Most draft classes are defined by their elite prospects, and by that definition, the 2022 class that will start filtering into Indianapolis this week simply isn’t very good.
If you’re looking for a Myles Garrett or Chase Young, you won’t find one. There isn’t a Ja’Marr Chase or Laremy Tunsil, and there certainly isn’t a Trevor Lawrence or Joe Burrow. And I’ve been aware of this for a while, but after talking with ESPN’s Todd McShay for nearly an hour—going through the group, position-by-position, piece-by-piece—what I’d heard over the past few months was confirmed.
“Just think about the last 50 minutes we’ve had on the phone; we’ve said that [for] just about every position,” McShay says. “Even the tackles; they’re great, you’ve got Evan Neal, [Ikem] Ekwonu and [Charles] Cross. But I’d take the two guys last year, [Penei] Sewell and [Rashawn] Slater, over these guys. And not even knowing what they did as rookies, just based on the grade. They’re just slightly better. …
“There’s depth at cornerback. We’re talking about five guys potentially in the top 40, 50 picks, but we’d jump off at No. 6 if we compared to last year. The receivers, it’s like two years ago, when you don’t have one in the top 10 picks, but it’s a really good group with a lot of depth and you could have five, six first-rounders when it’s done. Just about every position, you can say that when you’re comparing to the last two, three drafts.”
Which is where we divide what the public thinks about the draft and how NFL teams see it. Not having the chance to put Jadeveon Clowney or Deshaun Watson on the marquee does, without question, hurt the curb appeal of any year’s draft. This year won’t be splashy, but if your team is drafting outside of the top 15 or so picks, it will be downright desirable. There’s depth at premium positions, starters available into the third and fourth rounds, and different types of players at lots of spots to fit different systems.
Then, there’s the fact that this combine is shaping up to be a very important one for a lot of the class’s key prospects, for a variety of reasons, as the combine returns to Indianapolis after last year’s absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
So, as we officially open the book on Draft Season 2022—with our extended breakdown with McShay and material from my own notebook thrown in—what the draft might lack in star power will be made up for with intrigue. And while casual fans may tune out the combine, there will be plenty for people who like paying closest attention to the league.
