Several teams should consider trading into the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft
The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft is set for Thursday, April 28 and on that day we will see some of the most talented players in all of college football drafted to begin their professional football careers.
This is already shaping up to be one of the most memorable NFL Drafts in recent memory, partially due to the incoming talent and partially due to the sheer number of teams that have multiple draft picks in the first round.
As of this writing, eight teams have two or more picks in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft: Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, and the Philadelphia Eagles.
That means there are several teams that do not have a pick at all in the first round. Currently, that list is comprised of the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, and the Los Angeles Rams.
Will the Indianapolis Colts trade into the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft?
After going all-in to bringing in Carson Wentz to the team for the 2021 season, the Colts were able to recoup some of their draft capital by sending him back to the NFC East.
Despite the trades, the team is still without a first-round pick in the draft this year, but that could change if there is a wide receiver or cornerback that falls within striking distance.
The team needs a corner that can lock down the likes of Tennessee’s AJ Brown, Houston’s Brandin Cooks, and Jacksonville’s Christian Kirk on the regular.
The team made a win-now trade to bring in Matt Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons to command the offense. They should consider making one more on the defensive side of the ball.
If the Colts are enamored with someone like Sauce Gardner or Derek Stingley Jr. should they push their remaining chips toward the middle of the table and take one of the draft’s lock-down corners.
Will the Chicago Bears trade into the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft?
The Chicago Bears used quite a bit of draft capital to be able to move up in the 2021 NFL Draft to select QB Justin Fields from Ohio State.
Could they make a move again this year to fill a hole at wide receiver? Fields is going to need weapons in order to be successful and right now this roster doesn’t have any clear-cut players that fit that role.
The team has gotten great value out of 2020 fifth-round pick Darnell Mooney, finishing in the top-20 in receptions and yards last season.
RB David Montgomery can catch some passes, but his strength is definitely in his run game.
This team lacks a clear-cut stud wide receiver. Would it make sense to strike a deal with the Chiefs to grab one of their first-round picks (No. 29 or No. 30) to pick up someone like Alabama’s Jameson Williams or Arkansas’ Treylon Burks?
If one of these wide receivers slips to the late first round, look for Chicago to roll the dice to secure a WR1 that will have an impact from day one.
I could also envision the team moving up to go after a big-name offensive tackle if one becomes available that they’re enamored with. Fields won’t be able to make plays if he doesn’t have great protection up front.
Will the Miami Dolphins trade into the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft?
The Dolphins have had one of the splashiest offseasons in acquiring WR Tyreek Hill via trade and OT Terron Armstead via free agency.
They have the offensive weapons in place for QB Tua Tagovailoa to succeed, now they need to make sure he has a superb line in front of him to buy him enough time to get the ball to his skill players.
One of the best ways to do that is to go after one of the top offensive tackles in the draft. Someone like Kenyon Green from Texas A&M who measured at 6’4″ and 323 pounds would be a massive get for the Dolphins. He’s a former All-America first-team player in college and only allowed two sacks in 385 pass-blocking snaps, according to CBS Sports.
Another option to jump into the first round would be to take one of the draft’s most intriguing players, Central Michigan’s OT Bernhard Raimann.
The 6’6″ 303-pound Austrian is an athletic freak who has converted from tight end to offensive tackle while in college. He would be a great player to bring to Miami and keep Tagovailoa on his feet and the offense moving.
The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft is slated to begin on April 28.