The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, in a word? Unpredictable. That’s what we knew coming in, and that’s what we got. Along the way, there were still plenty of surprises. In all the chaos, some teams came out with exceptional value. These are some of the biggest steals from the first night of action.
2022 NFL Draft: Biggest steals in Round 1
Value, it’s important to note, is a subjective term. And at the end of the day, no one knows the true value of each selection until at least two to three years down the road. But from what we know after watching the tape, these teams got the best initial value, playing the board and letting top-level talents come their way.
Jermaine Johnson II, EDGE, New York Jets
There’s always one prospect who falls for unclear, nebulous reasons that soon prove to be insignificant. Jermaine Johnson II could end up being that prospect from the 2022 NFL Draft class.
Often mocked as a top-10 pick leading up to the event, Johnson fell all the way to 26th overall — past teams like Baltimore and Dallas, who could’ve used him. Once the 26th pick hit, the Jets couldn’t stand by any longer and traded up for him.
There were rumors that Johnson was falling due to character concerns, but there’s no way to validate those at this point. And as long as Johnson checks out there, he’s arguably a top-five talent.
Johnson is well-built at 6’5″, 254 pounds, with long 34″ arms. And with that frame, he brings great burst, lateral agility, power capacity, and bend. He also has a hand usage arsenal in place. Johnson is a massive steal and an exclamation point on a fantastic first round for the Jets.
Evan Neal, OT, New York Giants
When you have the fifth and seventh overall picks, it’s really hard to mess it up. That’s not to say it isn’t impressive when a team comes away from that combination with tremendous talent. The New York Giants did that on the first night of the 2022 NFL Draft. At No. 5, they took Oregon EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux. And at 7, they stayed put. They didn’t overthink anything. And they took arguably the best tackle in the class.
Evan Neal landed inside the top five on PFN’s Consensus Big Board, and he was a top-three prospect in the class for several analysts. He’s an absolute behemoth at 6’7″, 337 pounds, with awe-inspiring athleticism, power capacity, and refined technique. He can also play left and right tackle, which appeals to the Giants, who have Andrew Thomas locking down the left side. This is a high-value pick at a premier position. That’s as good as it gets.
Kyle Hamilton, S, Baltimore Ravens
We essentially knew coming into the 2022 NFL Draft that Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton would fall. We just didn’t know how far. Teams always seem to put safety value at a discount, but a prospect like Hamilton was only going to slip to a certain point. And at 14th overall, the Ravens deemed Hamilton worthy of a selection.
In my opinion, Hamilton isn’t necessarily the runaway top safety in the 2022 NFL Draft. But he’s still a top-10 prospect and a perfect fit for the Ravens’ defense alongside Marcus Williams. At 14th overall, the Ravens were in a great spot to sit back and take whoever fell to them. That’s exactly what they did. In this scenario, patience yielded excellent value.
Kaiir Elam, CB, Buffalo Bills
It might’ve been tempting for the Bills to make a massive trade-up to take one of the top cornerbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft. And they did make a slight deal, flipping from 25th overall to 23rd overall. But all things considered, the Bills were patient, decisive, and calculated. And they still came away with one of the best cornerbacks in the class in Florida’s Kaiir Elam.
Elam is my 11th overall prospect and my CB3 behind Andrew Booth Jr. and Derek Stingley Jr. That the Bills managed to get him at 23 is an impressive value acquisition.
Elam wasn’t always fully healthy in 2021, but he was phenomenal when he was available over the past two seasons. Elam has it all — length, explosiveness, fluidity, speed, physicality, and ball skills. He can be an upgrade over Levi Wallace, who more than held his own opposite Tre’Davious White.
Tyler Linderbaum, C, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens got the 23rd overall pick from the Cardinals for wide receiver Marquise Brown, who’s entering a contract year. Then, they traded back to 25th overall to acquire more picks before landing the best center in the 2022 NFL Draft in Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum.
When you look at composite value — picks gained and talent gained — the Ravens hit a home run with their maneuvering in the back end of the first round. Linderbaum is a plug-and-play starter at center, with the athleticism, football IQ, and tenacity to anchor the line for a decade-plus. With Linderbaum and Hamilton combined, the Ravens knocked this first round out of the park.
Honorable Mentions
- Zion Johnson, G, Los Angeles Chargers
- Devin Lloyd, LB, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Lewis Cine, S, Minnesota Vikings
- Daxton Hill, S, Cincinnati Bengals
- George Karlaftis, EDGE, Kansas City Chiefs