0 of 32
- Elaine Thompson / Associated Press
We have taken another big step towards the NFL 2022 season.
The NFL 2022 draft has taken place in Las Vegas in the last few days. From the first overall pick of Travon Walker of the Jacksonville Jaguars to the election for “Mr. Irrelevant” Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers, 262 players now know where their careers will begin. As soon as the draft was over, he noted more affiliated teams as non-drafted free agents.
There are still quite a few free agents floating around and there may still be a trade or two. These moves could shake the league’s landscape a bit. But we largely know what the 32 NFL teams will look like this season.
And how they face each other.
With that in mind, NFL Bleacher Report analysts Gary Davenport, Maurice Motton and Brent Sobleski reunited to rank the league’s teams from worst to first.
Teams No. 1 and No. 32 are not a big surprise.
But there will certainly be some surprises between them.
1 of 32
- David J. Philip / Associated Press
The Houston Texans entered the 2022 draft with two things – one ton of the draft and even more holes in the list.
With the third overall pick, Houston chose LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., who is perhaps the best defender in the class. But after two dark seasons with injuries, Stingley is not a sure bet.
The Texans then chose Texas A&M guard Kenyon Green with the 2022 first-round player in the trade with Deshon Watson. Green is a good player who should start right away. But in the eyes of most drafters, he was not a top 15 player.
This was a topic for the Texans in the 2022 draft. Alabama’s broad successor John Mechi is undeniably talented, but he broke the ACL last December. Florida quarterback Damon Pierce has potential, but he only took the ball 100 times for the Gators last year.
It is now possible for all these players to come out. This Stingley and Jalen Pitre safety will strengthen the defense against a leaky pass. That Mechi and Pierce will help Davis Mills’ second quarterback improve one of the worst fouls in the league last year.
But the Texans remain a team with big problems on both sides of the ball. And the early favorites, which will be the first overall in 2023.
2 of 32
- Mark Zaleski / Associated Press
Chicago bears entered the 2022 draft with several problems. The team had screaming holes in the back defense and wide receiver, but thanks to the exchange of Justin Fields, the Bears had no choice in the first round.
Overall, general manager Ryan Poles did well.
The secondary was addressed first. Washington’s cornerback Killer Gordon (№39) was a first-round talent in the eyes of many scouts, while Penn State JaQuan Brisker’s security has a good chance of having an immediate effect.
Things are not so rosy with a wide receiver. The team added one to Day 2 with Tennessee’s Jellus Jones, but it’s a raw prospect that could take time to become an NFL player.
The bears are facing a tough battle this season. Fields is not exactly in a position to succeed – he has one of the weaker WR corps in the NFL and will play behind the offensive line below midfield. These young defenders will have to quickly explore the game behind the previous week, which lost Khalil Mack in an exchange with the Chargers.
The bears may not be terrible this year. But expecting them to be good is just a wish.
3 of 32
- Mark Lomolio / Associated Press
Well, the Carolina Panthers got their quarterback.
Perhaps. Something like.
After speculation that the Panthers may be the first team in the 2022 draft to take a quarterback, Carolina instead waited until the final stages of Round 3 to draft Matt Coral from Ole Miss.
Waiting so long would mean that the Panthers have at least some confidence in Sam Darnold, although that confidence has been tempered by the team’s persecution of Deshon Watson and the end of discussions with the Cleveland Browns about Baker Mayfield.
Darnold’s defense should be better with the addition of an offensive strike by Ikem Okwonu. And the return of the healthy Christian McCafrey would undoubtedly be a great stimulus for the attack. But according to Davenport, it is still a long season in Charlotte.
“After playing the second worst offensive line in the league in 2021 for PFF, the additions to Okuonu, center Bradley Bozeman and guard Austin Corbett were important to the Panthers,” he said. “But outside of these OL improvements, this team looks awfully much like the list that went up and slipped to a 5-12 record a year ago. Given the turmoil in Atlanta, the Panthers may not be the worst team in the NFC South, but they certainly do not pose a threat to the pirates of Tampa Bay.
4 of 32
- Aaron Duster / Associated Press
So a few things changed in Atlanta after the end of the season.
Quarterback Matt Ryan is gone, giving away to Indianapolis after the team tried and failed to trade for Deshon Watson. Marcus Mariota was signed as the starter, and the team received the best quarterback of the Bleacher Report (Desmond Rider from Cincinnati) in the third round of this year’s draft.
Broad successor Calvin Ridley has also disappeared – suspended indefinitely for gambling football while on leave last year. Again, the Falcons made an effort to keep things there, adding Drake London of the USC with an eighth pick.
Make no mistake, this is a recovery team with as many questions as answers. And in part because of that, at least one of our analysts believes that Atlanta should give Reeder every opportunity to be a starter in the first week.
“Reeder actually shares some similarities with Mariota, even though he hasn’t had much of a chance to demonstrate his mobility in Cincinnati,” Davenport wrote. “The biggest difference is the talent of the hand – the rookie is a better passer. Point. Given Reeder’s experience in a relatively professional attack in Cincinnati, he’s as ready for the NFL as any quarterback in that class. The Falcons will not be fighting for anything in 2022. But this is a situation where the team can see if they have drawn the next Russell Wilson or the next Gareth Grayson. “
“Reader is the wild card,” Sobleski added. “Cincinnati’s product fell until the third round, but he can legally compete and beat Mariota as a starting quarterback. Even if he doesn’t, the Falcons will have to play with him at some point during what is likely to be a lost season. If the franchise reaches gold with the two-time offensive player of the year of the AAC, all his future plans will be drastically affected. However, there is a lot of uncertainty when an organization relies so much on young talent. “
5 of 32
- Matt Patterson / Associated Press
Following Russell Wilson’s exchange with the Denver Broncos, the Seattle Seahawks were expected to either add a quarterback to the 2022 draft or exchange a veteran such as Baker Mayfield or Jimmy Garopolo.
But Seattle relinquished their position in the draft, choosing instead to step up the offensive, such as with a match against Charles Cross of Mississippi in Round 1 and the addition of a Berscher (Boy Mayf of Minnesota) and a kickback (Kenneth Walker III of Michigan) with back- consecutive selections in the second round.
Not only has Seattle handed over the quarterback to the draft, but it doesn’t sound like Mayfield will be heading west any time soon. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network said Seahawks’ interest in Mayfield was “cool at best” (h / t Gregg Rosenthal).
This leaves competition below center between Genoe Smith, Drew Locke and Jacob Eason. Head coach Pete Carroll told reporters that Smith’s experience with the team is currently an advantage.
“We will go out on the field for the first time for the second phase this week. The coaches will finally get a chance to see the boys live and right in front. I’m really excited to see how this goes and where they fit. I know that in the boardroom our boys are responsive, precise and know that it is included. Nobody is just doing that here. This is crucial [competition] and they get on with it and it’s serious. It’s great to see. “
We’ll see how great it is to see one of these uninspiring options under the center instead of Wilson in 2022.
6 of 32
- Phelan M. Ebenhak / Associated Press
For the second season in a row, Jaguars Jacksonville had the overall choice of No. 1 in the NFL draft. In 2021, quarterback Trevor Lawrence was pointless. But this year there was no consensus on top players.
The Jaguars rolled the dice for potential over production, choosing Georgia champion Travon Walker over Aidan Hutchinson of Michigan. This is a choice that can pay off a lot. But this is gambling.
This was also not the only curious choice the Jaguars made. The addition of the defender outside the ball Devin Lloyd with the second choice of the team from the first round filled a great need. But for some reason, Jacksonville went back to Day 2 and chose another midfielder in Chad Muma – despite giving Foyesad Oluokun a big contract for a free agency.
Jaguars certainly can’t be called nimble. Whether it was Walker’s drafts over Hutchinson or spending free agents, Jacksonville was one of the bravest teams in the league this off-season.
But the probability of aggression turning into victory does not seem very good from where we sit.
7 of 32
- John Locher / Associated Press
Hope can be a dangerous thing for New York Jets fans. They have not entered the post-season since 2010.
But after Gang Green rotated into one of the most respected draft classes of 2022, Moton believes Gang Green could make a significant improvement this season.
We can argue that the Jets chose the best corner back (Ahmad Gardner), the best wide receiver (Gareth Wilson) and the No. 1 handball back (Bryce Hall) in the 2022 Draft. They all have big roles to play. this year.
“On top of that, the Jets made an aggressive move for the champion Jermaine Johnson II, which caused some noise (h / t Aaron Wilson from Pro Football Network) in the process of preliminary design. With …
Add Comment