Sep 8, 2013; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports
The 2022 NFL Draft is underway and the first round is complete. These five teams should be thrilled about their hauls on Thursday.
5. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs entered the night with Nos. 29 and 30 on the docket, and eventually moved up to No. 21 by trading the former selection along with third- and fourth-round choices. General manager Brett Veach desperately needed to upgrade the defense and did exactly that, finding nice values in corner Trent McDuffie from Washington and edge rusher George Karlaftis out of Purdue. It was a fine night for the AFC powerhouse.
4. Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore is one of those teams which always seemed to have the draft figured out. We saw that play out once again on Thursday night, with general manager Eric DeCosta picking up an additional first-round pick in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals, sending receiver Marquise Brown to the desert. All told, Baltimore walked away with safety Kyle Hamilton and stud center Tyler Linderbaum to bolster the front. The Ravens found two guys who scream the values we’ve seen in Baltimore for decades.
3. Philadelphia Eagles
Few teams are more aggressive than the Eagles, and general manager Howie Roseman lived up to that reputation on the draft’s first night. Philadelphia traded away one of its two first-round picks but came away with receiver A.J. Brown in a deal with the Tennessee Titans. However, with the 13th-overall choice, Roseman nabbed star Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis, giving him another mauler on the front with Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave.
2. New York Jets
Now we get to the New York teams. The Jets had a phenomenal night, landing a trio of top-end starters in corner Sauce Gardner (Cincinnati), wide receiver Garrett Wilson (Ohio State) and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson (Florida State). Any time you select three times in the first round, you need to be a clear-cut winner of it. General manager Joe Douglas should get applauded for being such, giving New York a huge boost.
1. New York Giants
Nobody walked away with more talent at a better value. The Giants have a new front office led by general manager Joe Schoen, and he had a monster evening with the additions of edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and left tackle Evan Neal at Nos. 5 and 7, respectively. If the Giants get the expected production out of that duo, they’ll immediately improve on both sides of the ball.
