2022 NFL Draft: The best players still on the board after Round 1 going into Round 2 of the NFL Draft.
2022 NFL Draft: 32 Best Players Available, Round 2
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2022 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings, Analysis
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | OTs | OGs & Cs | DEs & Edge | DTs
LBs | Ss | CBs | 50 Greatest Value Draft Picks Ever
NFL Draft by college over last 5 years: 1-130 rankings
2023 NFL Draft: Top 15 Prospects By Position
2023 NFL Draft: Top 32 Overall Prospects
32. WR Skyy Moore, Western Michigan
This is a really, really tough year to be a wide receiver. The top guys are really fast, really big, or a combination of the two. Moore isn’t big and he’s not a blazer, but he’s one of those guys that everyone through the scouting process fell in love with. Everyone wants him around as an all-around playmaker for an offense.
31. EDGE Sam Williams, Ole Miss
For all the hype around the edge rushers and ends the went in the first round, Williams has a sneaky combination of skills that should make him a must-have in the top 60. 265-pound guys who can run a 4.46 find jobs in this league.
30. QB Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati
Didn’t like him in the first round, interested in the second. I’m not the fan others seem to be, but he’s got the best all-around combination of size, arm, experience, and mobility in this draft.
He wasn’t worth the flier at the end of the first round like everyone projected, but go for it in the second, especially if you have an old veteran starter – (cough) Washington and Indianapolis (cough) – who can handle the work for a year while the new guy gets up to speed.
29. OG/OT Darian Kinnard, Kentucky
It’ll be interesting to see just how valuable he is on Day Two. The offensive line prospects dry up fast now, and Kinnard has the 322-pound size and the versatility to fit just about anywhere on the line.
28. TE Trey McBride, Colorado State
Does Green Bay blow off the mediocre wide receivers to go get the punishing all-around part of the offense? He’s not the best athlete, and he’s not the next Travis Kelce, but he’s a rock-solid pass catching tight end who put up some terrific stats.
27. DE Cameron Thomas, San Diego State
A little bit of an old school NFL defensive end, he’s not going to fly into the backfield and he’s not all that crafty, but he’s 6-5, 270, and he gets behind the line. The pass rushing talent slows down on Day Two, and Thomas brings something different with his game.
26. QB Carson Strong, Nevada
Admittedly, I believe in this guy even if no one else seems to. Be shocked if the big bomber is selected before Saturday, but in this mediocre class of quarterbacks, he might be the best pure passer of the bunch. If you put him behind a strong offensive line, he’ll get the offense moving.
25. LB Leo Chenal, Wisconsin
Welcome to yet another Wisconsin defensive player who’s undervalued in the draft process, steps on the field, and puts up giant stats as one of a team’s leading tacklers. A big-time run stopper who can straight-line burst into the backfield, you want him between the hashmarks running your D.
24. DT Phidarian Mathis, Alabama
Sort of a lost narrative in this draft is how mediocre the defensive tackles are – which is why I thought Jordan Davis should’ve gone much, much higher. Mathis is a part of the puzzle. He’s not going to get into the backfield all that much, and he’s not a brick wall of an anchor, but he’s a good, sound NFL defensive tackle.
23. QB Matt Corral, Ole Miss
The jury is still out on just how much his game translates to the next level and just how much he was a function of a great system and an under-appreciated offensive coach – yes, he doesn’t get enough credit because of all the other parts to his persona – in Lane Kiffin. With the right team, though, this could work – and at a great value price.
22. WR John Metchie, Alabama
Lost in the shuffle among all the great wide receivers in this draft. Metchie isn’t huge, and he’s not all that fast, and he’s trying to get past a knee injury. However, once he’s right he’ll be as reliable a route runner as anyone in this class.
21. RB Breece Hall, Iowa State
He’s not higher because superstar running backs don’t mean quite as much in today’s NFL. However, with his combination of size, sub-4.4 speed, and ability around the goal line, he’s going to be a must-have get for your fantasy team for the next four years. If Buffalo, Philadelphia, or Miami can get him, look out.
2022 NFL Draft: Top Prospects Available Top 10 | 11-20
NEXT: 2022 NFL Draft: Top 20 Prospects Available
2022 NFL Draft: Top 20 Prospects Available
20. WR Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama
This is a test. Obviously every NFL team and scout know everything about every prospect, but Tolbert might just fall through the cracks because he’s not quite the elite measurables guy to match the tape. Even so, he’s a big-time downfield threat who might be a gift to someone in the third round.
19. EDGE Logan Hall, Houston
The only problem is his position – he doesn’t quite have one. The 6-6, 275-pounder can get behind the line and he’s going to be too quick for most interior linemen, but he’s a true tweener who might be seen as only a rotational player. That’s fine – he’ll produce.
18. WR Christian Watson, North Dakota State
You need to have two other volume-catchers in your offense, but if you can turn him loose and let him be a matchup nightmare with his 4.3 speed, he’ll be a devastating weapon who can change a game with one play.
17. EDGE Nik Bonitto, Oklahoma
I honestly can’t quite figure out why he’s slipping through the edge rusher cracks because he checks just about every box as a player. The freakish tools might not be there, but someone’s about to draft a whole lot of tackles for loss at a bargain basement price.
16. OT Bernhard Raimann, Central Michigan
This is a Day Two theme – the talent on the O line dries up fast. He’s not all that bulky, but he’s a phenomenal athlete who might just grow into one of the best all-around pass protectors in this draft if he’s given a little time to grow. Surround him with bulk and let him handle the speed guys.
15. S Jalen Pitre, Baylor
It only takes one to make a pick, but several teams are sure to ding him because he’s a tough guy with a physical game packed in the body of a kicker. He’s not really a free safety even with his 4.4 speed, and he’s just not big enough to make 100 tackles a season without breaking down. But go ahead and put him in your secondary and figure it out.
14. LB Damone Clark, LSU
Welcome to the Take A Chance On Greatness ranking. Had he been 100% healthy he’d have been a top 40 overall pick, and now he might not be drafted after having to undergo spinal fusion surgery. It’s not a stretch to call him the best inside linebacker in the draft, but unfortunately he’s a big risk selection. A team with a lot of picks should absolutely take the shot.
13. QB Sam Howell, North Carolina
You want to know just how full of hoo-ha the world of NFL scouting is? Hand raised high on this – a year ago, Howell appeared to be a lock as the top quarterback in this class of meh prospects. He’s not huge, his game isn’t exactly pretty, and he’s coming off a strange year, but there’s a reason why we were all in deep like with him before this season. The potential is there to be fantastic.
12. S Nick Cross, Maryland
Every once in a while there’s a prospect that – from the college perspective – seems to be missing something for the NFL scouting types. I’m stunned Cross isn’t considered to be higher than a fringe second rounder, but that appears to be the consensus on a 6-1, 215-pound huge hitter with 4.34 speed. Consistency is going to be his key.
11. S Jaquan Brisker, Penn State
There isn’t enough splash to make him stand out too much among this year’s loaded crop of defensive backs, but he’s going to be one of those guys who finds a role in a secondary and ends up with a strong all-around ten year career. He looks and plays the part of an NFL safety – he’s got a clean game. He’s just nota an intimidating force.
2022 NFL Draft: Top Prospects Available Top 10 | 21-32
NEXT: 2022 NFL Draft: Top Ten Prospects Available
2022 NFL Draft: Top Ten Prospects Available
10. EDGE David Ojabo, Michigan
Don’t overthink this. In this somewhat strange 2021 NFL Draft class, Ojabo might have been a top 15 overall pick if he didn’t suffer a torn Achilles tendon. Now you can get him at a great value, let him heal up, and you have one of the best pass rushers in a draft full of great pass rushers for your 2023 defense.
9. DE Arnold Ebiketie, Penn State
The guy looks the part of an NFL pass rusher. No, he’s not the freakish tools defender many would like – which is why he’s slipping – but he took his game up a few notches after going from Temple to Penn State. There’s a big-time sleeper possibility here.
8. LB Christian Harris, Alabama
The linebackers weren’t loved this year. It’s sort of a lost position with all the attention and demand for edge rushers, but do you want a big-hitting defender who can get all over the field with elite burst after doing it at a high college level for the last few years? Here you go.
7. CB Kyler Gordon, Washington
He suffered from being the other guy. Trent McDuffie was the star corner in the Washington secondary, but Gordon is a good-sized defender who’ll hit. He’s not the lock-down No. 1 guy like others in this draft, but the potential to move him around where needed is there.
6. EDGE Boye Mafe, Minnesota
It’s a bit of a stunner that he wasn’t a Thursday guy, but considering how far Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson fell, the teams that needed the edge rushers after the top 15 seemed willing to wait. A high-end hybrid pass rusher with incredible athleticism, he’s a Friday must-have.
5. OT Daniel Faalele, Minnesota
Here’s the college side of me coming out. You’re telling me that a 6-8, 384-pound guy who can move doesn’t have a spot as an obliterating force on someone’s offensive front? I get it. He’s too big to play guard and he might not be quite the pass protector of an NFL tackle some might want, so just keep running behind him and see what happens.
4. CB Andrew Booth, Clemson
It’s just a numbers game with Booth. He could’ve easily gone anywhere from about the 20 on, but there were about 50 guys in this draft who could’ve been first rounders without anyone thinking twice. He fell because he’s been banged up and has to prove he can stay in one piece, but all the NFL tools are there.
3. QB Malik Willis, Liberty
Here’s the thing. If you took Willis somewhere in the top ten, the pressure would be on as a franchise-changing talent who could elevate everyone on a pro team up a few notches.
Compared to last year’s class of quarterbacks and what’s coming in 2023, he just wasn’t worthy of that high a selection. However, now that it’s the second round, go for it with a guy with an elite arm, elite mobility, and a baller’s game
2. DT Travis Jones, UConn
This was one of the two giant misses in the first round. Jones is a 6-5, 333-pound interior defensive lineman in a draft class woefully lacking in talented interior defensive linemen, and he runs around a 4.8 at that size. The UConn brand didn’t help, and it’s hard to envision all he can be as he’s getting beaten on in game after game, but he’ll be snapped up fast.
And then there’s …
2022 NFL Draft: Top Prospects Available 11-20 | 21-32
1. LB Nakobe Dean, Georgia
He’s just not all that huge.
He’s 6-0 and 225 pounds, and that’s a wee bit of a stretch. But who cares?
You see all of those Georgia guys going in the first round? You see who went No. 1 overall? Out of all the talent on that national championship defense – and with the guys who are still there – Jordan Davis was the one everything worked around, and Dean was the one who did just about everything else as he grew from a solid college tackler to an all-around force who started to get into the backfield more.
Cole Strange is a third round talent – New England got cute taking the guard at the 29 over Dean.
Buffalo needed a corner, and Kaiir Elam has a ton of upside when healthy, but put Dean on THAT defense and it’s uh-oh time.
Green Bay took two Bulldogs – LB Quay Walker at the 22 and Devonte Wyatt at the 28 – who fit the NFL mold better than Dean, but …
Yeah, he’s not quite big enough and he didn’t time fast. But he’s still the best football player still on the board.
– Day 2 Mock Draft: 2nd and 3rd Rounds
2022 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings, Analysis
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | OTs | OGs & Cs | DEs & Edge | DTs
LBs | Ss | CBs | 50 Greatest Value Draft Picks Ever
NFL Draft by college over last 5 years: 1-130 rankings
2023 NFL Draft: Top 15 Prospects By Position
2023 NFL Draft: Top 32 Overall Prospects
