We have a little more than a week left from the 2022 NFL draft, and although we still have a few fake drafts to reveal, this will be our last big board; this time with 150 players. As it has been for months, this is not the quarterback class to find Trevor Lawrence or Joe Barrow. And while this is an improvement over the 2013 group, which included only one player in the first round, EJ Manuel, the reality is that we only have one first-round score for these pitchers and that is Matt Coral of Ole Miss (that’s why we are higher on it than the others).
However, talk to someone – everyone else – and their top five QBs will almost certainly be different. It is also worth noting: This does not mean that only one quarterback will go to the first round. Teams overdraft players all the time, especially in the most important position and we expect three, maybe even four, to be among the top 32 selections.
The good news is that if your team is set up for a quarterback franchise, there is depth with a wide receiver, roster, cornerback, offensive line and safety. This is reflected in our Top 150 Big Board, below, where we have first round ratings for 27 players.
1. Aiden Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan2. Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State3. Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati4. Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon5. Evan Neal, OT, Alabama6. Travan Walker, EDGE, Georgia7. Gareth Wilson, WR, Ohio8. Drake London, WR, USC9. Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi10. Derek Stingley, CB, LSU
Aiden Hutchinson remains our number one player, who has not changed since the middle of the college football season. Ikem Ekwonu admits that he is still far from a finished product and that should be a scary thought for NFL defenders. Ekwonu has mastered pure athleticism and brute force in college, and once he perfects his game, he will be almost unstoppable.
Gardner Sauce has been our CB1 for some time and he is leaving Cincinnati without touching at all. He is long, physical, fast and has ball skills and we will not be surprised if the Jets seriously consider him with the fourth overall choice. Kayvon Thibodeaux, the player, changes the game when he is locked up and it is hard to imagine that the teams are transmitting this type of talent due to vague fears off the field, which some people in the league admit that they seem exaggerated.
Although they are different players, Gareth Wilson and Drake London are the top 10 talents for us because they can come in and help instantly; Wilson reminds us of Odell Beckham Jr., while London, we think, will be a better version of Michael Pitman, his former USC teammate who had a strong start to his NFL career.
Derek Stingley’s preliminary design process is reminiscent of what we all witnessed a year ago with his former LSU teammate, Ja’Marr Chase. Chase gave up the 2020 season, then dominated his professional day, then finished fifth overall and proved he was absolutely worth it. Stingley could take a similar path, and his ’22 season may be very similar to his campaign for a freshman at Baton Rouge in ’19.
11. Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama12. Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah13. Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington 14. Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame15. Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia16. Tyler Linderbaum, OK, Iowa17. David Ojabo, EDGE, Michigan18. Jordan Davis, DL, Georgia19. Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson20. Kenyon Green, OG, Texas A & M21. Jermaine Johnson, EDGE, Florida22. Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota23. Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa24. Bernhard Reiman, OT, Michigan25. Traylan Burks, WR, Arkansas
Jameson Williams suffered an ACL injury in the national title match, but even when he rehabilitated, we consider him one of the best players in this draft. Except for failure, he will be ready to leave in late October or early November. The same goes for David Ojabo, who tore his Achilles tendon during his professional day. He remains a first-round talent for us, even if he has only played football for five years.
Meanwhile, Kyle Hamilton is a really good footballer who happens to play a position that is not as valued as a champion or cornerback, and the fact that he showed 4.59s in the team and then 4.7s in his professional day can scare the teams even more more. And by “scare” we mean that instead of being in the top five, Hamilton goes to the middle of the first round.
We have four offensive players ranked 11 to 25, and the first two, Tyler Linderbaum and Kenyon Green, play inside. Trevor Penning and Bernard Reiman are high-ranking athletes who have either played football at the FCS (Penning) or are new to the position (Reiman, formerly Tight End). They could both go into the first round and start their careers inside as a guard before settling down.
26. Daxton Hill, S, Michigan27. Matt Coral, QB, Ole Miss28. Sam Howell, QB, UNC29. Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn30. Devonte Wyatt, DL, Georgia31. Cairo Elam, CB, Florida32. Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota33. Logan Hall, DL, Houston34. Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington35. Ken Walker, RB, Michigan36. Lewis Cine, S, Georgia37. Trey McBride, TE, Colorado38. Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State39. Breece Hall, RB, Iowa40. Malik Willis, QB, Liberty41. Darian Kinnard, OT, Kentucky42. Chris Olive, WR, Ohio43. Christian Harris, LB, Alabama44. Zion Johnson, OG, Boston College45. Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh46. Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa47. Brian Cook, S, Cincinnati48. Nicholas Petty-Fre, OT, Ohio49. George Carlaftis, EDGE, Purdue50. Luke Goedeke, OT, Central Michigan
This is where our QB1, Matt Coral, finally appears and is followed by Sam Howell, who the more we watched, the more we liked him. Realistically, they can both continue through Day 2, while Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett find their way into the Day 1 conversation.
Many design analysts have a Pickett (№ 45) for QB1. And we understand it; he made huge strides from 2020 to 2021, is a good athlete, a great leader and the NFL is ready for Day 1. But he is not Joe Burrow, which is a race that is thrown too freely. For us, he is more like Daniel Jones, which is not a deadly ring, just realizing that sometimes players overdo it and then drown in expectations. For us, Pickett has a score for the second round, and if he, say, goes to the Colts in the second round, the expectations will be immeasurably lower than if he goes to, say, the Panthers at number 6.
Dax Hill is listed as a guard, but he plays in the slot, deep center field and even outside and this flexibility combined with his athleticism makes him a popular target in the late Round 1 for teams like Buffalo Bills. In fact, there is a lot of depth in safety here; in addition to Hill, there are Lewis Son, Jacquan Brisker and Brian Cook, central defenders who like to run downhill in support of running and who are also good in coverage. Also among the players ranked 26-50 are first back (Ken Walker in 35th place) and tight end (Trey McBride in 37th place).
You will notice that we have George Karlaftis at number 49 and don’t break, he is a solid player who had a fantastic ’19 season and did a lot of things well last season. It reminds us more of the former Iowa champion AJ Epenessa than of the top 10 talent (Epenesa went to the second round of the Bills in the ’20s), but that doesn’t mean he won’t be a destructive presence at the next level.
51. Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota52. Kingsley Enagbare, EDGE, South Carolina53. Jalen Pitre, S, Baylor54. Cole Strange, OG, UT-Chattanooga55. Tariq Wolnen, CB, UTSA56. Chad Muma, LB, Wyoming57. Luke Fortner, OK, Kentucky58. Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State59. Marcus Jones, CB, Houston60. Mijay Sanders, EDGE, Cincinnati61. Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A & M62. Potassium Davis, DL, UCF63. Rashid Walker, OT, Penn State64. George Pickens, WR, Georgia65. Quay Walker, LB, Georgia66. John Swords, WR, Alabama67. Troy Andersen, LB, Montana, State68. Arnold Labels, EDGE, Penn State69. Nick Bonito, EDGE, Oklahoma70. Drake Jackson, EDGE, USC71. Travis Jones, DL, UConn72. Sky Moore, WR, Western Michigan73. Alonte Taylor, CB, Tennessee74. Dylan Parkham, OG, Memphis75. Dameon Pierce, RB, Florida
Tariq Woolon of UTSA is 6 feet 4, ran 4.26 40 in the combine and is more than just a training warrior. His tape is good and he will only get better. Marcus Jones of Houston is only 5 feet 8, 174 pounds and we don’t care. Like, at all. It plays like 6 feet 1, it is the most dynamic return player in this class, and it can also play wide receiver.
UCF’s Kalia Davis would have been taller if he had seen more from the field. He gave up in the ’20s and then played just five games in the’ 21s before tearing up his ACL. However, when he is healthy, he could be unblocked. And Rashid Walker’s tape in the Penn State offensive varies widely from first-round abilities to less than that, but when he’s locked up, he’s really, really good. Then there’s Montana midfielder Troy Andersen, who began his college career with an attack (he rushed 2260 yards and had a school record of 21 fast TDs in 2018) before moving to midfielder, where he was usually the most the good player on the field.
There’s also edge running, starting with Kingsley Enagbare (№ 52), then Mijay Sanders (№ 60), Arnold Ebiquette (№ 68), Nick Bonito (№ 69) and Drake Jackson (№ 70). If you like length, speed to power, pure force, speed or bending, you will find it among this group, which is among the deepest in thrust.
76. Justin Shaffer, OG, Georgia77. Martin Emerson, CB, Mississippi78. Cameron Thomas, EDGE, San Diego79. David Bell, WR, Purdue80. Malcolm Rodriguez, LB, Oklahoma State81. Leo Chanal, LB, Wisconsin82. Josh Job, CB, Alabama83. Joshua Williams, CB, Fayetteville State84. Aaron Hansford, LB, Texas A & M85. Channing Tyndall, LB, Georgia86. Nick Cross, S, Maryland87. Fidarian Mathis, DL, Alabama88. Chason Hines, OG, LSU89. Sam Williams, EDGE, Ole Miss90. Demarvin Lyle, DL, Texas A & M91. Desmond Reader, QB, …
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