2022 NFL Draft — Day 1 Review

Day one of the 2022 NFL Draft is in the books. Let’s analyze who won and merely survived the day.

The NFL Draft is well underway, and day one delivered its share of twists and turns. The draft picked up toward the middle of the first half, and teams such as the Titans and Vikings saw themselves move back multiple times.

Others, such as the Cardinals and Buccaneers, moved entirely out of the first round. The Saints and Lions moved up to select twice in the top twenty.

We saw a total of nine trades take place on day one. Multiple wide receivers were moved in exchange for draft capital, only one quarterback was selected, and we have yet to see a running back taken.

The Winners:

The New York Jets

The Jets opened the draft as one of eight teams with multiple first-round selections and ended the first night of the 2022 NFL Draft selecting three players — Ahmad Gardner, Garrett Wilson, and Jermaine Johnson.

Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner was atop many draft boards as the former Cincinnati Bearcat confidently spoke of “sauce” when hearing his name called. Gardner never allowed a touchdown in coverage at the collegiate level and stands at 6’2″ with a wingspan just shy of 80 inches.

Garrett Wilson was the Jets’ second selection, 10th overall, and the first wide receiver off the board. He is known for catching the ball at its highest point and having excellent body control. Wilson finished with over 2,000 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns throughout his collegiate career.

The Jets traded two days, two selections, and a day three pick in exchange for the 26th and 101st. Their final first-round selection is a player I had mocked to the Jets at 10th overall — Jermaine Johnson. Johnson had over 50 combined tackles, two forced fumbles, and 14 sacks with Florida State in 2021. He is 6’4”, 254lbs, and ran a 4.58 40 at the combine.

The New York Giants

Next stop in our journey through New York, we have the New York “Football” Giants, who bolstered up their trenches with the first-round selections of edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and offensive tackle Evan Neal.

Thibodeaux stands at 6’4” and 254lbs and has an explosion off the line that is unmatched in this draft class with length at the position that helps him battle offensive lineman well.

With their second selection, the Giants drafted Evan Neal, the offensive tackle out of Alabama who will give an immediate upgrade to an offensive line in need. Neal is a towering 6’7” and is known for being athletic and somewhat of a barrier for his quarterback.

The Buffalo Bills

Finally, to round out the New York tour, the Buffalo Bills selected Kaiir Elam at 23rd overall. The former Florida Gator finished his collegiate career with six interceptions and 15 passes defended.

Elam is the Bills’ first corner taken in the first round since 2017 (Tre’Davious White). Buffalo received the 23rd overall selection from Baltimore and the Ravens received the 25th and 130st picks in this year’s draft. That places Elam on a star-studded secondary that already features Jordan Poyer and Mikah Hyde.

The Minnesota Vikings

SKOL nation selected one hell of a player in Lewis Cine. Cine finished his college career with 148 combined tackles and nine pass breakups in three full years at Georgia. He is a big hitter who runs downhill and can take down the ball carrier in space.

Though Cine could use some more polishing when making plays on the ball, he will learn from one of the best — Harrison Smith. In this year’s draft, the Vikings traded their 12th and 46th overall selections to Detroit, sending the Vikings the 32nd, 34th, and 66th selections.

The Detroit Lions

The Lions hit the jackpot in Vegas with their first selection at second overall. Adian Hutchinson heard his name called, and it was all smiles and love in his interview. He racked up 20 sacks and 144 combined tackles in his four-year career as a Michigan Wolverine.

Aidan Hutchinson is known for using his hands to put himself in a better position and his mental determination, as he gives his all with every snap. He will have to make the long move from Michigan to … Michigan.

Lady luck kissed Detroit a second time as the Lions struck a deal with the Vikings, landing Detroit the 12th and 46th overall picks with the Vikings receiving the 32nd, 34th, and 66th overall selections in this year’s draft.

Jameson Williams was, surprisingly, the fourth receiver off of the board as the Lions moved up twenty spots to select him with their newly acquired 12th overall selection. Williams’ 2021 season was cut short due to injury. However, the former Alabama-wide receiver finished with a 67.8% reception percentage, 20.0 yards per reception, and 25 touchdowns.

Somehow Survived Day One

The Green Bay Packers

The Pack was one of eight teams with two selections and finished day one selecting a pair of Dawgs to upgrade the defense. Quay Walker was my seventh-ranked linebacker heading into the NFL Draft.

Walker stands at 6’3” and ran a low 4.5 in the 40-yard dash at the combine. He is a freak athlete who needs time to improve his pursuit and overall play processing.

The Packers’ second and final first-round selection was Devonte Wyatt, defensive tackle and another player from the National Champion Georgia Bulldogs. Wyatt is in my top three defensive tackles in this year’s draft and is in no way a horrible selection.

Green Bay’s two draft selections complement each other well and help solidify a lethal and young front seven. I placed them in the middle tier because of the current state of their wide receiver room. However, the Packers have not selected a wideout in the first round of a draft since Javon Walker in 2002.

The current WR1 is newly signed Sammy Watkins; other names such as Lazard, Rodgers, and Cobb round out the core of wideouts for Green Bay.

The Tennesee Titans

"Let's do it man."

AJ Brown and Jalen Hurts already linking up 👀👀 @JalenHurts @1kalwaysopen_ @Eagles

(via @JalenHurts) pic.twitter.com/jPGGUIDlkc

— NFL (@NFL) April 29, 2022

The Titans traded star wide receiver, A.J. Brown, to Philadelphia in exchange for the 18th and 101st overall selections in the 2022 NFL Draft. Pick 18 eventually ended up being Arkansas wideout, Treylon Burks.

Burks is 6’2” and ran a mid 4.5 in the 40-yard dash.  He can run routes with solid acceleration, has great size and hands, and can run the end around or play at the primary screen receiver.

The Eagles signed Brown to a four-year, $100 million deal immediately post-trade.

A thousand thank yous for reading my Day One Review! If you enjoyed it, be sure to read all my work on my IDP Guys author page, and follow me on Twitter @Caliking49er17.