Which teams were the winners and which were the losers after the 2022 NFL Draft was concluded in Las Vegas, Nevada this past weekend?
The 2022 NFL Draft was as big of an event as expected as the league met in Las Vegas, Nevada for the three-day event.
This season, there were more trades than we have seen in years and the Georgia Bulldogs ended up having more players selected than any other collegiate program ever has.
Now that the dust has settled, we take a minute to identify the winners and losers from the 2022 NFL Draft.
2022 NFL Draft Winners: New York Jets
It’s not often we say this, but the New York Jets completely dominated in the NFL Draft. They landed arguably the No. 1 cornerback in the draft when Ahmad Gardner was there at No. 5. Then at No. 10, they wound up with Garrett Wilson, who can be a perennial Pro Bowl wide receiver.
From there, they landed Jermaine Johnson after trading back into Round 1, giving them a potentially elite pass-rusher. If that wasn’t enough, they got a potential Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate in Round 2 with running back Breece Hall followed by Ohio State tight end Jeremy Ruckert in Round 3.
New York was done by Round 4 when they added Max Mithcell and Michael Clemons but there wasn’t a bad pick made by them all weekend.
2022 NFL Draft Losers: Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins added a lot of talent in the offseason, which is a good thing because their haul in the 2022 NFL Draft was less than impressive. Their first pick didn’t come until Round 3 when they added Channing Tindall from Georgia.
They had one pick in Round four which netted them Erik Ezukanma, a wideout from Texas Tech. That pick made little sense considering they have Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Cedrick Wilson — meaning wide receiver was not a need at all.
Miami rounded the draft out with two picks in Round 7, adding another linebacker in Cameron Goode from California and quarterback Skylar Thompson from Kansas State. Not many picks and they hit very few needs.
2022 NFL Draft Winners: New York Giants
With picks at No. 5 and No. 7, the New York Giants were able to solidify both sides of the line of scrimmage. First, it was Oregon EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux.
After spending months as the No. 1 prospect, Thibodeaux went after Travon Walker and Aidan Hutchinson but if he puts it all together, he could be the best of the bunch.
Next was Evan Neal, who will likely be the starting right tackle from Day 1. Other solid picks include wideout Wan’Dale Robinson, tight end Daniel Bellinger, and safety Dane Belton. Even their final pick, Darrian Beavers in Round 6, could end up making this team and being a productive player.
Both the Giants and their roommates in MetLife Stadium had a great weekend and should be much better in 2022.
2022 NFL Draft Losers: New England Patriots
It was really hard to figure out what the New England Patriots were doing. They took Cole Strange at No. 29 after dropping down despite no one having him on the Round 1 radar. They also grabbed Tyquan Thornton who is a deep threat but not necessarily a complete wideout.
On top of that, they reached for Jack Jones from ASU and ended up with Bailey Zappe — who might have been their best pick but will never see the field since they just added Mac Jones last season.
Bill Belichick usually has a plan and his team is always competitive, so we shouldn’t be too hard on them, but this was a weird draft by New England.
2022 NFL Draft Winners: Baltimore Ravens
There’s a real chance that the Baltimore Ravens just added five starters to their team in the 2022 NFL Draft. In the first round alone, they ended up with Kyle Hamilton and then traded Marquise Brown to the Arizona Cardinals to add a second pick in Round 1.
After moving around again, they landed Tyler Linderbaum which gave them the best safety and center in this class. If that wasn’t enough, they ended up with David Ojabo (who may miss his rookie season but will be a stud when healthy), Travis Jones, and Daniel Faalale.
And while losing Brown will hurt, they do have players to turn to, including Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay. On top of that, they added two solid tight ends in Charlie Kolar and Isaiah Likely to play behind Mark Andrews.
Once again, the Ravens did their thing during the draft, and that’s why they’re always among the best teams in the league.
2022 NFL Draft Losers: Philadelphia Eagles
This is the one that will surely be the most debated. The Philadelphia Eagles went into the offseason with three picks in Round 1 — in one of the deepest classes we have seen in years. However, they practically punted on this class and ended up with just five picks in all.
Yes, they did land Jordan Davis who is an elite talent, but he also has yet to prove he’s a three-down guy. Nakobe Dean is another good pick but his injury concerns led to him sliding to Round 3.
Their biggest move of the weekend was trading No. 18 for A.J. Brown, but the Titans used that pick on Treylon Burks who is a similar player that won’t cost $20 million per season.
Did the Eagles get better this weekend? Yes. But did they do enough with their picks, not even close.