The 2022 draft class of the Green Bay Packers ranked 14th among NFL teams in production and value during its first season by ESPN.
The ranking focused primarily on production and used inputs from Sports Info Solutions, DVOA from Football Outsiders and ESPN’s player tracking metrics to establish a pecking order.
The Packers received important contributions from first-round pick Quay Walker, second-round pick Christian Watson, fourth-round picks Zach Tom and Romeo Doubs and fifth-round pick Kingsley Enagbare, but the draft class only just finished in the top half of the rankings.
The post highlighted Walker’s numbers from 2022:
First-round linebacker Quay Walker had an excellent year, one of just 11 rookies to earn 40 or more Total Points in that SIS metric. Walker had 121 total tackles with a 10% broken tackle rate, outstanding for a rookie linebacker, and allowed just 2.4 yards per target in coverage. Green Bay’s other defensive first-round pick, tackle Devonte Wyatt, played a much smaller role, seeing 22% of defensive snaps.
Walker was nothing if not productive during his first season, even if his rookie campaign was a healthy mix of good and bad.
At wide receiver, the Packers got 88 catches, 1,118 yards and 13 total touchdowns out of Watson, Doubs and seventh-round pick Samori Toure. Tom played almost 500 total snaps across four different positions along the offensive line, and Enagbare started seven games at edge rusher and produced eight quarterback hits. Even seventh-round pick Tariq Carpenter became a productive special teams player down the stretch.
The class was likely dragged down due to Devonte Wyatt’s lack of playing time and the redshirt rookie season of third-round pick Sean Rhyan.
The post included other relevant information on a few other rookies:
Wide receiver Christian Watson really came on in the second half of the season, starting every game from Week 8 onward and catching 41 passes for 611 yards and seven touchdowns in a little more than half a season. He finished 20th out of 85 qualifying wide receivers in Football Outsiders’ receiving DVOA rating. The Packers also got valuable contributions from edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare, who started seven games and had three sacks with 23 pressures, and offensive lineman Zach Tom, who had five starts at both left tackle and left guard.
The following teams ranked ahead of the Packers, in order from first to 13th: Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons.
Overall, this was one of the most productive and valuable rookie classes from the Packers in recent team history, even if the rankings here suggest otherwise.
