The Texans selected DB Jalen Pitre in the 2nd round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Pitre opened his Baylor career as a LB and continued to make his greatest contributions near the line of scrimmage. He racked up a ridiculous 29.5 tackles for loss (including 6 sacks) over the past 2 seasons while playing safety and slot corner, adding 4 INTs and 9 passes defensed. At just 5’11 and with near-average speed for the position, Pitre projects as primarily a box safety in the pros. Going to Houston in Round 2 should give him a good shot at starting right away.
The Jets selected RB Breece Hall with the 36th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Hall spent nearly all of his 3 seasons starting at Iowa State. He opened his sophomore year with 8 straight 100-yard games and finished it as the FBS leader in rushing yards. He earned All-America honors each of the past 2 seasons. Hall followed a stellar career – including 82 receptions at 9.0 yards per catch – by running a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at 217 pounds (a 97th-percentile speed score). Hall joins a Jets backfield alongside 2021 4th-rounder Michael Carter. Hall is the favorite to lead the way in touches, but this isn’t a great landing spot for his fantasy value.
The Packers traded up to select North Dakota State WR Christian Watson with the 34th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Watson is a truly freaky athlete. The 6’4, 208-pounder registered a 4.36-second 40-time and a 38.5-inch vertical at the Combine to earn a 100th percentile Relative Athletic Score. That obviously gives Watson a lofty fantasy ceiling. But the floor is low. Watson is more athlete than WR right now. He easily won with his size and speed against FCS defenses. But he’s a raw and inexperienced route runner, isn’t as dominant in contested situations as you’d expect and dropped 13% of his catchable targets over the past 3 seasons. Watson is also an older rookie, turning 23 in May. He has plenty of opportunity to earn playing time amid a Green Bay WR corps of Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, Randall Cobb and Amari Rodgers. We’ll see if Watson is ready.
The Buccaneers grabbed DL Logan Hall with the 1st pick of Round 2 in the NFL Draft. Hall enjoyed a breakthrough final season at Houston, tallying 47 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 6 sacks. At 6'6 and 285 pounds, Hall can play the edge and inside positions. He figures to play DE in Tampa Bay's 3-4 base defense and will likely be more of a tackle collector than big-play source for IDP leagues.
The Raiders declined the 5th-year option on RB Josh Jacobs. Such a move would have cost the team $8 million in 2023. Jacobs, 24, heads into his 4th season fresh off an RB11 finish.
The Vikings spent the final pick of Round 1 on Georgia S Lewis Cine. NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah lauded Cine's physicality but called him inconsistent in coverage. Cine did get his hands on 9 passes in his final Bulldogs season but totaled just 2 INTs across his 3 campaigns. He could be in for immediate starting duty with Harrison Smith the only incumbent safety starter in Minnesota.
The Bengals chose S Daxton Hill with the penultimate pick of Round 1 in the NFL Draft. A versatile 3-year starter at Michigan, Hill finished his college career with 4.7 tackles per game, 4 total INTs and 15 passes defensed. He joins a Cincinnati defense that already has Jesse Bates and Vonn Bell in place. Hill could compete for early snaps at slot corner, and Bates is no lock beyond this season after getting the franchise tag this offseason. We'll see about Cincinnati's plans.
The Chiefs added EDGE George Karlaftis with the 30th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Karlaftis tallied 12 sacks and 27 total tackles for loss in his 2 full seasons with Purdue. (Injury and COVID limited him to just 2 games in 2020.) Karlaftis ran slow in pre-draft testing which could point to a limited IDP ceiling. But he lands in a situation with opportunity as soon as he proves ready.
The Packers chose DT Devonte Wyatt with the 28th pick in the NFL Draft. Wyatt should enhance the Green Bay run defense and help create space for other Green Bay front-7 defenders. He doesn't carry much IDP upside, though.
Jacksonville traded up to Tampa Bay's 27th pick to select LB Devin Lloyd. The former Utah stud delivered big numbers over the past 3 years, including reps both from the edge and off the ball. Lloyd racked up 43 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks, 5 INTs and 8 passes defensed over 3 seasons as a Utes starter. The 6'3, 237-pounder should quickly join free-agent addition Foye Oluokun in the starting lineup. He's a bit old for an incoming rookie -- already 23.5 -- but there's plenty of immediate IDP upside.
The Steelers grabbed QB Kenny Pickett with the 20th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Pickett spent 5 years at Pittsburgh, starting most of the past 4. It wasn’t until 2021 that he broke out, though, throwing for 4,319 yards and 42 TDs. That more than doubled his career total for TD tosses. Pickett brings above-average mobility (72nd-percentile speed score for the position), but he has drawn comparisons with Andy Dalton and Teddy Bridgewater. We see limited fantasy football upside here, but Pickett stands a good chance to beat out QB Mitchell Trubisky this summer. That’s a situation to avoid in early fantasy drafts.
The Jets traded up with Tennessee to take EDGE Jermaine Johnson II with the 26th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Johnson played sparingly across 2 seasons at Georgia before transferring to Florida State. He racked up 17.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks over 12 games in his lone season with the Seminoles. Throw in an 89th-percentile speed score at 6'5 and 254 pounds, and Johnson carries attractive IDP upside.
The Bills moved up 2 spots in the 1st round of the NFL Draft to select CB Kaiir Elam from Florida. Elam stands 6'2 and ran a 4.39-second 40 at the Combine. He defensed 20 passes across 3 seasons with the Gators -- just 2 of those as a full-time starter. He should fight for a starting job right away in Buffalo.
The Packers spent the 1st of their 2 first-round NFL Draft picks on Georgia LB Quay Walker. The 1st LB off the board, Walker arrives just shy of his 22nd birthday and posted a 95th-percentile speed score at the Combine. His numbers were limited in a loaded Bulldogs defense, and Walker might be hard-pressed for full-time duty as a rookie. Green Bay re-signed De'Vondre Campbell for big money in free agency, including $15 million in guaranteed money, after he served as their only full-time off-ball LB last season. Walker looks intriguing long term for IDP use, though.
The Chiefs moved up to the 21st pick of the NFL Draft to select CB Trent McDuffie. The 3-year Washington corner offered little from a numbers standpoint in college, totaling just 2 INTs and 8 passes defensed -- with 6 of those coming last year. We're not betting on big IDP value from McDuffie, though he should enter the lineup quickly.
The Titans used the 18th overall pick that they acquired in the A.J. Brown trade to add Arkansas WR Treylon Burks. Burks boasts an awesome college production profile. He led the Razorbacks in receiving yards as a true freshman, hogged 43% of the team’s receiving yards and 50% of the TDs as a sophomore and posted a career-best 66-1,104-11 line this past year. The 6’2, 225-pounder fell short of expectations at the Combine, but a 4.55-second 40 time and a 58th percentile Relative Athletic Score certainly isn’t a knock against him. We actually thought Burks played quite a bit faster on tape. He has the size, body control and catch radius to do damage deep. And he’s a big-time weapon after the catch with his tackle-shedding ability. A lot of his college production was schemed. And Burks has work to do in the route-running department. But his downfield and after-catch skills should translate. Burks spent most of his time at Arkansas in the slot but kicked outside for 32% of his routes last year and was good there. He has the potential to win from any receiver spot in the NFL. He’s actually drawn some comparisons to A.J. Brown. Burks should win a top 2 WR spot this season alongside Robert Woods.
The Commanders added Penn State WR Jahan Dotson with the 16th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. He notably goes ahead of Arkansas WR Treylon Burks. Dotson might have the best combination of route-running ability and hands in this year’s WR class. He has the quickness and technique to defeat press coverage and the suddenness and efficiency to create separation. That’s earned him comparisons to Diontae Johnson and Emmanuel Sanders. Dotson also boasts a surprisingly large catch radius and posted a career 5.2% drop rate, according to Pro Football Focus. He didn’t break out until his junior year at Penn State, although he did post big market shares in both 2020 and 2021. Size is the most notable wart on Dotson’s profile. He’s just 5’11 and 178 pounds with 18th percentile arm length and a 22nd percentile wingspan. That figures to limit Dotson to mostly slot duties in the NFL and puts a cap on his fantasy upside. It’ll be interesting to see how Washington deploys Dotson alongside WR Curtis Samuel, who’s played plenty in the slot.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Titans are trading WR A.J. Brown to the Eagles. We'll see about the terms of the deal. The move doesn't look great for Brown. He goes from a Tennessee pass offense he would have dominated to a Philly offense that went even more run-heavy in 2021. Devonta Smith's presence also gives Brown arguably(?) the most talented WR he has played with since hitting the league. We'd bet on the Eagles throwing much more often in 2022. We'll see what the Titans add to an offense that now sports a recovering Robert Woods as its top WR.
Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapport reports that Philadelphia is giving Brown a 4-year, $100 million extension (with $57 million guaranteed).
The Ravens have traded WR Marquise Brown and the 100th overall pick to Arizona for the 23rd pick in the NFL Draft. Brown lands in an offense with DeAndre Hopkins as the incumbent #1, but Hopkins showed signs of potentially slowing down in an injury-riddled 2021. Brown should slot in ahead of the remaining Cardinals WRs in targets. He heads into the 4th season of his rookie contract, with the 5th-year option lingering. We'll see about Baltimore's plans with the new Round 1 pick and the rest of this draft. Brown's departure certainly increases opportunity for Rashod Bateman, though.
The Ravens picked S Kyle Hamilton with the 14th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Lauded for his versatility, Hamilton sported some cross-category production in college. That included 8 INTs and 16 passes defense through his 3 seasons at Notre Dame. We'll see exactly how he fits into a Baltimore defense that returns S Chuck Clark and added S Marcus Williams in free agency. That might mean it takes a year before Hamilton finds a starting-level role. But there's intriguing upside.
Search
