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The 2022 NFL Draft will be held April 28-30 in Las Vegas, Nevada, for teams to select top prospects.
The 2022 edition of the NFL Draft will be the 87th in NFL history and it is expected that teams will be able to find elements that will help them in the upcoming season. As you know, the First Round always looks to pick the best available, and throughout history there have been several important players who were selected within the first #32 Picks.
Here are the best First Round picks from #32 to #24 of all times.
32.- Drew Brees
Drew Brees was selected by the Chargers in the 2001 Draft with the #32 pick. He had performed well in his college days, but the experts did not have him among the First Round picks because of his height, considering him small for the Quarterback position. He only spent five seasons with the Chargers, as in 2006 he moved to the New Orleans Saints, with whom he had the best part of his career.
31.- Tommy McDonald
McDonald’s story is special in that he was initially a running back and not a receiver, and it was little known about the skills he might have at other positions on the gridiron. Not knowing what would happen next, the Philadelphia Eagles selected him in the 1957 Draft with the #31 overall selection and it was a great choice. They were trying him out at several positions and were finally convinced to leave him as a receiver, where he led the NFL in yards per reception.
30.- T.J. Watt
The Pittsburgh Steelers had confidence in him and selected him with the #30 pick in the 2017 Draft, being the sixth quarterback selected that year. The experts did not have him among the First Round selections, as they considered that he was left behind in the speed tests and should not appear until the Third Round. Not only did he surprise by being the #30 selection, but he did so already in the NFL as one of the best defensive players.
29.- Bobby Dillon
Bobby Dillon did not arrive as one of the top prospects at the safety position for the 1952 Draft because his left eye had been removed due to a childhood accident and he had a glass eye. Ironically he filled the eye of Jack Vainisi of the Green Bay Packers to add him with the #29 pick.
28.- Darrell Green
Darrell Green was in the same draft as Dan Marino in 1983. The cornerback was selected by the Redskins with the #28 pick. The team’s first choice was quarterback, but the Dolphins picked him first, so they tried to pick someone who could also be helpful, and that’s how Green came in.
27.- Dan Marino
Dan Marino is considered one of the best quarterbacks of all times after everything he did during his time in the NFL. He was available in the 1983 Draft, and could have gone to the Steelers, but due to a series of rumors about indiscipline and drug use, the Pittsburgh franchise did not select him. Finally it was the Dolphins who added him, making use of Pick #27.
26.- Ray Lewis
Lewis came to the Ravens in the 1996 Draft after being selected with the 26th overall pick. After how successful his career was, it is surprising to learn that there were four linebackers selected before him – Kevin Hardy, John Mobley and Reggie Brown. Predictions placed him with the Dolphins, but in the end it was the Baltimore franchise.
25.- Stanley Morgan
In the 1977 Draft, the Patriots had two First Round picks after trading quarterback Jim Plunkett a year earlier. With the #16 pick, a product of the trade, they went for cornerback Raymond Clayborn, but when it was their turn with the #25 pick they chose Stanley Morgan, who would later become one of the franchise’s all-time leading receivers.
24.- Aaron Rodgers
The 2005 Draft brought about an interesting debate over whether Alex Smith or Aaron Rodgers was better to be selected. The 49ers decided to select Smith with the first overall pick, and Rodgers remained eligible. Before him, 23 were chosen and luck took him to the Green Bay Packers, who had Brett Favre as the starting quarterback.
