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Not only are there 14 edge rushers in the PFF top 100, but there are also three in the top 10. This class has high-end talent, including the presumptive No. 1 pick
Aidan Hutchinson, as well as depth into Day 2.
The top four edges in this year’s class — Hutchinson (No. 1 on PFF's big board),
Kayvon Thibodeaux (No. 4),
George Karlaftis (No. 10) and
Travon Walker (No. 14) — would have all been EDGE1 in the 2021 class.
This class is unlikely to match 2020 in terms of first-rounders. That year, four linebackers came off the board in the first round, while it doesn’t seem likely that more than two get drafted in the first round this year.
Still, this year’s class should outshine that one on Day 2. There are 11 linebackers between No. 33 and No. 100 on the PFF draft board, and the only player no longer likely to go on Day 2 is LSU’s
Damone Clark after he underwent spinal fusion surgery.
Is this the new norm for receiver classes? While this year’s WR1,
Drake London, would have checked in behind the top three from the 2021 class, the sheer depth of receivers with size in this draft class is staggering. In last year’s second round, four of the five receivers drafted were 5-foot-9 or shorter. That’s not going to be the case this year.
Prospects like
George Pickens (6-foot-3),
Justyn Ross (6-foot-4),
Christian Watson (6-foot-4),
Alec Pierce (6-foot-3) and
Jalen Tolbert (6-foot-1) should give Day 2 of the 2022 class a decidedly different feel.
This marks the third straight impressive tackle class. The 2022 class is far more like the 2020 version than the one we saw a year ago. By that, I mean it’s top-heavy — you still want one of the top five tackles in this class and don’t want to be the team that reaches for the sixth (think
Austin Jackson).
You won’t find the kind of depth in Round 2 that saw six tackles come off the board from picks 39-53 a year ago, but you will find high-end starter potential at the top of the draft.
This is one of the top-heaviest cornerback groups in recent memory. Depending on your scheme,
Derek Stingley Jr.,
Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and
Trent McDuffie could all be seen as elite talents on team boards. All feature within the top-10 on the PFF board, as well.
From there, it starts to drop off considerably, with only two more corners in the top 50. However, it does feature a couple of athletic marvels in UTSA’s
Tariq Woolen and Sam Houston State’s
Zyon McCollum, two of the freakier testers ever at the position.
What the tackle class lacks in depth, the interior line class more than makes up for. The interior class is swarming with talent in Rounds 3 and 4, and that’s not even considering some possible tackle converts currently grouped in the tackle figure above. It also has a couple of prototypes, with
Zion Johnson atop the guard class and
Tyler Linderbaum atop the center group.
This is the last position group in 2022 that has an above-average class compared to the previous seven drafts we’ve graded. It has a blue-chipper at the top in
Kyle Hamilton. It has excellent plug-and-play depth into Day 2 with
Lewis Cine,
Jaquan Brisker,
Daxton Hill and
Jalen Pitre. There is also a good deal of athletic projects to work with. With a little something for everyone, it’s a good year to want a safety.
There may not be great depth to this class, but boy, are there some impact players at the top. Georgia is carrying the class on its back with DT1 (
Devonte Wyatt) and DT2 (
Jordan Davis) on not only PFF’s board but on pretty much every board you’ll find. While it’s a touch lacking throughout Day 2, even having a couple of first-rounders is a nice change of pace after none went in Round 1 last year.
PFF ranks all 11 position groups in order of the talent featured on PFF's 2022 NFL Draft Big Board.
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