Who were the 5 biggest steals of the 2022 NFL Draft?

The 2022 NFL Draft has concluded and it’s time to look at some of the biggest steals of the draft

Combing through all 262 NFL Draft selections to find the greatest value picks can be a cathartic exercise for fans of any team.

You can find value picks and steals in just about every round it seems—the 2022 NFL Draft is no exception.

While there’s no magic formula that points to which selections will be great NFL players, we have loads of data, scouting reports, and expert projections that give us an idea of who is most like to be a contributor for his team.

We saw several big-name players fall in the draft this year, for reasons we don’t fully understand. one thing we do understand, however, is that some teams just got a massive bargain in selecting a player most experts and analysts didn’t think would still be on the board.

Let’s take a look at five of the biggest steals from the 2022 NFL Draft.

2022 NFL Draft Steal No. 5: Nik Bonitto, Denver Broncos

Drafted No. 64 overall
PFF Rank: No. 38
Position: Edge Rusher
College: Oklahoma

DE Nik Bonitto was an absolute steal at pick No. 64 by the Denver Broncos. He was rated as a top-40 overall prospect by Pro Football Focus.

The 6’3,” 248-pound Bonitto was a stud for the past two seasons at Oklahoma, finishing with pass-rushing grades of better than 92 in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He recorded 32 tackles for loss at Oklahoma.

ESPN projects Bonitto to play outside linebacker and defensive end, using his speed to get through the offensive line quickly and efficiently.

This was a class incredibly rich with edge rushers. The fact that Denver was able to land Bonitto with the last pick in the second round was outstanding.