As you have seen, myself and my fellow draft nerds are continuing our release of content by dropping our big boards for 2022. I’m going to be honest with you, I did this board while I was working and after reviewing it again, I’d like to change a good bit of it. With the caveat there though, I am also an extremely lazy person and frankly don’t like writing blogs to begin with. So having said all that, this is what you fools get from me and my twisted mind.
The first part of my big board in the 1-8 range I’d say is pretty standard across all of us (my top 10 is the same people but different orders). I’m going to be honest and say that it wouldn’t shock me if Neal ends up being the worst of this group. I know he’s the prototypical Bama guy who deserves respect, but there’s just nothing about him that truly “wows” me about him. He is also nowhere as good in my opinion as my boy Icky but that’s for another time to discuss.
9-16 block coming up really speaks to the strength of this class with EDGE/DL guys. Jordan Davis is a guy that I feel like is not getting close to the level of love that he truly deserves. There’s a reason I have consistently been calling him “the dancing bear” because if you look at him and his 380+ pound frame, the man should not be as agile as he is. He could be one of the first true 3 down nose tackles we have seen in a long time which is why I choose to give him his props this way.
17-24 has an interesting mix of guys who could be higher and this is also where my first receivers come up. Regardless of his ACL injury, Jameson WIlliams is still one of the better players in this class. However, there is only one receiver that I can truly make the case was the entire reason his team had the season it did. If you don’t believe me go watch Arkansas vs. Texas A&M in Jerry World from this past season. Treylon Burks absolutely took over that game. I also cannot end this wrap up without bring out the Pitt legend in Kenny Pickett. This is a very weak QB class all around, but Pickett is clearly the most pro ready of the QBs right now and deservedly so.
25-32 is where things get interesting. I know what you’re thinking, why the hell is there a Tight End this high? Yes from a top tier perspective, this is clearly not a Kyle Pitts, Noah Fant, or TJ Hockenson level talent. However, this is a sneaky good Tight End class overall and Trey McBride who’s the current Mackey winner is the best from an all around perspective. I thought he had a great showing during the Senior Bowl and this is a year where anything can happen.
33-40 range continues the trend of providing guys with a ton of intrigue. Christian Harris and Jalen Wydermyer came into this as top prospects but may not have lived up to expectations due to never having those moments that solidified those stocks. The one guy however that I will be fascinated to see where he ends up is George Pickens. The consensus coming into this year was the Wide Receiver class had talent, but there wasn’t necessarily a superstar level player we look for. There’s definitely guy I have a lot of confidence in, but Pickens is the guy we did not get a good enough look at while he was recovering from his ACL injury. The lasting image of him making a diving catch in the National Championship game is something I keep thinking back on and wondering what would’ve happened if he was healthy all year.
41-48 is where I think I’m going to get a good bit of heat from. I know Jahan Dotson is low on my board. I get it. I’ve been singing his praises for awhile now and I think he’s going to be electric in the NFL. If you need an explanation, revert back to my top paragraph. What I didn’t make a mistake on, is putting Olave and Wilson this low. This receiver class is all over the place with everyone having their favorites for different reasons. These two however don’t really have a specific desirable trait that I can gravitate towards.
Finally my 49-50 players and this is something I need to bring up because he is on my thumbnail, Tyler Smith is a straight up mauler. This guy didn’t get a ton of love playing at Tulsa but I encourage everyone to go watch some tape on this guy. You will be impressed.
So that is my list. I am going to point this out again, I will definitely make edits to it in the future but as of now, I am sticking with it for it to be poked, prodded, and deciphered to no end. Happy Draft Season!
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