NFL Draft Recap: Round One

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Jacob Bundrick, Sports Editor

Last night, NFL fans around the world watched the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. 32 star players joined the league, ready to make a difference on their new teams. Some teams had great nights, drafting top prospects to aid them. However, some teams had an unproductive night, trading away picks and players and drafting players at the wrong time. 

 

Here is an overview of all 32 first round picks: 

 

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Travon Walker (EDGE), Georgia 
  2. Detroit Lions: Aidan Hutchinson (EDGE), Michigan 
  3. Houston Texans: Derek Stingley Jr. (CB), LSU
  4. New York Jets: Ahmad Gardner (CB), Cincinnati
  5. New York Giants: Kayvon Thibodeaux (EDGE), Oregon
  6. Carolina Panthers: Ikem Ekwonu (OT), NC State 
  7. New York Giants: Evan Neal (OT), Alabama
  8. Atlanta Falcons: Drake London (WR), USC
  9. Seattle Seahawks: Charles Cross (OT), Mississippi State 
  10. New York Jets: Garrett Wilson (WR), Ohio State 
  11. New Orleans Saints (via trade with Washington): Chris Olave (WR), Ohio State 
  12. Detroit Lions (via trade with Minnesota): Jameson Williams (WR), Alabama
  13. Philadelphia Eagles (via trade with Houston): Jordan Davis (DT), Georgia 
  14. Baltimore Ravens: Kyle Hamilton (S), Notre Dame
  15. Houston Texans (via trade with Philadelphia): Kenyon Green (OG), Texas A&M
  16. Washington Commanders (via trade with New Orleans): Jahan Dotson (WR), Penn St. 
  17. Los Angeles Chargers: Zion Johnson (OG), Boston College 
  18. Tennessee Titans (via trade with Philadelphia): Treylon Burks (WR), Arkansas
  19. New Orleans Saints: Trevor Penning (OT), Northern Iowa 
  20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Kenny Pickett (QB), Pittsburgh
  21. Kansas City Chiefs (via trade with New England): Trent McDuffie (CB), Washington
  22. Green Bay Packers: Quay Walker (LB), Georgia 
  23. Buffalo Bills (via trade with Baltimore): Kaiir Elam (CB), Florida 
  24. Dallas Cowboys: Tyler Smith (OT), Tulsa 
  25. Baltimore Ravens (via trade with Buffalo): Tyler Linderbaum (C), Iowa 
  26. New York Jets (via trade with Tennessee): Jermaine Johnson II (EDGE), Florida State 
  27. Jacksonville Jaguars (via trade with Tampa Bay): Devin Lloyd (LB), Utah 
  28. Green Bay Packers: Devonte Wyatt (DT), Georgia 
  29. New England Patriots (via trade with Kansas City): Cole Strange (OG), Chattanooga 
  30. Kansas City Chiefs: George Karlaftis (EDGE), Purdue 
  31. Cincinnati Bengals: Daxton Hill (S), Michigan 
  32. Minnesota Vikings (via trade with Detroit): Lewis Cine (S), Georgia 

Here are some of my thoughts on how the first round went:

 

My steal of the first round: Jermaine Johnson II. Johnson was one of the best pass rushers leading up to the first round, and I was surprised to see him fall to the back half of the round. The Jets made a fantastic move by selecting him 26th overall, after gaining that pick through a trade with the Titans. He is a premier pass rusher with a high ceiling and will fit perfectly into Rovert Saleh’s defensive scheme. 

 

My bust of the first round: Treylon Burks. After trading pro-bowl receiver AJ Brown to the Eagles, the Titans grabbed Burks with the 18th overall pick included in the Brown trade. AJ Brown is one of the top receivers in the NFL and arguably the second best player on Titan’s roster. This makes drafting Burks a questionable move in my opinion. He’s a solid player, but I’m not sure if he will be able to fill the superstar role that Brown had. 

 

My winners of the first round: Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets. I think the Eagles had a great night. Practically stealing AJ Brown from the Titans, QB Jalen Hurts now has another great pass catcher to throw to. The Eagles also drafted Jordan Davis, a monster on the field that will do great learning from pro-bowl DL Fletcher Cox. The Jets arguably stole the show last night. They got three future stars in Ahmad Gardner, Drake London, and Jermaine Johnson II. Head Coach Robert Saleh is a defensive-minded coach, and I believe he will be able to effectively implement Gardner and Johnson. London is a great receiver, and hopefully he can improve a very lackluster offense. 

 

My losers of the first round: New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans. The Patriots decided to trade down in the first round, and subsequently wasted the 29th overall pick. Cole Strange is a good player but not worthy of going in the first round, nor the second. Strange was predicted to be a third round pick, so Bill Belichick taking him at 29 was a huge surprise. To put it lightly, the Titans an inefficient night. As previously mentioned, they gave away AJ Brown for a barely above-average receiver. They had the opportunity to redeem themselves with the 26th overall pick, but decided to trade that away too. 

 

The second and third rounds of the draft are tonight, starting at 7pm ET.