard, Texas A&M
The Texans take Texas A&M guard Kenyon Green in one of the first “okay, sure” selections of the draft.
Next up is the Houston Texans, with the No 15 pick they received from the Eagles, via the Miami Dolphins. I feel like I need to start drawing charts here.
Profile: Kyle Hamilton, Safety, Notre Dame. The 6ft 4in safety collected 138 tackles in two years as a starter at Notre Dame. The issue, however, is that his 2021 campaign lasted just seven games after he suffered a knee injury (“a pinched fat pad”) on 23 October. However, NFL scouts can’t resist an archetypical “good character” story like that of the injured Hamilton, a team captain, wearing an earpiece on the sidelines to remain involved in Notre Dame’s games.
14. Kyle Hamilton, Safety, Notre Dame
At number 14, the Baltimore Ravens take the best available player. It does feel like Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton has had a fortuitous fall here.
The Baltimore Ravens decide not to do any trading and they simply turn in their selection for the 14th overall pick.
13. Jordan Davis, Defensive Tackle, Georgia
The Philadelphia Eagles have traded up to select... Georgia defensive lineman Jordan Davis. A solid player, feels like not the kind that you go out of your way to trade up for, however.
Why are they playing “Sweet Caroline?” That’s our thing here in Boston. And even we hate it.
Okay, so now everybody has decided to get involved with the trades. The Philadelphia Eagles have moved up to the 13th slot, which was previously owned by both the Houston Texans and the Cleveland Browns.
This is definitely going to be one of the most second-guessed moves of this first round.
Profile: Jameson Williams, Wide Receiver, Alabama. Williams suffered a torn ACL in the national championship game, something which might have dropped him down some team’s boards. Still, the high school track star can also act as a kick returner (he returned two for touchdowns his last year for the Crimson Tide).
12. Jameson Williams, Wide Receiver, Alabama
The Detroit Lions select Jameson Williams, a wide receiver from Alabama, after their trade with Minnesota (details below).
#Vikings and Lions trade
— VikingNations (@VikingNations) April 29, 2022
Vikings get 32,34,66
Lions get 12, 46
Per: Pelissero
Detroit Lions trade up!
The Lions aren’t done today, they have moved up to number 12 after a trade with the Minnesota Vikings.
We have the details about the trade: the Saints must have really, really wanted Olave.
The Commanders trade: Pick 11
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 29, 2022
The Saints trade: Picks 16, 98, 120
11. Chris Olave, Wide Receiver, Ohio State
After the world’s LONGEST Amazon Prime promo, the Saints finally announce their selection. With the eleventh pick, the New Orleans Saints select Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave which officially ends my streak of players that I wrote about beforehand being selected.
Washington Commanders trade down
Well, apparently they decided to trade down from the eleventh pick, so instead, the New Orleans Saints are on the clock.
No details yet.
I don’t want to worry anybody but I think the Jets just made two good selections? Normal world.
And now the Washington Commanders (who I think should have remained the Washington Football Team) have a decision to make with the eleventh pick.
Profile: Garrett Wilson, Wide Receiver, Ohio State. In three seasons at Ohio State, Wilson went off for 23 career touchdowns. In 2020 he rattled off four straight games of 100 yards receiving – only one other Buckeye has ever done that. Possibly the best offensive player, at least as a scoring threat, in this year’s draft. He’s had some drops and is not a refined blocker, but you can work with that as an NFL team.
10. Garrett Wilson, Wide Receiver, Ohio State
The Jets go with Wilson with the number 10 pick, which basically means that Wilson and London will forever be compared to each other.
Updated
And, no you’re not caught in a time warp, the Jets are picking again here at No. 10, a pick they received from the Seattle Seahawks.
Paging O. Henry
Awesome -- the Seahawks finally drafted the pure pass-blocking LT they needed to protect Russell Wilson! Really looking forward to the upcoming sea[taps earpiece]
— Scott Lemieux (@LemieuxLGM) April 29, 2022
Profile: Charles Cross, Offensive Tackle, Mississippi State. Cross was my “most likely to be taken way too early” candidate of the draft, but number nine feels about right. Cross has 22 starts to his name, but he has all the physical gifts that get coaches imagining what he could do, as opposed to the little that he has done. In his defense, he didn’t give up a quarterback hit during the 12 games he played last season.
9. Charles Cross, Offensive tackle, Mississippi State
Well, the Seahawks will jump on the Falcons’ curious Drake London pick and go with tackle Charles Cross.
The Seattle Seahawks, who received this draft pick from the Denver Broncos in the Russell Wilson trade, have made their selection at number nine.
The Seattle Seahawks are on the clock now with the ninth pick, which means that I managed to have something pre-written about the first eight picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. This is my own personal Super Bowl championship.
Profile: Drake London, Wide Receiver, USC. In a first-round class that doesn’t project to have a lot of fantasy stars, Drake London has it all from his name on down. He’s not very fast but the 6ft 4in London has numbers that bumped up his draft stock over these last couple of weeks: his 88 catches and 1,084 receiving yards last year were more than Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, who make up his main competition at receiver here.
8. Drake London, Wide Receiver, USC
Oh there’s a leftfield pick. The Atlanta Falcons pick USC wide receiver Drake London. I would have thought Garrett Wilson would be up higher on their board as far as receivers.
Atlanta Falcons are on the clock with the eighth overall pick. I’m going to guess Mississippi State tackle Charles Cross here.
Profile: Evan Neal, Offensive Tackle, Alabama. Neal gives you versatility: he’s started at right and left tackle, for a total of 40 games. That’s a lot of high-pressure experience, especially given that playing for Alabama often feels like it could count as the NFL’s minor leagues. Neal has both size and speed and feels like he fits just about anywhere.
7. Evan Neal, Offensive Tackle, Alabama
The Giants are back on the clock and they quickly snap up the other great tackle on the board in Evan Neal with the seventh pick.
Random note: the broadcast gave us one of our first looks backstage where Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett is preparing for what might be a long night. His girlfriend spent the entire time on camera scrolling through her phone with a “how long are we going to be stuck here?” look on her face.
That’s the kind of reality show stuff that I love about NFL Draft broadcasts.
Profile: Ikem Ekwonu, Offensive Tackle, North Carolina State. It appears to be a coin flip between Ekwonu and Evan Neal as far as the best offensive tackle in this bunch. It feels like last season’s NFL playoffs highlighted the importance of keeping one’s quarterback upright, so expect plenty of teams to take advantage of this unsexy draft by making moves to solidify the o-line this draft. One could do worse than snapping up Ekmonu, a unanimous All-American who ended his college career being named the best blocker in the ACC.
6. Ikem Ekwonu, Offensive Tackle, North Carolina State
The Carolina Panthers do indeed take the first offensive player in the 2022 draft by selecting North Carolina State tackle Ikem Ekwonu. The Panthers were definitely, a team that desperately needed some offensive-line help and they’ve got the best available player for those purposes.
Updated
That’s five straight picks without an offensive player being selected, which is basically the story of this first round in a nutshell. Let’s see if the Carolina Panthers change that trend with the sixth pick.
Profile: Kayvon Thibodeaux, Edge Rusher, Oregon. Concerns about an early departure from the combine, along with the fact that he missed some of last season, caused him to tumble down several mock drafts. Still, Thibodeaux is one of the most talented defensive players in the draft and had the talent to be first overall: the ceiling is super-high here.
Kayvon Thibodeaux falls to New York Giants at No 5
A Make-A-Wish kid helps the commissioner announce the New York Giants’ pick at number five, which is nice to see. They select Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux, who I think fans will quite like.
Updated
The Giants pick is already in! I approve of this pace, let’s keep this up!
It should be legally mandated.
“You can never have too much sauce.” I love this guy, hope the Jets don’t break him.
"You can never have too much sauce."
— NFL (@NFL) April 28, 2022
Sauce Gardner debuted a new chain on the red carpet 🧊 @iamSauceGardner
📺: 2022 #NFLDraft -- 8pm ET on NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/n2wOKogs7H
Profile: Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, Defensive back, Cincinnati. Let’s give it up for the best nickname among the likely lottery picks (he’s a fan of Wendy’s dipping sauces, apparently). The AAC Defensive Player of the Year was great for all three years of his time in Cincinnati. As the nearest defender, he was targeted just 31 times so he didn’t quite have the big stats of some of his peers but that’s because other teams were desperately afraid of throwing the ball anywhere in his vicinity.
New York Jets go for cornerback Sauce Gardner at No 4
With the fourth pick, the Jets pick Cincinnati’s Sauce Gardner!
Updated
Once again we’re greeted with some Weeknd bumper music. Because, Vegas, get it? The Jets pick apparently is already in!
The New York teams are about to go on a selecting spree, with the New York Jets currently on the clock. Chances are that they’re going to be at least one player they weren’t expecting to be here at number four.
Profile: Derek Stingley Jr, Defensive Back, LSU. Here’s our “off-the-charts skills, not much of a recent resume” candidate of the early draft. Stingley’s last two seasons were cut short by injury, meaning that he’s a shutdown cornerback-type who didn’t manage a single interception in his seven games in 2020 or his three in 2021. Still, he helped lead LSU to a championship in his true freshman year, showing flashes that he could be a game-changer in the right situation.
Houston Texans take surprise pick of Derek Stingley Jr at No 3
At number three, the Houston Texans select... Derek Stingley Jr.? Oh wow then, we’re into uncharted waters already.
Updated
The Houston Texans are now on the clock. I’m guessing that it’s either Kavyon Thibodeaux here, or Thibodeaux is going to start plummeting here.
Profile: Aidan Hutchinson, Edge Rusher, Michigan. There was no real clear-cut, universal favorite for No 1 overall this year, but plenty of experts defaulted to Hutchinson. The Michigan defensive end had 16.5 tackles for a loss and 14 sacks last season. In the process, he ran away with Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors and the Ted Hendricks Award for best defensive end. Many teams saw him as close to a sure thing as was available in this draft.
Lions select Aidan Hutchinson, Defensive End, Michigan No 2
To nobody’s surprise, the Detroit Lions swiftly pick up Aidan Hutchinson, who probably should have gone first but also doesn’t have to move to Jacksonville.
Updated
Profile: Travon Walker, Edge Rusher, Georgia. None other than Peter King himself slotted Walker as the top overall pick in his influential mock draft, which is very impressive given that this class in particular is loaded with edge rushers. On the other hand, King also sort of casually mentions at the end that he had just 9.5 career sacks in 29 games, which isn’t super-great compared to the competition.
Travon Walker is the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft
With the first overall pick, the Jacksonville Jaguars do indeed select Georgia linebacker Travon Walker!
I would absolutely die of happiness if we get a punter selected in the first round. It’s not going to happen, but I can dream.
Pretty sure the most popular thing the Jags could do in College Football Internet is draft Matt Araiza
— Matt Brown (@MattBrownCFB) April 29, 2022
And the Jacksonville Jaguars are on the clock! At this point, I have no choice but to assume that my mock draft is already a bust because this is probably Travon Walker.
Roger Goodell emerges to boos, which he strongly encourages. At this point, leaning into it is the only move. He’s there with some Raiders past and present: their presence does not help tamper the boos.
So he calls up Ice Cube. That helps a little.
And we have our first comment and I will admit that I really love this first rule.
The NFL Draft has now officially begun and, of course, we’re also getting our first leaks. Is Shams right? Will Travon Walker go number one? Well, we’ll find out shortly.
Hearing whispers the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft will be Georgia’s Travon Walker.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 28, 2022
Waiting on @rapsheet to confirm.
ESPN is giving us the view from the New York Jets and the New York Giants’ draft rooms, and all that this reminds me of is that the draft isn’t taking place in New York and we’re not going to get my favorite draft day tradition: New York fans booing their own pick.
Maybe they will at least have a live video link that they can cut to when the time comes?
A classy gesture from the Seattle Seahawks to legendary sportswriter and former ESPN personality John Clayton, who sadly passed away in March. NFL coverage really isn’t the same without him.
Seahawks have kept a seat reserved. pic.twitter.com/40Ru4k0c5o
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) April 28, 2022
The pomp and circumstance has already begun in Vegas. We just had a rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” followed by a moment of silence for the late Dwayne Haskins and now Kodi Lee is playing a restrained solo piano rendition of the national anthem. It’s serviceable, I’ll give it a 5/10.
Updated
Predictions
Let me be honest: I did a lot of research for this draft and I’m pretty sure I’ve retained absolutely none of it. Luckily I have a prewritten cheat sheet that will hopefully get me through the first 10-15 picks. If I make it through the eight picks without a team going out of its way to pick a player I have nothing on, I’ll count today as a success.
So, along the way, feel free to send us your thoughts via email (to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com) or Twitter (to @HunterFelt, until I’m banned by the site’s soon-to-be new owner yet). Oh, and as an experiment, they’ve opened up the comments section on this liveblog and I’ll do my best to try to keep tabs on whatever’s going on there.
In any case, if you’re wondering who I listed as my top five draft picks in today’s preview, here was my attempt.
1) Jacksonville Jaguars: Aidan Hutchinson, edge
(NOTE: I already absolutely don’t feel comfortable at all with this one, just a few days after making this prediction.)
2) Detroit Lions: Kayvon Thibodeaux, edge.
3) Houston Texans: Ikem Ekwonu, offensive tackle.
4) New York Jets: Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner, cornerback.
5) New York Giants: Evan Neal, offensive tackle.
Vegas, Baby, Vegas!
So, the NFL Draft is coming to us from Las Vegas this year. Why exactly? Well, there are several reasons. Obviously, the NFL wanted to show off the fact that they have a team in Las Vegas now, what with the former Oakland Raiders playing there. They would have been here earlier, but those plans were delayed by the pandemic. (Yes, that’s technically still going on, but let’s not dwell on that today.)
Then, of course, there’s the pageantry involved in putting on one of the league’s showcase events in such a legendary setting. Apparently, they have constructed a red carpet stage over the fountains at the Bellagio. Also, let’s face it, they also wanted an excuse to hang out in Vegas for a week.
There is one unspoken storyline here: the NFL is broadcasting from Las Vegas because they want you to gamble on their product. I’m already gearing myself up for nonstop ads from all sorts of questionable football betting relating services throughout the next few hours. It’s hard to think of any potential drawbacks to sports leagues embracing betting: after all, it’s not like there’s any history of outcome-fixing in US sports or anything like that. (Citation needed.)
If you are watching ESPN’s draft coverage and wondered why draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. isn’t with the rest of the crew on what’s basically his Christmas? Well, let him explain:
I am looking forward to being part of the 2022 NFL Draft, my 39th for ESPN pic.twitter.com/C5ea9NjdqK
— Mel Kiper Jr. (@MelKiperESPN) April 18, 2022
Preamble
Welcome everybody to the 2022 NFL Draft, where I hope that you have all done your homework! This year’s draft is not exactly filled with household names. Last year we had desperate teams battling each other a fresh crop of hot, young quarterbacks, ones who could either turn franchises around or help sink their fortunes for years to come. Those are big-time stakes.
The stakes feel somewhat lower today, as this feels like a rare draft without any guaranteed high-profile “can’t miss” types. This draft is full of edge rushers and offensive tackles, who are extremely important when putting together a football team but are often overlooked when it comes down to endorsement deals. This, however, doesn’t mean that this won’t be an interesting draft: sometimes it’s more fun when nobody has any idea what they are doing. That feels like the 2022 NFL Draft in a nutshell.
Let’s start with the fact that the first overall pick is still up in the air. Usually, we’re so used to a consensus number one that it’s annoying to wait for teams to run the clock out before making their long-predetermined selection. This time around the Jacksonville Jaguars might end up having to milk the clock because they genuinely aren’t 100% on the same page.
So, fingers-crossed, we should be in for a surprise-filled few hours, one of those days where even the Mel Kipers of the world are ripping up their mock drafts in disgust. In the meantime, feel free to send out your thoughts, questions and commentary either via email, to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com, or tweet them to @HunterFelt and we’ll use them throughout today’s blog. It’s the 2022 NFL Draft, live at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, Nevada. The ceremony itself is set to start at 8:00 pm EST, but we’ll be back well before then.
Who will the No 1 pick be? Well, our panel (including myself) had differing views:
Travon Walker, edge, Georgia. Aidan Hutchinson, the favorite to go first overall, makes sense. He probably should go first overall. But Trent Baalke, the Jags’ chief decision-maker, is always liable to do Trent Baalke things. Walker is an outrageous athlete who can shift all along the defensive front. Baalke loves to draft toolsy prospects rather than those who have racked up college production. It would not be a shock to see him swing for the fences with a name other than Hutchinson. Oliver Connolly
Aidan Hutchinson, edge, Michigan. There’s a reason the Jags have the No 1 overall selection and are perennially picking in the top 10: they need a boatload of help. Hutchinson is a safe but polished player who should give the Jags’ pass rush a much-needed boost. Melissa Jacobs
Aidan Hutchinson. It’s not a complete lock, but the experts seem to have hitched their wagons to Hutchinson as the likely first pick, especially since the draft stock of his peer at edge rusher, Kayvon Thibodeaux, has fallen thanks to an early exit at the NFL scouting combine. Hunter Felt
Evan Neal, offensive tackle, Alabama. Neal has been dominant throughout his career at Alabama while playing against elite competition, and he has also showed the versatility to play multiple positions along the offensive line. New Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson knows he must protect quarterback Trevor Lawrence to have even the slightest chance of success in Jacksonville. Tyrell Feaster
Draft order for the first-round
And here’s a reminder of tonight’s draft order. The Jaguars are picking No 1 for the second year in a row, which tells you a lot about the current regime in Jacksonville. Eight teams have multiple picks in the first round, with the Giants and Jets each getting two Top 10 picks.
1) Jacksonville Jaguars
2) Detroit Lions
3) Houston Texans
4) New York Jets
5) New York Giants
6) Carolina Panthers
7) New York Giants (from Chicago Bears)
8) Atlanta Falcons
9) Seattle Seahawks (from Denver Broncos)
10) New York Jets (from Seattle Seahawks)
11) Washington Commanders
12) Minnesota Vikings
13) Houston Texans (from Cleveland Browns)
14) Baltimore Ravens
15) Philadelphia Eagles (from Miami Dolphins)
16) New Orleans Saints (from Indianapolis Colts through Philadelphia Eagles)
17) Los Angeles Chargers
18) Philadelphia Eagles (from New Orleans Saints)
19) New Orleans Saints (from Philadelphia Eagles)
20) Pittsburgh Steelers
21) New England Patriots
22) Green Bay Packers (from Las Vegas Raiders)
23) Arizona Cardinals
24) Dallas Cowboys
25) Buffalo Bills
26) Tennessee Titans
27) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
28) Green Bay Packers
29) Kansas City Chiefs (from San Francisco 49ers through Miami Dolphins)
30) Kansas City Chiefs
31) Cincinnati Bengals
32) Detroit Lions (from Los Angeles Rams)
Hunter will be here shortly, in the meantime here are our writers’ verdicts on this year’s draft class:
Is this a bad draft class or are there just no great quarterbacks?
This is a great draft class! It is unusually loaded at edge rusher and offensive tackle, two of the game’s premier positions. Where discussing this class gets sticky is that there are such slender gaps between the upper tiers of any given position group: there isn’t an obvious ‘elite’ sect. There are 50 players this year worthy of going in the first round. It just so happens they don’t play the game’s most valuable position. Oliver Connolly
There is much talent to be had in the trenches and fascinating pass rush options. And a reminder that 2017 was also supposed to be a “weak quarterback class.” That’s the year Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson were drafted. (We’ll ignore the Bears whiffing on Mitch Trubisky at No 2 overall.) Melissa Jacobs
It’s an unsexy draft class that’s for sure: the most talented players are edge rushers and offensive line types, not guys likely to transform the course of a franchise. But that could lead to teams building a deeper pool of talent rather going all-in on a star quarterback. A draft for the true football geeks, in other words. Hunter Felt
This class may not have any great quarterbacks, but it does have depth. Lots and lots of depth, at key positions at that. Edge rushers, wide receivers, and offensive tackles taken early (and some picked long after most fans stop paying attention) will make huge impacts for years to come. Tyrell Feaster
And you can also catch up on more of our draft previews here:
