The best time of the year is officially upon us. With the 2022 NFL draft live from Las Vegas in just one week, I have finished looking over game tape and slotting my positional rankings.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will be on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick for the second consecutive year. And a record eight teams have two first-round picks — making up half of the picks in the opening round — which breaks the previous mark of six.
This year’s prospects are a unique bunch, as there isn’t a clear consensus among the top players at certain position groups, which in turn creates a lot of intrigue. This is why my positional rankings below might differ from other draft analysts — and vice versa.
At quarterback, it is unknown who will be the first one selected — it could be Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett or someone else entirely — unlike what we have seen in years past with Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence clearly as top choices.
A reminder that this is a defense-heavy draft class, with the defensive ends and cornerbacks being the strength of the group. We could see as many as seven edge rushers drafted on the first night of the draft alone. And at offense, wide receivers and offensive tackles feature deep classes.
Exactly 262 names will be called over the course of the three draft days, the most picks since 2003. But my final rankings cover 365 total names — giving a complete picture of potential prospects available.
Here are my final player rankings for the 2022 draft class and where they rank at each position:
Top 365 prospects in the 2022 NFL draftGrade: Round 1
1. Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan
2. Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State
3. Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
4. Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
5. Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
6. Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
7. Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
8. Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
9. Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
10. Jordan Davis, IDL, Georgia
11. Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
12. Jermaine Johnson II, EDGE, Florida State
13. Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
14. Zion Johnson, G, Boston College
15. Drake London, WR, USC
16. Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson
17. Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa
18. Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia
19. Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
20. Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&MGrade: Round 1-2
21. Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
22. Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
23. Trent McDuffie, CB, Wash
24. Jalen Pitre, S, Baylor
25. Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
26. Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
27. Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State
28. Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida
29. Daxton Hill, S, Michigan
30. Lewis Cine, S, GeorgiaGrade: Round 2
31. Devonte Wyatt, IDL, Georgia
32. Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State
33. Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn
34. George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue
35. Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State
36. Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
37. David Ojabo, EDGE, Michigan
38. Travis Jones, IDL, UConn
39. Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State
40. Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington
41. Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota
42. Logan Hall, IDL, Houston
43. Drake Jackson, EDGE, USC
44. Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan
45. Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
46. George Pickens, WR, Georgia
47. Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State
48. Quay Walker, LB, Georgia
49. Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss
50. Josh Paschal, EDGE, Kentucky
51. Martin Emerson Jr., CB, Mississippi State
52. Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan State
53. Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
54. DeMarvin Leal, EDGE, Texas A&MGrade: Round 2-3
55. Nik Bonitto, EDGE, Oklahoma
56. Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa
57. Nick Cross, S, Maryland
58. John Metchie III, WR, Alabama
59. Perrion Winfrey, IDL, Oklahoma
60. James Cook, RB, Georgia
61. Channing Tindall, LB, Georgia
62. Jamaree Salyer, G, Georgia
63. Phidarian Mathis, IDL, Alabama
64. Myjai Sanders, EDGE, Cincinnati
65. Chad Muma, LB, Wyoming
66. Cameron Jurgens, C, Nebraska
67. Darian Kinnard, G, Kentucky
68. Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan
69. Jalen Tolbert, WR, South Alabama
70. Christian Harris, LB, Alabama
71. Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State
72. Khalil Shakir, WR, Boise State
73. Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M
74. Alex Wright, EDGE, UAB
75. Ed Ingram, G, LSU
76. Sam Williams, EDGE, Ole Miss
77. Bryan Cook, S, Cincinnati
78. Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinnati
79. Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA
80. Sean Rhyan, G, UCLAGrade: Round 3
81. Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky
82. Cameron Thomas, EDGE, San Diego State
83. Isaiah Likely, TE, Coastal Carolina
84. Leo Chenal, LB, Wisconsin
85. Dylan Parham, C, Memphis
86. Abraham Lucas, OT, Washington State
87. Nicholas Petit-Frere, OT, Ohio State
88. Greg Dulcich, TE, UCLA
89. Kingsley Enagbare, EDGE, South Carolina
90. Troy Andersen, LB, Montana State
91. Jelani Woods, TE, Virginia
92. Cam Taylor-Britt, CB, Nebraska
93. Cole Strange, C, UT-Chattanooga
94. Jeremy Ruckert, TE, Ohio State
95. Carson Strong, QB, Nevada
96. DeAngelo Malone, EDGE, Western Kentucky
97. Kerby Joseph, S, Illinois
98. Calvin Austin III, WR, Memphis
99. Rasheed Walker, OT, Penn State
100. Joshua Williams, CB, Fayetteville State
101. Matthew Butler, IDL, Tennessee
102. Cade Otton, TE, WashingtonGrade: Round 3-4
103. Marcus Jones, CB, Houston
104. Rachaad White, RB, Arizona State
105. Jalyn Armour-Davis, CB, Alabama
106. Dominique Robinson, EDGE, Miami (Ohio)
107. Luke Goedeke, OT, Central Michigan
108. Bailey Zappe, QB, Western Kentucky
109. David Bell, WR, Purdue
110. Alontae Taylor, CB, Tennessee
111. Christopher Allen, EDGE, Alabama
112. Brian Asamoah, LB, Oklahoma
113. Zach Tom, G, Wake Forest
114. Coby Bryant, CB, Cincinnati
115. Joshua Ezeudu, OT, North Carolina
116. Brandon Smith, LB, Penn State
117. Luke Fortner, C, Kentucky
118. Zachary Carter, IDL, Florida
119. Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota
120. Romeo Doubs, WR, Nevada
121. Pierre Strong Jr., RB, South Dakota State
122. Zyon McCollum, CB, Sam Houston State
123. Kellen Diesch, OT, Arizona State
124. Charlie Kolar, TE, Iowa Stateplay
Check out the best highlights that contributed to a stellar college career for South Dakota State’s Pierre Strong Jr.Grade: Round 4
125. Danny Gray, WR, SMU
126. JT Woods, S, Baylor
127. Jerome Ford, RB, Cincinnati
128. Amare Barno, EDGE, Virginia Tech
129. Darrian Beavers, LB, Cincinnati
130. Otito Ogbonnia, IDL, UCLA
131. Verone McKinley III, S, Oregon
132. Dohnovan West, C, Arizona State
133. Eric Johnson, IDL, Missouri State
134. Mario Goodrich, CB, Clemson
135. Marquis Hayes, G, Oklahoma
136. Damarri Mathis, CB, Pittsburgh
137. Max Mitchell, OT, Louisiana-Lafayette
138. Jake Ferguson, TE, Wisconsin
139. Akayleb Evans, CB, Missouri
140. Bo Melton, WR, Rutgers
141. Isaiah Thomas, EDGE, Oklahoma
142. Neil Farrell Jr., IDL, LSU
143. Tyreke Smith, EDGE, Ohio State
144. Decobie Durant, CB, South Carolina State
145. Mykael Wright, CB, Oregon
146. Kyle Philips, WR, UCLA
147. Hassan Haskins, RB, MichiganGrade: Round 4-5