2022 NFL Draft: 5 Players who were steals on Day 1

Day 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft started off on par with expectations, but chaos saw some great players fall into great situations.

Typically, when you hear the term draft steal, it’s often associated with those players’ mock drafts projections to go earlier than expected. Some guys have Top 15 talent, but they’ll slide down the draft board, even in the first round.

In this case, these players are guys this writer believes will make a bigger impact than their Day 1 draft position — that’s what makes them a Day 1 steal.

Players were going to fall, given the plethora of talent versus team need. The edge rushers dominated the early part of the draft. As expected, Georgia’s Travon Walker, Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson, and Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux heard their names called early on in the 2022 NFL Draft.

The same thing happened with the offensive lineman with Ickey Ekwonu, Evan Neal, and Charles Cross getting the respect they deserved.

As expected, there were also some defensive backs who heard their name called inside the Top 10 as well: Derek Stingley Jr. and Sauce Gardener.

All the aforementioned players come in with the expectations of dominating year one, understandably so. However, there are players drafted after them who will have the same, if not better, impact early in their career.

2022 NFL Draft steal no 5: Devonte Wyatt, DT, Green Bay Packers

Many thought the Green Bay Packers would draft a wide receiver in the 2022 NFL Draft — they didn’t. Aaron Rodgers will have to wait until Day 2, but at least he’ll have a potentially great defense.

Brian Gutekunst trusted the draft board and got a Top 15 prospect at 20. Georgia’s Devonte Wyatt was the second defensive tackle off the board in this class. The first was his Georgia teammate, Jordan Davis. Nevertheless, Wyatt is the better prospect.

Given the NFL‘s desire to find interior pass rushers, you’d think Wyatt would have heard his name called earlier. Instead, he went to the same team as his college teammate (Quay Walker).

Wyatt is a 6-3 307-pound interior lineman who’ll show up on passing downs. He’s a quick-twitch three-technique who exploits gaps. The Georgia Bulldog is an athletic playmaker between the center and guard.

He ran a 4-77 40 jumped with a 1.66 10-yard split at the combine. Wyatt has shown the ability to play as a 1-technique as well.

He also rushed from a two-point stance as a seven tech. Wyatt will help the Packers on day one as a versatile tackle who can lineup everywhere.