Day 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft was as peculiar as the first, with many Day 1 winners carrying over to Friday. No quarterbacks went in Round 2, making it the first time since 2000 that only one quarterback went in the first two rounds. But while the quarterback class wasn’t a winner, a few teams took advantage of the talent sliding.
2022 NFL Draft: Day 2 Winners
The Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens continue to dominate the NFL Draft. Lovie Smith received an infusion of talent on the defensive side of the ball. The rich continue to get richer in Kansas City, and the Jaguars’ linebacking corps has received a complete makeover.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles continued their torrent pace on Day 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft and are one of the two biggest winners so far from a team perspective. While the Cameron Jurgens pick may seem like a waste for the 2022 season, he projects as Philadelphia’s long-term answer at center following Jason Kelce’s upcoming retirement tour. Howie Roseman has always coveted the trenches.
Then, in a ridiculous twist of fate, Nakobe Dean fell to Round 3. Dean was arguably the top linebacker in the class. However, an unresolved shoulder injury caused him to tumble down the board. If healthy, he immediately becomes the Eagles’ best linebacker.
Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore is having one of the better drafts in recent memory. It started on Day 1 with the selections of Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum. But grabbing David Ojabo and Travis Jones makes them winners on Day 2.
Ojabo is the best pure pass rusher in the 2022 class. While other EDGE prospects are more complete, Ojabo has the tools of a perennial 12-plus sack player at the next level. He’s bendy, explosive, and has a ton of meat left on the bone in terms of growth. He’s still learning the game but is already a technician as a pass rusher.
Jones will be getting Haloti Ngata comps soon enough from Ravens fans. He’s big, athletic, and has a bit of juice as an interior rusher despite possessing a 330-pound frame.
Lovie Smith
Pairing Jalen Pitre and Christian Harris with Derek Stingley Jr. infused a mass of defensive talent into one of the most underwhelming units in the league. It opens head coach Lovie Smith up to so many more opportunities on defense.
Pitre is a great slot player who can also play safety. He’s an incredibly competitive run defender, tallying 31 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks over the past two seasons at Baylor. Harris is an athletic linebacker and an outstanding pass rusher in his own right. He’ll need to learn to play with a quicker trigger, but the fact that he started at Alabama as a freshman says a lot about how much Nick Saban trusted him.
Kansas City Chiefs
After being NFL Draft winners on Day 1, the Chiefs fell into a few outstanding value picks on Day 2. They still needed to address receiver after getting a cornerback and pass rusher yesterday, and they did just that.
Skyy Moore is an outstanding fit in Andy Reid’s offense. He’s dense, explosive, and physical after the catch, and he has massive mitts to secure passes outside of his frame. Bryan Cook is a cerebral safety with average athleticism and a lot of boom. The Cincinnati defense asks a lot of its safeties, as does Steve Spagnuolo. And Leo Chenal is a bulldozing linebacker who is exceptional coming downhill.
Jaguars linebacking corps
Jacksonville began the draft with Foye Oluokun and Shaquille Quarterman at linebacker. It ended Day 1 by adding Devin Lloyd, and they dipped back into the LB to take Chad Muma on Day 2. Lloyd and Muma were considered two of the five best linebackers in an outstanding 2022 class.
Lloyd is stellar in coverage and as a blitzer, which will allow the Jags to use him in many ways. Muma is a more traditional downhill linebacker but with the athleticism and intelligence to also be a difference-maker in coverage.
Looking for NFL Draft Losers?
If you’re looking for the losers from Day 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft, check out what my colleague, Mike Kaye, wrote here: Day 2 NFL Draft Losers: Browns’ Baker Mayfield, Titans’ Malik Willis, and others.