Month: April 2022

Stay tuned for the analysis on Day 2 of the NFL Draft. The second round starts at 7:00 pm ET, but the live updates will probably start around 8:30 pm.

As of the morning of Day 2, here are the total picks made or held by each team:

Ten teams did not make a pick in the first round, and Las Vegas, Miami, and the Rams won’t pick until the third. Both the Dolphins and Rams will make their first picks in the compensatory portion of the third. As of now, one team, Carolina, has the night off. Carolina’s next pick is scheduled to be taken at the back end of the fourth round, 137th overall.

7:08 PM: And now, the start of Round 2, with Tampa Bay officially on the clock! So with the announcements in these and later rounds, we’re going to have a lot of queueing between when the pick is in and when it is announced.

7:15 PM: TAMPA BAY SELECTS LOGAN HALL, DE, HOUSTON! Hall played 3-technique in college at Houston but is expected to be more of a 3-4 DE at the next level. He has very violent hands and can potentially be an interior pass rusher. He should be a rotational player early.

7:20 PM: Minnesota has traded down, sending the 34th pick to the hated Green Bay Packers for the 53rd and 59th overall picks – so an early second for two late seconds.

GREEN BAY SELECTS CHRISTIAN WATSON, WR, NDSU!
It might not have been a first rounder, but Christian Watson is the type of talent that Aaron Rodgers will be looking for. At 6’4″ 208, Watson is an imposing presence and he can fly, running a 4.36 40 at the NFL Combine. He is a bit raw, and coming from an FCS program will be taking a big step up in competition, but the ceiling is very high.

7:28 PM: TENNESSEE SELECTS ROGER MCCREARY, CB, AUBURN!
McCreary is a press-man cover specialist that has the strength to disrupt routes from NFL-calibre wide receivers. He’s a bit undersized but still has the ability to impact throws on vertical routes.

NEW YORK JETS SELECT BREECE HALL, RB, IOWA STATE! The Jets made a deal with the Giants for the 36th pick and takes the best running back in the draft – Breece Hall from Iowa State! Hall has been a bell cow back in Iowa State with good hands to help out as a receiver. With apologies to Michael Carter, Hall becomes the RB1 with the Jets.

Jets-Giants trade: the Giants give the Jets the 36th overall pick in exchange for the 38th pick and the 146th pick (fourth round).
Giants-Falcons trade: the Giants then turn around and deal the 38th pick to the Falcons from the 43rd and 114th picks

7:33 pm: HOUSTON SELECTS JALEN PITRE, S, BAYLOR!
After taking Derek Stingley Jr with the third pick, the Texans go back to the secondary and take Jalen Pitre, a versatile safety from Baylor. Pitre played the Star position at Baylor, which is a sort of hybrid between strong safety and linebacker. He has the Football IQ to play the position in the pros, but a little small at the moment. Best suited as an short/intermediate defender in a zone. He’s unlikely to play as a deep/split safety in the Cover 2.

7:38 PM: ATLANTA SELECTS ARNOLD EBIKETIE, EDGE, PENN STATE!
Atlanta trades up to 38 to take the dynamic edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie. Ebiketie is a dedicated edge rusher who will need to develop his ability to play the run in the pros. He’ll be mostly utilized as a stand-up rusher but could be a situational pass rusher early in his career. The Falcons desperately need pass rushers (even with Lorenzo Carter), so this fills a real need.

7:42 PM: CHICAGO SELECTS KYLER GORDON, CB, WASHINGTON!
With their first pick in the draft, the Bears go for secondary help, taking Kyler Gordon from Washington. Gordon is a strong, athletic, and explosive corner from Washington. He has the ability to play in any scheme, but he does need some work in route recognition at the moment. He has a good shot at playing opposite Jaylon Johnson in Week 1, but might be work in progress. The ceiling is near-infinite.

7:49 PM: SEATTLE SELECTS BOYE MAFE, EDGE, MINNESOTA AND KENNETH WALKER III, RB, MICHIGAN STATE!
Seattle double-dips in the Big 10 by taking Boye Mafe to bolster their pass rush and Kenneth Walker for the backfield.

EDITOR’S NOTE: On a break back in 30 minutes

8:34 PM: AND WE’RE BACK

Picks while I was gone:
Vikings traded up from 42 to 53 (Vikings also get 122, while the Colts get 77, and 192 to go along with the 53rd pick)
MINNESOTA SELECTS ANDREW BOOTH JR, CB, CLEMSON!
NEW YORK GIANTS SELECT WAN’DALE ROBINSON, WR, KENTUCKY!
Houston trades up to 44, sending the 68th, 108th, and 124th overall picks to the Cleveland Browns!
HOUSTON SELECTS JOHN METCHIE III, WR, ALABAMA! This was a shocker
BALTIMORE SELECTS DAVID OJABO, EDGE, MICHIGAN!

8:35 PM: NEW ENGLAND SELECTS TYQUAN THORNTON, WR, BAYLOR!

8:42 PM: PHILADELPHIA SELECTS CAM JURGENS, C, NEBRASKA!

8:43 PM: PITTSBURGH SELECTS GEORGE PICKENS, WR, GEORGIA!
The Steelers get one of the best wide receivers in the draft at 52, as they take George Pickens from Georgia.

8:44 PM: INDIANAPOLIS SELECTS ALEC PIERCE, WR, CINCINNATI!
A run on wide receivers as Alec Pierce, a big possession receiver goes to the Colts. He and Michael Pittman have a lot of similarities, so it will be interesting to see how they mesh.

8:50 PM: KANSAS CITY SELECTS WR SKYY MOORE, WR, WESTERN MICHIGAN!

8:52 PM: ARIZONA SELECTS TREY MCBRIDE, TE, COLORADO STATE!

8:58 PM: DALLAS SELECTS SAM WILLIAMS, EDGE, OLE MISS!
Williams is a situational pass rusher at this point as his play against the run needs help. He has good hands and bend/flexibility which will help him as a hand-in-the-ground pass rusher.

TAMPA BAY SELECTS LUKE GOEDEKE, T, CENTRAL MICHIGAN!

ATLANTA SELECTS TREY ANDERSEN, LB, MONTANA STATE!

MINNESOTA SELECTS ED INGRAM, G, LSU!
This is a real need-based pick as the Vikings have a gaping hole at RG.

CINCINNATI SELECTS CAM TAYLOR-BRITT, CB, NEBRASKA!

9:19 PM: SAN FRANCISCO SELECTS DRAKE JACKSON, EDGE, USC!

9:20 PM: KANSAS CITY SELECTS BRYAN COOK, S, CINCINNATI!

9:25 PM: BUFFALO SELECTS JAMES COOK, RB, GEORGIA!
Cook split carries with Zamir White in Georgia. While he has a similar speed trait as his brother Dalvin, James is a little smaller and does not have the same upside. However, with the Bills, he will have an opportunity to make an impact immediately.

9:27 PM: DENVER SELECTS NIK BONITTO, EDGE, OKLAHOMA!
The Broncos use the final pick of the second round to take Nik Bonitto from Oklahoma. Bonitto is a 3-4 stand-up edge rusher who is athletic, flexible, and has strong acceleration – he’s a situational rusher now and would need to bulk up to be a bigger part of the defense outside situational pass rushing.

THIRD ROUND
9:32 PM: JACKSONVILLE SELECTS LUKE FORTNER, C, KENTUCKY
The Jaguars add to the interior of their offensive line by taking Fortner.

9:34 PM: MINNESOTA SELECTS BRIAN ASAMOAH, LB, OKLAHOMA
Asamoah is a weakside linebacker with explosive speed, is aggressive, athletic in coverage, but lacks technique. With the right tutelage, he can be a top sideline-to-sideline defender.

9:35 PM NEW YORK GIANTS SELECT JOSHUA EZEUDU, G, UNC

9:40 PM: CLEVELAND SELECTS MJ EMERSON, CB, MISSISSIPPI STATE!
Emerson is a press-man corner who can play physically

9:42 PM: TENNESSEE SELECTS NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE, RT, OHIO STATE!

9:45 PM: JACKSONVILLE SELECTS CHAD MUMA, LB, WYOMING!
The Jags take Devin Lloyd late in the first and now take Chad Muma with the 70th overall pick. Muma and Lloyd have some similar attributes, in that they are aggressive and strong tacklers. Muma needs a bit of work and the level of competition will increase significantly for them but he can turn into a solid Mike or Sam to go alongside Lloyd (who can also do both)

9:48 PM: CHICAGO SELECTS VELUS JONES, WR/KR, TENNESSEE

9:53 PM: SEATTLE SELECTS ABRAHAM LUCAS, RT, WASHINGTON!

9:55 PM: INDIANAPOLIS SELECTS JELANI WOODS, TE, VIRGINIA!

9:57 PM: ATLANTA SELECTS DESMOND RIDDER, QB, CINCINNATI!
The Falcons take the second quarterback off the board, taking Desmond Ridder from Cincinnati. Ridder was a four-year starter and put up big numbers for the Bearcats, taking AAC school Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff. He’s in a pretty good situation here – Mariota will start in 2022 and Ridder will have the chance to start in 2023. Being taken in the third also takes the pressure off being an immediate starter.

10:01 PM: HOUSTON SELECTS CHRISTIAN HARRIS, LB, ALABAMA!

10:07 PM: BALTIMORE SELECTS TRAVIS JONES, DT, UCONN!
Travis Jones had a lot of people mocking him into the second round, but falls to the Ravens, who have taken Hamilton, Ojabo, and now Jones as great value (not Great Value) picks.

10:08 PM: INDIANAPOLIS SELECTS BERNHARD RAIMANN, T, CENTRAL MICHIGAN!

10:12 PM: CLEVELAND SELECTS ALEX WRIGHT, DE, UAB!

10:17 PM: LOS ANGELES CHARGERS SELECT J.T. WOODS, S, BAYLOR!
Woods can fly, he’s a traditional free safety who should not be expected to contribute to the run defense. He is best as a centre fielder or a split safety in a Cover 2 or 3.

10:18 PM: DENVER SELECTS TE GREG DULCICH, TE, UCLA

NEW YORK GIANTS SELECT CORDALE FLOTT, CB, LSU

ATLANTA SELECTS DEANGELO MALONE, DE, WESTERN KENTUCKY!

10:24 PM: PHILADELPHIA SELECTS NAKOBE DEAN, LB, GEORGIA!
The wait is finally over – Nakobe Dean gets selected 83rd overall to the Eagles. A player with first round talent who got flagged for a pec issue drops all the way to the middle of the third.

PITTSBURGH SELECTS DEMARVIN LEAL, DE/3T, TEXAS A&M!

NEW ENGLAND SELECTS MARCUS JONES, CB/KR, HOUSTON!

10:35 PM: TENNESSEE SELECTS MALIK WILLIS, QB, LIBERTY!
Tennessee trades up with the Raiders to take Malik Willis, who was getting top 10 hype. The Titans obviously have a settled QB situation for 2022 with Ryan Tannehill, but 2023 is a possibility.

10:40 PM: ARIZONA SELECTS CAMERON THOMAS, DE, SAN DIEGO STATE!
The Cardinals take Thomas, a run-stuffing defensive lineman from SDSU. He has a high motor and could be a 5 technique in the pros.

10:44 PM: DALLAS SELECTS JALEN TOLBERT, WR, SOUTH ALABAMA!
This is a really good value pick at 88 for Dallas. Tolbert has enough size, speed, and strength to play outside.

10:46 PM: BUFFALO SELECTS TERREL BERNARD, LB/S, BAYLOR

10:48 PM: LAS VEGAS SELECTS DYLAN PARHAM, G, MEMPHIS!
And the Raiders are finally on the board with the 90th pick they add to their offensive line by taking Dylan Parham from Memphis

10:53 PM: TAMPA BAY SELECTS RACHAAD WHITE, RB, ARIZONA STATE!
This might’ve been a bit of a reach.

10:54 PM: GREEN BAY SELECTS SEAN RHYAN, G, UCLA!
Rhyan was a left tackle at UCLA but he’ll be a guard in the league due to his shorter arms and issues in pass protection against pro level pass rushers.

10:55 PM: SAN FRANCISCO SELECTS TYRION DAVIS-PRICE, RB, LSU

11:00 PM: CAROLINA SELECTS MATT CORRAL, QB, OLE MISS!
The Carolina Panthers trade into the third round and take Matt Corral from Ole Miss! Corral automatically puts himself in the conversation as a starter in Carolina. Whether that’s in his long-term best interests is left to be determined.

11:04 PM: CINCINNATI SELECTS ZACH CARTER, DE, FLORIDA!

11:05 PM: INDIANAPOLIS SELECTS NICK CROSS, S, MARYLAND!
Strong tackler, could work in zone but prefers to be in a defense that allows him to go downhill. He has track speed so that combination with the desire to tackle gives the Colts an interesting dimension on blitz packages.

11:09 PM: DETROIT SELECTS KERBY JOSEPH, S, ILLINOIS

11:12 PM: WASHINGTON SELECTS BRIAN ROBINSON, RB, ALABAMA

11:14 PM: CLEVELAND SELECTS DAVID BELL, WR, PURDUE

11:16 PM: ARIZONA SELECTS MYJAI SANDERS, EDGE, CINCINNATI
Sanders was listed as a DE in the draft but at 228 lbs, he’s a stand-up pass rusher. He’s a slender but quick and elusive pass rusher who is willing to play the run. If he can get back up to 245-250 he has the potential to be a top player off the edge.

11:19 PM: NEW YORK JETS SELECT JEREMY RUCKERT, TE, OHIO STATE
Ruckert is an able receiver but is likely the best blocking tight end in the draft. The Jets signed C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin in the offseason, so the position is pretty crowded now.

11:22 PM: MIAMI SELECTS CHANNING TINDALL, LB, GEORGIA
Good value pick here.

11:26 PM: KANSAS CITY SELECTS LEO CHENAL, LB, WISCONSIN
Chenal is a tackling machine – strong, tough and powerful. Not the most athletic player and you likely don’t want him in man coverage, but he’s a weapon in the run defense.

11:28 PM: LOS ANGELES RAMS SELECT LOGAN BRUSS, G, WISCONSIN

11:30 PM: SAN FRANCISCO SELECTS DANNY GRAY, WR, SMU

DAY 2 DRAFT ORDER
SECOND ROUND
33. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (FROM JACKSONVILLE) – LOGAN HALL, DE, HOUSTON
34. GREEN BAY PACKERS (FROM DETROIT VIA MINNESOTA) – CHRISTIAN WATSON, WR, NORTH DAKOTA STATE
35. TENNESSEE TITANS (FROM NY JETS) – ROGER MCCREARY, CB, AUBURN
36. NEW YORK JETS (FROM NEW YORK GIANTS) – BREECE HALL, RB, IOWA STATE
37. HOUSTON TEXANS – JALEN PITRE, S, BAYLOR
38. ATLANTA FALCONS (FROM CAROLINA VIA NY JETS AND NY GIANTS) – ARNOLD EBIKETIE, EDGE, PENN STATE
39. CHICAGO BEARS – KYLER GORDON, CB, WASHINGTON
40. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (FROM DENVER) – BOYE MAFE, EDGE, MINNESOTA
41. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS – KENNETH WALKER III, RB, MICHIGAN STATE
42. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (FROM WASHINGTON VIA INDIANAPOLIS) – ANDREW BOOTH JR, CB, CLEMSON
43. NEW YORK GIANTS (FROM ATLANTA FALCONS) -WAN’DALE ROBINSON, WR, KENTUCKY
44. HOUSTON TEXANS (FROM CLEVELAND BROWNS) – JOHN METCHIE III, WR, ALABAMA
45. BALTIMORE RAVENS – DAVID OJABO, EDGE, MICHIGAN
46. DETROIT LIONS (FROM MINNESOTA) – JOSH PASCHAL, DE, KENTUCKY
47. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (FROM INDIANAPOLIS) – PHIDARIAN MATHIS, DT, ALABAMA
48. CHICAGO BEARS (FROM LA CHARGERS) – JAQUAN BRISKER, S, PENN STATE
49. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS – ALONTAE TAYLOR, CB, TENNESSEE
50. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (FROM MIAMI VIA KANSAS CITY) – TYQUAN THORNTON, WR, BAYLOR
51. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES – CAM JURGENS, C, NEBRASKA
52. PITTSBURGH STEELERS – GEORGE PICKENS, WR, GEORGIA
53. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (FROM LAS VEGAS VIA GREEN BAY AND MINNESOTA) – ALEC PIERCE, WR, CINCINNATI
54. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (FROM NEW ENGLAND) – SKYY MOORE, WR, WESTERN MICHIGAN
55. ARIZONA CARDINALS – TREY MCBRIDE, TE, COLORADO STATE
56. DALLAS COWBOYS – SAM WILLIAMS, DE, OLE MISS
57. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (FROM BUFFALO) – LUKE GOEDEKE, T/G, CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Goedeke was selected as a tackle but he almost certainly slots in as the replacement for now-retired G Ali Marpet.
58. ATLANTA FALCONS (FROM TENNESSEE) – TREY ANDERSEN, LB, MONTANA STATE
59. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (FROM GREEN BAY PACKERS) – ED INGRAM, G, LSU
60. CINCINNATI BENGALS (FROM TAMPA BAY VIA BUFFALO) – CAM TAYLOR-BRITT, CB, NEBRASKA
61. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS – DRAKE JACKSON, EDGE, USC
62. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS – BRYAN COOK, S, CINCINNATI
63. BUFFALO BILLS (FROM CINCINNATI) – JAMES COOK, RB, GEORGIA
64. DENVER BRONCOS (FROM LA RAMS) – NIK BONITTO, EDGE, OKLAHOMA

THIRD ROUND
65. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS – LUKE FORTNER, C, KENTUCKY
66. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (FROM DETROIT) – BRIAN ASAMOAH, LB, OKLAHOMA
67. NEW YORK GIANTS – JOSHUA EZEUDU, G, UNC
68. CLEVELAND BROWNS (FROM HOUSTON TEXANS) – MARTIN EMERSON, CB, MISSISSIPPI STATE
69. TENNESSEE TITANS (FROM NY JETS) – NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE, RT, OHIO STATE
70. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (FROM CAROLINA) – CHAD MUMA, LB, WYOMING
71. CHICAGO BEARS – VELUS JONES, WR/KR, TENNESSEE
72. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS – ABRAHAM LUCAS, RT, WASHINGTON STATE
73. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (FROM WASHINGTON) – JELANI WOODS, TE, VIRGINIA
74. ATLANTA FALCONS – DESMOND RIDDER, QB, CINCINNATI
75. HOUSTON TEXANS (FROM DENVER) – CHRISTIAN HARRIS, LB, ALABAMA
76. BALTIMORE RAVENS – TRAVIS JONES, DT, UCONN
77. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (FROM MINNESOTA VIKINGS) – BERNHARD RAIMANN, T, CENTRAL MICHIGAN
78. CLEVELAND BROWNS – ALEX WRIGHT, DE, UAB
79. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS – JT WOODS, S, BAYLOR
80. DENVER BRONCOS (FROM HOUSTON) – GREG DULCICH, TE, UCLA
81. NEW YORK GIANTS – CORDALE FLOTT, CB, LSU
82. ATLANTA FALCONS (FROM INDIANAPOLIS) – DEANGELO MALONE, EDGE, WESTERN KENTUCKY
83. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES – NAKOBE DEAN, LB, GEORGIA
84. PITTSBURGH STEELERS – DEMARVIN LEAL, DE, TEXAS A&M
85. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS – MARCUS JONES, CB, HOUSTON
86. TENNESSEE TITANS (FROM LAS VEGAS) – MALIK WILLIS, QB, LIBERTY
87. ARIZONA CARDINALS -CAMERON THOMAS, DE, SAN DIEGO STATE
88. DALLAS COWBOYS – JALEN TOLBERT, WR, SOUTH ALABAMA
89. BUFFALO BILLS – TERREL BERNARD, LB, BAYLOR
90. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (FROM TENNESSEE) – DYLAN PARHAM, G, MEMPHIS
91. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS – RACHAAD WHITE, RB, ARIZONA STATE
92. GREEN BAY PACKERS – SEAN RHYAN, G, UCLA
93. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS – TYRION DAVIS-PRICE, RB, LSU
94. CAROLINA PANTHERS (FROM KANSAS CITY VIA NEW ENGLAND) – MATT CORRAL, QB, OLE MISS
95. CINCINNATI BENGALS – ZACH CARTER, DE, FLORIDA
96. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (FROM LA RAMS VIA DENVER) – NICK CROSS, S, MARYLAND
97. DETROIT LIONS (COMPENSATORY) – KERBY JOSEPH, S, ILLINOIS
98. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (FROM NEW ORLEANS, COMPENSATORY) – BRIAN ROBINSON JR, RB, ALABAMA
99. CLEVELAND BROWNS (COMPENSATORY) – DAVID BELL, WR, PURDUE
100. ARIZONA CARDINALS (FROM BALTIMORE, COMPENSATORY) – MYJAI SANDERS, EDGE, CINCINNATI
101. NEW YORK JETS (FROM NEW ORLEANS VIA PHI, TEN; COMPENSATORY) – JEREMY RUCKERT, TE, OHIO STATE
102. MIAMI DOLPHINS (FROM SAN FRANCISCO, COMPENSATORY) – CHANNING TINDALL, LB, GEORGIA
103. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (COMPENSATORY) – LEO CHENAL, LB, WISCONSIN
104. LOS ANGELES RAMS (COMPENSATORY) – LOGAN PRUSS, G, WISCONSIN
105. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (COMPENSATORY) – DANNY GRAY, WR, SMU

CLOSING THOUGHTS ON THE FIRST TWO DAYS OF THE DRAFT

1. The league saw what everyone else saw, a lack of top end QB talent
Some felt that QB-needy teams in the top 10 would draft a quarterback and that one team, Pittsburgh, would trade up to get a signal-caller. Well, those pundits were partially right. Teams in the top 10 did, in fact, take quarterbacks… in the third round. Desmond Ridder went 74th overall to Atlanta, while Carolina traded back into the third round to take Matt Corral with the 94th pick in the draft. Ridder and Corral certainly have the tools to become starting quarterbacks in the NFL, but both have fine tuning to do before they can do so. It might not matter for Corral, whose head coach is presumably on the hot seat this year and may turn to Corral and his ability to make something out of nothing. Malik Willis, thought by some to be a first round lock went slightly later than that, going to the Tennessee Titans with the 86th pick. This could be a decent landing spot for him, as Tannehill has no guaranteed salary after this season (but does carry $18.8M in dead cap space if cut next offseason). I have doubts that this would be an Alex Smith-Patrick Mahomes situation, as Tannehill will likely believe that he has some good years left in him at 34 years old.

2. If you need wide receivers or secondary help, this is the draft for you.
After six wide receivers went in the first 18 picks of the first round, another seven wideouts went in the first 22 picks in the second round… and another four went in the third. Yes for you math majors, that’s 17 wide receivers in the first three rounds, a new record. Meanwhile, four corners, three safeties went in Round 1, another seven corners and six safeties went on Day 2. In both cases, there’s still a lot more talent to be drafted on Day 3.

3. Is what happened to Nakobe Dean due to the injury concern, or a shifting view on middle linebackers?
Nakobe Dean’s drop from a mid-first round pick to his selection by the Eagles with the 83rd overall pick, right in the middle of round 3, was potentially down to a number of factors: at 225 lbs, he might be slightly small to be an inside linebacker, he had a medical flag related to a pectoral issue, his tape was great but the production didn’t quite match up. However, he is a sideline-to-sideline menace who can do more or less anything you could ask of from a linebacker – he is a willing and able tackler, he can defend in space, he has explosive athleticism, he’s tough, and uses strong technique. The biggest problem might be that inside linebackers are fading from the game, as teams move to five (or more) man secondaries as a base defense. A player like Dean may be an anachronism in the newer, more pass-happy NFL. Devin Lloyd and Quay Walker were both taken in the first round but Dean’s teammate Channing Tindall and Alabama’s Christian Harris also fell into the third round.

WHO ARE THE PLAYERS TO WATCH IN DAY 3?

With 105 picks to go, there is still a somewhat strong group of players yet to know their new homes in the NFL. Here is a list of who I feel are the best players left in the draft, by position:

QUARTERBACK
Sam Howell, UNC
Howell was projected to be a first overall picks in some really early mocks last summer, but has found himself slipping into the third day of the draft. Howell saw his passing numbers noticeably regress in his junior year where some of his weakness were exposed by a greatly diminished roster at UNC. He did, however, show his ability to run with the football, with 828 rushing yards and 11 TDs on the ground in 2021. His best case scenario for immediate playing time would be Seattle, who picks fourth in the fourth round.
Others: Carson Strong, pocket passer with rocket arm, Nevada; Bailey Zappe, pocket passer with production, Western Kentucky; Chris Oladokun, developmental passer with strong arm, South Dakota State

RUNNING BACK
There are still plenty of options available for teams looking at a new running back, some are scheme-dependent or situation-dependent, but can excel with the right fit.
Dameon Pierce, Florida
Pierce has the tools to be an excellent running back in the NFL – he’s got the burst, the twitchiness, the power, and balance to run the ball outside or in the trenches, and he has a nose for the end zone, amassing 13 rushing touchdowns in 2021 (and three more as a receiver). He’s an able and willing blocker in pass protection, and can hold his own as a receiver. His biggest problem? His production. His average numbers are fine – he had 5.5 yards per carry during his four years at Florida, but he had 329 carries in those four years. Breece Hall, the second round pick of the Jets had 279 carries in his sophomore year alone. He wasn’t injured either – Pierce missed only three games in his time in Gainesville, and played all 25 games over his junior and senior years. A player with these traits and low tread on his tires will be a welcome addition to many teams and he is likely to go early in the fourth round.
Pierre Strong, South Dakota State
Strong has exception vision and he can read and react to holes and has the agility to move around and through those holes while keeping up his speed. He’s a two-down back at this stage, but can work well in a committee early, with the potential to be a lead back with some work on his receiving ability.
Isiah Pacheco, Rutgers
Pacheco is a high-energy runner who processes quickly and has the ability to find running lanes. He can create something out of nothing, but can also make the wrong read at times and go for the home run too often when the option isn’t there. He has the attributes to be a three-down rusher but will need work on harnessing himself when needed and work on pass protection.
Others:
Tyler Allegeier, BYU: zone scheme specialist who has good vision and is an instinctive one-cut runner;
Zamir White, Georgia: a power runner who will excel between the tackles, but has injury flags
Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M: good agility and vision to locate and run through holes. Very elusive, but sometimes uses elusiveness when power or speed is preferred.
Kyren Williams, Notre Dame: a smaller back, but very good receiver who would work best as a “lightning” back or third-down receiving specialist.
Abram Smith, Baylor: zone-dependent, but runs with patient, yet decisive approach. More comfortable outside the tackles, has the toughness to contribute in pass protection.
Kevin Harris, South Carolina: power runner who is a battering ram between the tackles with a nose for the chains.
Tyler Badie, Missouri: undersized, change-of-pace back with good hands.
Kennedy Brooks: has good size and vision who is more sudden than fast or powerful. Late round or UDFA pick with upside.

WIDE RECEIVER
Khalil Shakir, Boise State: lacks the athletic traits of some of the top wide receivers, but is a great route runner with the ability to create space for himself with outstanding footwork, strength, and understanding of leverage. Will probably be best in the slot but could also be a possession receiver at the next level.
Erik Ezukanma, Texas Tech: has the size, speed, ball skills to be a productive possession or slot receiver in the NFL, though he does need work on his route running, especially with the deeper routes in the route tree.
Calvin Austin, Memphis: really undersized (5’8, 170) but can fly and has the ability to be an option in the slot or in a system that can design plays that give him the ball on short/underneath passes in space.
Bo Melton, Rutgers: good route runner with adequate size, strong football IQ and getaway speed, however, not agile enough to leverage the speed in tight spaces.
Kevin Austin, Notre Dame: has the prototypical size, speed, and ball skills of an X receiver in the NFL, though his lack of game reps means he needs a fair amount of development to reach his potential.

Here is the post to go to for the NFL Draft. We’ll go through each of the picks in (sort of) real time, identifying the fit with the team (or lack thereof) for each of the selections in the first round. The draft starts at 8 pm ET and is live from the Caesars Forum in Las Vegas.
Eight teams have two first round picks as of 7:45 pm ET on Draft Day: Detroit (2,32), Houston (3,13), NY Jets (4,10), NY Giants (5,7), Philadelphia (15, 18), New Orleans (16,19), Green Bay (22,28), and Kansas City (29,30).
Conversely, eight teams have zero picks in the first this year: Chicago, Denver, Cleveland, Miami, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.

8:09 PM ET: Roger Goodell comes out to his regular ovation (BOOOOOOOO) and bring out Marcus Allen, Derek Carr, Darren Waller… and Ice Cube to hype up the fans. Lots of boos for the Raiders too. Must be a lot of Niners fans in attendance.

8:13 PM: Jags are on the clock. Looks like they got 10 minutes. This might be a long night.

8:18 PM: JACKSONVILLE SELECTS DE/EDGE TRAVON WALKER FROM GEORGIA.
Travon Walker is a hulking 6’5″ 272 lb defensive lineman from the historically excellent Georgia Bulldogs defense. A lot of pundits identified Walker as an edge rusher, but with the Jaguars expected to run a 3-4 base defense, we should expect Walker to be the 5-tech with his hand on the ground. Walker is a punishing tackler and very strong run defender, but his pass rush is a work in progress. If he develops the pass rush the way the Jaguars are hoping, he will be a menacing inside rusher in the mould of JJ Watt. The question is, was Walker a reach?

DETROIT SELECTS DE AIDAN HUTCHINSON FROM MICHIGAN.
Following the Jaguars selection of Travon Walker, the Lions must’ve run their selection to the podium. Hutchinson had a monster 2021 season, finishing as the Heisman Trophy runner-up with an astounding 16.5 sacks. Hutchinson is tailor-made for the Lions’ new Base 4-3 defense as he excels up front, and though he was standing up in some pass rushing situations, he is best as the bookend in a 4-3. Hutchinson has the highest floor of all the pass rushers.
HOUSTON SELECTS CB DEREK STINGLEY JR FROM LSU
Houston takes a corner that was one of the best cornerbacks in college football during his freshman year at LSU in 2019, but endured two years of uneven play and injuries. Lovie Smith runs a Cover 2 which runs a lot of zone, and while Stingley is expected to be just fine as a zone defender, the one question in his game is his willingness to contribute to stopping the run/tackling. He is a massive upgrade at the position for the Texans in either respect.
NEW YORK JETS SELECT CB AHMAD “SAUCE” GARDNER FROM CINCINNATI
Another team that really needed to address the secondary and did so with one of the two most talented corners in the draft. As with the Stingley pick, a zone team takes a press-man cover corner with its pick. It should be interesting to see how Saleh works Gardner into his defensive scheme. One thing to the Jets advantage is that Gardner excels in defending the deep vertical routes which are a big need for corners in a Seattle Cover 3 defense.

8:41 PM: Catching up with the action, arrived just in time for the fifth overall pick from the NEW YORK GIANTS, who select DE/EDGE KAYVON THIBODEAUX FROM OREGON. That’s now five defensive picks in a row to start the draft. Not shocking, but the top offensive tackles look to be dropping.
Thibodeaux, the pass rusher from Oregon, was a near-consensus first overall pick in many mock drafts before the 2021 college football season started, however, a hot and cold 2021 season raised some questions about Thibodeaux’s motor. Thibodeaux is an outgoing person with many varied interests who should thrive in the bright lights of New York City.

8:50 PM: CAROLINA SELECTS IKEM EKWONU FROM N.C. STATE! “Ickey” Ekwonu is a strong run defender who could use work in his pass protection, which means playing as a LT might not happen immediately, but he could be an immediate starter at LG, which is also an area of need for Carolina. The Panthers have a real good RT, Taylor Moton, who is specifically a right tackle, so don’t expect Ekwonu to start there.

8:55 PM: THE NEW YORK GIANTS SELECT OT EVAN NEAL FROM ALABAMA! With Andrew Thomas having a strong year at the LT spot, the question is which one plays on the blind side and which one plays on the right. Neal has experience in both spots, so we could see him play RT in year one.

9:02 PM: ATLANTA SELECTS WR DRAKE LONDON FROM USC! The WR-needy Falcons take the highest-ceiling WR in the draft, Drake London. London is NFL-ready as a Z (possession receiver) and should fit in well with TE Kyle Pitts as a dynamic 1-2 punch in the passing game for Marcus Mariota.

9:09 PM: SEATTLE SELECTS LT CHARLES CROSS FROM MISSISSIPPI STATE! If there was ever a need for a team, it is offensive line for the Seattle Seahawks. Cross is regarded by many as the pass protecting offensive lineman in the draft and has a good chance to start right away at left tackle for the Seahawks. Cross played in Mike Leach’s extremely pass-happy offense in Starkville and might be a work in progress in run blocking at the NFL level, but definitely a blue chip pick for a team that desperately needed help at the position.

9:16 PM: THE NEW YORK JETS SELECT WR GARRETT WILSON FROM OHIO STATE!
The Jets make a strong addition to another area of need by taking Wilson, likely the best all-around receiver in the draft. Wilson can play X or Z and will be an upgrade on either spot (with apologies to Corey Davis). He should start right away.

9:17 PM: Our first trade! WASHINGTON TRADES THE 11TH OVERALL PICK TO NEW ORLEANS. The Saints already traded with the Eagles for an additional first round pick and have now moved up in the draft to the 11th overall pick. The Saints traded the 16th, 98th, and 120th picks to Washington for the right to move up five spots.

9:24 PM: NEW ORLEANS SELECTS WR CHRIS OLAVE FROM OHIO STATE!
Chris Olave is a true X receiver that will pair nicely with another Buckeye alum, WR Michael Thomas. Olave is a fast receiver but the question on him is whether he has much in the way of elusiveness or would he be best as more of a pure vertical receiver.

9:26 PM: After no trades in the top 10, each of the next two picks are dealt. Minnesota trades their 12th overall pick to their division rival Detroit Lions. The Lions sent the 32nd, 34th, and 66th picks to the Vikings, their next three scheduled selections. The Lions pick next at number 97.

9:31 PM: DETROIT SELECTS JAMESON WILLIAMS, WR, ALABAMA! The Lions get in on the WR run by taking Jameson Williams. Williams is probably the fastest receiver of the first rounders. He is explosive and can give you a lot of value after the catch. His knock was essentially tearing his ACL in the National Championship game, which might cost him the first month of two of his rookie season. The Lions will be pretty bad in 2021, so there is no real rush to have him in the lineup. He will be a true #1 receiver if he heals the way he should.

9:41 PM: Another trade! The Texans were due to make the 13th pick, but have traded it to the Eagles for the 15th, 124th, 162nd, and 166th picks, so the Texans get a third pick for the fourth round and two picks in the fifth round.

PHILADELPHIA SELECTS NT JORDAN DAVIS FROM GEORGIA! Jordan Davis was a monster in the middle for Georgia. Despite participating in less than 40% of the defensive snaps for Georgia last season, he was given Heisman consideration. He’s got great agility for a nose but his primary job is as a dominant run-stuffer in the middle. He’s definitely a two-down player but a great player to have for those run downs. The Ravens at 14 were almost certain to take Davis, so the Eagles needed to make this move to get their guy.

9:47 PM: BALTIMORE SELECTS S KYLE HAMILTON!
Hamilton was getting top 5 (and even #1 overall) consideration before the NFL Combine. He ran a poor time in the 40 (4.59) and his stock dropped a bit, but this was a surprising drop. Hamilton is a hybrid who can rush the passer, defender deep as a free safety, can defend tight ends (at 6’4″ 220 lbs he has the size to compete too), or be a run-stopping strong safety. The Ravens

9:51 PM: HOUSTON SELECTS KENYON GREEN, G, TEXAS A&M!
The Texans take one of the highest-rated guards in the draft, Green is a road grader, but should be versatile enough to be an effective zone blocker in the Texans blocking scheme. The Texans had many needs and this pick definitely addressed a big one in the interior of their offensive line. He’s NFL-ready and is, frankly, a significant upgrade over either the left or right guard, but would expect him to start at LG this year.

9:57 PM: WASHINGTON SELECTS JAHAN DOTSON, WR, PENN STATE!
Now the sixth wide receiver goes in the top 17 to the Commanders. Dotson might have the best hands in the draft and has the ability to play inside or outside. However, his size probably prevents him from being a true X receiver but he fills a need in the slot.

9:59 PM: THE LOS ANGELES CHARGERS SELECT ZION JOHNSON, G, BOSTON COLLEGE!
So a real trend in the draft – pass rushers and corners went early, then the offensive tackles, then the big run on wide receivers, and now the interior linemen on both sides of the ball are flying off the shelves. With the 18th pick, the Chargers take Zion Johnson from Boston College, a big road grader addition to the offensive line. He was a tackle at BC, but he’s better in a phone booth and the shift over to RG should serve him (and Justin Herbert) well. Might be a bit of a risk in the zone blocking scheme.

10:08 PM: A HUGE TRADE – the Eagles trade the 18th pick and a third to the Titans for WR A.J. Brown! Brown and the Titans were having a contract dispute, so it makes sense from that perspective, but a big win-now move for the Eagles in a position of need. The Titans also receive the 101st pick from the Eagles, a comp pick at the end of the third round.

TENNESSEE SELECTS TREYLON BURKS, WR, ARKANSAS!
So the Titans take Brown’s replacement with this pick, a player that Burks was directly compared to throughout the draft process. On tape, Burks is a punishing Z receiver that was largely the only real receiving option for Arkansas, so he can excel with any and all sorts of SEC coverages. His testing season was awful though, and that likely caused his stock to drop from the low to high teens.

10:14 PM: NEW ORLEANS SELECTS TREVOR PENNING, LT, NORTH DAKOTA STATE!
With LT Terron Armstead leaving the Saints to Miami, the Saints draft his replacement, Trevor Penning, a mauler from North Dakota State. The question on him will be how quickly can he adapt to the NFL game since he played in FCS – and that is a valid concern.

10:19 PM: PITTSBURGH SELECTS KENNY PICKETT, QB, PITTSBURGH!
The Steelers takes the draft’s first QB and goes for the NFL-ready floor of Kenny Pickett. Pickett doesn’t have the flashy projection of Malik Willis, but should challenge for the starting job right away. Pickett has played for five seasons at Pitt at Heinz Field, so there is a lot of familiarity on both sides of the equation.

10:25 PM: Yet another trade – the Chiefs move up to 21, as the Patriots trade down. The Patriots get the 29th, 94th (third rounder), and 121st (fourth rounder).

KANSAS CITY SELECTS TRENT MCDUFFIE, CB, WASHINGTON!
McDuffie (5’11” 193) is a taaaad undersized but excels in press-man coverage and is an avid tackler. The Chiefs have run an aggressive defensive which requires their corners to play man, so this is a really good fit. He could end up being as good or better than Stingley or Gardner and could play immediately. The pressure will be on though, as the Chiefs need him to start more or less immediately

GREEN BAY SELECTS QUAY WALKER, ILB, GEORGIA
Walker gets picked ahead of his teammate Nakobe Dean and Utah MLB Devin Lloyd, which is interesting, but Walker could have the higher ceiling (I’m big on Lloyd but can see the tools in Walker).

Arizona trades the 23rd and 100th picks to Baltimore for WR Marquise “Hollywood” Brown! A surprising trade but a pretty good one for Baltimore. They get a first and late third for a decent but inconsistent WR, while Arizona gets… yet another wide receiver…?
Baltimore then turns around and sends the 23rd pick to Buffalo for the 25th and 130th picks. So

BUFFALO SELECTS KAIIR ELAM, CB, FLORIDA!
The Bills move up two spots from 25 to 23 and select Kaiir Elam, a corner from Florida that specialized in zone defense. This fills a position of need regardless of whether CB Tre’Davious White is ready Week 1 as White recovers from his torn ACL. He can get overmatched in man.

10:44 PM: DALLAS SELECTS TYLER SMITH, RT, TULSA!
Smith played left tackle at Tulsa but is best suited to play on the right side in the NFL. He’s a powerful blocker who excels in the run game and has the potential to be a real good pass blocker, but is not quite there yet. Luckily, RT is a position of need in Dallas. He’s a bit of a hothead at time, and there is a fine line between being a nasty blocker and going too far and committing penalties. The Cowboys will love the aggressiveness but will want to harness it.

10:52 PM: BALTIMORE SELECTS TYLER LINDERBAUM, C, IOWA!
Centres don’t go early, but Linderbaum is what you’d expect from an offensive lineman from Iowa, a strong offensive lineman with a wrestling background. Linderbaum is a bit undersized and has short arms but if he gets his hands on defensive linemen, he will be a handful to deal with.

10;58 PM: The Jets move back into the first round, getting the 26th overall pick from the Tennessee Titans. They also receive the 101st pick (that the Titans got in the Philadelphia trade) in exchange for the 35th (second round), 69th (third), and 163rd (fifth) picks

THE NEW YORK JETS SELECT JERMAINE JOHNSON, DE, FLORIDA STATE!
Jermaine Johnson II is a power rusher/run stuffing specialist from Florida State. Johnson moved around a bit in college and took advantage of the extra year of eligibility to vault himself into first round consideration. He’s a 4-3 DE which should be a good fit in the Jets defense, though he does overlap with DE John Franklin-Myers in terms of his out-of-the-box abilities.

11:07 PM: Jacksonville follows the Jets lead and trades back into the first round, getting the 27th pick from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs trade back six spots to 33 and also receive the 106th (fourth round), and 180th picks (sixth).

JACKSONVILLE SELECTS DEVIN LLOYD, MLB, UTAH!
And what a pick the Jaguars make! Lloyd had some top 15 projections but ends up dropping to 27. Lloyd is a do-it all linebacker who is a tackling machine both in coverage and in stopping the run. He’s versatile enough to rush the passer add value as a pass rusher or play sideline-to-sideline in coverage. He’s a three-down linebacker who will contribute immediately. The one knocks is that his top-end speed is not as fast as you’d hope but his anticipation makes up for at least some of it.

11:15 PM: GREEN BAY SELECTS DEVONTE WYATT, DT, GEORGIA!
The Packers go back to Georgia to take interior lineman Devonte Wyatt. Wyatt didn’t quite get the attention that Jordan Davis got, but he was also a monster on that ridiculous Georgia d-line (that also saw Travon Walker go #1 overall). His calling card is his quickness, as he has the ability to use his agility to beat zone blockers in the run game and can be a factor as an interior pass rusher; however, he might get overpowered by NFL guards unless he adds some size/strength. Wyatt is a three-technique at the NFL level but could also contribute as a 3-4 DE.

11:21 PM: NEW ENGLAND SELECTS COLE STRANGE, G, CHATTANOOGA
The Pats go a bit off the board to take an FCS guard who has the versatility to play at either guard position or centre. Of course, as with Penning earlier, there will likely be a learning curve that limits his readiness. His play strentgh

11:22 PM: KANSAS CITY SELECTS GEORGE KARLAFTIS, DE, PURDUE
Karlaftis is a power rusher with a relentless motor who had his best stats in the 2019 season. He’s also a good run stopper from the DE position. He’s a good fit for KC as he is best suited to play in a 4-3 base. If he can play the way he played in 2019, he could step in and start right away for the Chiefs.

11:31 PM: CINCINNATI SELECTS DAXTON HILL, FS, MICHIGAN
Hill is a versatile member of the secondary who can play free safety or slot corner in man or zone schemes. Interestingly, the Bengals, at least presently, have a good free safety and slot corner in Jessie Bates (franchise tagged by Cincinnati but yet to sign his tender) and Mike Hilton. Will the Bengals trade either of their established players or wait a year for Hill to mature?

11:34 PM: MINNESOTA SELECTS LEWIS CINE, SS, GEORGIA
The Vikings use the final pick of the first round on Lewis Cine, a physical safety who excels in the box. This definitely raises questions regarding the future of their incumbent strong safety Harrison Smith, who has been with the team since 2014. Cine is well suited to be a strong safety but doesn’t hold much positional versatility, as he is ill-suited to be a free safety and not big enough to be a passing down linebacker. He’s a thumper though, and he’ll be a big part of the Vikings run defense.

FIRST ROUND PICK ORDER
1. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS – TRAVON WALKER, DE, GEORGIA
2. DETROIT LIONS – AIDAN HUTCHINSON, DE, MICHIGAN
3. HOUSTON TEXANS – DEREK STINGLEY, JR, CB, LSU
4. NEW YORK JETS – AHMAD “SAUCE” GARDNER, CB, CINCINNATI
5. NEW YORK GIANTS – KAYVON THIBODEAUX, EDGE, OREGON
6. CAROLINA PANTHERS – IKEM “ICKEY” EKWONU, OT, N.C. STATE
7. NEW YORK GIANTS (FROM CHICAGO) – EVAN NEAL, OT, ALABAMA
8. ATLANTA FALCONS – DRAKE LONDON, WR, USC
9. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (FROM DENVER) – CHARLES CROSS, OT, MISSISSIPPI STATE
10. NEW YORK JETS (FROM SEATTLE) – GARRETT WILSON, WR, OHIO STATE
11. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (FROM WASHINGTON) – CHRIS OLAVE, WR, OHIO STATE
12. DETROIT LIONS (FROM MINNESOTA) – JAMESON WILLIAMS, WR, ALABAMA
13. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (FROM CLEVELAND VIA HOUSTON) – JORDAN DAVIS, NT, GEORGIA
14. BALTIMORE RAVENS – KYLE HAMILTON, S, NOTRE DAME
15. HOUSTON TEXANS (FROM MIAMI VIA PHILADELPHIA) – KENYON GREEN, G, TEXAS A&M
16. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (FROM INDIANAPOLIS VIA PHILADELPHIA AND NEW ORLEANS) – JAHAN DOTSON, WR, PENN STATE
17. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS – ZION JOHNSON, G, BOSTON COLLEGE
18. TENNESSEE TITANS (FROM NEW ORLEANS VIA PHILADELPHIA) – TREYLON BURKS, WR, ARKANSAS
19. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (FROM PHILADELPHIA) – TREVOR PENNING, LT, NORTH DAKOTA STATE
20. PITTSBURGH STEELERS – KENNY PICKETT, QB, PITTSBURGH
21. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (FROM NEW ENGLAND) – TRENT MCDUFFIE, CB, WASHINGTON
22. GREEN BAY PACKERS (FROM LAS VEGAS) – QUAY WALKER, ILB, GEORGIA
23. BUFFALO BILLS (FROM ARIZONA VIA BALTIMORE) – KAIIR ELAM, CB, FLORIDA
24. DALLAS COWBOYS – TYLER SMITH, RT, TULSA
25. BALTIMORE RAVENS (FROM BUFFALO) – TYLER LINDERBAUM, C, IOWA
26. NEW YORK JETS (FROM TENNESSEE TITANS) – JERMAINE JOHNSON, DE, FLORIDA STATE
27. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (FROM TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS) – DEVIN LLOYD, MLB, UTAH
28. GREEN BAY PACKERS – DEVONTE WYATT, DT, GEORGIA
29. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (FROM SAN FRANCISCO VIA MIAMI AND KANSAS CITY) – COLE STRANGE, G, CHATTANOOGA
30. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS – GEORGE KARLAFTIS, DE, PURDUE
31. CINCINNATI BENGALS – DAXTON HILL, S, MICHIGAN
32. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (FROM LA RAMS VIA DETROIT) – LEWIS CINE, S, GEORGIA

IMMEDIATE OBSERVATIONS FROM ROUND ONE

1. Malik Willis is still available
After some rumours had him going as high as second overall, Malik Willis is still available. The second round is definitely not a stretch for a QB like Willis, who comes from the independent FBS school Liberty and will require some development. The most interesting development concerning Willis was that the Steelers – a team that was said to be very high on him and possibly willing to trade into the top 10 to get him – decide to go local and take Pitt QB Kenny Pickett with their selection at 20. You could see teams like the Giants at 36, Seahawks at 40 and 41, or Falcons at 43 re-assess their options at the position as we go further along, though if a team really wants him, my guess is they’ll trade up. The other question is whether those teams (and others) are punting on QB this year and looking forward to the crop of QB talent in 2023.

2. Trades! Trades! Trades!
After the teams with the first 10 picks heading into draft day did not make a move, trades went fast and furious for the rest of the round. In the end, nine trades were made on draft night, including those of two wide receivers: A.J. Brown went from Tennessee to Philadelphia (and signed a 4-year, $100 million contract!!!) for a first and a third, while Marquise Brown went from Baltimore to Arizona for a first and a late third. These trades seemed to underscore a recent trend, that top tier wide receivers can easily fetch first rounders – and maybe also receivers a little under that tier. If San Francisco is interested in trading Deebo Samuel, the haul will need to be astronomical if the Browns each got a first and third.

3. Georgia HC Kirby Smart got all the free publicity he could ever need
Those who follow college football, including high calibre prep prospects, knew that the Georgia Bulldogs defense was historic, leading the university to its first national championship since 1980, but with five Dawgs going in the first round, those recruits also know that Georgia develops first round talent. It all started with the first overall pick, with toolsy DE Travon Walker going to the Jacksonville Jaguars, becoming the first defensive player to go first overall since DE Myles Garrett did in 2017. NT Jordan Davis was next to go, at 13 to Philadelphia, then the Packers took two Dawgs – ILB Quay Walker at 22 and DT Devonte Wyatt at 28, and rounded up with SS Lewis Cine going to the Vikings with the final pick of the round. Georgia routinely finishes near the top of the recruitment ratings, given their standing in the prospect-rich state of Georgia, and the south in general, but Smart has turned this potential into dominant play, which will serve him well as he battles the soon-to-be 15 other SEC teams for talent, with Texas and Oklahoma to join the conference in time for the 2025 football season.

4. This draft is abundant in reaches and drops
Travon Walker had a late first round grade prior to the testing/Combine season, while Kyle Hamilton had a top 5 grade. On Day 1 on the NFL Draft, Walker went first and Hamilton went 14th. While the Hamilton drop was surprising, there were other big drops in the draft: Jermaine Johnson was thought to be a fringe top 10 pick and went to the Jets at 26 (many had him going there at 10), Ickey Ekwonu and Evan Neal were expected to go early – and still did, going 6th to the Falcons and 7th to the Giants, respectively – while Willis and Georgia LB Nakobe Dean surprisingly weren’t selected at all. These results may not be too surprising after all: this draft is deep in terms of NFL-calibre talent but light in terms of franchise-changing players. At least that’s how it seems right now. Biggest reaches? Jahan Dotson at 16 to Washington and Cole Strange at 29 to New England stand out as the biggest. Dotson, while a very productive receiver at Penn State, has size limitations that may restrict him to the slot at the next level. He had some buzz around in the early second but got the middle pick of the first round. Strange, a guard at FCS school Chattanooga with some intriguing tools went to the Patriots, a full round (or more) earlier than projected. However, Bill Belichick does not agree with this assessment. I’m certain that many see myself and many Twitter wags as better talent evaluators than the greatest coach of all time, so we’ll obviously be proven right in the end.

All Purpose Yards’ coverage of the NFL Draft will continue with Day 2 tomorrow, where the second and third round picks will be selected. Hope to see you there!

Coach: Ron Rivera
Offensive Coordinator: Scott Turner
Defensive Coordinator: Jack Del Rio

Offensive scheme: Scott Turner runs a largely spread offense that relies heavily on getting playmakers the ball in space. The team generally relies on getting the ball out of the quarterback’s hands quickly, using short passes, but also leveraging Terry McLaurin to stretch the field. Washington uses a lot of run-pass options (RPOs) and rely on the quick, shifty Antonio Gibson to make reads and evade the defense behind a solid offensive line.

Defensive scheme: Washington runs a 4-2-5 as a base defense, with a defensive line that is smaller but very athletic, and a secondary that plays press man coverage, and clearly defined free and strong safeties.

The Commanders (doesn’t roll off the tongue yet… just got used to say WFT), as of April 25th, own six picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, but no picks in the third or fifth rounds. Washington swapped second round picks and sent their third round pick to Indianapolis in the Carson Wentz trade
Commanders Draft Picks:

Round	Overall Pick	Value (JJ)	Value (RH)	Notes
1	11
2	47			From Indianapolis (Carson Wentz trade)
4	113			
6	189			
7	230
7	240			From Philadelphia via Indianapolis (Carson Wentz trade)



Total Draft Points:
Jimmy Johnson model:
Rich Hill model:

About Draft point models
The first model for assigning a point value to draft picks was designed by Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson during his time with the Dallas Cowboys. The valuations are designed to be used as a benchmark when determining the value of draft picks being traded between teams. The values are not hard coded and teams may have different valuations based on need or organizational philosophy. The Rich Hill model was derived, at least in part, due to a differing philosophy of pick value by Patriots coach Bill Belichick. As you may see in the chart above, the revised model puts an added emphasis on early picks and smooths out the value later on in the draft.

What will the Commanders do at the draft?
Washington made a move in the offseason, trading their third, a conditional second (or third) next year, and a pick swap in the second round with the Colts for beleaguered QB Carson Wentz. This opens up a number of options for the Commanders with respect to their early picks, with wide receiver being the most likely option early in the draft. Tight end and linebacker will also be areas of emphasis in this draft.

Roster Analysis
The Commanders have a decent, but very thin roster, with strengths in the trenches on both sides of the ball and potential strength in the secondary, provided there is health among the starting unit. Some of that depth eroded this offseason, with longtime RG Brandon Scherff, DT Matt Ioannidis, TE Ricky Seals-Jones, and DT Tim Settle, among others, heading to new destinations. Apart from the Wentz trade, the Commanders were very quiet, only bringing in starting LG Andrew Norwell from the Jaguars, and reserve DE Efe Obada from Buffalo.

Depth Charts
Quarterback
Starter: Carson Wentz
Reserves: Taylor Heinicke
Expected Draft Action: Depth. The Commanders have attempted to solve their QB issues by acquiring Wentz from the Colts (whether it actually does solve the issue is another question), though they currently only have two quarterbacks on their roster. It seems likely that Washington will either draft a QB late or sign a UDFA to fill the third QB spot.
Potential Fit: EJ Perry, Brown; Brock Purdy, Iowa State; Cole Kelley, Southeastern Louisiana

Running Back
Starter: Antonio Gibson
Reserves: JD McKissic, Jaret Patterson, Jonathan Williams, Reggie Bonnafon, Alex Armah FB
Expected Draft Action: Depth. The Commanders have a well-defined bell cow back – Gibson finished sixth in rushing yards (1037) in 2021 and the fourth-most carries (258) – and a running back that is employed almost exclusively on third-down, JD McKissic. Jaret Patterson, a rookie last season, is the reserve. After that, the depth thins quickly.
Potential Fit: D’vonte Price, FIU; Isiah Pacheco, Rutgers; Bam Knight, NC State; Sincere McCormick, UTSA; Keaontay Ingram, USC; Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss

Wide Receiver
Starters: X Terry McLaurin, Z Cam Sims, Slot Curtis Samuel
Reserves: X Dyami Brown, Antonio Gandy-Golden; Z Kelvin Harmon, Marken Michel; Slot Dax Milne
Expected Draft Action: Possession receiver and depth. The Terry McLaurin contract situation complicates things here, but this is a team in need of depth at the wide receiver position. Out of the reserves, only Dyami Brown has any real potential to be a featured part of the offense (and he may get the spot opposite McLaurin either way) and Samuel is coming off an injury-riddled season where he appeared in only five games and even that seemed to be a stretch. Given the needs of the team, taking a WR at 11 might be their best bet, especially if it’s Drake London. Otherwise, they’ll need depth, whether it’s in the draft or in the free agent market.
Potential fit: Z Drake London, USC; Treylon Burks, Arkansas; Alec Pierce, Cincinnati; Erik Ezukanma, Texas Tech; David Bell, Purdue
Slot Khalil Shakir, Boise State; Wan’Dale Robinson, Kentucky; Calvin Austin, Memphis; Bo Melton, Rutgers

Tight End
Starters: Logan Thomas
Reserves: John Bates, Sammis Reyes, Dylan Cantrell
Expected Draft Action: Depth/future starter. The Commanders let Ricky Seals-Jones walk in free agency and are hoping (more than expecting) that Logan Thomas can have a bounce-back season after tearing his ACL late in the 2021 season. He is expected to be ready for the start of the season, but a 31 year old coming off an ACL injury may not be the type of basket you wish to put all your eggs in. My projections are based on getting a player that is more of an in-line/Y TE, but they could also go for a replacement for Thomas, such as Greg Dulcich from UCLA or Isaiah Likely from Coastal Carolina.
Projected fits: Cade Otton, Washington; Trey McBride, Colorado State; Jelani Woods, Virginia; Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State; Daniel Bellinger, San Diego State; Isaiah Likely, Coastal Carolina; Chase Allen, Iowa State;

Offensive Line
Starters: LT Charles Leno, LG Andrew Norwell, C Chase Roullier, RG Wes Schweitzer, RT Samuel Cosmi
Reserves: T Saahdiq Charles, Cornelius Lucas; G Beau Benzschawel, Shaq Calhoun, Nolan Laufenberg, Zack Bailey; C Tyler Larsen, Keith Ismael, Jon Toth
Expected Draft Action: None. It seems odd to advocate NOT taking an offensive lineman, but this unit is expected to be above-average, even with the departure of longtime RG Brandon Scherff to Jacksonville. Cosmi was drafted in the second round last season and stepped right in to do a good job at RT. Charles Leno Jr came in as a free agent from Chicago and performed well at the other bookend spot. When Scherff had injury issues last season, Schweitzer stepped in and performed admirably, which made the decision to part with Scherff a lot easier. When LG Ereck Flowers was surprisingly cut in March, Washington picked up Andrew Norwell in free agency, and Roullier is one of the better centres in the league. Saahdiq Charles is a serviceable reserve that has the versatility to play tackle or guard, and Larsen and Ismael are more than capable backups on the interior.

Defensive Line
Starters: DE Chase Young, Montez Sweat; 3T Jonathan Allen; NT Daron Payne
Reserves: DE Efe Obada, James Smith-Williams, Casey Toohill, Bunmi Rotimi, Will Bradley-King, Shaka Toney; Jalen Jelks; 3T Tyler Clark; NT Daniel Wise, David Bada
Expected Draft Action: Depth. One of the rare teams that runs a consistent four man front, has one of the best defensive line units, at least on paper, of any team in the league. Allen and Payne are stalwarts and have the added advantage of being strong pass rushers from the inside. Before Young got hurt, he and Montez Sweat were one of the more dynamic pass rushing pairs in the league (even if Young wasn’t getting the sacks he got in his dominant rookie season). This unit, however, is in dire need of depth, especially after losing key reserves Matt Ioannidis and Tim Settle in free agency.
Potential Fits: DE Alex Wright, UAB; Zach Carter, Florida; Micheal Clemons, Texas A&M, Tyreke Smith, Ohio State
3T: Thomas Booker, Stanford; Kalia Davis, UCF
NT: Jayden Peevy, Texas A&M; DJ Davidson, Arizona State; Otito Ogbonnia, UCLA

Linebackers
Starters: WLB Jamin Davis, MLB Cole Holcomb
Reserves: WLB David Mayo, De’Jon Harris; MLB Khaleke Hudson, Milo Eifler
Expected Draft Action: Depth. Jamin Davis had his struggles as the MLB in the Washington defense last season, and it appears that the solution from Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio is to switch the positions for Holcomb, who has positional versatility, and Davis, so that Davis plays on the weakside. This may aid in Davis’ development as he can be more instinctive without the pressure of the defense’s leadership role. Most of all, the team needs depth. Mayo has some NFL experience, but the rest of the linebacker corps is very green or special teamers only.
Potential fit: Aaron Hansford, Texas A&M (MLB/WLB), Zakoby McClain, Auburn (WLB), Jake Hansen (MLB/SLB), Terrel Bernard, Baylor (WLB/FS), JoJo Domann, Nebraska (WLB/SS)

Cornerbacks
Starters: William Jackson III, Benjamin St-Juste, Kendall Fuller
Reserves: Danny Johnson, Corn Elder, Troy Apke
Expected Draft Action: Depth. Injuries helped derail the seasons of Jackson (his first in Washington) and St-Juste (his first in the league), but the Commanders are hopeful of bounce-back seasons for both corners in the 2022 season. Along with slot corner Kendall Fuller, Washington has the talent to be strong in the secondary. Johnson and Elder are suitable reserves, but the Commanders should be looking at boosting their depth.
Potential fits: Jalyn Armour-Davis, Alabama; Alontae Taylor, Tennessee; Joshua Williams, Fayetteville State; Roger McCreary, Auburn; Tariq Woolen, UTSA

Safeties
Starters: FS Bobby McCain, SS Kamren Curl
Reserves: FS Jeremy Reaves, SS Darrick Forrest
Expected Draft Action: Depth. With the departure of Landon Collins from the team following the season, the strong safety job goes to Kamren Curl, who is a more natural fit for the position, while the free safety duties will likely be undertaken by Bobby McCain, with Kendall Fuller taking the role on occasion. There is a total lack of depth at the strong safety position, where the team may look to the draft to fill the role. Don’t discount the possibility of a hybrid being taken, such as JoJo Domann from Nebraska, Jalen Pitre from Baylor, or Tycen Anderson from Toledo.
Potential fit: Pitre, Anderson, Domann; Smoke Monday, Auburn; Yusuf Corker, Kentucky; Delarrin Turner-Yell, Oklahoma

Coach: Pete Carroll
Offensive Coordinator: Shane Waldron
Defensive Coordinator: Clint Hurtt

Offensive scheme: Waldron was a former assistant with Sean McVay in Los Angeles, and runs a similar style of offense, which is similar to the Mike Shanahan style that McVay, Kyle Shanahan, and the LaFleurs run – heavy pre-snap motion, misdirection, and cross routes designed to confuse the defense and open up space for receivers. In the run game, the team runs an outside zone concept, which is an outside run attack (to TE outside shoulder) in which the offensive line blocks in space between the defensive line and the runner and sideline.

Defensive scheme: For nearly two decades, Pete Carroll’s Cover 3 defense has spawned numerous copycats throughout the league, with many of Carroll’s former defensive coordinators taking the Seattle defense to teams across the league. The Seattle defense is predicated on three deep defenders, generally a free safety and the two outside corners, zone defense in the middle with a slot/nickel corner, a dedicated strong safety, and the inside linebackers, and a four man rush, which can be four down linemen, or an stand-up edge rusher. The short/intermediate defenders need to be able/willing tacklers and able to defend in space.

The Seahawks, as of April 22nd, own eight picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, which include a first, second, and fifth round picks, as part of the haul in the Russell Wilson trade to Denver. The pick in the first replaces their pick, which now sits with the Jets after the Jamal Adams trade
Seahawks Draft Picks:

Round	Overall Pick	Value (JJ)	Value (RH)	Notes
1	9	1350	387	From Denver (Russell Wilson trade)
2	40	500	149	From Denver (Russell Wilson trade)
2	41	490	146
3	72	230	67
4	109	76	32	From Jets (Jamal Adams trade)
5	152	29	12	From Denver (Russell Wilson trade)
5	153	28.6	12
7	229	1	3

Total Draft Points:
Jimmy Johnson model: 2704.6
Rich Hill model: 808

About Draft point models
The first model for assigning a point value to draft picks was designed by Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson during his time with the Dallas Cowboys. The valuations are designed to be used as a benchmark when determining the value of draft picks being traded between teams. The values are not hard coded and teams may have different valuations based on need or organizational philosophy. The Rich Hill model was derived, at least in part, due to a differing philosophy of pick value by Patriots coach Bill Belichick. As you may see in the chart above, the revised model puts an added emphasis on early picks and smooths out the value later on in the draft.

What will the Seahawks do at the draft?
The Russell Wilson trade was the most apparent signal that the Seahawks are headed for a rebuild. With the ninth pick, there has been very little mention of a quarterback, which could mean that this position is being punted to the 2023 draft, or they are going to take a run at getting Baker Mayfield. Either way, the Seahawks now have a number of holes to fill in their lineup with the exodus of talent in the past few seasons.

Roster Analysis
The headliner of the offseason for the Seahawks was the departure of QB Russell Wilson via trade to the Denver Broncos, but another significant move took place this offseason as Bobby Wagner also left the team, as he signed with the defending champion Rams. With the two leaders of the respective units gone, a rebuild looms for the first time in over a decade in Seattle. Other key departures: TE Gerald Everett to the Chargers, CB DJ Reed to the Jets, and essentially all of the offensive line. LT Duane Brown is in discussions with the team for a return to the team, but has not signed to this point. DT Shelby Harris, TE Noah Fant, and QB Drew Lock were part of the return in the Wilson trade, while EDGE Uchenna Nwosu and nickel CBs Justin Coleman and Artie Burns were signed by the club.

Depth Charts
Quarterback
Starter: Drew Lock
Reserves: Geno Smith, Jacob Eason
Expected Draft Action: Depth. The Seahawks have not made any aggressive overtures about selecting a quarterback in the first round, which may be true or a smokescreen but, given how Carroll-era Seahawks love “competition”, they may opt to go with a pick later in the draft. The other option for them would be to trade for an established QB like Baker Mayfield.
Potential fits: Malik Willis, Liberty; Matt Corral, Ole Miss; Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati; Sam Howell, UNC; Carson Strong, Nevada; Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky

Running Back
Starters: Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny
Reserves: DeeJay Dallas, Travis Homer, Josh Johnson, Darwin Thompson
Expected Draft Action: None. Carson is an underrated RB when healthy, but unfortunately, he does miss a lot of time, including the last 13 games of 2021; Penny was signed on a one-year, $5.75 million “prove it” deal, after a sensational last five weeks of the season; Travis Homer is a good third down/change of pace back, while DeeJay Dallas has the potential to be a lead back in the future. There’s plenty of options here, meaning the team is unlikely to use draft capital on a new back.

Wide Receiver
Starters: X Tyler Lockett, Z DK Metcalf, Slot Freddie Swain
Reserves: X Aaron Fuller; Z Cade Johnson; Slot D’Wayne Eskridge, Penny Hart, Matt Cole, Cody Thompson
Expected Draft Action: Depth. The Seahawks are in decent shape at the skill positions, especially at WR with Lockett and Metcalf. Their issue is who is throwing them the ball. The Seahawks could use some depth though, especially outside of the slot.
Potential fit: X Danny Gray, SMU; Kevin Austin, Notre Dame; Tyquan Thornton, Baylor
Z: -Makai Polk, Mississippi State; Alec Pierce, Cincinnati; Erik Ezukanma, Texas A&M

Tight End
Starters: Noah Fant, Will Dissly
Reserves: Colby Parkinson, Tyler Mabry
Expected Draft Action: None. The Seahawks received Noah Fant in the Wilson trade to go along with incumbent Will Dissly. Fant is a productive receiver, hauling in 60+ passes each of the past two seasons for right around 670 yards per season. He has the athleticism to be a move (F) TE while also having the ability to play in-line (Y) and be a factor in the run blocking/pass protection side of the position. He hasn’t progressed quite how the Broncos would’ve liked, but he will still be 24 when the season starts and there is opportunity for him to be a significant part of the plans on offense for the Seahawks this season.

Offensive Line
Starters: LT Stone Forsythe, LG Damien Lewis, C Austin Blythe, RG Gabe Jackson, RT Jake Curhan
Reserves: T Greg Eiland, G Phil Haynes, Pier-Olivier Lestage, C Kyle Fuller, Dakoda Shepley
Expected Draft Action: Starters, up to 4. This offensive line looks unfinished. Forsythe is a sixth rounder for 2021 who has 14 career snaps under his belt on offense. Curhan played 40% of the team’s snaps as an rookie UDFA and predictably struggled. Kyle Fuller got the first taste of starting in his career and really struggled – the Seahawks brought in Austin Blythe, a starter with the Rams before backing up at KC last year, to take over as the starting centre. Gabe Jackson is the established player on this line, but he needs help, a lot of it. The Seahawks are in a position to take two starting tackles in this draft (or beg Duane Brown to come back to take one of those spots). In this piece, I’m predicting a new LT and RT in the draft.
Potential Fits: LT Evan Neal, Alabama; LT/RT Ickey Ekwonu, NC State; LT Charles Cross, Ole Miss; LT Abraham Lucas, Washington
RT Tyler Smith, Tulsa; Max Mitchell, Louisiana; Rasheed Walker, Michigan State; G/T Jamaree Salyer, Georgia; G/T Spencer Buford, UTSA; Vederian Lowe, Illinois

Defensive Line
Starters: DE Shelby Harris, 3T Quinton Jefferson, NT Poona Ford
Reserves: DE LJ Collier, Alex Tchangam; 3T Al Woods, Jarrod Hewitt, Myles Adams; NT Bryan Mone, Niles Scott
Expected Draft Action: Depth. The two-deep on the defensive line is credible with the additions of Shelby Harris and Quinton Jefferson. They’ll expect more of out Collier this season but a 3-4 end with pass rushing capabilities may be sought after in the later rounds.
Potential Fits:
DT:

Pass Rushers
Starter: Uchenna Nwosu
Reserves: Darrell Taylor, Alton Robinson
Expected Draft Action: Depth. While Taylor has shown promise and Nwosu is a good pass rusher, the team will likely look to add depth in the draft. A pick on Day 2 makes a lot of sense here.
Potential Fits: Nik Bonitto, Oklahoma; Arnold Ebiketie, Penn State; DeAngelo Malone, Western Kentucky; Dominique Robinson, Miami (Ohio); Christopher Allen, Alabama; Myjai Sanders, Cincinnati; Tyree Johnson, Texas A&M

Linebackers
Starters: WLB Jordyn Brooks, MLB Cody Barton
Reserves: WLB Jon Rhattigan, Ben Burr-Kirven, Lakiem Williams; MLB Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Tanner Muse, Aaron Donkor
Expected Draft Action: MLB. Cody Barton will likely get the unenviable task of having to replace a franchise institution in Bobby Wagner, but there may also be an opportunity to draft a replacement here.
Potential fit: MLB Channing Tindall, Alabama; Nakobe Dean, Georgia; Damone Clark, LSU (will miss 2022 after spinal fusion surgery); Troy Andersen, Montana STate; Aaron Hansford, Texas A&M

Cornerbacks
Starters: Artie Burns, Sidney Jones, Justin Coleman
Reserves: Tre Brown, John Reid, Ugo Amadi, Mike Jackson
Expected Draft Action: Depth. This unit is a shell of its former self. However, when Sidney Jones plays, he is capable, but last year was his first as a starter, and the first in which he didn’t miss significant time. Artie Burns was terrible in Pittsburgh as a starter but played a lot better in Chicago as a nickel corner. He’ll likely be expected to go back outside in Seattle, as the Seahawks brought Justin Coleman back to the team. Both players are on very team-friendly deals. The team should look at an option as a outside corner proficient in cover 3 at the very least as cover for the oft-injured Jones and Burns, who himself is two years removed from a torn ACL.
Potential fits: Kaiir Elam, Florida; Andrew Booth, Clemson; Kyler Gordon, Washington; Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska; Alontae Taylor, Tennessee; Zyon McCollum, Sam Houston State

Safeties
Starters: FS Quandre Diggs, SS Jamal Adams
Reserves: FS Marquise Blair, SS Ryan Neal, Nigel Warrior
Expected Draft Action: None. They could go for a project at free safety as an eventual replacement for Diggs, who is on the wrong side of 30. The segmented roles of the safeties in the Seattle Cover 3 defense work well for each player’s strengths – Adams is poor in coverage but great near the line of scrimmage, while Diggs is an effective free safety playing in centre field. The team has significant needs at other positions and the expectation is that they’ll fill those other needs before they go after a safety. Someone like Taylor-Britt could be drafted to fill the immediate need at corner while potentially learning the FS spot to eventually step in for Diggs when the need arises.

Coach: Arthur Smith
Offensive Coordinator: Dave Ragone
Defensive Coordinator: Dean Pees

Offensive scheme: In 2021, Atlanta ran pass plays on 61% of their plays, ranking in the top 10 in pass frequency, even with the absence the team encountered at the wide receiver position during the season. Personnel groupings are hard to decipher in this offense, with TE Kyle Pitts and RB Cordarrelle Patterson playing as wide receivers frequently (Pitts was split out wide on about 73% of his snaps), however the Falcons play a fullback more than most teams, with FB Keith Smith included in 24% of the team’s snaps. The running backs are expected to also be capable receivers and blockers, while the team plays two tight ends frequently. Pitts was paired with another tight end on 40% of the team’s snaps. Up front the team uses a zone blocking scheme (blocking to a space vs blocking a particular defender), mixing outside zone (RB runs to the outside of the blocking tight end, linemen block to outside shoulder of defenders in their zone), inside zone (RB to outside hip of guard, linemen block to open a hole inside), and split zone (line blocks in one direction, left or right; a blocker tracks the opposite way to block the backside defender).

Defensive scheme: Dean Pees runs a base 3-4 defense that is in nickel most of the time. His teams tend to blitz a lot, generally putting six or seven players near the line and choosing which five to send. The defense is characterized by very athletic, if smaller players, including on the defensive line. He tends to play split safeties at the back of the defense, but the safeties should also be willing to blitz, as they like to disguise the defense.

The Falcons, as of April 21st, own nine picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, including the eighth overall pick. The Julio Jones trade last year and Matt Ryan trade this offseason add closure to the previous era, and give the Falcons two extra picks in Day 2 of the draft. They could be the chips needed to be players in the QB trade market.
Falcons Draft Picks:

Round	Overall Pick	Value (JJ)	Value (RH)	Notes
1	8	1400	406
2	43	470	138
2	58	320	93	From Tennessee (Julio Jones trade)
3	74	220	64
3	82	180	54	From Indianapolis (Matt Ryan trade)
4	114	66	29
5	151	29.4	12
6	190	13.8	6	Compensatory Pick
7	213	4.6	4	From Atlanta (Lee Smith trade)

Total Draft Points:
Jimmy Johnson model: 2703.8
Rich Hill model: 806

About Draft point models
The first model for assigning a point value to draft picks was designed by Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson during his time with the Dallas Cowboys. The valuations are designed to be used as a benchmark when determining the value of draft picks being traded between teams. The values are not hard coded and teams may have different valuations based on need or organizational philosophy. The Rich Hill model was derived, at least in part, due to a differing philosophy of pick value by Patriots coach Bill Belichick. As you may see in the chart above, the revised model puts an added emphasis on early picks and smooths out the value later on in the draft.

What will the Falcons do at the draft?
Do they take a QB at 8? If they want Matt Corral, they probably don’t have any teams ahead of them that will mess things up for them. If they want Malik Willis? Well, Carolina has been strongly linked to him, while Detroit has been know to have some level of interest. Atlanta might need to trade up. Is he worth not just an early pick, but dealing trade capital to get there? Unlike other positions, teams don’t generally have a handful of prospects with starting grades, they generally like a guy and move to get him if they need to. Otherwise, the Falcons need pass rushers and wide receivers badly. It wouldn’t be surprising to see them commit five or more of their picks to these two positions.

Roster Analysis
The Falcons are somewhat unique in that their best active wide receivers are a running back and tight end. Kyle Pitts is only nominally a TE, as he plays about 27% of his snaps inline (right next to the tackle), about 40% of this snaps in the slot and the rest out wide. Cordarrelle Patterson was once a wide receiver, but now a running back who also flanks out wide on a semi-regular basis. Patterson is their best possession receiver while Pitts is their best X and slot receiver. They still desperately need a wide receiver, with the (at least) season-long suspension to star WR Calvin Ridley and losing Russell Gage in free agency, but the issue isn’t as glaring as it seems. TE Anthony Firkser was brought in from Tennessee and will almost certainly handle most of the inline TE duties. Buried in all this is the departure of longtime QB Matt Ryan, who was traded to the Colts in the fallout of the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes. The Falcons also lost LB Foye Oluokun, WR Russell Gage, TE Hayden Hurst, EDGE Dante Fowler, P Thomas Morstead, and RT Matt Gono. The Falcons signed QB Marcus Mariota, TE Anthony Firkser, EDGE Lorenzo Carter, and raided the Bears for RT Germain Ifedi, RB Damien Williams, RT Elijah Wilkinson, WR Damiere Byrd, and S Teez Tabor.

Depth Charts
Quarterback
Starter: Marcus Mariota
Reserves: Feleipe Franks
Expected Draft Action: Starter. Following the departure of Matty Ice, the Falcons only have two quarterbacks on their roster at the moment, signaling that another QB will be there, and likely before too long. Mariota is a decent QB, but he’s on a short-term deal, and is unlikely to be the long-term answer. With the draft looming, the question is does Atlanta get in early on a quarterback, find a backup later, or explore the Baker Mayfield market?
Potential fits: Matt Corral, Ole Miss; Malik Willis, Liberty; Kenny Pickett, Pitt; Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati; Sam Howell, UNC; Carson Strong, Nevada; Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky

Running Back
Starter: Cordarrelle Patterson
Reserves: Mike Davis, Damien Williams, Qadree Ollison, Caleb Huntley
Expected Draft Action: None. The Falcons added Damien Williams in free agency and now have a troika of running backs catch out of the backfield (or in Patterson’s case, from anywhere), but don’t get a ton of YPC in the run game. I don’t believe they’ll do much in the draft here, but if they do, it’ll be late, and they’ll get someone who’s as good on passing downs as on running downs.

Wide Receiver
Starters: Olamide Zaccheaus, Auden Tate, (realistically Kyle Pitts)
Reserves: Damiere Byrd, Frank Darby, KhaDarel Hodge, Austin Trammell, Chad Hansen, Cordarrelle Patterson
Expected Draft Action: Starter. Tate, Byrd, and Hodge were all picked up in free agency by the Falcons, but these receivers are all depth players. There is still a lack of starter-level talent, even when factoring in Pitts and Patterson. Calvin Ridley was suspended, but the Falcons were actively shopping him before being notified that the league was going to take action on him, so the Falcons should be addressing his replacement either way. Luckily for them, the draft lines up nicely with this positional need. I could say all receivers are a fit (and they would be, given Pitts’ versatility), but here are the fits:
Potential fit: X Garrett Wilson, Ohio State; Jameson Williams, Alabama; Chris Olave, Ohio State; Christian Watson, NDSU; Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama; George Pickens, Georgia; Danny Gray, SMU; Kevin Austin, Notre Dame; Tyquan Thornton, Baylor
Z: Treylon Burks, Arkansas; Drake London, USC; Makai Polk, Mississippi State; Alec Pierce, Cincinnati; Erik Ezukanma
Slot: Jahan Dotson, Penn State; Skyy Moore, Western Michigan; John Metchie, Alabama; Khalil Shakir, Boise State; Wan’Dale Robinson, Kentucky; Calvin Austin, Memphis; Josh Johnson, Tulsa

Tight End
Starters: Kyle Pitts, Anthony Firkser
Reserves: Parker Hesse, Daniel Helm, Brayden Lenius, John Rayne, Ryan becker
Expected Draft Action: None. They have 1.5 starting calibre tight ends, and five reserves on the roster. This will likely be how the TE room looks in Atlanta heading into training camp.

Offensive Line
Starters: LT Jake Matthews, LG Jalen Mayfield, C Matt Hennessy, RG Chris Lindstrom, RT Kaleb McGary
Reserves: T Germain Ifedi, Elijah Wilkinson, Willie Beavers, Rick Leonard; G Rashaad Coward, Ryan Neuzil, Colby Gossett; C Drew Dalman
Expected Draft Action: None. Mayfield had a rough rookie season at LG in 2021, allowing 11 sacks from the interior and committing 9 penalties, both numbers that would be up there with the league’s worst from a tackle, let alone a guard. However, the Falcons have stressed patience as Mayfield is new to the position (he was a RT at Michigan), and was relatively inexperienced entering the pros (he started 15 total games for the Wolverines). The rest of the line is a solid veteran group which hopefully should help Mayfield’s progression.

Defensive Line
Starters: DE Ta’Quon Graham, 3T Marlon Davidson, NT Grady Jarrett
Reserves: DE John Cominsky, 3T Vincent Taylor, Nick Thurman, NT Anthony Rush
Expected Draft Action: Starter at DE or 3T. The Falcons defense is designed to be athletic, though that athleticism comes with a smaller defensive unit. Graham and Davidson are both listed as starters but played only about 30% of the snaps apiece. We’ll likely see a 3-4 DE that can rush the QB and a 3T that might be seen as a bit small for a 3-4 defense or might be a projectionable 3-4 end that they can move inside. Travon Walker may not make it to 8, but would be a perfect fit for this defense on the end.
Potential Fits: DE Travon Walker, Georgia; George Karlaftis, Purdue; Joshua Paschal, Kentucky;
DT: Zach Carter, Florida; Kingsley Enagbare, South Carolina; Logan Hall, Houston

Linebackers
Starters: EDGE Lorenzo Carter, WLB Deion Jones, MLB Rashaan Evans, SLB Adetokunbo Ogundeji
Reserves: EDGE Quinton Bell, WLB Dorian Etheridge, MLB Mykal Walker, Rashad Smith, SLB James Vaughters, Jordan Brailford
Expected Draft Action: Pass rusher (or two). The Atlanta Falcons had a meagre pass rush last season, getting to the quarterback a league-low 18 times, the only other team with fewer than 30 sacks was the Eagles (29). Dante Fowler led the team in sacks last season with 4, and left for the Cowboys in free agency. Lorenzo Carter joined from the Giants, but they’ll need much more than one pass rusher to find any success. The Falcons added Rashaan Evans from the Titans to replace the departed Foye Oluokun and to play alongside Deion Jones, so the inside linebackers look to be set. A presence on the line and another rusher to play opposite Carter seems likely, but depth is also needed.
Potential fit: EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon; David Ojabo, Michigan (will miss 2022); Arnold Ebiketie, Penn State; Nik Bonitto, Oklahoma; DeAngelo Malone, Western Kentucky; Christopher Allen, Alabama; Drake Jackson, USC

Cornerbacks
Starters: AJ Terrell, Casey Hayward, Isaiah Oliver
Reserves: Darren Hall, Mike Ford, Richie Grant, Cornell Armstrong, Kendall Sheffield, Avery Williams, Dee Alford, Lafayette Pitts, Corey Ballentine
Expected Draft Action: None. While Casey Hayward will be 33 years old on the opening night of the NFL season, he is still playing at a high level and should be a strong addition to what was already a strong CB unit, playing opposite rising star AJ Terrell. Isaiah Oliver, the nickel/slot corner is another strong player, who they hope can rebound from an injury-plagued 2021.

Safeties
Starters: FS Erik Harris, SS Dean Marlowe
Reserves: FS Luther Kirk, SS Jaylinn Hawkins, Teez Tabor
Expected Draft Action: None. With the departure of Duron Harmon, the starting safety spot alongside incumbent Erik Harris will be competed for by three players, reserve safety Jaylinn Hawkins and two new players, Dean Marlowe from Detroit, and Teez Tabor from Chicago. It is seemingly unlikely that additional players will be brought in to compete for the role.

Coach: Matt Rhule
Offensive Coordinator: Ben McAdoo
Defensive Coordinator: Phil Snow

Offensive scheme: In his time with the Giants, McAdoo ran a West Coast offense style offense. The West Coast offense is advantageous for offenses that have running backs who are eager/able to contribute to the passing game, something the Panthers likely wanted to emphasize as their best player, Christian McCaffrey, is a great runner and receiver. McAdoo’s offense is also relatively straight-forward, which may also reduce complexity and give Sam Darnold (or whomever they choose as QB1) a more streamlined playbook.

Defensive scheme: The Panthers defense is a complex system that shows a lot of different looks and can’t specifically be tied down to any one philosophy. The Panthers play a lot of a college-style 3-3-5 but also show a lot of four-man and even two and five-man fronts. The team also plays with six defensive backs more than any team in the league. DC Phil Snow likes to run exotic packages where confusion reigns – defensive players should all be willing to contribute to the pass rush and also be able to drop into coverage. Positional versatility is big for this defense.

The Panthers, as of April 20th, own six total picks in the 2022 draft, including the sixth overall pick, but no picks between that pick and nearly the end of the fourth round. With Matt Rhule firmly in the hot seat, the Panthers have to get their first round pick right and, ideally, it should be someone that can contribute right away – or they should trade down (if they find a willing partner) and look for volume. As it stands right now, with all their eggs in one basket, and a roster that could use some work, it might be panic time in Carolina.
Panthers Draft Picks:

Round	Overall Pick	Value (JJ)	Value (RH)	Notes
1	6	1600	446
4	137	37.5	18	From Rams via Houston (Draft pick trade in 2021)
5	144	34	15	From Jacksonville (Dan Arnold trade)
5	149	30.2	13
6	199	10.2	5	From Las Vegas (Denzel Perryman trade)
7	242	1	2	From New England via Miami (Greg Little trade)

Total Draft Points:
Jimmy Johnson model: 1712.9
Rich Hill model: 499

About Draft point models
The first model for assigning a point value to draft picks was designed by Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson during his time with the Dallas Cowboys. The valuations are designed to be used as a benchmark when determining the value of draft picks being traded between teams. The values are not hard coded and teams may have different valuations based on need or organizational philosophy. The Rich Hill model was derived, at least in part, due to a differing philosophy of pick value by Patriots coach Bill Belichick. As you may see in the chart above, the revised model puts an added emphasis on early picks and smooths out the value later on in the draft.

What will the Panthers do at the draft?
The Panthers are in a tough spot in this draft with little in the way of top-end value in picks, aside from the number six pick, and their trades (for Sam Darnold and CJ Henderson) have yet to bear any fruit. Do the Panthers roll the dice on the top QB in their draft board (Kenny Pickett? Malik Willis?) or seek to trade down to get more value over the course of the draft? Carolina appears to be rudderless at the moment, and there will almost certainly be some drastic changes if this year unfolds as 2021 did.

Roster Analysis
The Panthers acted like a team with few draft picks this offseason, with much in the way of turnover in their roster. Gone are big names like CB Stephon Gilmore (just signed by Indianapolis) and EDGE Haason Reddick (to Philly) but the Panthers were active in signing free agents: DT Matt Ioannidis from Washington, C Bradley Bozeman from Baltimore, S Xavier Woods from Minnesota and, of course, big name acquisition P Johnny Hekker from the Rams. Carolina is going to need to be content to search the bargain bin of the later rounds and free agency to build depth. There is a bright spot: their skill position depth charts are strong, including DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, and Christian McCaffrey at the very top.

Depth Charts
Quarterback
Starter: Sam Darnold
Reserves: PJ Walker
Expected Draft Action: Starter. It’s been long-rumoured that the next Panthers QB will be taken with the sixth pick in the draft, whether it is Kenny Pickett (originally signed a letter of intent with Temple when Rhule was their head coach) or Malik Willis. If they don’t go with a QB at six, they’ll likely use one of the three picks between 137 and 149 to take a backup. This class of quarterbacks is somewhat barren, a bad spot to be in if you’re desperate for a starter immediately.
Potential fits: Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh; Malik Willis, Liberty; Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky; Carson Strong, Nevada

Running Back
Starter: Christian McCaffrey
Reserves: Chuba Hubbard, D’Onta Foreman, Spencer Brown, Darius Bardwell
Expected Draft Action: None. The Panthers were 4-3 last season when Christian McCaffrey played, and 1-9 when he did not. As one of the best running backs in the league at both running and receiving, it’s no surprise that the Panthers’ fortunes are tied very closely to the health of their All-Pro RB. The issue is that McCaffrey has played just 10 games in the past two seasons, leaving a significant hole in the roster that cannot be filled. In a perfect world, they would use one of their mid-round picks to take a high-upside back as protection, but this isn’t a perfect world. Hubbard and Foreman can be effective as reserve backs, to help take a little of the load off McCaffrey.

Wide Receiver
Starters: X WR DJ Moore, Z Robby Anderson, Slot Terrace Marshall
Reserves: X Rashard Higgins, Aaron Parker Z: CJ Saunders; Slot Brandon Zylstra, Shi Smith
Expected Draft Action: Depth at Z. The Panthers have two very good WRs in Moore and Anderson, a young Terrace Marshall who could become a top slot receiver, and a strong reserve WR in Rashard Higgins, who comes over from Cleveland. After that, the depth tapers off, but they don’t need to be too reliant on them, good health permitting. Look for the Panthers to consider some more depth in the draft, as there should still be projectionable starting-calibre talent in the fourth and fifth rounds.
Potential fit: David Bell, Purdue; Makai Polk, Mississippi State; Alec Pierce, Cincinnati; Erik Ezukanma, Texas A&M

Tight End
Starter: Tommy Tremble
Reserves: Ian Thomas, Colin Thompson, Stephen Sullivan
Expected Draft Action: None. Tremble is the better blocker, while Thomas is more of a factor in the passing game, though each is making strides in the disciplines they need improvement in. The Panthers are unlikely to draft a tight end in this draft, given they just signed Thomas to an extension and Tremble was drafted in the third round last year and both have done adequate, if not exceptional, for the Panthers.

Offensive Line
Starters: LT Cam Erving, LG Pat Elflein, C Bradley Bozeman, RG Austin Corbett, RT Taylor Moton
Reserves: T Brady Christensen, Aaron Monteiro, Austen Pleasants; G Michael Jordan (no, not him), Deonte Brown, Dennis Daley, Mike Horton; C Sam Tecklenburg
Expected Draft Action: Starter at LT. This is more aspirational than expected, but one of the blue-chip left tackle prospects would be a perfect choice for Carolina’s overhauled offensive line. This offseason has been a good one in terms of OL talent, as the Panthers were able to sign Bozeman from Baltimore and Corbett from the Rams. The right side of the line looks solid, but the left side looks leaky. Evan Neal or Charles Cross would be high-value selections for the Panthers team, and Erving could move into the swing-tackle role which suits him better.
Potential Fits: LT Evan Neal, Alabama; LT Charles Cross, Ole Miss; LT Abraham Lucas, Washington St; LG Justin Shaffer, Georgia; G Marcus McKethan, UNC; T/G Rasheed Walker, Michigan State; G/RT Spencer Burford, UTSA; RT/G Vederian Lowe, Illinois

Defensive Line
Starters: EDGE Brian Burns, DE Yetur Gross-Matos, 3T Matt Ioannidis, NT Derrick Brown
Reserves: EDGE Marquis Haynes, Azur Kamara, Austin Larkin; DE Darryl Johnson, Jacob Tuioti-Mariner, Joe Jackson; 3T Daviyon Nixon, Phil Hoskins; NT Bravvion Roy, Frank Herron
Expected Draft Action: Depth at EDGE. The Panthers are pretty strong up front, which added some steel with former Washington DT Matt Ioannidis. Haynes, Nixon, and Roy are capable backups though the Panthers may wish to add a situational pass rusher to the unit with the departure of Haason Reddick.
Potential Fits: EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon; Drake Jackson, USC; Christopher Allen, Alabama; Tyreke Smith, Ohio State; Tyree Johnson, Texas A&M

Linebackers
Starters: WLB Shaq Thompson, MLB Damien Wilson, SLB Cory Littleton
Reserves: WLB Kamal Martin, MLB Julian Stanford, SLB Frankie Luvu
Expected Draft Action: Depth. The Panthers overhauled their linebacking corps, with Thompson, Luvu, and special teamer Kamal Martin the only remaining LBs from last season. Littleton joins from Las Vegas and Wilson joins from Jacksonville. There is a need for reserves as Stanford and Martin are almost exclusively special teamers
Potential fit: Aaron Hansford, Texas A&M (MLB/WLB); JoJo Domann, Nebraska (WLB, SS); Zakoby McClain, Auburn (WLB, MLB); Terrel Bernard, Baylor (WLB, FS)

Cornerbacks
Starters: Jaycee Horn, Donte Jackson, CJ Henderson
Reserves: Rashaan Melvin, Keith Taylor, Troy Pride, Chris Westry, Stantley Thomas-Oliver, Madre Harper
Expected Draft Action: None. Donte Jackson leads a strong CB unit which will have Jaycee Horn back in the lineup after suffering a season-ending foot injury in Week 3 last season. In Horn, the Panthers have a potential shutdown corner and paired with Jackson, the Panthers could have one of the league’s best CB pairings in the league. Henderson struggled in Jacksonville, but following his midseason trade to Carolina, there was optimism that he would turn into another strong corner with the Panthers. The Panthers have enough depth at the position to not need to worry about drafting any additional players.

Safeties
Starters: FS Xavier Woods, SS Jeremy Chinn
Reserves: Juston Burris, Myles Hartsfield, Kenny Robinson, Sean Chandler, Sam Franklin
Expected Draft Action: None. The Panthers made their big addition in free agency, signing Xavier Woods from the Vikings. Chinn is one of the league’s top young safeties and is versatile enough to play some linebacker. Burris, Hartsfield, and Robinson will see some action in sub-packages as nickel and/or dime safeties.

Coach: Brian Daboll (first season as head coach)
Offensive Coordinator: Mike Kafka
Defensive Coordinator: Wink Martindale

Offensive scheme: New head coach Brian Daboll comes from Buffalo where he ran a high-octane offense led by its superstar quarterback Josh Allen. He won’t have Allen here with the Giants, but he will be looking to use his scheme to unlock the potential of Daniel Jones. Daboll professionally came of age with New England and Alabama, where offenses are designed to use formations and motions to open up holes and neutralize strengths in the opposition defense. Daboll’s offense will be a significant departure from the more conservative offense run by previous offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.

Defensive scheme: Wink Martindale was not retained by the Baltimore Ravens following a 2021 season in which the Ravens finished 24th in total yards against per game and 18th in points allowed. The previous two seasons, the Ravens were the 3rd best, then best defense in the league. Martindale’s offense is predicated first and foremost with getting pressure on the quarterback. This can be from base fronts, disguised blitzes from linebackers or secondary, or all of the above. He’ll also run mostly press man, which will be a departure from the Patrick Graham’s defense, which leaned zone. With that in mind, we may see some growing pains in Year 1 as the defensive philosophy will create some odd fits with existing personnel.

The Giants, as of April 18th, own nine total picks in the 2022 draft, including the fifth and seventh overall picks. New GM Joe Schoen and new head coach Brian Daboll will look to strengthen their foundation with those two early picks.
Giants Draft Picks:

Round	Overall Pick	Value (JJ)	Value (RH)	Notes
1	5	1700	468
1	7	1500	426	From Chicago (Justin Fields trade)
2	36	540	166
3	67	255	75
3	81	185	55	From Miami (draft pick swap in 2021)
4	112	70	30	From Chicago (Justin Fields trade)
5	147	31	14
5	173	20.6	8	From Kansas City via Baltimore (Ben Bederson trade)
6	182	17	7

Total Draft Points:
Jimmy Johnson model: 4318.6
Rich Hill model: 1249

About Draft point models
The first model for assigning a point value to draft picks was designed by Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson during his time with the Dallas Cowboys. The valuations are designed to be used as a benchmark when determining the value of draft picks being traded between teams. The values are not hard coded and teams may have different valuations based on need or organizational philosophy. The Rich Hill model was derived, at least in part, due to a differing philosophy of pick value by Patriots coach Bill Belichick. As you may see in the chart above, the revised model puts an added emphasis on early picks and smooths out the value later on in the draft.

What will the Giants do at the draft?
The Giants are in an enviable situation heading into the 2022 NFL Draft, with the fifth and seventh overall picks. The question is what they do with those picks. The top of the draft is expected to feature pass rushers, offensive linemen, and secondary. The new defense could use a new pass rusher to pair with Azeez Ojulari. The offensive line could always use help, but the left tackle spot is solid, with 2020 fourth overall pick Andrew Thomas becoming the player they hoped for.

Different philosophies on both sides of the ball may result in personnel changes that may not be apparent, especially on defense. The linebacker corps in particular can expect a number of changes – not just due to the change but also as the unit (aside from Ojulari) was a weakness last year.

Roster Analysis
The Giants are a team in transition and while they have some talent on the roster, the depth is non-existent, especially on defense, which is oddly only two deep at most positions. The team is against the cap, so they’ll look to use this draft as a way to fill in the gaps and push ahead with their changes. The biggest change they made in free agency was to sign former Colts RG Mark Glowinski as they made wholesale changes to their offensive line. RT Nate Solder, RG Will Hernandez, C Billy Price, and LG Matt Skura all left the team in free agency and, with only two of the spots filled (Glowinski at RG and Feliciano either at LG or C), there are some openings on the o-line. Depth players were added, including: QB Tyrod Taylor, backup T Matt Gono, edge rusher Jihad Ward, NT Justin Ellis, RB Matt Breida, G Max Garcia.

Depth Charts
Quarterback
Starter: Daniel Jones
Reserves: Tyrod Taylor, Brian Lewerke, Davis Webb
Expected Draft Action: None. The new regime has put the dreaded vote of confidence on incumbent QB Daniel Jones, but Jones is getting an opportunity that he hasn’t had in the past – to run a dynamic offense that accentuates his abilities. The Giants did however, get a good insurance policy in veteran QB Tyrod Taylor.

Running Back
Starter: Saquon Barkley
Reserves: Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell, Antonio Williams, Sandro Platzgummer
Expected Draft Action: Depth. The Giants are likely to take a running back at some point in the draft. While Saquon Barkley has the talent to be a top running back, his last three seasons have been plagued by injuries and inconsistency. 2021 was a poor year following his return from the torn ACL he suffered in 2020 – Barkley was evidently less explosive than he was pre-injury which Giants fans will be hoping was a temporary matter. The depth is virtually non-existent behind him – Breida is capable of 5-7 touches per game, but Brightwell and Williams are completely unproven.
Potential fit: Isiah Pacheco, Rutgers; Trestan Ebner, Baylor; Ty Chandler, UNC; CJ Verdell, Oregon

Wide Receiver
Starters: X WR Kenny Golladay, Z WR Kadarius Toney, Slot WR Sterling Shepard
Reserves: X Darius Slayton; Z: Collin Johnson, David Sills, Robert Foster, Travis Toivonen; Slot Richie James, CJ Board, Alex Bachman, Austin Proehl
Expected Draft Action: None. Golladay, Slayton, Toney, and Shepard represents a strong foursome in the Giants WR room. However, the issue with each of these receivers is their ability to stay on the field – only Golladay started more than half the team’s games (and he also missed three games), but if even three of the four can maintain some level of health, this is a sneaky-good unit. Collin Johnson is a big target who has the potential to grow into a starter as a possession receiver.

Tight End
Starter: Ricky Seals-Jones
Reserves: Jake Hausmann, Chris Myarick, Rysen John
Expected Draft Action: Depth. With the departures of Evan Engram and Kyle Rudolph in the offseason, the Giants are extremely thin at tight end. They were able to sign Ricky Seals-Jones from Washington and while he is a perfectly capable TE, the other players on the roster are specifically blockers who should not be trusted at all in the passing game.
Potential fit:

Offensive Line
Starters: LT Andrew Thomas, LG Max Garcia, C Jon Feliciano, RG Mark Glowinski, RT Matt Peart
Reserves: T Devery Hamilton, Matt Gono, Korey Cunningham, Roy Mbaeteka; G Shane Lemieux, Wes Martin, Ben Brederson, Jamil Douglas; C Nick Gates
Expected Draft Action: Starters: LG, C, RT. The Giants completely purged their offensive line this offseason and will need at least two players who can reasonably start if not Week 1, then as the season progresses. Thomas and Glowinski are the only obvious starters, though Garcia and Feliciano both have experience at LG and C, while Peart and Gono are reserves but as of now are expected to compete for the RT spot if nothing happens on draft day. At the very least, expect a RT to be taken and watch for an interior lineman to go on Day 2 or 3.
Potential Fits: C Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa; G Kenyon Green, Texas A&M; G/C Zion Johnson; RT Tyler Smith, Tulsa; G Cole Strange, Chattanooga; G Logan Bruss, Wisconsin; G Luke Goedeke, Central Michigan; C Luke Fortner, Kentucky; C Chasen Hines, LSU; RT Max Mitchell, Louisiana; RT/G Jamaree Salyer, Georgia; T/G Rasheed Walker, Michigan State; G/RT Spencer Burford, UTSA; RT/G Vederian Lowe, Illinois

Defensive Line
Starters: DE Leonard Williams, 3T Dexter Lawrence, NT Justin Ellis
Reserves: DE Jihad Ward; 3T Raymond Johnson; NT David Moa
Expected Draft Action: NT and depth. This may be a function of the Giants needing to work through their cap issues, but if relying on the team’s depth charts, this team is unfinished, especially here on the defensive line, where only six players are under contract. Starting DE and DT are sorted with Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence, while Jihad Ward is a solid rotational player. Justin Ellis is nominally listed as the starting nose, but he’s more of a rotational player, they’ll need to focus on getting a big man for the middle of their defensive front.
Potential Fits: DT: Eyoima Uwazurike, Iowa State (5T/DT); Neil Farrell, LSU (NT); DJ Davidson, Arizona State (NT); Travis Jones, UCONN (NT); John Ridgeway, Arkansas (NT, 3T, 5T); Jayden Peavy, Texas A&M (3T, NT)

Edge Rushers
Starter: Azeez Ojulari
Reserves: Elerson Smith, Niko Lalos
Expected Draft Action: Depth. Whether they get a specialized pass rusher or a Sam with pass rushing capabilities, the Giants will be looking at someone who can get to the quarterback. We’ll look at the SLBs in the next grouping but the specialized pass rushers will be in demand here as well.
Potential Fits: Kayvon Thibodeau, Oregon; David Ojabo, Michigan (will miss 2022 season); Boye Mafe, Minnesota; Arnold Ebiketie, Penn State; Nik Bonitto, Oklahoma; Sam Williams, Ole Miss; DeAngelo Malone, Western Kentucky; Domonique Robinson, Miami (OH); Drake London, USC

Linebackers
Starters: WLB Tae Crowder, MLB Blake Martinez, SLB Quincy Roche
Reserves: WLB Carter Coughlin, Justin Hilliard; MLB Cam Brown, TJ Brunson, Omari Cobb; SLB Trent Harris, Oshane Ximines
Expected Draft Action: WLB, SLB. The Giants linebacker unit was hampered by the torn ACL suffered by MLB Blake Martinez in Week 3, but with him coming back, the focus should be on upgrading the other positions through the draft. If they are willing to use a top 10 pick, Devin Lloyd would be a great fit for this defense, as he has enough versatility to play the SAM linebacker and be utilized as a pass rusher when needed. Any player selected will need to be proficient in man defense and may be asked to go after the QB.
Potential Fits: SLB Lloyd, Utah; Channing Tindall, Georgia; Chad Muma, Wyoming; Leo Chenal, Wisconsin
WLB Christian Harris, Alabama; Zakoby McClain, Auburn; Brian Asamoah, Oklahoma; Terrell Bernard, Baylor

Cornerbacks
Starters: James Bradberry (requested a trade), Adoree’ Jackson, Darnay Holmes
Reserves: Jarren Williams, Rodarius Williams, Aaron Robinson
Expected Draft Action: Starter. The Giants are honouring Bradberry’s request for a trade and, one would imagine, a deal would get done before the draft, which could bring additional assets to the team. As such, the Giants will look to draft his replacement, landing them squarely in the mix for Gardner or Stingley, the two top corners in the draft. Either corner would work well with Wink Martindale’s defense, as they each specialize in press-man defense. If they wish to wait for a corner, McDuffie may be available in round 2 and McCreary might be there in round 3.
Potential Fit: Ahmad Sauce Garnder, Cincinnati; Derek Stingley Jr, LSU; Trent McDuffie, Washington; Kyler Gordon, Washington; Roger McCreary, Auburn; Joshua Williams, Fayetteville St (developmental); Alontae Taylor, Tennessee; Jalyn Armour-Davis, Alabama; Tariq Woolen, UTSA (developmental)

Safeties
Starters: FS Xavier McKinney, SS Julian Love
Reserves: None listed
Expected Draft Action: Depth. The Giants have two safeties listed in their depth chart, one for each position. They’ll be looking at safeties who can play in man or zone – a strong safety should be able to match up with tight ends in space.
Potential Fits: Dax Hill, Michigan (FS/NCB); Percy Butler, Louisiana (FS); Delarrin Turner-Yell, Oklahoma (both); Verone McKinley, Oregon (FS/NCB); Dane Belton, Iowa (SS); Smoke Monday, Auburn (SS); Nick Cross, Maryland (SS); Jaquan Brisker, Penn State (SS); Kyle Hamilton, Notre Dame (FS)

Coach: Robert Saleh (second season, 4-13 in 2021)
Offensive Coordinator: Mike LaFleur
Defensive Coordinator: Jeff Ulbrich

Offensive scheme: West Coast offense. As a disciple of the Shanahans, LaFleur runs a variation of the West Coast offense which relies on short and intermediate passing routes and using the running backs and tight ends in the passing game.

Defensive scheme: The Jets run Saleh’s version of the Seattle Cover-3 defense, which was popularized by the Seahawks, Pete Carroll, and the Legion of Boom, then was adopted throughout the league, including in San Francisco when Saleh was their defensive coordinator. The Seattle defense features a four-man front (though pass rushers may stand up on obvious passing downs), and a three-man deep zone, which usually features the outside corners and free safety each taking a 1/3 of the field deep, while the linebackers, strong safety, and either nickel corner or safety patrol the short and intermediate parts of the field. As such, the safeties tend to be strongly segmented between strong and free (think Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas from the Legion of Boom), and the corners and linebackers should be strong tacklers and proficient in zone concepts.

The Jets, as of April 14th, own nine total picks in the 2022 draft, with two in the top 10, four in the top 38, and all of them within the first five rounds. The Adams and Darnold trades didn’t pay off the way the Seahawks and Panthers (respectively) would’ve liked, putting the Jets in position to move their rebuild project along at speed.
Jets Draft Picks:

Round	Overall Pick	Value (JJ)	Value (RH)	Notes
1	4	1800	491
1	10	1300	369	From Seattle (Jamal Adams trade)
2	35	550	170
2	38	520	157	From Carolina (Sam Darnold trade)
3	69	245	71
4	111	72	31	From Carolina (Sam Darnold trade)
4	117	60	27	From Minnesota (Chris Herndon trade)
5	146	31.4	14
5	163	24.6	9	From Pittsburgh (Avery Williamson trade)

Total Draft Points:
Jimmy Johnson model: 4603
Rich Hill model: 1339

About Draft point models
The first model for assigning a point value to draft picks was designed by Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson during his time with the Dallas Cowboys. The valuations are designed to be used as a benchmark when determining the value of draft picks being traded between teams. The values are not hard coded and teams may have different valuations based on need or organizational philosophy. The Rich Hill model was derived, at least in part, due to a differing philosophy of pick value by Patriots coach Bill Belichick. As you may see in the chart above, the revised model puts an added emphasis on early picks and smooths out the value later on in the draft.

What will the Jets do at the draft?
The Jets have the fourth and tenth overall picks, and nine total picks throughout the draft, all within the first five rounds. The Jets are starting to build a foundation, and have augmented the foundation with some decent free agent signings, but the question is, do they have enough to make the leap into serious contention? Not yet, but there should be optimism in the green part of New York for the first time in a long time.

There are still some holes in the roster: right tackle, any receiver type other than slot, secondary (despite decent under-the-radar signings DJ Reed and Jordan Whitehead) needs depth, the linebacker corps are in need of a talent infusion, and the line could use some depth, even with Carl Lawson coming back from injury. There are some decent options in the first round that jump out the page, but also others that will be there in the middle rounds. Which direction do the Jets go?

Roster Analysis
The Jets made a splash in free agency this year – not a Jaguars-level splash, but enough of one – and made moves to shore up some key weaknesses. They brought in RG Laken Tomlinson from the Niners, tight ends CJ Uzomah (from Cincinnati) and Tyler Conklin (from Minnesota), safety Jordan Whitehead from Tampa Bay, and underrated CB DJ Reed from Seattle. On the other end, they lost safety Marcus Maye to the Saints, slot receiver Jamison Crowder to the Bills (what are they going to do in the slot now with only 6 slot receivers in the roster?), right tackle Morgan Moses went to Baltimore, and nose tackle Foley Fatukasi went to the Jaguars.

Depth Charts
Quarterback
Starter: Zach Wilson
Reserves: Joe Flacco, Mike White
Expected Draft Action: None. Zach Wilson is the future of the New York Jets, Joe Flacco is the old head/emeritus/extra coach at the end of his career, and Mike White is the capable backup in case Wilson suffers a long-term injury. At the moment, the QB room is settled.

Running Back
Starter: Michael Carter, Tevin Coleman
Reserves: Ty Johnson, La’Mical Perine, Austin Walter
Expected Draft Action: Depth or none. Carter and Coleman were emerging as the main 1-2 options in the Jets backfield as the season came to a close and, barring any additions, should remain in those positions as the season approaches. As with the Shanahans, LaFleur and the Jets are unlikely to stop looking for options in the run game and will potentially seek to unearth a diamond in the rough either late in the draft (which would have to be round five at this point) or in the UDFA market.
Potential fit: Isiah Pacheco, Rutgers; Trestan Ebner, Baylor; Ty Chandler, UNC; CJ Verdell, Oregon

Wide Receiver
Starters: X WR Corey Davis, Z WR Denzel Mims, Y WR Elijah Moore
Reserves: X Tarik Black; Z DJ Montgomery; Y Braxton Berrios, Jeff Smith, Lawrence Cager, Rodney Adams
Expected Draft Action: Starter, Depth. What the Jets don’t need is another slot receiver. They’re all set in the slot, with second year receiver Elijah Moore and Braxton Berrios, along with a plethora of backup/special teams guys. The Jets do need some size and speed on the perimeter and the draft will provide plenty of opportunities for upgrades. USC WR Drake London fits the possession receiver need almost perfectly – it’s just a question as to whether pick 10 is too soon to take him.
Potential Fit: Z Treylon Burks, Arkansas; London; George Pickens, Georgia; Alec Pierce, Cincinnati; Makai Polk, Mississippi State; Erik Ezukanma, Texas Tech; Romeo Doubs, Nevada; Tre Turner, Virginia Tech
Y: Jameson Williams, Alabama (injury risk); Christian Watson, NDSU; Kevin Austin, Notre Dame; Danny Gray, SMU

Tight End
Starter: CJ Uzomah, Tyler Conklin
Reserves: Trevon Wesco, Kenny Yeboah, Brandon Dillon
Expected Draft Action: None. The Jets have long sought someone (anyone!) that could play TE for them and went out and got two players to fill the role: CJ Uzomah from Cincinnati and Tyler Conklin from Minnesota, dishing out $25 million in guarantees on three-year deals to each of the veterans. Uzomah and Conklin are both established receivers who are also willing run and pass blockers. The cupboard is bare behind them, but with teams usually carrying only three TEs, and splashing on the position in free agency, it would be very surprising to see them seek more help at the position via the draft.

Offensive Line
Starters: LT Mekhi Becton, LG Alijah Vera-Tucker, C Connor McGovern, RG Laken Tomlinson, RT George Fant
Reserves: T Conor McDermott, Greg Senat, Chuma Edoga, Parker Ferguson; G Greg Van Roten, Dru Samia, Isaiah Williams; C Dan Feeney, Ross Pierschbacher
Expected Draft Action: Tackle depth. After giving a 3-year, $40 million contract to RG Laken Tomlinson, the Jets are more or less set on the interior of the offensive line, with Vera-Tucker, McGovern, and Tomlinson manning the G and C spots. The bizarre circumstances surrounding the knee injury (and subsequent setbacks) of LT Mekhi Becton have pundits wondering whether the Jets will go with a new left tackle with one of their top 10 picks. This appears to be unlikely, as the Jets appear to be happy with Fant on the left side (as he played there last season, to some credit). However, the Jets may opt to take a tackle in the draft – but either a RT or swing tackle.
Potential Fits: RT/G Rasheed Walker, Michigan State; G/RT Spencer Burford, UTSA; RT/G Vederian Lowe, Illinois

Defensive Line
Starters: EDGE Carl Lawson, DE John Franklin-Myers, 3T Quinnen Williams, NT Sheldon Rankins
Reserves: EDGE Jacob Martin, Bradlee Anae; DE Bryce Huff, Jabari Zuniga, Tim Ward; 3T Nathan Shepherd, Solomon Thomas; NT Tanzel Smart, Jonathan Marshall
Expected Draft Action: Depth, potential starter at NT. The Jets lost some strength in their spine when Foley Fatukasi signed with the Jaguars, but still have one of the better defensive tackles in Quinnen Williams, and a very underrated strong side DE in John Franklin-Myers. EDGE rusher Carl Lawson should also return from injury to further bolster this unit. Sheldon Rankins is on the downhill side of his career progression and may see benefit in optimizing his playing time, while the rotation overall could also stand to be strengthened, especially at pass rusher.
Potential Fits: Defensive End: Hutchinson, Thibodeaux, Jermaine Johnson, Florida State (pass rusher and 4-3 run stopping DE); Travon Walker, Georgia (run stuffing end with edge rush ceiling); Dominique Robinson (high ceiling 4-3 pass rush DE); George Karlaftis, Purdue (43 EDGE)
Defensive Tackle: Eyoima Uwazurike, Iowa State (5T/3T/DT); Neil Farrell, LSU (NT); DJ Davidson, Arizona State (NT); Travis Jones, UCONN (NT);

Linebackers
Starters: MLB CJ Mosley, WLB Quincy Williams
Reserves: MLB Del’Shawn Phillips, Hamsah Nasirilideen; WLB Jamien Sherwood, Hamilcar Rashed
Expected Draft Action: Starter(s). At 10, the Jets will have to make a decision: go with possibly the draft’s best wide receiver, or go with its best linebacker. They could take Garrett Wilson or Drake London OR they can take Devin Lloyd or Nakobe Dean. All four of these players fills a significant need and will make the Jets a better team perhaps as early as Week 1.
Potential Fits: MLB Lloyd, Utah; Dean, Georgia; Channing Tindall, Georgia; Aaron Hansford, Texas A&M (project)
WLB Christian Harris, Alabama; Zakoby McClain, Auburn; Brian Asamoah, Oklahoma (project); JoJo Domann, Nebraska;

Cornerbacks
Starters: DJ Reed, Bryce Hall, Michael Carter II
Reserves: Brandin Echols, Jason Pinnock, Javelin Guidry, Isaiah Dunn, Rachad Wildgoose, Justin Hardee
Expected Draft Action: Starter, Depth. This is a unit that is hard to decipher. The Jets CB unit is filled with unheralded players learning on the fly. Bryce Hall looked like a fish out of water in his rookie season, but improved in Year 2. Michael Carter had an up-and-down rookie season. Some of the others look solidified as reserves. DJ Reed, the free agent acquisition from Seattle, fits the defense and played very well for the Seahawks in 2022. Do they try to find their Richard Sherman in this draft? Seattle gave Sherman some leeway but this defense is largely about the outside corners keeping to their side of the field and extending coverage deep as needed. While the corners may start in press they’ll need to be able to keep the discipline in zone. This probably means Sauce Gardner and Stingley are not fits at 4 or 10, but there are some high ceiling corners that would thrive in this defense.
Potential Fit: Andrew Booth, Clemson; Kyler Gordon, Washington; Marcus Jones, Houston; Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska; Damarri Mathis, Pitt; Vincent Gray, Michigan; Montaric Brown, Arkansas; Akayleb Evans, Mizzou.

Safeties
Starters: FS Ashtyn Davis, SS Jordan Whitehead
Reserves: FS Elijah Riley, Kai Nacua, Jovante Moffatt; SS Lamarcus Joyner, Will Parks, Zane Lewis
Expected Draft Action: Depth. Marcus Maye’s departure naturally hurts the safeties but the Jets seem to believe that Davis can fit at least some of the void on the free side. Maye was not really a fit on the strong side, though he was effective there, he’s best as a free safety. With the signing of Jordan Whitehead from Tampa, Lamarcus Joyner’s fit should be interesting. He has experience as a slot corner (which he might do here too), and he could also be a weakside linebacker on passing downs. In a perfect world, all three of Davis, Whitehead, and Joyner see the field together a bunch, but the unit beyond them thins out quickly. Depth options at safety seem like the best bet in this draft (not to mention that some strong safeties in college may be WLBs in this defense).
Potential Fits: Dax Hill (FS/NCB); Percy Butler, Louisiana (FS); Delarrin Turner-Yell, Oklahoma (both); Verone McKinley (FS/NCB); Dane Belton (SS)

Coach: Lovie Smith (first season with Texans, 89-87 lifetime record
Offensive Coordinator: Pep Hamilton
Defensive Coordinator: Lovie Smith/Miles Smith

Offensive scheme: Pep Hamilton takes over duties as offensive coordinator, after serving as the team’s quarterbacks coach in 2021. Hamilton, best known as a quarterback whisperer for his ability to accelerate the learning curve for Andrew Luck, Justin Herbert, and Davis Mills (among others), was also the offensive coordinator for the Colts for three seasons and for Stanford prior to that. Hamilton’s offense will be much more dynamic than the one seen in 2021. Hamilton calls his offense the No Coast Offense, as he eschews dogmatic adherence to any one particular scheme, and will typically adjust to personnel. In his time with the Colts, they did run elements of the West Coast offense with a good measure of success.

Defensive scheme: Lovie Smith was the Texans defensive coordinator in 2021 and will continue with those duties and call plays in 2022. His son, Miles, the linebackers coach, is expected to have an increased portfolio as well and may be more involved in that aspect of the game this year. Lovie Smith runs at Tampa 2 defense, which is almost exclusively zone, and requires its outside linebackers and corners to be strong tacklers as they will have increased responsibilities in stopping the run.

The Texans, as of April 12th, have eleven draft picks, including two of the top 13 picks, five of the top 80, seven of the first 108 picks, and three sixth rounders.
Texans Draft Picks:

Round	Overall Pick	Value (JJ)	Value (RH)	Notes
1	3	2200	514
1	13	1150	336	From Cleveland (Deshaun Watson trade)
2	37	530	162
3	68	250	73
3	80	190	56	From New Orleans (Bradley Roby trade)
4	107	80	33	From Cleveland (Deshaun Watson trade)
4	108	78	32
6	183	16.6	7
6	205	7.8	4	From Green Bay (Randall Cobb trade)
6	207	7	4	From San Francisco via NY Jets (Shaq Lawson trade)
7	245	1	2	From Dallas (Eli Ankou trade)

Total Draft Points:
Jimmy Johnson model: 4510.4
Rich Hill model: 1223

About Draft point models
The first model for assigning a point value to draft picks was designed by Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson during his time with the Dallas Cowboys. The valuations are designed to be used as a benchmark when determining the value of draft picks being traded between teams. The values are not hard coded and teams may have different valuations based on need or organizational philosophy. The Rich Hill model was derived, at least in part, due to a differing philosophy of pick value by Patriots coach Bill Belichick. As you may see in the chart above, the revised model puts an added emphasis on early picks and smooths out the value later on in the draft.

What Will the Texans do at the draft?
The Texans have the third and thirteenth pick, and eleven total picks throughout the draft, and have finally found closure to the Deshaun Watson saga, following his trade to the Browns. The next step now, is to start the full rebuild in earnest. As this draft is quite deep, but lacking in top-end talent, the Texans are well positioned to use their plethora of picks to build a solid foundation, though it will be some time before they are expected to be competitive.

With the way the Texans roster is positioned, the team can pretty much go in any direction and take the best player available on their board. With multiple picks in many rounds, including the first, the team can also afford some high-risk, high-reward selections to improve a talent-thin roster.

Roster Analysis
Outside the Deshaun Watson trade, the Texans mostly flew under the radar, letting S Justin Reid, backup QB Tyrod Taylor, and EDGE Jacob Martin, among others, leave, while working the margins in free agency, loading up on reserves and fringe starters, such as RG AJ Cann, RB Marlon Mack, and LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin.

Depth Charts
Quarterback
Starter: Davis Mills
Reserves: Jeff Driskel, Kyle Allen.
Expected Draft Action: None or Depth. The Texans liked what they saw out of Davis Mills in the second half of 2021, and should be expected to hand him the keys to the offense in 2022 to see what he is capable of. If Mills succeeds, the team will have their QB of the future, if not, there is a strong QB class coming in 2023 and with two firsts already, the Texans would be well-positioned to take a blue-chipper next season.

Running Back
Starters: Marlon Mack, Rex Burkhead
Reserves: Dare Ogunbowale, Royce Freeman, Scottie Phillips, Darius Anderson
Expected Draft Action: Starter. As in 2021, the Texans have a number of discarded, low ceiling backs who can all add value to the passing game but are not bell-cow backs by any definition. Running backs would need to either be strong or be moldable in pass protection, as offense will be aggressive and throw on early downs.
Potential Fits: Pierre Strong, South Dakota State; Breece Hall, Iowa State; Dameon Pierce, Florida; Kyren Williams, Notre Dame

Wide Receiver
Starters: X WR Brandin Cooks, Z WR Nico Collins, Y WR Chris Moore
Reserves: X Phillip Dorsett, Z Chris Conley, Y DaeSean Hamilton; Jalen Camp, Damon Hazelton, Davion Davis
Expected Draft Action: Starter, Depth. In a draft filled with what could potentially be solid starters at the wideout position, the Texans can stand to upgrade at the Z and slot positions. Cooks is under contract until 2024, which is nearly fully guaranteed, so that position is fine for a while. They could still stand to go for depth at X though if the opportunity arises. There are much more pressing needs but the run on the top wideouts would start somewhere around the Cleveland pick they own at 13.
Potential Fit: Z Treylon Burks, Arkansas; Drake London, USC; George Pickens, Georgia; Alec Pierce, Cincinnati; Makai Polk, Mississippi State; Erik Ezukanma, Texas Tech; Romeo Doubs, Nevada; Tre Turner, Virginia Tech
Slot: Skyy Moore, Western Michigan; Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama; John Metchie, Alabama; Khalil Shakir, Boise State; Wan’Dale Robinson, Kentucky; Calvin Austin, Memphis

Tight End
Starter: Pharaoh Brown
Reserves: Brevin Jordan, Antony Auclair
Expected Draft Action: None. Brown is more of a blocking TE while Jordan, the rookie from Texas, is more of a Move/Y TE who can be part of the pass game but is a project as a blocker. It appears unlikely that the Texans will take a TE in the draft, as they will likely hope for Jordan to add more to his arsenal for his second season.

Offensive Line
Starters: LT Laremy Tunsil, LG Justin McCray, C Justin Britt, RG AJ Cann, RT Tytus Howard
Reserves: T Cedric Ogbuehi, Charlie Heck, Jordan Steckler, Carson Green; G Max Scharping, Sam Cooper; C Jimmy Morrissey, Scott Quessenberry
Expected Draft Action: Starters. With the exception of Tunsil, anyone on the offensive line could be upgraded, especially in the interior of the offensive line, where multiple picks may be made. Some pundits believe they may take a tackle at 3, though this would be unlikely, unless they are looking to shop Tunsil. The Texans have previously run a zone blocking scheme, which generally requires more agility and athleticism than the man-blocking counterpart. For the purposes of fit, the assumption is that Pep Hamilton will not change this scheme. If the Texans go with bigger, road-grader types, this signals a change in philosophy.
Potential Fits: G/C Cole Strange, Chattanooga; G Logan Bruss, Wisconsin; C Luke Fortner, Kentucky; C Cam Jurgens, Nebraska; RT/G Rasheed Walker, Michigan State; G Dylan Parham, Memphis; G/RT Spencer Burford, UTSA; RT/G Vederian Lowe, Illinois; Zach Thomas, SDSU;

Defensive Line
Starters: DE Jonathan Greenard (EDGE), Ogbonnia Okoronkwo; DT/3T Maliek Collins; NT Roy Lopez
Reserves: DE Jordan Jenkins (EDGE), Derek Rivers, Demone Harris, Ron’Dell Carter; 3T Kingsley Keke; 3T/NT Ross Blacklock; NT Michael Dwumfour
Expected Draft Action: Depth. One of the rare position groups that isn’t in desperate need of upgrades. Greenard quietly had a strong second season in Houston, registering 8 sacks and Okoronkwo, joining from the Rams, will help provide depth. Collins and Lopez, while not great, are adequate. Kingsley Keke, a 3-4 end in Green Bay, will kick inside in Lovie Smith’s Tampa 2. At the top of the draft, Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux are both schematic fits, otherwise, target depth players here, as the cupboard is somewhat bare outside the starters.
Potential Fits: Defensive End: Hutchinson, Thibodeaux, Jermaine Johnson, Florida State (pass rusher and 4-3 run stopping DE); Travon Walker, Georgia (run stuffing end with edge rush ceiling); Joshua Paschal, Kentucky; Dominique Robinson (high ceiling 4-3 pass rush DE); Kingsley Enagbere (run stopping 4-3 DE); Cameron Thomas (run stopping 4-3 DE); Zach Carter (DE with projection to a 3T in 4-3 defense)
Defensive Tackle: Perrion Winfrey, Oklahoma (3T); Eyoima Uwazurike, Iowa State (5T/3T/DT); Kalia Davis, UCF (3T); Neil Farrell, LSU (NT); DJ Davidson, Arizona State (NT); Haskell Garrett, Ohio State (3T)

Linebackers
Starters: MLB Christian Kirksey, SLB Kamu Grugier-Hill, WLB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Reserves: MLB Neville Hewitt, Tae Davis; SLB Kevin Pierre-Louis; WLB Garret Wallow, Blake Cashman
Expected Draft Action: Depth. This is a spot for developmental prospects, as the current starters are closer to fringe starters than stars. Linebackers in the Tampa 2 should be best suited to play in coverage and you may see college safeties converted for the purpose, especially in the middle linebacker spot.
Potential Fits: MLB Channing Tindall, Georgia; Aaron Hansford, Texas A&M (project); JoJo Domann, Nebraska;
OLB Zakoby McClain, Auburn; Brian Asamoah, Oklahoma (project)

Cornerbacks
Starters: Desmond King, Lonnie Johnson, Tavierre Thomas (slot)
Reserves: Tremon Smith, Jimmy Moreland, MJ Stewart, Isaac Yiadom, Reggie Robinson.
Expected Draft Action: Starter. In the Tampa 2 defense, the ability to play zone and be an active and avid tackler are necessary traits, “business decisions” are not welcome. Booth and Gordon are early round examples of players who fit the description, though Houston may be able to pluck a starter in the third or fourth rounds (Taylor-Britt or Mathis).
Potential Fit: Andrew Booth, Clemson; Kyler Gordon, Washington; Marcus Jones, Houston; Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska; Damarri Mathis, Pitt; Vincent Gray, Michigan; Montaric Brown, Arkansas; Akayleb Evans, Mizzou.

Safeties
Starters: Terrence Brooks, Eric Murray
Reserves: Jonathan Owens, Grayland Arnold
Expected Draft Action: Starter or projectionable reserve. In the Tampa 2, safeties generally both need to be strong in zone coverage, vs proficiency in the box. Murray and Brooks are adequate safeties but Houston could find competition for them in the middle rounds, with Kerby Joseph being an example.
Potential Fits: Dax Hill, Michigan; JT Woods, Baylor; Kerby Joseph, Illinois; Delarrin Turner-Yell, Oklahoma; Percy Butler, Louisiana

Coach: Dan Campbell (second season, 3-13-1 in 2021)
Offensive Coordinator: Ben Johnson
Defensive Coordinator: Aaron Glenn

Offensive scheme: Once Dan Campbell started calling the plays in the Lions offense, the team put a lot more emphasis on an old-school pro-style offense, which leans towards running the ball on early downs more often than passing. This trend is likely to continue this year, as Ben Johnson has never been a coordinator or play-caller at any level in his coaching career.

Defensive scheme: With the hiring of Campbell, the Lions went from a Base 4-3 defense to a 3-4 look last season. Following the season, Campbell told reporters that the Lions would revert back to four-down linemen, with some three-down fronts. In the secondary, the Lions use both man and zone, but appear to gravitate towards a two-high zone defense.

The Lions, as of April 12th, hold nine draft picks, including the second overall selection. The Lions hold 3 of the draft’s top 34 picks, and five of the first 97. The Lions received three compensatory picks, one each in rounds three, five, and six, after losing Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, Jamal Agnew, Jarrad Davis, and Matt Prater in the 2021 free agency period.
Lions Draft Picks:

Round	Overall Pick	Value (JJ)	Value (RH)	Notes
1	2	2600	717
1	32	590	184	From Rams (Matthew Stafford trade)
2	34	560	175
3	66	260	76
3	97	112	38	Compensatory Pick
5	177	19	7	Compensatory Pick
6	181	17.4	7
6	217	3	3	Compensatory Pick
7	234	1	2	From Cleveland (2021 Draft pick trade)

Total Draft Points:
Jimmy Johnson model: 4162.4
Rich Hill model: 1209

About Draft point models
The first model for assigning a point value to draft picks was designed by Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson during his time with the Dallas Cowboys. The valuations are designed to be used as a benchmark when determining the value of draft picks being traded between teams. The values are not hard coded and teams may have different valuations based on need or organizational philosophy. The Rich Hill model was derived, at least in part, due to a differing philosophy of pick value by Patriots coach Bill Belichick. As you may see in the chart above, the revised model puts an added emphasis on early picks and smooths out the value later on in the draft.

What Will the Lions do at the draft?
With the second overall pick, and three in the first 34, the Lions have a strong opportunity to add talent to their roster.

What to do with the second pick:
1. Take an edge rusher, Michigan DE Aidan Hutchinson (if available), Oregon DE Kayvon Thibodeaux, or Georgia edge rusher Travon Walker.
2. Take Notre Dame S Kyle Hamilton
3. Take a QB, potentially Liberty QB Malik Willis.

In an ideal world for the Lions, the Jaguars opt to take an offensive lineman at 1 or otherwise opt against going for Hutchinson. Hutchinson is a perfect a fit as you can get with the Lions Base 4-3 and can step in from Day 1. Thibodeaux would also be a fine consolation prize, as he plays a similar style to Hutchinson and has a higher ceiling due to his athleticism; however, questions have been raised about Thibodeaux’s motor, which may cause his stock to drop out of the top five picks.
Either Hamilton or Willis would be reaches at 2, but both could satisfy needs. Hamilton is a 6’4″ 220 lbs hybrid who would excel at free safety but could play anywhere from slot corner to passing down linebacker. Willis would be a significant risk-reward pick at two, as he has the potential to be a great dual threat QB, but he is very raw and would require refinement, much like Niners QB Trey Lance.

The Lions also have two picks at the turn, the 32nd – last of the first round – and 34th selections. There is growing chatter amongst pundits that the Lions would go best player available at 2, then take the best QB available at 32, with the additional year of control, and again go with BPA at 34 (a safety or receiver potentially). If taking a quarterback, the Lions would need to determine whether that QB is a future cornerstone player, or if they will be back at the same place next season, which a much better crop expected in the 2023 draft. If the front office believes that they will be in the running for Bryce Young next year, it wouldn’t make sense to commit to a starting QB this year.

Roster Analysis
The Lions were quiet in free agency, content to retain members of their team and a few free agents, largely on one-year deals. They brought LB Jarrad Davis back to the team (he left for the Jets last season), and signed CB Mike Hughes, WR DJ Chark, LB Chris Board, and TE Garrett Griffin. DE Trey Flowers and LB Jalen Reaves-Maybin were the biggest names to leave the club this offseason.
The Lions have significant needs everywhere on the defensive side of the football, with really only EDGE Charles Harris, CB Amani Oruwariye, and S Tracy Walker really acquitting themselves to any real credit. On offense, there is a lot to like, with the exception of the QB position, and possibly the top end of the WR room.

Depth Charts
Quarterback
Starter: Jared Goff
Reserves: Tim Boyle, David Blough, Steven Montez
Expected Draft Action: QB will be taken. The Lions are locked in with Jared Goff for the 2022 season, as they would be on the hook for a $30.5 million dead cap hit if they were to release him prior to June 1st. The Lions may opt to use one of their first round selections on his replacement, or opt to take a lower risk backup type QB with a later selection and roll the dice on being able to take a blue chip QB in the 2023 draft (which would, of course, mean hard times are ahead of Detroit).
Potential Fits: Malik Willis, Liberty (if using the 1-2 pick); Sam Howell, UNC (if using the 1-32 pick); Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky (if using a later pick).

Running Back
Starters: D’Andre Swift, Jamaal Williams
Reserves: Craig Reynolds, Jermar Jefferson, Godwin Igwubuike
Expected Draft Action: None or depth. The Lions are pretty well situated in the run game – Swift ranked fourth in the league in receptions by a RB in 2021 with 62, while rushing for 617 yards and 5 TDs. Jamaal Williams is an underrated back as well, he ran for 601 yards and caught 26 passes of his own. When Williams and Swift were both injured late in the season, journeyman RB Craig Reynolds played very well, rushing for 83 yards against the Broncos in Week 13 and 112 yards in an upset win over the Cardinals in Week 14. The Lions may take a RB with a late pick or search the free agent bin post-draft to fill any outstanding RB spots in camp.

Wide Receiver
Starters: DJ Chark, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds
Reserves: Kalif Raymond, Quintez Cephus, Javon McKinley, Trinity Benson, Tom Kennedy
Expected Draft Action: Depth. The Lions signed DJ Chark on a one-year bet-on-yourself deal following four injury-plagued seasons in Jacksonville. There is potential here, Chark had 73 catches for 1008 yards and 8 TDs in his relatively healthy season, 2019. His ability to stretch the field will help, if healthy, which is a significant IF. 2021 fourth rounder Amon-Ra St. Brown was a relevation late in the season, after Dan Campbell took over play-calling duties and focused on getting his rookie WR more involved in the offense. There is some depth here, but the Lions could use a pick in the middle rounds to shore up their receiving corps.
Potential Fit: Christian Watson, North Dakota State; Skyy Moore, Western Michigan; Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama; Wan’Dale Robinson, Kentucky

Tight End
Starter: TJ Hockenson
Reserves: Griffin Garrett, Brock Wright, Hunter Bryant, Jared Pinkney, Shane Zylstra, Matt Sokol
Expected Draft Action: None. In TJ Hockenson, the Lions have a player that can be a safety valve in the passing game, and is a good blocker (though results have been mixed, largely due to injury). A decision is to be made on whether to lock him in to the fifth-year option by May 2nd, and the draft will go some way in determining whether the Lions will lock him in or go another route. The best guess here is that the Lions will lock him in for the fifth season. The Lions may seek to find some insurance for Hockenson in the mid-to-late rounds, as there are no real pass-catching options on their roster as is current situated, though with the sheer number of TE on their roster, it would appear unlikely that they’d look outside the organization past this group at this time.

Offensive Line
Starters: LT Taylor Decker, LG Jonah Jackson, C Frank Ragnow, RG Halapoulivaati Vaitai, RT Penei Sewell
Reserves: T Matt Nelson, Dan Skipper; G Logan Stenberg, Tommy Kraemer; C Evan Brown, Ryan McCollum
Expected Draft Action: None or depth. For a three-win team, the Lions have a very strong offensive line, with solid bookends in Decker and Sewell and a Pro Bowl C in Ragnow. Decker and Ragnow each missed significant time in 2021, and they’ll both need to be healthy for this unit to be one of the stronger ones in the league, but they do have serviceable backups in Evan Brown and Matt Nelson. While it never hurts to bring on more linemen, this is not an area of need for 2021.

Defensive Line
Starters: DE Michael Brockers, NT Alim McNeill, 3T Levi Onwuzurike
Reserves: DE Romeo Okwara; NT John Penisini, Jashon Cornell; 3T Bruce Hector, Eric Banks
Expected Draft Action: Picks across D-line.
Potential Fits: DE/5T Joshua Paschal, Kentucky; DE George Karlaftis, Purdue; DE/5T/3T Kingsley Enagbare, South Carolina; DE Cameron Thomas, San Diego State; DE Zach Carter, Florida; NT Travis Jones, UCONN; 3T Phidarian Mathis, Alabama; 3T Matthew Butler, Tennessee; 3T Kalia Davis, UCF

Edge Rushers/Rush Defensive Ends/Outside Linebackers
Starters: Charles Harris, Julian Okwara
Reserves: Austin Bryant, Jessie Lemonier, RaShod Berry
Expected Draft Action: Starter, possible 1-2 pick. While Detroit will play mostly in a Base 4-3 set, the edge rushers will likely be expected to play both standing up and with their hand in the dirt. Michigan DE/EDGE Aidan Hutchinson and Oregon DE/EDGE Kayvon Thibodeau are perfect fits for this defensive scheme and Detroit is likely to take a long look at each of these players in the pre-draft process.
Potential Fits: Hutchinson; Thibodeaux; Boye Mafe, Minnesota

Inside/Strong-Side Linebackers
Starters: Alex Anzalone, Jarrad Davis
Reserves: Shaun Dion Hamilton, Derrick Barnes, Chris Board, Josh Woods, Anthony Pittman, Curtis Bolton, Tavante Beckett
Expected Draft Action: Starter(s). Davis and Board were both signed to compete for one (or both) of the starting ILB spots, but both are on one-year deals and should not be considered a hindrance to the Lions taking a linebacker in the draft. In fact, it would be surprising if the Lions don’t take at least one. If Nakobe Dean or Devin Lloyd were to slip into the bottom portion of the first round, the Lions should jump at the opportunity.
Potential Fit: ILB Quay Walker, Georgia; ILB Damone Clark, LSU (if he slips into Day 3 – he requires a year to recover from back surgery); SLB Chad Muma, Wyoming; SLB Jesse Luketa; ILB Leo Chenal

Cornerbacks
Starters: Amani Oruwariye, Jeff Okudah, AJ Parker
Reserves: Ifeatu Melifonwu, Mike Hughes, Will Harris (slot), Mark Gilbert, Bobby Price, Parnell Motley, Saivion Smith
Expected Draft Action: Depth. With the emergence of CB Amani Oruwariye as a bona fide starting corner, Jeff Okudah and Ifeatu Melifonwu will likely battle it out for the CB2 spot this coming season. Both suffered season-ending injuries early in the 2021 season and will be looking for bounce-back seasons, while Mike Hughes is in from Kansas City to add depth at the position. AJ Parker and Will Harris will likely be in a battle for the slot. For the Lions, they’ll look for someone to challenge for the second corner spot and/or add depth to the unit, along with a steadier nickel/slot option.
Potential Fit: CB Joshua Williams, Fayetteville State; CB Zyom McCollum, Sam Houston State; SCB Damarri Mathis, Pitt; CB/S Joshua Jobe

Safeties
Starters: Tracy Walker, Will Harris
Reserves: CJ Moore, Brady Breeze, JuJu Hughes, Jalen Elliott
Expected Draft Action: Starter, Depth. Harris may be competing for the slot corner job, which would open up a starting spot at safety for the Lions. There are a number of options that will be available to the Lions at 32 or 34, should they look to use one of those picks from one of the (non-Hamilton) elite safeties in the class, including Dax Hill, from down the road in Ann Arbor.
Potential Fits: Dax Hill, Michigan; Lewis Cine, Georgia; Jaquan Brisker, Penn State