And the first pick of the NFL Draft is…
February 21, 2022
The one moment that hardcore NFL fans wait for in the offseason is the NFL draft. This allows teams to pick up college players who can rise to the occasion or ride the pines for their career. The first NFl draft was in 1936 and located in Philadelphia. The first pick of this draft was a halfback Jay Berwanger, who had recently won the first ever Heisman Trophy.
I interviewed Mike Szabo who is a NFL scout for the Buffalo Bills and he gave me some information about the draft process. He said that the most memorable player that he was involved in drafting was Cam Newton (Szabo was formerly a scout for the Carolina Panthers). He also said that there is a very long process that the team does to prepare for the draft. There are many meetings, evaluations, and scouting. Szabo also said that they investigate the prospect’s family life, work ethic, that they make healthy choices, and that they are a good fit for the Buffalo Bills. I asked Mr Szabo how he prepared for the draft, and he said that he was responsible for scouting Southeast schools. The last question that I asked him was, “How do you determine a bust from a future star?” He said that it was based on performance, how that specific player felt on the team, and their readiness to play in the league.
Some people such as Mel Kiper and Todd McShay have been making mock drafts over the years to predict who will go first, second, and so on. Sometimes even the greats mess up. A few years back, Mel Kiper said that LSU quarterback JaMarcuss Russell could be the next John Elway (one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time). After his short lived career with the Oakland Raiders (Now Las Vegas Raiders) Russell ended up with more turnovers than touchdowns. I know that some of the teams won’t be accurate due to trades (I am writing this 2 months before), but without further ado here is my 2022 Mock Draft of the first round.
| Team | Record | Pick | Draft Pick | Position | College |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-14 | 1 | Aidan Hutchinson | Defensive End | Michigan |
| Detroit Lions | 3-13-1 | 2 | Kyle Hamilton | Safety | Notre Dame |
| Houston Texans | 4-13 | 3 | Kenny Pickett | Quarterback | Pittsburgh |
| NY Jets | 4-13 | 4 | Kayvon Thibodeaux | Defensive End | Oregon |
| NY Giants | 4-13 | 5 | Jameson Williams | Wide Receiver | Alabama |
| Carolina Panthers | 5-12 | 6 | Evan Neal | Offensive Tackle | Alabama |
| NY Giants (via Bears) | 4-13 | 7 | George Karlaftis | Defensive End | Purdue |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-10 | 8 | Jordan Davis | Defensive Tackle | Georgia |
| Denver Broncos | 7-10 | 9 | Matt Corral | Quarterback | Ole Miss |
| NY Jets (via Seahawks) | 4-13 | 10 | Ikem Ekwonu | Offensive Tackle | NC State |
| Washington Commanders | 7-10 | 11 | Sam Howell | Quarterback | North Carolina |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-9 | 12 | Daxton Hill | Safety | Michigan |
| Cleveland Browns | 8-9 | 13 | Chris Olave | Wide Receiver | Ohio State |
| Baltimore Ravens | 8-9 | 14 | Derek Stingley | Cornerback | LSU |
| Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins) | 9-8 | 15 | David Ojabo | Defensive End | Michigan |
| Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts) | 9-8 | 16 | Ahmad Gardner | Cornerback | Cincinnati |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 9-8 | 17 | Charles Cross | Offensive Tackle | Mississippi State |
| New Orleans Saints | 9-8 | 18 | Garrett Wilson | Wide Receiver | Ohio State |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 9-8 | 19 | Tyler Linderbaum | Offensive Lineman | Iowa |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9-7-1 | 20 | Malik Willis | Quarterback | Liberty |
| New England Patriots | 10-7 | 21 | Andrew Booth Jr. | Cornerback | Clemson |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 10-7 | 22 | DeMarvin Leal | Defensive Tackle | Texas A&M |
| Arizona Cardinals | 11-6 | 23 | Kaiir Elam | Cornerback | Florida |
| Dallas Cowboys | 12-5 | 24 | Jermaine Johnson II | Defensive End | Florida State |
| Buffalo Bills | 11-6 | 25 | Devonte Wyatt | Defensive Tackle | Georgia |
| Tennessee Titans | 12-5 | 26 | Nakobe Dean | Linebacker | Georgia |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 13-4 | 27 | Drake London | Wide Receiver | USC |
| Green Bay Packers | 13-4 | 28 | Drake Jackson | Defensive End | USC |
| Miami Dolphins (via 49ers) | 9-8 | 29 | John Metchie III | Wide Receiver | Alabama |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 12-5 | 30 | Treylon Burks | Wide Receiver | Arkansas |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 10-7 | 31 | Trevor Penning | Offensive Tackle | Northern Iowa |
| Detroit Lions (via Rams) | 3-13-1 | 32 | Arnold Ebiketie | Defensive End | Penn State |
Works Cited:
NFL. “Mind-Blowing Historical Stats for the NFL Draft.” NFL.Com, 19 Apr. 2013, www.nfl.com/photos/mind-blowing-historical-stats-for-the-nfl-draft-0ap1000000161658#:%7E:text=The%20first%20NFL%20Draft%20was,were%20picked%20in%20nine%20rounds.
—. “The History of the Draft | NFL Football Operations.” The History of the Draft, operations.nfl.com/journey-to-the-nfl/the-nfl-draft/the-history-of-the-draft/#:%7E:text=League%20owners%20voted%20unanimously%20to,pool%20of%20only%2090%20players. Accessed 22 Feb. 2022.
Tankathon. “2022 NFL Mock Draft.” Tankathon, Jan. 2022, www.tankathon.com/nfl/mock_draft.
The Draft Network. “2021 NFL Draft Team Needs.” The Draft Network, 2022, thedraftnetwork.com/team-needs.
