Full 2022 NFL Draft Preview

On this page, I will create a virtual database of all necessary draft information I’ve accrued. Here you will find links to all of my breakdown articles, rankings, and Mock Draft.
The draft is upon us, and the next NFL superstars are just starting their journey. Many of these stars will be under-drafted, or undrafted completely. With this page, you can leave no leaf unturned in pursuit of the truth of the NFL’s future.

Breakdown Articles

I have broke down and analyzed nearly the entire first 2 days of the draft. It’s all broken down in these articles. In each one, you can find links to the Full Scouting Report on every player mentioned.

Offensive Positional Breakdowns

• QB Position Breakdown
• RB Position Breakdown
• WR Position Breakdown
• TE Position Breakdown
• OL Position Breakdown

Defensive Positional Breakdowns

• IDL Position Breakdown
• EDGE Position Breakdown
• LB Position Breakdown
• CB Position Breakdown
• SAF Position Breakdown

Other Draft Articles

• Final Mock Draft – 2 Round Edition
• Big Board – Top 50 Players
• Comprehensive Scouting Guide

Opinion Summary

While I have many takes and opinions on this draft, here I will sum up the ones I’m most confident in. I would “plat my flag” on these, and I will absolutely hold myself accountable for these. Every player’s name is linked to the Full Scouting Report on them. In parentheses, you will see their rank among other players at their position. (If there is a +, that indicates that the number would be higher if I had extensively scouted more players of that position).

My Guys

Here is a list of players I’m high on, ranked by how confident I am that they will outproduce the current expectation of them. This doesn’t necessarily mean they are all NFL Superstars, but I believe they are greatly undervalued.

• Lewis Cine SAF Georgia (SAF2) – Long with insane explosiveness and athleticism. He looks amazing on tape, and he has all the physical tools to go along with it.
• Dameon Pierce RB Florida (RB2) – Tough as nails do-it-all Running Back. Pierce is quick and fast, with underrated vision and elusiveness. Not to mention, he is a bowling ball. If it weren’t for a poor Combine, he’d be my RB1.
• Matt Corral QB Ole Miss (QB2) – Corral is the forgotten man in this QB class, but he is arguably the best one. He has unreal play-making abilities, and his sense for the field is Mahomes-esque.
• Quay Walker LB Georgia (LB2) – One of the smoothest movers in this class, Walker can fly around. He didn’t get enough credit for his leadership and IQ playing next to Nakobe Dean, but he has all the traits to excel.
• Zion Johnson OL Boston College (IOL1) – I know he’s a consensus 1st-round lock, but I still think he’s undervalued. He is a top 10 player for me, and one of the safest picks with high potential as well. He is a dominating force in all facets of the game, and he is a great athlete as well.
• Devonte Wyatt IDL Georgia (IDL1) – Easily the most technically savvy and polished player in this class. He displayed unreal quickness and agility, along with the most phenomenal pass-rushing ability I’ve seen from an interior D-Lineman in a while.
• Cole Strange OL Chattanooga (IOL4) – Strange is discussed as a sleeper, but he is in my Tier 1 of Interior O-Linemen, right behind Tyler Linderbaum. His ridiculous length and refined pass-rushing ability, paired with his strength and anchor make him an A+ prospect. With better competition, he could’ve challenged for the top IOL spot on my board.
• Jalen Tolbert WR South Alabama (WR8) – A quick and sharp route-runner with blazing speed and elite toughness. He also has a WR1 mentality, and he never shies away from a catch.
• Rachaad White RB Arizona State (RB3) – There are few players who are more natural at the game of football than White. He plays with elite vision and quickness, along with excellent receiving ability and elusiveness. The only question was his athleticism, and he had an outstanding Combine. The only thing keeping him from RB1 status is his age.
• Boye Mafe EDGE Minnesota (EDGE5) – High-upside athlete with great production. He has all the tools, he just needs to be more dominant. I expect that to come pretty soon, with his great untapped potential.
• Kyle Hamilton SAF Notre Dame (SAF1) – While he is still valued as a Top 10 prospect on most boards, Hamilton shouldn’t be lower than Top 3 for anyone. Micah Parsons was clearly the best defender in the class last year (and my No. 1 overall prospect), and he inexplicably fell to the 12th pick. That is what’s happening with Hamilton, who could potentially fall to pick 11. He is one of the safest prospects out there, and if he isn’t picked in the Top 5 he will surely outproduce that.
• Charlie Kolar TE Iowa State (TE2) – Kolar is slept on, but in an uninspiring Tight End class, he could be one of the best. He is easily the best receiving Tight End in the draft, and his size helps project him as a great receiving threat in the NFL.
• Desmond Ridder QB Cincinnati (QB1) – Ridder is a winner, plain and simple. Despite his poor accuracy, his leadership, winning mentality, strength, deceptive mobility, and arm strength should all help propel him to being the best QB to come out of this draft.
• Kerby Joseph SAF Illinois (SAF4) – There are few flaws in Joseph’s game. He is quick and twitchy with great range and excellent ball skills. He will be a quality deep safety in the NFL.
• Hassan Haskins RB Michigan (RB4) – Haskins is the biggest ‘Back in this draft, but he doesn’t play like it. He has a rare quickness and burst for a player of his size, and pairing that size/burst combo with his vision and elusiveness, and you get a workhorse NFL stud.

My NOT Guys

This is practically the complete opposite of “My Guys”. This is a list of players that I am confident they will disappoint based on their current projected draft slot. These players are ordered by how confident I am that they will disappoint:

• Kenny Pickett QB Pittsburgh (QB5) – There is nothing special about Pickett, he is as bland and “safe” as they come. Unfortunately, he would need to be the most successful QB to ever play in the NFL with hands that small, and nothing about his game makes me feel like he can overcome that obstacle. Not to mention, he played for 5 years at Pittsburgh, only really breaking out in his final year, as the oldest player on the field. That is a major red flag.
• Darian Kinnard OL Kentucky (IOL8+) – Subpar tape, followed by a troubling Senior Bowl, followed by a horrendous Combine showing. Aside from his size, I don’t see anything worth getting excited about with Kinnard.
• Kenneth Walker III RB Michigan State (RB10) – This is one of my hottest takes. KW3 was one of the best collegiate Running Backs in 2021. Unfortunately, he is a smaller back with no 3rd-down abilities whatsoever. He can’t block and he needs a lot of receiving improvement. A smaller ‘Back who can’t play on 3rd downs isn’t one Id’ be excited about at all, regardless of his collegiate success.
• George Pickens WR Georgia (WR12) – Pickens is the darling of the fantasy football community, but I don’t see it. Aside from his ridiculous ball skills and his toughness, he doesn’t have any traits to rely on. He is an average route-runner who doesn’t possess the size to match up with bigger, more physical NFL defenders. He also has very small hands, which isn’t encouraging. To tank his stock even more, he reportedly didn’t interview well at all, and receivers like that don’t usually have a long shelf life.
• Daxton Hill SAF Michigan (SAF6) – Hill is one of the most undeservingly hyped-up players in this draft. Yes, he had a ridiculous Combine and is a freaky athlete. However, his change-of-direction ability on-field is much less impressive than his 3-Cone number would suggest. He consistently took too many steps, causing him to lose all leverage. Additionally, he was terrible in coverage, hurting his ability to convert to Corner, and doesn’t possess the size or tackling ability to be a full-time Safety.
• Malik Willis QB Liberty (QB3) – Willis checks all the intangible boxes, and his arm strength from a clean pocket is great. However, everything else is a huge problem. All of his QB tendencies are lacking, and I don’t see any chance he’s ready to be a quality starter for at least 3 years. I don’t see any team giving him that long of a leash.
• Greg Dulcich TE UCLA (TE5+) – Highly touted as an athletic, polished prospect, I saw the opposite. He is an average athlete with subpar receiving and blocking ability. He also lacks the size to be a quality NFL starter.
• Evan Neal OL Alabama (OT3) – Neal’s movement ability has been way overhyped. He is big and clunky, and while that’s expected for a player of his size, he will get no discounts on his inability to stay in front of pro pass-rushers. He has great athletic potential, but if a master talent developer like Nick Saban couldn’t turn him into a reliable starter, I don’t see how average NFL coaches can.
• Kyler Gordon CB Washington (CB9) – Pre-Combine, the only thing to be excited about with Gordon was his toughness, length, and athleticism. His Combine was terrible, putting up average athletic testing numbers and measuring in at 5’11”. Now, I don’t see any reason to make Gordon a priority ahead of more intriguing players with higher upside.
• Drake Jackson EDGE USC (EDGE10+) – He doesn’t possess power or quickness for the position. He has good athleticism, but with his skinny lower half, I’m not excited about him.

My “Hesitation” Guys

These are the players I’m lower on than consensus, but I won’t bet against them. They have rare or elite qualities that, despite all their flaws, could lead them to still be successful. Still, with all the hype they’ve received, I’m not convinced. These players are ordered by how unsure I am about their hype:

• Trevor Penning OL Northern Iowa (OT6) – Penning is as sloppy and flawed a football player as any player in this class. He simply is not capable of playing NFL football. Still, I can’t bet against him, as he possesses a rare and elite athleticism along with a nastiness that could get him out of many jams.
• Jordan Davis IDL Georgia (IDL5) – Despite an other-worldly Combine, his play-speed and play-quickness were terrible. He is very large, but he moves very slowly and has little stamina. He can’t be a 3-down full-game player. Still, how can you ignore that Combine performance?
• George Karlaftis EDGE Purdue (EDGE6) – Karlaftis is so good at so many things, but he lacks one crucial element – he can’t change direction for the life of him. It’s difficult to be a consistent pass-rushing producer without the ability to bend the edge. Additionally, he was unblocked many times while at Purdue, and he showed that he can’t set an edge, as ball carriers get around him with ease.
• Christian Watson WR North Dakota State (WR10) – Superb athlete, but lacked any semblance of projectable Wide Receiver traits on tape. He wasn’t a sharp route runner, didn’t display great ball skills, and even looked stiff at times. He is one of the better athletes in this entire draft, but there’s a lot of projection rather than precedent.
• David Ojabo EDGE Michigan (EDGE8) – Before the injury, Ojabo was one of my favorite players in this draft. Now, I dropped him more than most on my Board. He was already a high-potential project, who had a lot of room to grow but displayed outstanding explosiveness. Now, he may miss his entire rookie year, and then on top of his likely learning curve, he will need to deal with his explosiveness hit from the injury.
• Andrew Booth Jr. CB Clemson (CB6) – Booth checks all the boxes, but he wasn’t special in any way. He could be a great NFL Corner, but I didn’t see enough from him. What’s most concerning though, is his character. On countless occasions, he seemed to make bone-headed decisions on the field. I haven’t interviewed him, but off-the-field concerns can torpedo players’ careers, fast.
• Jermaine Johnson II EDGE Florida State (EDGE4) – I still think Johnson is a Top 20 player, but the hype on him has gone out of control. Yes, he looked great at the Senior Bowl, but he was playing against much weaker talent, he didn’t have to match up against Ikem Ekwonu or Charles Cross. He is a very solid and safe prospect, but I don’t see the dominant ceiling that everyone else does.
• Devin Lloyd LB Utah (LB3) – Lloyd is a freaky physical specimen in many ways, with his long wingspan and his towering height. Still, he is turning 24, and he is an unpolished and raw player. Untapped potential is a lot more exciting when it’s paired with young age.

My “Wanna Be Higher On” Guys

This is a list of players who blew me away on tape, and I would love to see them light up the NFL. They certainly have the necessary skills for it. Unfortunately, there are a few major flaws that make it hard to project NFL greatness for them.

• Isaiah Spiller RB Texas A&M (RB4) – From watching his tape, I couldn’t help but put Isaiah Spiller in my Top 10 overall prospects. He truly jumped off the tape, with his elusiveness, flawless vision and burst. Unfortunately, after diving deeper into advanced stats (yards over expected, box-adjusted yards per carry), Spiller was one of the worse runners in this class. That wouldn’t deter me too much, but he followed that up with a dreadful Combine performance. Those red flags are too big to ignore.
• Bernhard Raimann OL Central Michigan (OT4) – Like Spiller, Raimann would’ve been in the same tier as Ekwonu after I finished watching his tape. My one question – how would he hold up against better talent. I got the answer to that watching his Senior Bowl tape, and it wasn’t encouraging. He plays the position perfectly, with a phenomenal blend of power, athleticism, and technique. Still, the Senior Bowl tape was too alarming.
• Roger McCreary CB Auburn (CB5) – McCreary plays with an unmatched toughness, and his abilities on the field are outstanding. Unfortunately, there are benchmarks in the NFL, and McCreary falls very short on a big one – arm length. His arms are way too short to be a consistent NFL Corner. I love all the traits, but he’s up against it.
• Jalen Pitre SAF Baylor (SAF5) – Like McCreary, everything Pitre did was outstanding. He was the thorn in every offense’s behind, and he was a constant game-wrecker. Still, his style of play doesn’t fit his measurables. He is a box safety who weighs less than 200lb. I can’t imagine that working at the next level. He will need to add weight, but that could hurt his explosiveness.
• Perrion Winfrey IDL Oklahoma (IDL4) – Winfrey did everything so well, and he is one of the best pass-rushing defensive linemen in this class. He possesses freaky long arms and a tenacious motor. Unfortunately, he has no lateral mobility whatsoever. Even when beating a blocker, getting around them was a long process, that eliminated most of his block-shedding success.
• Tyler Allgeier RB BYU (RB12) – His size and quickness combination is a force to be reckoned with, but he is possibly even too big. He can’t slip through even average-sized holes, and he lacks any agility and elusiveness. He’s just a quick non-agile truck with average tackle-breaking ability.
• Isaiah Likely TE Coastal Carolina (TE3) – In a weak Tight End class, I thought Likely might stand out as one of the better ones in this class, possibly in the McBride tier. Then he showed us his true athleticism, and I can no longer feel excited about him. His traits are all great, with a twitchiness that is rare for Tight Ends, and a blocking and receiving ability that would make scouts drool. However, running a 4.8 40 and the slowest Shuttle among all Tight Ends won’t get it done.

My Favorite Sleepers

These are players I don’t have a scouting report on, but who have traits that are very intriguing. Although I didn’t do extensive scouting on these prospects, I love the upside they present, and I’m sure a bunch of them will end up being great pros.

• Troy Andersen LB Montana State
• Isaiah Weston WR Northern Iowa
• Dontario Drummond WR Ole Miss
• Cam Jurgens OL Nebraska
• Zach Tom OL Wake Forest
• Jason Poe OL Mercer
• Chase Allen TE Iowa State
• DeAngelo Malone EDGE Western Kentucky
• Josh Paschal EDGE Kentucky
• Brandon Smith LB Penn State
• Nick Cross SAF Maryland

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