2022 NFL Draft Rumor Mill

[gmf1369]

Another consensus top-10 pick is Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal. Not all NFL teams, however, view him as a pro left tackle. Neal played on the right side before moving to left tackle as a junior.

"He definitely is not a left tackle for us," said an assistant general manager of a team picking in the top 10. "We think he could be a really good right tackle and we are considering him for our pick, but we would play him on the right side."

Neal is viewed as a safe pick to turn into a good pro, so regardless of the side he is on, Neal looks safe to be a top-10 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Jets Global

 

[gmf1369]

A number of NFL team sources said LSU linebacker Damone Clark and Cincinnati wide receiver Alec Pierce.

"I think Clark and Pierce could made themselves some money at the Senior Bowl," said an AFC director of player personnel.

"Pierce is long and can run. He has some stiffness but so do a lot of good pros.

Teams like Clark more than the media has caught on. He's big, fast, and productive, so I could see him becoming a riser from those practices."

Jets Global

 

[gmf1369]

Latest on Kenny Pickett’s hand measurements

First, it must be stated that hand size is a critical element for many scouts and teams when it comes to the quarterback position. The bigger the hand, the easier it is to grip a football. And there’s less chance of wayward passes coming out of that hand. It also makes controlling the football when a quarterback rolls outside the pocket or scrambles away from pass rushers much easier. Smaller hands make it a more difficult job.

The minimum teams typically want in hand size for a signal-caller is 9 inches. If a quarterback has a hand size under that mark, some teams won’t touch that player during the draft’s initial three rounds.

 

[gmf1369]

Tight knit circles have Boston College IOL Zion Johnson as a Top 25 selection after his Senior Bowl performance.

Another name making the circles is Chattanooga's Cole Strange recently ranked as a late fourth round selection now in the conversation as a early day 2 pick.

Some NFC teams like Kentucky's Darian Kinnard over TAMU's Kenyon Green to be a late first round selection.

A few notes: Trey McBride, Jeremy Ruckert & Isaiah Likely are considered the top three tight ends in this year's NFL draft. Depending on how the first 25 picks go, there could be a run on tight ends at the back end of the first round and two of three or maybe all three of these guys could be selected. Some teams actually have both McBride & Isaiah Likely possible Top 25 candidates.

 

[gmf1369]

"One NFC exec put it this way with Hutchinson: He might not be a home run, but he's, at worst, a stand-up double," Fowler wrote. "In other words, people around the league believe Hutchinson has virtually no risk of being a bust, a clean prospect in every way."

Derrik Klassen: how Hutchinson's shortcomings could knock him out of the top five:

"For me, Hutchinson is a good prospect, but I just have too many questions about his flexibility and fluidity in space," Klassen said. "The power, hand usage, and lateral quickness are all there, but it's hard for me to get behind a pass-rusher in the top five with that kind of stiffness. Thibodeaux quite easily outshines Hutchinson in that respect."

Klassen gives the edge to Karlaftis over Hutchinson:

"Karlaftis has a better way of contorting his body to work through contact and tight spaces than Hutchinson, and I think Karlaftis is a good deal more nimble in open space," Klassen said. "Overall, Hutch can still be a Pro Bowl kind of player—I'm just not there on him being a slam dunk pick at the very top of the draft."

Hutchinson should be a top-10 pick in April, though the perception of his questionable upside and flexibility may cost him the lead spot among pass-rushers.

Jets Global

 

[gmf1369]

Could Oregon's Kayvon Thibodeaux slip in the draft? "I think it's absolutely in the realm of possibility he doesn't go in the first 4-5 picks. ... He battled an ankle injury, but he's a bit stiff, he's not as big as everyone expected, and the effort wasn't great. ~
@MoveTheSticks

 

[gmf1369]

10th overall pick: It’s too early to know anything, but I’ve heard rumblings that the Jets prefer to trade this pick if they can. And while they could use it to bring back a player (like, maybe a No. 1 receiver), I think it’s more likely they trade down and see if they can pick up an extra No. 1 pick for next year. If the quarterbacks start to fall – as many predict they will – teams will start to hyperventilate and will start offering a lot to move up (like the Bears did with the Giants last year), so Douglas could take advantage.

 

[gmf1369]

The new Giants regimes has an early inclination on building up the trenches with either two offensive linemen or one offensive lineman and a pass rusher in the 2022 NFL Draft:

• Alabama Evan Neal
• NC St. Ikem Ekwonu
• Miss St. Charles Cross
• Northern Iowa Trevor Penning
• Tulsa Tyler Smith
• TAMU Kenyon Green
• Iowa Tyler Linderbaum

Brian Daboll wants to build a competitive front to get Saquon Barkley help to run down hill while time for Daniel Jones to survey the field to find an open target.

 

[gmf1369]

Giants Could Take Two OL in Top 10

The Giants have other good tackle options who are consensus top-10 picks for the 2022 NFL Draft in N.C. State tackle Ikem Ekonwu and Mississippi State left tackle Charles Cross. Other offensive line prospects with the potential to rise include Tulsa's Tyler Smith, Northern Iowa offensive tackle Trevor Penning, Iowa center Tyler Lidnerbaum and Texas A&M guard Kenyon Green. Some sources with the Giants feel the team should double up on offensive linemen to fix the line unless there is a really good edge rusher available.

While it is early in the process, and a lot can change, it sounds like the new Giants regimes has an early inclination on building up the trenches with either two offensive linemen or one offensive lineman and a pass rusher in the 2022 NFL Draft.

 

[gmf1369]

Some Jaguars Evaluators Prefer Hutchinson

Some of the same Jaguars sources that revealed the Peterson news, said the Jaguars do not have a definite favorite for the No. 1 pick right now, although some of the team's evaluators have preference toward using the pick on Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.

"Neal might have more upside, but Hutch is a no brainer," said one source. "[Charles] Cross isn't to shabby either. Evan should go top five without a trade."

 

[gmf1369]

Teams See Tweener 1st/2nd Round Potential for Petit-Frere

"We have him as an early second," said an AFC director of college scouting. "He has solid upside, so I could see him going late one though."

Sources from three different NFL franchises said they had Petit-Frere as an early second-rounder but thought he could end up going late in the first round. If Petit-Frere works out well before the 2022 NFL Draft, he could improve his chances of going on the opening night of the draft.

 

[gmf1369]

Devonte Wyatt Dropping Due to Character Concerns

One of the prospects that generated some positive media buzz from the Senior Bowl was Georgia defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt. In 2021, Wyatt had a good season for the Bulldogs, thriving off of Jordan Davis next to him and skilled ends like Travon Walker, Nolan Smith and Adam Anderson on the side. Wyatt showed a nice skill set in Mobile with size, speed, and athleticism. However some team sources say that character concerns have them ruling out drafting Wyatt.

A director of player personnel in the market for a speedy interior rusher said their team was dropping Wyatt from their board because of the character and make-up concerns. Thus, it will be very important for Wyatt to do well in the combine interviews and pre-draft visits to avoid more teams from ruling him out because of character concerns.

 

[gmf1369]

For most of the year Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux have been considered the consensus top edge rushers in the 2022 NFL Draft. From the top of the draft some Jacksonville evaluators are very down on KT and did not like his 2021 season at Oregon. They have doubts at other teams that are concerned about how much he loves football land the focus he has on "his brand."

The Jaguars like Hutchinson a lot, and they feel he is a safe pick. They believe Hutch has a high floor, but a low ceiling. It would be considered a nice double but far from a grand slam.

Jets Global

 

[gmf1369]

Jacksonville is also high on Louisiana State's cornerback Derek Stingley and Southern California Drake London, but they believe both could be gotten if a team wants to trade up for a QB, or one of the top EDGE prospects.

Jacksonville scouts think Stingley could have the best skill set and upside of any player in the draft. However, they have concerns about Stingley at the top of first round, given the injuries over the past two seasons and some inconsistency, as well as being a one-year wonder.

As for London, it bothers them that he won't workout at the combine and may not run the 40 at all before the draft. They like him, but don't sound like they have the enthusiasm to take London at the first pick.

Jets Global

 

[gmf1369]

The Jaguars badly want to trade down, and if they do, a potential target for them could be Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams. They feel that Williams could be the top receiver in the draft if he were healthy, as they love his speed and play-making ability. If the injury causes Williams to slip to Dau 2, Jacksonville could end that fall at the top of the second round with pick 33. However, that seems unlikely that Williams will fall out of the first round, and Jacksonville feels they have too many needs to give up picks in a trade up from 33.

If Cam Robinson is re-signed and the Jaguars do not have a need at offensive tackle, it sounds like the leaders to go No. 1 overall would then be Hutchinson or Stingley.

Jets Global

 

[gmf1369]

The Senior Bowl MVP, OU Defensive Tackle Perrion Winfrey has had a phenomenal Senior Bowl showcasing his speed and twitch to cause a lot of disruption in the backfield. In the passing driven league, an interior pass rusher like Winfrey could easily rise. Teams are concerned with him on the field and off the field, receiving mixed evaluation from teams.

AFC Director of Personnel; "He has a nice twitch and is fast. But his instincts are terrible. He gets lot of penalties and was destroyed versus the run. Plus there is the off the field concerns."

As a senior, Perrion showed the good and the bad of what the director noted. While he had 5.5 sacks, a good number for a defensive tackle, Winfrey totaled only 23 tackles on the season.

For off the field issues, it sounds like Perrion's issues relates more to partying and how that could impact his availability for game day. During the Senior Bowl he performed well during practices but improved his stock with the interview process. During college, majority of the students especially majority of the student athletes do party and party hard, it is how they perform thereafter and the coaching staff for OU had rarely any problems from Perrion on game day.

NFC Senior Scout: "He has exceptional first step, he needs to refine his timing but could end up being that final piece to finish or complete a starting rotation. Outside the rumors of off the field, if he puts everything together he could be a very special player on many defensive fronts throughout the league."

Jets Global

 

[gmf1369]

There is widely speculation on what the Saints will do at the quarterback position. With Future HOF Drew Brees retired in 2021, and veteran starter Jameis Winston entering free agency, and the one of the potential top free agents in the league left tackle Terron Armstead where the Saints are sitting well over the cap limit, they will likely lose both through free agency. They can restructure some contracts along with cutting ties with some cap casualty players, the Saints will still be limited in what they can do to improve and complete the roster.

With that said the Saints are really high on Tulsa's left tackle Tyler Smith who they see as a similar prospect to Terron Armstead. Smith is known to have a big time skill set, and scouts feel that from a skill set perspective he is right up there with NC State Ikem Ekwonu and Alabama's Evan Neal.

Scouts take on Tyler Smith: "He is a freaky balance and bend powerful man. He is physically in the Jason Peters, Greg Robinson sphere, not near as raw coming out and the good tape is very good. He will just need time because he plays the game a bit like a defensive tackle and needs to learn patience. "

Another Scout Stated: " He is a clear first round talent. Back half of the first round which it could get interesting. You can not find the size with athleticism and physicality that has the raw intelligence that young. His issues are all coachable, as a player he is more of a second round pick but his potential might shoot his value to back half of the first round."

Jets Global

 

[gmf1369]

Carolina Panthers have been noted that they could trade Robby Anderson and the team in question is New England Patriots. Well there are some additional players that the Panthers are open to moving, Christian McCaffrey name has popped up. Last year's productive Brian Burns also said to be open for offers.

Reasons the Panthers are looking to acquire draft capitol, so Matt Rhule could add specific talent around current QB Sam Darnold, but some feel the Panthers have the hots for Liberty QB Malik Willis, who has been tagged to several other teams. With the sixth overall pick, could the Panthers offer a team like Jacksonville or Houston the sixth pick plus Christian McCaffrey and Brian Burns plus additional picks next year to trade up to secure their new franchise signal caller?

At this point, Christian McCaffrey's durability is an issue with trade value, but a team looking to add dynamic talent even short term may be willing to make the move. Keeping an eye on this one, all top four teams in the 2022 NFL Draft are open to trading out of their top picks so which one could land additional draft capitol and players will be interesting to see this play out.

Jets Global

 

[gmf1369]

Arguably the top Center in the 2022 NFL Draft is Iowa's Tyler Linderbaum. Iowa has been a factory for NFL blockers and TL received a lot of hype starting during a standout 2021 season. Teams like to cross train interior linemen to be able to play guard or center, Pro Team Sources see Tyler only a fit for center and does not have the size to play guard in the NFL.

Tyler listed 6'3", 290 pounds, has the quality height but is light for an NFL offensive lineman.

"He's going to have problems with the heavy nose tackles that line up high over his head," said an area scout. "But if you want a quick guy that can get to linebackers and move to hit blocks he's really good."

Scouts felt Linderbaum would become a really good starting center in the NFL, but they did not see him as a candidate to play either guard or center as a pro.

Jets Global

 

[gmf1369]

Pete Carrol once said it will take three first rounds for the Seahawks to trade Russell Wilson, and with Russ wanting to be traded out of Seattle and now both Head Coach and General Manager saying they have no plans to trade their franchise quarterback but they are doing their due diligence in scouting potential replacements for Wilson in case a team comes in and blows them away with an offer. The Commanders were stated to offer multiple (4) first round picks but they were spread over the next four drafts and apparently that doesn't help the Seattle Seahawks current draft woes after trading the kitchen sink for Safety Jamal Adams which they don't have their first this year which belongs to the New York Jets.

Sources the Seahawks have a quarterback they have taken a liking to is Ole Miss Matt Corral, which they believe he has NFL potential. Corral has some similarities to Wilson in terms of mobility and athleticism to go along with pocket passing presence. He has less than ideal height but Russ Wilson who is slightly shorter than Corral shows that height is really not an issue for the Seahawks.

Corral could potentially get to pick No. 41, so he could be a player to consider for the Seahawks if they are forced to trade Wilson. A trade of Wilson would land Seattle multiple first-rounders, and in that case the organization could consider taking Corral on the opening night of the 2022 NFL Draft. Team sources say the team's plan is to stick with Wilson and look to rebound in 2022 If Wilson forces his way out of town, however, the organization likes what is has seen from Corral.

Jets Global