2022 NFL Draft trends to watch for on draft weekend
By Khari Demos
2022 NFL Draft Trend #3: Wide receivers are the new running backs, but better
Jahan Dotson, Drake London, Treylon Burks, John Metchie III. The list seems endless. Wideouts have taken over the game and are a top priority now in a passing league.
Just look at how Ja’Marr Chase helped resurrect the Cincinnati Bengals in one season. Wide receivers are the playmakers we’ve always loved, but their value has never been higher. And what’s crazy is just how many impact ones come in each year.
Rondale Moore and Elijah Moore both showed flashes as second-round rookies last season. And that’s after first-round hits like Chase, DeVonta Smith, and Jaylen Waddle. What about 2020?
That had second-rounders like Tee Higgins, Chase Claypool, and Michael Pittman Jr., which doesn’t include respective fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-round picks Gabriel Davis, K.J. Osborn, or Quez Watkins, who have all become starters.
Do I even need to bring up the famed mid-round receivers of 2019? Starting-level receivers are being found everywhere and 2022’s class should be no different.
Be sure to look our for Mid-American Conference product Skyy Moore, North Dakota State’s Christian Watson, South Alabama’s Jalen Tolbert, speedy Memphis receiver Calvin Austin, and the once highly-touted George Pickens out of Georgia, as players who could make an impact despite not being high first-round picks.
There may not be a Chase-like prospect, but this class as a whole is deeper than most. Although there’s an array of skill players in the class, don’t forget some of the big fellas in the trenches.