As the NFL and College Football seasons wind down, fans of certain teams can start getting excited about a 2022 NFL Draft Big Board.
While it’s still relatively early considering bowl games haven’t begun and underclassmen haven’t officially declared, it’s safe to assume on a few and include obvious early entrants.
Some other underclassmen may decide to return to school or there may be some medicals that don’t check out for certain guys that can drop them in the draft and on draft boards.
However, we can still look from a straight talent perspective this early in the Draft season.
The goal of an NFL Draft Big Board is not to guess the order in which players will be drafted. The goal is to rank them based on talent without taking positional value into consideration.
2022 NFL Draft Big Board
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| Rank | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kayvon Thibodeaux | EDGE | Oregon Ducks |
| 2 | Kyle Hamilton | S | Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
| 3 | Derek Stingley Jr. | CB | LSU Tigers |
| 4 | Aidan Hutchinson | EDGE | Michigan Wolverines |
| 5 | Evan Neal | OT | Alabama Crimson Tide |
| 6 | Garrett Wilson | WR | Ohio State Buckeyes |
| 7 | Tyler Linderbaum | OL | Iowa Hawkeyes |
| 8 | Icky Ekwonu | OG | North Carolina State Wolfpack |
| 9 | Jameson Williams | WR | Alabama Crimson Tide |
| 10 | George Karaliftis | EDGE | Purdue Boilermakers |
| 11 | Charles Cross | OT | Mississippi State Bulldogs |
| 12 | Kenyon Green | OG | Texas A&M Aggies |
| 13 | David Ojabo | EDGE | Michigan Wolverines |
| 14 | Chris Olave | WR | Ohio State Buckeyes |
| 15 | DeMarvin Leal | DT | Texas A&M Aggies |
| 16 | Nakobe Dean | LB | Georgia Bulldogs |
| 17 | Jordan Davis | DT | Georgia Bulldogs |
| 18 | Kaiir Elam | CB | Florida Gators |
| 19 | Trent McDuffie | CB | Washington Huskies |
| 20 | Matt Corral | QB | Ole Miss Rebels |
| 21 | Treylon Burks | WR | Arkansas Razorbacks |
| 22 | Jordan Battle | S | Alabama Crimson Tide |
| 23 | Roger McCreary | CB | Auburn Tigers |
| 24 | Devin Lloyd | LB | Utah Utes |
| 25 | Kingsley Enagbare | EDGE | South Carolina Gamecocks |
| 26 | Kenny Pickett | QB | Pittsburgh Panthers |
| 27 | Jaquan Brisker | S | Penn State Nittany Lions |
| 28 | Andrew Booth Jr. | CB | Clemson Tigers |
| 29 | Jahan Dotson | WR | Penn State Nittany Lions |
| 30 | Drake London | WR | USC Trojans |
| 31 | Drake Jackson | EDGE | USC Trojans |
| 32 | Ahmad Gardner | CB | Cincinnati Bearcats |
| 33 | Daxton Hill | S | Michigan Wolverines |
| 34 | Trevor Penning | OT | Northern Iowa Panthers |
| 35 | Nicholas Petit-Frere | OT | Ohio State Buckeyes |
| 36 | Sam Howell | QB | North Carolina Tarheels |
| 37 | Desmond Ridder | QB | Cincinnati Bearcats |
| 38 | Lewis Cine | S | Georgia Bulldogs |
| 39 | Martin Emerson | CB | Mississippi State Bulldogs |
| 40 | Bernhard Raimann | OT | Central Michigan Chippewas |
| 41 | Travon Walker | EDGE | Georgia Bulldogs |
| 42 | Brandon Smith | LB | Penn State Nittany Lions |
| 43 | Kenneth Walker III | RB | Michigan State Spartans |
| 44 | Nik Bonitto | EDGE | Oklahoma Sooners |
| 45 | Cameron Thomas | EDGE | San Diego State Aztecs |
| 46 | Jermaine Johnson | EDGE | Florida State Seminoles |
| 47 | Devonte Wyatt | DT | Georgia Bulldogs |
| 48 | Breece Hall | RB | Iowa State Cyclones |
| 49 | Christian Harris | LB | Alabama Crimson Tide |
| 50 | Arnold Ebiketie | EDGE | Penn State Nittany Lions |
A Thin Crop of Quarterbacks
Fans of the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans will be disappointed with this year’s class of quarterbacks. Only two quarterbacks are slotted in the top 32 on our big board. The top signal-caller on our big board, checking in at 20, is Ole Miss’ Matt Corral. Unfortunately, Corral is not the same type of can’t miss prospect like that of Rebel greats of the past like Eli Manning.
Next up at the quarterback position, coming in at 26 is Kenny Pickett. Pickett had a fantastic season this year and will be in New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation. However, he isn’t a can’t miss prospect at quarterback either. Unless someone like Sam Howell, Desmond Ridder, Malik Willis, or Carson Strong fly up draft boards during this year’s draft combine, quarterback-needy teams will need to look elsewhere to fill out their rosters.
Getting Defensive
Defense rules the day in the inaugural 2022 NFL Draft big board. Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux entered the preseason as the presumed number one draft pick in 2022. While he wasn’t quite as dominant as NFL brass might have hoped for, he still has shown enough to be at the top of draft boards.
Coming in at number two on our 2022 NFL Draft big board is Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton. Hamilton is someone I’m really high on and he is very close to being the top overall player in this draft for me. He is a monster on the backend at 6’4” and 220 pounds.
This Kyle Hamilton INT looks unreal from the wide angle but the endzone view is my favorite. Watch him appear out of nowhere and eat up this ground! pic.twitter.com/7jm1lPA8WK
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) September 6, 2021
There is an outside chance that he could be moved down to an outside linebacker at the NFL level. However, he is fluid enough to play safety. His size and agility are what make him so coveted and talented.
The next two guys on the board can be flip-flopped without issue for me. Derek Stingley Jr. comes in at number three despite a disappointing injury-riddled season. However, what he has put on tape in his previous two seasons in Baton Rouge far outweigh one misnomer of a season.
Aidan Hutchinson has been an absolute freight train this season coming off of the edge for the Michigan Wolverines. Coming into the season he was looked at as a top-15 prospect. Now? He’s a sure-fire top-five pick and may fight for the top spot. In the biggest game of the season, against the Ohio State Buckeyes, Hutchinson recorded three sacks and an absurd 15 QB pressures.
Strong Showing from the Wide Receiver Group
Perhaps the strongest position group in the 2022 NFL Draft class is at wide receiver. There are four guarantees in the first round from this group including Garrett Wilson, Jameson Williams, Chris Olave, and Treylon Burks.
However, I have two others in the top 32 of my big board in Jahan Dotson and Drake London. Wide receiver needy teams are in luck with this crop of studs. For instance, a team like the Cleveland Browns needs a receiving threat. The Odell Beckham Jr. marriage didn’t last. Jarvis Landry is a shell of his former self. The rest of the receiver room is full of number two and three guys.
A team in win-now mode, like the Browns, could definitely use a shot in the arm at this position and they will absolutely have a chance at drafting a potential elite guy at wide receiver.
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