Defense wins championships, right? It must because the first five picks in last night’s draft were all on the defensive side of the ball, only the second time in draft history that has occurred. Through the first ten picks, it was a rather calm draft, but that changed quickly as there were NINE trades made from that point on. Even some of the league’s biggest stars were stunned by what unfolded at the draft. Here is a look at some of the biggest takeaways from the first night of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Giants and Jets impress in draft selections
Two of the worst teams, who happen to play in the same stadium, impressed with their draft selections last night. Both the New York Giants and New York Jets picked up some quality pieces in the first round of the draft. The New York teams each had two picks in the top ten.
First up the Jets selected CB Sauce Gardner with the fourth overall pick. The Jets haven’t had a shutdown corner since Darrelle Revis which is also the last time the Jets made the playoffs. Gardner spoke about Revis after getting picked by the Jets, calling him one of his favorite cornerbacks who he still watches to this day. That has to be music to Jets’ fans ears who are starving for a playoff run. Their second pick, Ohio State WR Garrett Wilson, made complete sense after the team struck out on all of the wide receivers who were traded this offseason. The Jets had one additional pick at 26 and used it on edge rusher Jermaine Johnson III. Another solid pick-up for the Jets that fills a void on their roster.
As for the Giants, they grabbed DE Kayvon Thibodeaux who some considered the best player in the draft. Thibodeaux called the Giants his hardest interview at the Combine, but he must have impressed new GM Joe Schoen. The Giants are starving for a dominant pass rusher. A team that used to boast Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora has really lacked the ability to rush the quarterback over the last few seasons. Thibodeaux can instanty come in and become a fan favorite. With the seventh pick,the Giants also addressed a major hole on their roster and that’s the offensive line. Alabama’s versatile OT Evan Neal will join 2020 first-round pick Andrew Thomas as the team’s two starting tackles. The Giants have tried to address issues on the offensive line for what feels like a decade now, but Neal is a really good player who should excel at the pro level and allow Daniel Jones more time in the pocket and hopefully cut down on the turnovers.
The Packers still refuse to draft a receiver
Even after losing Davante Adams, arguably one of the top receivers in the league, the team still decided not to draft an offensive player in the first round. It’s almost a running joke at this point that the Packers will do anything but draft a top receiver. It doesn’t matter how well LB Quay Walker and DT Devonte Wyatt perform, fans are still going to be pissed Green Bay choose not to grab an offensive weapon in the first round. It probably didn’t sit well with Aaron Rodgers whose relationship with the Packers’ front office seems strained to say the least.
A.J. Brown traded to Philly
This has definitely been the craziest offseason for wide receivers and last night did not disappoint. To everyone’s surprise, the Titans decided to trade A.J. Brown to the Eagles. In exchange, Teneessee received Philadelphia’s 18th pick. With that pick, the Titans picked up WR Treylon Burks whose pro comparison is A.J. Brown. While the move was stunning it seems like everyone won in this scenario. Tenneessee gets a young, physical receiver, the Eagles get a slightly older, physical receiver, and Brown got a $100 million extension from Philadelphia.
He was not the only receiver on the move last night. The Baltimore Ravens stunned everyone and traded Hollywood Brown to the Arizona Cardinals much to the dismay of QB Lamar Jackson.
Steelers draft Big Ben’s replacement
It’s always incredibly difficult to replace a franchise quarterback, especially one who has delivered two Super Bowl titles like Ben Roethlisberger. However, that is exactly what will be asked of Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett who was selected with the 20th overall pick. He won’t have to travel far and is already familiar with the Steelers training facility as the team shares it with Pitt. Pittsburgh already has Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph on the roster, but it seems likely Pickett willl start week one.
As if that was not enough pressure, Pickett was the only quarterback drafted in the first round putting a massive spotlight on his first season. New Orleans, Seattle, and Atlanta all decided to pass on potentially drafting their next franchise quarterback in the first round.
