With the regular season in the books, it’s time to start looking ahead to offseason and most importantly, the NFL Draft. All the teams that missed the playoffs have their draft position set, starting with the Jaguars at the top of the 2022 NFL Draft.
This draft class is a lot different than the 2021 NFL Draft class. There’s a dearth of quarterback talent compared to last season, but teams looking for impact linemen have plenty of options towards the top of the draft.
This class may not have a super elite talent like a Myles Garrett or a Kyle Pitts, but there are plenty of prospects that should play at a Pro Bowl level early in their career.
Let’s take a first guess at what can happen in April (note: The order for the playoff teams has yet to be determined, so hat tip to Tankathon).
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The Jaguars get Kayvon Thibodeaux, who is just scratching the surface on how dominant he can be. Thibodeaux can be an explosive, versatile addition to the Jaguars’ defensive line. He’d be a perfect building block for a new staff.
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The Lions get a local pick to add to their pass rush. Aidan Hutchinson projects as a lead off pass rusher in the NFL that can win one-on-one matchups.
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The Texans are just rolling with the best player on the board. When healthy, Derek Stingley looks like a shutdown cornerback prospect.
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The Jets are getting Carl Lawson back and now add a pass rushing prospect with immense upside in George Karlaftis to bolster their edge rush for the long term.
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The Giants have Andrew Thomas locked in on the left side, here’s a running mate to really improve their offensive line.
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The Panthers get their quarterback. Kenny Pickett is kind of like the anti-Sam Darnold, which is probably pretty appealing to the Panthers right now.
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The Giants have needed pass rush for what feels like a decade. Ojabo has speed off the edge the Giants are desperately lacking in their defense.
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This Falcons regime has shown they don’t really care about traditional positional value so here’s a safety in the top-10 a year after taking a tight end in the top five. Kyle Hamilton is the best player on the board and would give the Falcons a young, extremely talented secondary duo with A.J. Terrell.
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The Broncos finally take a quarterback. Matt Corral has his flaws, but the Broncos love quarterbacks with flaws so he should fit right in.
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The Jets get another stud tackle to help protect Zach Wilson. Charles Cross can play left or right tackle in the NFL, giving the Jets two first round tackles on their rebuilding offensive line. Cross has the upside to be best tackle in the draft when it’s all said and done.
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Washington gets a tackle to give them a strong duo on the edges. Charles Leno Jr. and Ikem Ekwonu would give plenty of time to whoever disappoints at quarterback next season.
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The Vikings need to upgrade their cornerback room so here’s a cornerback. See how that works? Andrew Booth can run with the best of them and would give the Vikings a physical corner capable of shutting down receivers in man coverage.
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The Ravens grab a tank of a nose tackle here that gives them a great chance to have a dominant defense again with players returning from injury.
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Demarvin Leal is a raw player that needs to work on his technique, but he has all the tools to be an explosive, penetrating defensive lineman. Depending on how his team wants to deploy him, he can play inside or outside.
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Jason Kelce won’t be an Eagle forever. Linderbaum’s athleticism fits well with what the Eagles are trying to run with Jalen Hurts at quarterback.
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The Chargers would love for Jordan Davis to be available here, but they can still grab an upgrade for the middle of their defense in Nakobe Dean.
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The Saints desperately need to add wide receiver talent this offseason. They struggled without Michael Thomas and now have a chance to grab a strong #2 receiver to pair with him.
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The Eagles get an athletic cornerback to play across from Darius Slay with their original first round pick.
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The Steelers get an interior upgrade for an offensive line that sorely needs it. Najee Harris and the Steelers’ next quarterback would benefit from this.
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The Patriots take a dice roll here. Jameson Williams is one of the most explosive players in the draft, but tore his ACL in the National Championship game. He’d provide speed the Patriots are missing at wideout when healthy.
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The Dolphins have decided to stay on the Tua Train so here’s a big bodied wide receiver to make plays after the catch for him.
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The Raiders get an athletic cornerback to pair with standout rookie Nate Hobbs for the long term.
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The Cardinals have loved drafting versatile players in recent drafts and Travon Walker fits that bill. Walker played all over Georgia’s defense from nose tackle to edge rusher. He’s a physical player that should be able to find a role along the Cardinals defensive line.
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The Bengals get a nice value here with Devin Lloyd falling into their laps. Lloyd would add a huge boost of speed and playmaking to a defense that has to play against Nick Chubb and Lamar Jackson four times a year.
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The Bills get a running back to add a physical element to their offense. Kenneth Walker kind of plays like a diet version of Marshawn Lynch, which would help Buffalo be less reliant on Josh Allen’s legs to convert short yardage for them.
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The Lions finally take a swing at quarterback. Ridder could end up being the steal of the draft. He’s a high-upside prospect that has experience working in an offense that asked him to make tough throws.
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Brisker would be a nice fit at free safety for the Cowboys. If they’re able to retain defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Brisker can slide in as an immediate starter in his scheme.
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The Chiefs offense could use a talented wide receiver to continue to bolster their offense. London has all the skills in the world, but is working his way back from an ankle fracture.
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Antonio Brown out, Jahan Dotson in. A wide receiver with separation skills like Dotson is a good fit for Tom Brady and makes sense if they end up losing Chris Godwin in free agency.
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At this point in the draft, the Titans could use a high-upside tackle prospect like Trevor Penning to play across from Taylor Lewan.
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The Packers don’t have many needs, but they could use another young, cheap contract along their pass rushing front.
