5 knee jerk reactions to crazy first round of the 2022 NFL Draft
By Andrew Falce
Ravens are on top of it
The Ravens are notorious for having strong drafts, and 2022 was no different based on their start to this year’s class.
They stayed pat at pick 14 despite some rumors of potentially moving up for an edge rusher and landed one of the top defensive players in the draft. Kyle Hamilton has the size and coverage ability that you want in an elite safety.
While not a huge need on paper, Hamilton is one of the top names in this class.
They weren’t done on day one of the draft though. They turned around and traded Marquise Brown to the Cardinals for a first-round pick. On paper, this is a deeply lopsided trade, as Brown only has one 1000-yard season and has consistency issues.
Outside of his great deep speed, Brown lacks a lot of the traits necessary to be a top receiver in the league.
They took that first-round pick, traded it back for an extra day three pick, and then drafted the best center in the draft in Tyler Linderbaum.
Considering they lost Bradly Bozeman in free agency, Linderbaum can come in from day one and start. Add in the Ravens’ dependence on running the ball, and the Linderbaum pick makes a lot of sense. It was a great day one for the team.