With the 2022 NFL Draft a little over 24 hours away, we are going to look at a few nuggets that we have heard that may shape the way things go down.
LATEST BUZZ AROUND THE 2022 NFL DRAFT
DON’T CALL US, WE’LL CALL YOU
To the shock of literally no one, the Jacksonville Jaguars have received zero interest from other teams wanting to acquire the #1 pick. In most years, the phone would be ringing off the hook. GMs would be offering their firstborn to move up for a quarterback. However, no quarterback is worthy of the top selection (or worthy of a first-round selection tbh). The value isn’t there for a team to part with picks.
With Jacksonville likely staying at one, it now appears that Georgia edge rusher Travon Walker is the favorite to go first. You could almost chisel Aiden Hutchinson to Detroit in a stone tablet if that is the case.
IS HOUSTON SAUCY?
Good friend, and respected NFL analyst Jeff Risdon said in his last piece, that you can lock in Cincinnati corner Ahmad Gardner to the Texans if Hutchinson is off of the board. With Hutchinson expected to go in the first two picks, that scenario certainly appears to be in play. The Houston Texans can use help everywhere. Adding Sauce would be fabulous.
NO TONEY AWARD IN NYC
It appears the Kadarius Toney era in the Big Apple is going to end abruptly. It appears the new Brian Daboll led coaching staff isn’t enamored with the former Florida Gator product. Toney was banged up a year ago. He only played in ten games, catching 39 balls, and zero touchdowns. Toney felt like a fallback option last year. The Giants moved back in the draft, getting the extra one from the Bears. I wouldn’t expect the market to be on fire for Toney. Perhaps a mid-round pick in exchange.
BAMA RECEIVERS ARE OK
Both Alabama wide receivers, Jameson Williams and John Metchie III, have left little doubt to NFL teams that they will be able to recover from their late-season injuries. Metchie tore his ACL during the SEC Championship game. Williams suffered a torn ACL during the CFP National Championship Game. Both were incredibly productive before their injuries. I expect Williams to still be selected in the Top 20. Metchie should be drafted on day two.
DERWIN JAMES 2.0?
Teams aren’t really going to be dumb enough to let a stud safety prospect fall into the mid-teens again? James was one of my top-rated players in the 2018 NFL Draft. For reasons beyond me, James fell to the Chargers at pick 17. Hamilton isn’t as fast as James was but he is just as good of an athlete. NFL teams do dumb things all the time. Letting Hamilton fall to the middle of round one would be another colossal mistake.
EDGE RUSHER PENDULUM
Remember when I said earlier that the NFL does dumb things and lets great players fall? Well, it seems they are poised to do the same thing with Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux. For reasons that appear stupid, Thibodeaux is heading to the bottom of the top ten and possibly all the way out.
A by-product of the precipitous fall of Thibodeaux is the rise of Florida State edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II. Johnson is believed to be coveted by the New York Jets and could be targeted as early as the fourth overall pick.
PICKENS SLIM FOR GEORGE
Per an article from the Athletic, George Pickens has not endeared himself well to teams during the interview process.
It seems like Pickens did not interview well pic.twitter.com/wbPpAw8IxV
— Theo Ash (@TheoAshNFL) April 25, 2022