Camila Sosa
The 2022 NFL Draft has been one of the most exciting of the last few seasons as, despite the class of players that would be in the Draft was not considered one of the most talented, several teams decided to bet big during the first round and made several changes in the selections to take their future stars. So we provide you with a countdown of the main winners and losers of the first two days.
Lamar Jackson (NFL Draft 2022: Loser)
While the Baltimore Ravens had one of the best drafts among teams in the league, Lamar Jackson lost his top receiver and friend, Hollywood Brown, who was traded on Thursday to the Arizona Cardinals. Now the WR corps depth does not appear to be the best to go with Jackson, as Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay are probably the best current options considering they hadn’t taken any wide receiver until the sixth round.
Ryan Tannehill(NFL Draft 2022: Loser)
In addition to losing star receiver A.J. Brown in a trade with the Eagles, Ryan Tannehill will have competition after the Titans selected one of the best quarterbacks available in the class, Malik Willis, in the second round.
The quarterback not only will he have to prove that what he has done the past two seasons is no fluke, but he will also have to do it with a completely different receiving corps after Brown and Julio Jones’ departure, and the arrival of first-round pick Treylon Burks. Either that or he could risk losing his position to newcomer Willis.
Minnesota Vikings (NFL Draft 2022: Loser)
It probably was one of the most disastrous performances of the entire draft. The Vikings first held the 12th first-round pick and the 46th, and then they traded them for the 32nd, 34th and 66th. A somewhat dubious decision, especially considering they gave the advantage to the rival division: the Detroit Lions. Later in the second day, they sent pick 34 to the Green Bay Packers, another rival division. While they corrected one of their serious problems by taking receiver Christian Watson, what they did was go backwards and backwards in terms of talent while giving high picks to their direct rivals.
New York Jets (NFL Draft 2022: Winner)
This year, the team succeeded completely in the first round. The Jets came into the 2022 NFL Draft with significant needs at multiple positions. And, after several moves, they managed to keep three players who could have gone in the Top 10 of the draft as they did their homework and filled all their needs.
As the fourth overall choice, they chose Sauce Gardner, one of the best cornerbacks in this class. Then, at the 10th position, they selected receiver Garrett Wilson, while picking up defensive end Jermaine Johnson II after an aggressive move in which they were able to trade the 26th pick with the Titans. On the second day, they continued to do well, representing for the moment one of the favorites to remain as the overall winners of the Draft.
Philadelphia Eagles (NFL Draft 2022: Winner)
The fall of the Titans was the boost the Eagles needed by acquiring the services of A.J. Brown and completing a pretty good draft. Immediately after being traded, Philadelphia gave Brown a $100 million, four-year contract that includes $57 million guaranteed, according to ESPN. This move enhances the team immediately, and they also selected talented defensive tackle Jordan Davis with the 13th pick. He and Fletcher Cox in the middle of the defensive line should make running the ball much more difficult for their opponents.
Detroit Lions (NFL Draft 2022:Winner)
A sneaky winner in the first round was the Lions. They were left with Aidan Hutchinson as the second overall pick, a Detroit native who was the odds-on favorite to be the first pick in the contest months ago. In addition, they took receiver Jameson Williams — 12th overall — after getting that same pick in a trade with their division rivals, the Vikings. On the second day, their picks weren’t anything either, selecting defensive wing Josh Paschal and deep Kerby Joseph. It was a pretty solid draft for Detroit for its present and future.
