Image Credit: (Gary Vasquez/USA Today Sports)
Written by: Nicholas Mullick
Twitter: @NicholasMullick
If I am going to be honest, I am not a true fan of regrading an NFL Draft after one season. Mainly because prospects usually take 2-3 years to develop and get a bigger picture on. However I still think it is important to see how well they did in the 1st round. So I decided to grade each pick of the 1st Round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Now Normally I would say F grades would be a HACKENBERG level of bad, but I am not going to do that as I feel it is unfair at this point to give that grade. Unless they are QB Josh Rosen level of bad or OT Isaiah Wilson. So let's do this and start with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars - DE/EDGE Travon Walker Original Grade: B
One Year Grade B
Walker is a fine player and did pretty well in his rookie season. However, I still think this pick was a bit of a reach. Hutchinson and Thibodeaux had better seasons than Walker did. I am going to leave it the same grade I gave when the draft originally happened. There is still upside with Walker and maybe in the second season he can truly impress and show why he was picked 1st Overall.
2. Detroit Lions - DE/EDGE Aidan Hutchinson
Original Grade: A
One Year Grade: A
The Lions desperately needed to get a pass rusher in the draft as they have not had a great one since maybe Ezekiel Ansah. I am not saying Trey Flowers as that was a big overpayment and he declined when he joined Detroit. Hutchinson has really been one of the faces for the Detroit Lions defense last season. There is a lot of excitement in Detroit and Hutchinson is one of the reasons why. I hope he can keep this up and get this team in the playoffs.
3. Houston Texans – CB Derrick Stingley Jr.
Original Grade: A-
One Year Grade: C
Yikes, Derrick Stingley did not have a great rookie season. However I would not call it an abysmal one as he had moments of brilliance with his pass deflections and even recording an interception. Also I may be in the minority here, but I would not blame this all on Stingley for his shaky season. He was put in a Tampa 2 defense which was not a great fit for him as he is more of a man to man cornerback and his job was to cover a certain part of the endzone which was a mistake. A change in coaching will definitely help and I think it will help Stingley improve in his 2nd season in the league. I decided to give him a C grade here as like I said he showed flashes and I feel like he was not a horrendous corner throughout the season.
4. New York Jets - CB Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner
Original Grade: A
One Year Grade A+
I mean, is there really a debate here? Gardner had one of the greatest rookie seasons for a cornerback in a very long time. The Jets may have finally found their shutdown cornerback since Darelle Revis in his 1st tenure with the Jets. The question is if he can keep this up for years to come. For now, though, it is an easy A+.
5. New York Giants - DE/EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux
Original Grade: A+
One Year Grade: A-
I got to say it was a bit scary when Thibodeaux hurt his knee in the preseason as it was not pretty and I thought I was going to grade this as an Incomplete grade. However the Giants and Thibbodeaux got lucky as it was a sprained MCL injury. Excluding that Thibodeaux has been a great pass rusher and did a great job forcing fumbles as well. Thibodeaux would have had a stronger season if he did not have that knee injury earlier in the season. I am giving this an A- grade where the A is for Thibodeaux and the - is for his injury that took him out a part of the season.
6. Carolina Panthers - OT Ikem Ekwonu
Original Grade: A
One Year Grade: B+
The 2022 NFL Season is going to go down as one of the strangest seasons in Panthers history. Especially when the Matt Rhule Saga ended, how disastrous the QB position was run, trading players like WR Robby Anderson (or Chosen Anderson) and RB Christian McCaffery. However a bright spot was OT Ikem Ekwonu who played very well for the Panthers. Now he was not great earlier in the season, but with time and better coaching Ekwonu got better. Overall I like what I saw from him and I am giving him a B+ grade.
7. New York Giants - OT Evan Neal
Original Grade: A
One Year Grade: D
Oh dear, Neal did not have a great rookie season. He showed flashes, but struggled a lot. The main reason why is that Neal had to switch from playing Left Tackle in Alabama to playing Right Tackle with the New York Giants. That definitely had an effect on Neal not performing well, but I think in time he should get better as he will be more comfortable next season with another year of development at right tackle. Keep in mind Andrew Thomas was terrible in his rookie season and in time he got better. The same should happen with Neal.
8. Atlanta Falcons - WR Drake London
Original Grade: C-
One Year Grade: B+
London was easily the best receiver on the team as the Falcons pretty much had none excluding them poorly utilizing TE Kyle Pitts. London made a lot of great catches and showed a lot of potential in Atlanta. He is a great starting point for the Falcons Rebuild on offense and hopefully with an upgrade at a QB position he gets better and better. Overall London did well and lets see if he can keep it up.
9. Seattle Seahawks - OT Charles Cross
Original Grade: A
One Year Grade: B
Cross to me is one of the main reasons why the Seahawks stunned many by making the playoffs. No matter what happens an o-line is important for an offense and the Seahawks desperately needed help at tackle and Cross did his job well. Now he has to focus on consistency as there were moments he was terrible as a pass protector. But overall he had a great rookie season.
10. New York Jets - WR Garrett Wilson Original Grade: A-
One Year Grade: A+
My goodness it's a miracle, the Jets made two fantastic 1st round selections in the same draft. This is coming from a New York Jets fan too. Wilson was super talented in his rookie season and if this team managed the QB position right I guarantee that Wilson would have statistically had a better season. Unfortunately Mike White played hurt, Joe Flacco has not been a good QB since he left the Baltimore Ravens, and Zach Wilson killed his career last season with his shenanigans. Hopefully the Jets can get him a real QB to throw the ball to him and he stays healthy. Wilson should be a part of this team long term if he can keep up his performance which gave him the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
11. New Orleans Saints - WR Chris Olave
Original Grade: B+
One Year Grade: A+
I am still perplexed with how the Saints handled the trades in this draft, but they really needed a wide receiver. If it was not for Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave was my pick for the 2nd best Rookie of the Year and I am still stunned he was not a finalist. Olave finished the year making 72 Catches for 1,042 yards and 4 touchdowns. What impresses me is that he had this season with a declining Andy Dalton throwing the football all season. It will be interesting to see what he does with Derek Carr as the QB and if he can keep this up then the Saints have a great receiver on their team hopefully in the long term once they get out of cap hell.
12. Detroit Lions - WR Jameson Williams
Original Grade: B+
One Year Grade: Incomplete
Nah, I am not going to grade Williams as he spent the season recovering from a Torn ACL. I will say although he had one catch for 41 yards that went for a Touchdown, it is not enough for me to fairly grade this pick. His explosiveness shown in that one play is a good sign that he should be 100% healed up and will have a big impact on this offense.
13. Philadelphia Eagles - DT Jordan Davis
Original Grade: A-
One Year Grade: C
I am still happy with this selection when I called the trade up and who the Eagles were going to select. As for Davis, his rookie season was a disappointment. He dealt with an ankle injury most of the season, but even when healthy he did not play every snap. I would not be surprised if he played around 40-50% of the snaps in every game he was activated. Then again the Eagles had a ton of depth on this defense and even signed ring chasers in Ndomakong Suh and Linval Joseph to help win another SuperBowl. They were close, but did not win it. Overall though Davis did have growing pains and with time he should be a bigger part of the team along with having a more impactful season with another year of development.
14. Baltimore Ravens - S Kyle Hamilton
Original Grade: A
One Year Grade: A
I am still stunned that Kyle Hamilton fell to this point of the draft as I thought Hamilton was a Top 10 prospect. Hamilton is one of the main parts of that secondary and he did his job very well. He showcased his athleticism and physicality pretty well. He has done a great job with his coverage ability and tackling defenders. So far Hamilton has been a great player and lived to the hype.
15. Houston Texans - OG Kenyon Green
Original Grade: D+ One Year Grade: D
I had a lot of people question me for originally grading this selection low. However like I said it was not the player, but the fit. Well turns out that it might be both. Green was not a great fit on the Texans offense last season. Mainly because the Texans did not have a true head coach as everyone knew that Lovie Smith was just a placeholder as the organization wanted to hire Josh McCown, but saw the PR disaster and backed out of it. A concern I saw was with how poor his posture was during blocks and it was not great at all this season. Now guards could take a bit to develop and Green could improve next season. His rookie season has more negatives then positives.
16. Washington Commanders - WR Jahan Dotson
Original Grade: C
One Year Grade: B
I was surprised on draft day that Dotson was taken at this point in the draft as I saw him as a 2nd round prospect. However Dotson has done pretty well to warrant the Commanders to reach a bit for Dotson. He did suffer a Hamstring injury which lowered his grade a bit, but when healthy he is a very useful receiver in the Commanders offense.
17. Los Angeles Chargers - OG Zion Johnson
Original Grade: C- One Year Grade: B+
I was not a big Zion Johnson guy entering the draft, but from what I saw from him as a Charger he did a pretty solid job. Especially as a run blocker as the guy was an impact player opening holes on the inside and even blocking in space. In my Draft Grades I stated that he has a poor mauling ability and I got a to say, that was a terrible point I made on him as Johnson is a mauler when he blocks. So far, so good with this selection and hopefully he keeps this up. I have to ask one question for the Chargers though, Why is Brandon Staley still the head coach of this team?
18. Tennessee Titans - WR Treylon Burks
Original Grade: A-
One Year Grade: C-
In this draft there were two wide receivers that I really wanted the Jets to draft. One was Garrett Wilson and the other one was Treylon Burks. Let's just say I am glad the Jets chose Wilson. Now Burks was not horrendous and even showed flashes this season, but he had some severe growing pains this season as he was inconsistent. Then again the QB play was inconsistent from Ryan Tannehill, Josh Dobbs and Malik Willis. I would probably give this a C grade, but the stink of the AJ Brown trade still lingers, so I will make it a C- here.
19. New Orleans Saints - OT Trevor Penning
Original Grade: B+
One Year Grade: Incomplete
Penning missed most of the season due to a toe injury and did not play much. The only memorable thing he did in his rookie season was getting kicked out of practice due to a fight he was involved in. There is no way I am going to grade this selection, so I will make it Incomplete for now.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers - QB Kenny Pickett
Original Grade: C+ One Year Grade: B+
Pickett did very well for the Steelers and showed a lot of promise his rookie season. He made smooth throws all game and was mobile everytime on the field. Now only if the Steelers can get a good coach coordinator wise. Why is Matt Canada still the offensive coordinator of this team again? Oh right it's because it is not the “Steelers Way’ to fire coaches and Canada’s contract did not expire last season. So far Pickett has been a good pick.
21. Kansas City Chiefs - CB Trent McDuffie
Original Grade: A
One Year Grade: A-
The Chiefs desperately needed to get secondary help in this draft and boy did they get it by drafting McDuffie. So far he has been a great draft choice for the Chiefs and truly did lockdown players in coverage. The only real negatives is that he missed half the season with a hamstring injury and failed to get an interception in the game. However I like what I saw with McDuffie and if he can stay healthy along with continuing to develop, then he should be the top corner on this team for a while.
22. Green Bay Packers - LB Quay Walker
Original Grade: C
One Year Grade: D
There are a lot of people that say Walker did well his first season, but I disagree completely. I think Walker had a terrible rookie season. He was terrible in coverage, lacked awareness, and lacked maturity all season.He was ejected in two games. Especially in that Lions game shoving the medical staff which is still inexcusable. Now I am not going to completely write him off as it is his rookie season and he could do a lot better the 2nd season, but I have to give him a D grade here.
23. Buffalo Bills - CB Kaiir Elam
Original Grade: B-
One Year Grade: B
The Bills needed to get a cornerback with Tre’Davious White recovering from injury and they lacked the depth needed in the secondary. If there was one word to describe Elam it would be inconsistent. He would have high moments in games, along with low moments in the regular season. The best play he made was that clutch interception against the chiefs which really impressed me. He did a lot better in the postseason and there is still promise he gets better. I am going to give Elam a B grade.
24. Dallas Cowboys - OT Tyler Smith
Original Grade: B
One Year Grade: B+
Many questioned this pick, but Dallas desperately needed to get a tackle and Smith was the best available. However, lets be real Smith was very solid in Dallas. He did an excellent job blocking in the run and did alright as a pass protector. He does need to clean up as a pass protector due to the sacks he allowed, but as a rookie he still did well. Also he has to cut down on the penalties as he committed a lot of them this season. Besides that I expect Smith to get better and better. I am giving this pick a B+
25. Baltimore Ravens - OC Tyler Linderbaum
Original Grade: A+
One Year Grade: A+
I kept saying to a lot of people that Linderbaum was one of the best center prospects I have seen in many years. I honestly would have taken him in the Top 10 of the draft. He has been a phenomenal part of the Ravens offensive line helping the run game and being a nice pass protector. He should get better and better as time passes. This is an A+ grade.
26. New York Jets - DE/EDGE Jermaine Johnson
Original Grade: A+
One Year Grade: C
Out of all the picks in the 1st round of the draft I really don’t know what to think about Jermaine Johnson. Now he was still solid with the Jets, but had some growing pains this season. Maybe it had something to do with the ankle injury he suffered and took him out a few weeks in the season. He was really up and down all season, but maybe with another year of development he will perform at a consistent basis. I am going to grade him as a C for now.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars - LB Devin Lloyd
Original Grade: A+
One Year Grade: C
The Jaguars surprised many by making the NFL playoffs this season and even beating the Chargers in the Wildcard Round of the playoffs. On a side note, why is Brandon Staley still the head coach for the Chargers? Anyways, when it comes to Devin Lloyd he definitely was a bit of a disappointment as he did not have a great first season in the NFL. Now he did show flashes and is a great tackler along with having good ball skills, but he needs to get better in coverage. He struggled a lot and was absolutely horrendous in coverage. He legit maybe one of the worst linebackers in coverage last season and it did not help that he looked super lost the whole season. I was contemplating giving Lloyd a B, but with how terrible he was in coverage, I have to go with a C here.
28. Green Bay Packers - DT Devontae Wyatt
Original Grade: D
One Year Grade: Incomplete
Wyatt did not play a lot this season, but in the snaps he did play Wyatt was awful excluding that Week 18 game against Detroit. He showed flashes, but did not consistently play well. Also Wyatt has maturity issues as he did not come off well either when he also bumped into the medical staff in the Lions game when Quay Walker pushed him. In the meantime though, I think it is fair to label him as an Incomplete grade as he barely played much. Wyatt needs to show improvement next season as if he plays the way he did last season, then it is panic time.
29. New England Patriots - OG Cole Strange
Original Grade: HACKENBERG
One Year Grade: C+
This pick was a reach the moment I head the name being announced. Strange should not have gone in the first round no question. Was he an awful player, well in the 1st half of the season he was. Strange was awful in the 1st half of the season and was a liability as a blocker. He got a lot better in the 2nd half of the season and especially as a pass blocker (Excluding the game against Cincinnati). There is still work that needs to be done with Strange and maybe with a real offensive coordinator in Bill O’Brien this offense will get a lot better. I am giving Strange a C+ here.
30. Kansas City Chiefs - DE/EDGE George Karlaftis
Original Grade: A
One Year Grade: A
Like at Cornerback the Chiefs needed to get a pass rusher, especially as Frank Clark has not really worked out as their best pass rusher and did not have much else behind him. Karlaftis has been a very important part of the Chiefs defense and provided a ton of pressure to the QB. I even saw a stat on PFF that showed that Karlaftis was ranked number 2 in most pressures for a rookie at Pass Rusher. (#1 is Aidan Hutchinson). There is a lot of promise with Karlaftis and with the Chiefs recently releasing Frank Clark it shows that they as well trust Karlaftis. The only thing holding this from being an A+ is that he needs to clean up his tackling technique as he had a habit of missing tackles, but besides that Karlaftis has been a great pick.
31. Cincinnati Bengals - S Daxton Hill
Original Grade: A-
One Year Grade: Incomplete
When I originally graded this selection I said this could be the eventual Jessie Bates replacement. It looks like I may be right if the Bengals don't re-sign Bates to a new contract. Surprisingly, Daxton Hill did not really play that much in his rookie season excluding the game against the Buccaneers in the regular season and in the playoffs. Maybe it was due to the Shoulder Injury he had or the Bengals wanted to take a slower approach when developing Hill. Hill was not fantastic during his rookie season and did not do that great in Tampa Bay. I contemplated giving Hill a D grade, but the sample size was low for Hill so i am going to give this an Incomplete grade for now.
32. Minnesota Vikings - S Lewis Cine
Original Grade: B-
One Year Grade: Incomplete
There is no way I can grade this fairly. Cine suffered a brutal compound fracture injury in Week 4 of the 2022 NFL Season. There is not enough for me to fully grade this selection. I hope Cine can heal from his injury as it was super brutal.