Per Pro Football Reference’s Weighted Career Approximate Value metric, the three most valuable picks in the 2022 NFL draft were cornerbacks.
Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, selected by the Jets with the fourth overall pick, dominated in his rookie season in a Robert Saleh defense that demanded an alpha cornerback who was fine on an island. Marcus Jones, selected by the Patriots with the 85th overall pick, knew enough about how to play man coverage to make a different right away in a Bill Belichick defense in which man coverage is a non-negotiable. And Tariq Woolen, selected with the 153rd pick by the Seahawks, was a massive defender with that same kind of alpha mentality who fit perfectly in a Pete Carroll defense where “having that dog in him” is as important as any particular measurable, though Woolen’s alien-like measurables certainly helped — and showed up on the field.
