Grading each team’s 2022 NFL Draft

The 2022 NFL Draft has concluded and that means it is time to place a letter grade on your favorite team’s draft picks. Will we look back at these grades in five years and say, “wow! these are all perfect!”? No, we will not, but there is no doubt that some teams’ drafting process at least appears much better than others.

We break down each team’s draft below.

2022 NFL Draft grades, by team

Arizona Cardinals

Final draft grade: B-

No. 55: Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State
No. 87: Cameron Thomas, DE, San Diego State
No. 100 (via BAL): Myjai Sanders, DE, Cincinnati
No. 201: Keaontay Ingram, RB, USC
No. 215: Lecitus Smith, OG, Virginia Tech
No. 244: Christian Matthews, CB, Valdosta State
No. 256: Jesse Luketa, LB, Penn State
No. 257: Marquis Hayes, OG, Oklahoma

The biggest thing the Cardinals did was reunite Marquise Brown with his college quarterback Kyler Murray. They didn’t really need to take a TE in the second round but did a good job picking up two DEs in the third. If they would have taken a corner or a higher-rated guard with their first selection, their draft grade would be higher.

Atlanta Falcons

Final draft grade: B

No. 8: Drake London, WR, USC
No. 38: Arnold Ebiketie, DE, Penn State
No. 58: Troy Andersen, LB, Montana State
No. 74: Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
No. 82: DeAngelo Malone, LB, Western Kentucky
No. 151: Tyler Allgeier, RB, BYU
No. 190: Justin Shaffer, OG, Georgia
No. 213: John FitzPatrick, TE, Georgia

Of the five team needs highlighted for the Falcons, they sufficiently addressed four of them. With the eighth overall pick, they selected WR Drake London out of USC who will be an instant starter. In the second round, they picked up DE Arnold Ebiketie who is a great selection there, but then took an ILB in the back end of the second that was a pick they should’ve looked into offensive line or another WR. Atlanta drafted its quarterback of the future Desmond Ridder with the 10th pick in the third round. Solid draft, but adding that extra wideout would have given them one of the best draft classes in the NFL.

Baltimore Ravens

Final draft grade: B

No. 14: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
No. 25 (via BUF): Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa
No. 45: David Ojabo, OLB, Michigan
No. 76: Travis Jones, DT, UConn
No. 110: Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota
No. 119: Jalyn Armour-Davis, CB, Alabama
No. 128: Charlie Kolar, TE, Iowa State
No. 130 (via BUF): Jordan Stout, P, Penn State
No. 139: Isaiah Likely, TE, Coastal Carolina
No. 141: Damarion Williams, CB, Houston
No. 196: Tyler Badie, RB, Missouri

The first three picks for Baltimore were great and then it looked like they were just doing a Madden simulation. They drafted arguably the best safety in Kyle Hamilton, a great center in Tyler Linderbaum and a reliable OLB in David Ojabo. They proceeded to draft two tight ends, a punter, and yet another running back over their last eight selections. They also traded WR Marquise Brown in the first round of the draft and chose not to replace him with a later draft selection.

Buffalo Bills

Final draft grade: A-

No. 23 (via BAL): Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida
No. 63: James Cook, RB, Georgia
No. 89: Terrel Bernard, LB, Baylor
No. 148: Khalil Shakir, WR, Boise State
No. 180: Matt Araiza, P, San Diego State
No. 185: Christian Benford, CB, Villanova
No. 209: Luke Tenuta, OT, Virginia Tech
No. 231: Baylon Spector, LB, Clemson

Few teams addressed their team needs as well as the Bills did. They picked up a great corner in the first round, a potential starting running back in the second, and got a WR steal in Khalil Shakir in the fifth. They didn’t address the offensive line early and if they had taken a guard in the third round this likely would have been an “A’. They did take “Punt God” Matt Araiza even though they don’t find themselves punting often.

Carolina Panthers

Final draft grade: B+

No. 6: Ickey Ekwonu, OL, NC State
No. 94: Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss
No. 120: Brandon Smith, LB, Penn State
No. 189: Amare Barno, LB, Virginia Tech
No. 199: Cade Mays, OG, Tennessee
No. 242: Kalon Barnes, CB, Baylor

The Panthers had their hands tied with draft picks because of their trade last year to acquire Sam Darnold. Carolina had the No. 6 overall pick and didn’t miss bringing in hometown OT Ikem “Ickey” Ekwonu. He will be an instant starter and address their biggest team need. The quarterbacks fell in this draft and the Panthers were able to move up into the backend of the third round to select QB Matt Corral who could push for the starting job in the upcoming season. Brandom Smith from Penn State addressed their ILB need and they did well with limited draft capital.

Chicago Bears

Final draft grade: C+

No. 39: Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington
No. 48: Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State
No. 71: Velus Jones Jr., WR, Tennessee
No. 168: Braxton Jones, OT, Southern Utah
No. 174 Dominique Robinson, LB, Miami-OH
No. 185: Zachary Thomas, OT, San Diego State
No. 203: Trestan Ebner, RB, Baylor
No. 207: Doug Kramer, C, Illinois
No. 226: J’Atyre Carter, OG, Southern
No. 254: Elijah Hicks, S, Cal
No. 255: Trenton Gill, P, NC State

The Bears picked up their QB of the future last season by selecting Justin Fields. The reason they get this draft grade is that they needed to protect Fields and give him more weapons in the offense. They drafted a WR in the third round and waited until the fifth round to take an offensive lineman. Chicago picked up good pieces for their secondary, but they didn’t address their biggest needs heading to next season.

Cincinnati Bengals

Final draft grade: B

No. 31: Daxton Hill, S, Michigan
No. 60: Cam Taylor-Britt, CB, Nebraska
No. 95: Zachary Carter, DT, Florida
No. 136: Cordell Volson, OT, North Dakota State
No. 174: Tycen Anderson, S, Toledo
No. 252: Jeffrey Gunter, DE, Coastal Carolina

The Bengals threw enough darts at safety in the draft that one of them has to stick right? Three of their first five picks were safeties. They will likely convert one of them to a corner to address that need. Otherwise, the Bengals are coming off an appearance in the Super Bowl and mainly looked to add to their depth. Cincinnati addressed most of their team needs through free agency so this draft is fine although not the splashiest.

Cleveland Browns

Final draft grade: B-

No. 68: Martin Emerson, CB, Mississippi State
No. 78: Alex Wright, DE, UAB
No. 99: David Bell, WR, Purdue
No. 108: Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma
No. 124: Cade York, K, LSU
No. 156: Jerome Ford, RB, Cincinnati
No. 202: Michael Woods II, WR, Oklahoma
No. 223: Isaiah Thomas, DE, Oklahoma
No. 246: Dawson Deaton, C, Texas Tech

The Browns didn’t have much draft capital after the acquisition of QB Deshaun Watson in a trade with the Houston Texans. They brought in Amari Cooper in free agency but still needed some extra WR help. They picked up Purdue WR David Bell who will help fill that need. Cleveland has had a number of cornerback selections in the past few years and didn’t really need to take another with their first selection in the draft. A center and more defensive line depth would’ve been better to address. They also used a fourth-round pick to take the first kicker off the board which was early.

Dallas Cowboys

Final draft grade: B+

No. 24: Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa
No. 56: Sam Williams, DE, Ole Miss
No. 88: Jalen Tolbert, WR, South Alabama
No. 129: Jake Ferguson, TE, Wisconsin
No. 155: Matt Waletzko, OT, North Dakota State
No. 167: DaRon Bland, CB, Fresno State
No. 176: Damone Clark, LB, LSU
No. 178: John Ridgeway, DT, Arkansas
No. 193: Devin Harper, LB, Oklahoma State

The Cowboys had a very Dallas-y draft when they selected Tulsa OT Tyler Smith 24th overall. They are one of the best teams at developing offensive linemen so he should fit in well with them. They took an OLB in the second and waited on WR which could have been flipped for a better draft grade. They addressed the majority of their team needs which resulted in solid depth pieces, but they didn’t have that “WOW” selection this year.

Denver Broncos

Final draft grade: B

No. 64: Nik Bonnito, LB, Oklahoma
No. 80: Greg Dulcich, TE, UCLA
No. 115: Damarri Mathis, CB, Pitt
No. 116: Eyioma Uwazurike, DE, Iowa State
No. 152: Dellarin Turner-Yell, S, Oklahoma
No. 162: Montrell Washington, WR, Samford
No. 171: Luke Wattenberg, C, Washington
No. 206: Matt Henningsen, DT, Wisconsin

The Broncos' highlight of their offseason was bringing in quarterback Russell Wilson via trade. Their first three selections of OLB Nik Bonitto, TE Greg Dulcich and CB Damarri Mathis did a good job of addressing team needs. They didn’t focus on an ILB or OT like they should’ve, but with a lack of big draft capital, Denver did pretty well to start their new era on a high note.

Detroit Lions

Final draft grade: A

No. 2: Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan
No. 12: Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
No. 46 (via MIN): Josh Paschal, DE, Kentucky
No. 97: Kerby Joseph, S, Illinois
No. 177: James Mitchell, TE, Virginia Tech
No. 188: Malcolm Rodriguez, LB, Oklahoma State
No. 217: James Houston, LB, Jackson State
No. 237: Chase Lucas, CB, Arizona State

The Lions made great use of their early-round draft capital. They took DE Aidan Hutchinson No. 2 overall and WR Jameson Williams with the 12th overall pick. Detroit addressed their needs at DE and safety by taking Josh Paschal in the second and Kerby Joseph in the third. They were frequently mocked to be interested in taking a high-profile quarterback, but that didn’t pan out. Whether they have faith in Goff or if they are going to address the need later remains to be seen. All-in-all, a solid draft for the future of the Lions.

Green Bay Packers

Final draft grade: B+

No. 22: Quay Walker, LB, Georgia
No. 28: Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia
No. 34: Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State
No. 92: Sean Rhyan, OG, UCLA
No. 132: Romeo Doubs, WR, Nevada
No. 140: Zach Tom, OT, Wake Forest
No. 179: Kingsley Enagbare, LB, South Carolina
No. 228: Tariq Carpenter, LB, Georgia Tech
No. 234: Jonathan Ford, DT, Miami
No. 249: Rasheed Walker, OT, Penn State
No. 258: Samori Toure, WR, Nebraska

No, your eyes don’t deceive you, the Green Bay Packers (eventually) drafted some wide receivers for Aaron Rodgers. They took two defensive players to start their draft and finally took WR Christian Watson with the second pick in the second round. They followed that up taking Romeo Doubs in the fourth. Green Bay picked up two offensive guards and added OLB Kingsley Enagbare with the final pick in the fifth round who had been mocked as a first-round talent earlier in the offseason.

Houston Texans

Final draft grade: A-

No. 3: Derek Stingley Jr., DB, LSU
No. 15 (via PHI): Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M
No. 37: Jalen Pitre, S, Baylor
No. 44 (via Cleveland): John Metchie III, WR, Alabama
No. 75: Christian Harris, LB, Alabama
No. 107: Dameon Pierce, RB, Florida
No. 150: Thomas Booker, DE, Stanford
No. 170: Teagan Quitoriano, TE, Oregon State
No. 205: Austin Deculus, OT, LSU

The Texans checked the box near the majority of their draft needs. They took a shutdown corner in Derek Stingley Jr., shored up the offensive line with Kenyon Green, got a much-needed safety in Jalen Pitre and drafted Davis Mills another weapon in John Metchie III. RB Dameon Pierce in the fourth looks like a steal. The only position of need they didn’t address was defensive end, but that isn’t a bad place to be for this rebuilding team.

Indianapolis Colts

Final draft grade: B+

No. 53 (via Min): Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinnati
No. 73: Jelani Woods, TE, Virginia
No. 77: Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan
No. 96: Nick Cross, S, Maryland
No. 159: Eric Johnson, DT, Missouri State
No. 192: Andrew Ogletree, TE, Youngstown State
No. 216: Curtis Brooks, DT, Cincinnati
No. 239: Rodney Thomas, DB, Yale

The Colts instantly upgraded their wide receiver room bringing in WR Alec Pierce from Cincinnati to give new quarterback Matt Ryan another weapon. They drafted a tight end with their first pick in the third which probably could have waited, but their OT pick right after it was a good one. They could’ve used linebacker depth and a cornerback, but otherwise, this was a good draft for them.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Final draft grade: A-

No. 1: Travon Walker, DE, Georgia
No. 27 (via TB): Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
No. 65: Luke Fortner, C, Kentucky
No. 70: Chad Muma, LB, Wyoming
No. 154: Snoop Conner, RB, Ole Miss
No. 197: Gregory Junior, CB, Ouachita Baptist
No. 222: Montaric Brown, CB, Arkansas

The Jags focused on improving their roster on the defensive side of the ball with five of their second picks being defensive players. They have had the No. 1 pick two years in a row and are trying to not make it a third in 2023. Walker and Lloyd are instant starters while Muma while man the middle linebacker spot. They brought in more protection for quarterback Trevor Lawrence and upgraded their cornerback room. The only selection that didn’t make sense was taking Conner, but Jacksonville still had a good draft.

Kansas City Chiefs

Final draft grade: A

No. 21 (via NE): Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
No. 30: George Karlaftis, DE, Purdue
No. 54: Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan
No. 62: Bryan Cook, S, Cincinnati
No. 103: Leo Chenal, LB, Wisconsin
No. 135: Joshua Williams, CB, Fayetteville State
No. 145: Darian Kinnard, OT, Kentucky
No. 243: Jaylen Watson, CB, Washington State
No. 251: Isiah Pacheco, RB, Rutgers
No. 259: Nazeeh Johnson, S, Marshall

The Chiefs made some interesting decisions in the offseason trading away WR Tyreek Hill and signing both JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. They watched as their division competitors took massive leaps forward with their moves and it looked like Kansas City could be in for a down year. Then the draft happened and it worked out perfectly for them. They used their first two picks on defense and addressed needs at CB and DE, had WR Skyy Moore fall into their laps in the second and picked up a great middle linebacker in the third. Not convinced? The SEC’s best lineman award winner Darian Kinnard was there for them in the fifth.

Las Vegas Raiders

Final draft grade: C+

No. 90: Dylan Parham, OG, Memphis
No. 122: Zamir White, RB, Georgia
No. 126: Neil Farrell Jr., DT, LSU
No. 175: Matthew Butler, DT, Tennessee
No. 238: Thayer Munford, OT, Ohio State
No. 250: Brittain Brown, RB, UCLA

Las Vegas hosted the draft but didn’t make a draft selection until the third round. They picked up Memphis OG Dylan Parham and then followed it up in the fourth round with RB Zamir White. These are fine picks, with Parham being their best choice for the upcoming season. They won’t complain about not having their first two picks since they now have WR Davante Adams, but for a draft grade, they just didn’t strongly address team needs.

Los Angeles Chargers

Final draft grade: B-

No. 17: Zion Johnson, G, Boston College
No. 79: JT Woods, S, Baylor
No. 123: Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M
No. 160: Otito Ogbonnia, DT, UCLA
No. 195: Jamaree Salyer, OG, Georgia
No. 214: Ja’Sir Taylor, WR, Wake Forest
No. 236: Deane Leonard, CB, Ole Miss
No. 260: Zander Horvath, FB, Purdue

Heading into the draft, the Chargers team needs included OT, TE, ILB, OG and DE. They took OG Zion Johnson in the first round and then seemed to just go best player available. That didn’t go poorly for them, but selecting a running back in the fourth round was questionable. They got a great talent in Spiller, but it makes you wonder how they are going to use him and Austin Ekeler. They picked up a solid guard in the sixth, but that is the only team need that they really addressed.

Los Angeles Rams

Final draft grade: B-

No. 104: Logan Bruss, OG, Wisconsin
No. 142: Decobie Durant, CB, South Carolina State
No. 164: Kyren Williams, RB, Notre Dame
No. 211: Quentin Lake, S, UCLA
No. 212: Derion Kendrick, CB, Georgia
No. 235: Daniel Hardy, LB, Montana State
No. 253: Russ Yeast, S, Kansas State
No. 261: AJ Arcuri, OT, Michigan State

When you are coming off a Super Bowl victory, I assume you aren’t too concerned with the ensuing NFL Draft. Los Angeles didn’t pick until the third round and picked up an OG from Wisconsin. They adequately addressed their need at CB with both Decobie Durant and Derion Kendrick. They could’ve gone after more linebacker depth and they needed to look into a strong OT. The Rams will be fine in the 2022 season, but this draft just feels meh.

Miami Dolphins

Final draft grade: C+

No. 102 (via SF): Channing Tindall, ILB, Georgia
No. 125 (via PIT): Erik Ezukanma, WR, Texas Tech
No. 224 (via BAL): Cameron Goode, OLB, California
No. 247 (via TEN): Skylar Thompson, QB, Kansas State

The Dolphins met most of their team needs ahead of the draft through free agency and trades. They didn’t select until the third round and only had two picks before the seventh round. Miami took an ILB in the third and a WR in the fourth. They could have addressed defensive line depth with the second pick which is why they get knocked for a draft grade.

Minnesota Vikings

Final draft grade: A-

No. 32 (via DET): Lewis Cine, S, Georgia
No. 42 (via GB): Andrew Booth Jr. CB, Clemson
No. 59: Ed Ingram, OG, LSU
No. 66 (via DET): Brian Asamoah, LB, Oklahoma
No. 118 (via CLE): Akayleb Evans, CB, Missouri
No. 165: Esezi Otomewo, DE, Minnesota
No. 169: Ty Chandler, RB, North Carolina
No. 184: Vederian Lowe, OT, Illinois
No. 191: Jalen Nailor, WR, Michigan St.

The Vikings are one of the few teams that successfully addressed every single one of their team needs in the draft. They addressed their defense at each level and shored up their offensive line. With later-round picks, they added depth to each offensive position other than quarterback. They may not have gotten the best names at any position, but they got a lot of talent and certainly got better on the other end of the 2022 NFL Draft.

New England Patriots

Final draft grade: C+

No. 29 (via KC): Cole Strange, OG, Chattanooga
No. 50 (via KC): Tyquan Thornton, WR, Baylor
No. 85: Marcus Jones, CB, Houston
No. 121 (via KC): Jack Jones, CB, Arizona State
No. 127: Pierre Strong, RB, South Dakota State
No. 137 (via CAR): Bailey Zappe, QB, Western Kentucky
No. 183 (via HOU): Kevin Harris, RB, South Carolina
No. 200: Sam Roberts, DT, Northwest Missouri State
No. 210 (via LAR): Chasen Hines, OG, LSU
No. 245 (via HOU): Andrew Stueber, OG, Michigan

We aren’t supposed to question Bill Belichick, but there were some head-scratching selections from the Pats. They started off taking OG Cole Strange in the first round when teams were thinking he would be there in the fourth. With a ton of WR talent available, they reached yet again for Tyquan Thornton. New England has a talented running back room of Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson and added two more running backs in this draft. They also selected a backup QB for second-year signal-caller Mac Jones. A confusing draft from top to bottom, but in Belichick, we trust as they say.

New Orleans Saints

Final draft grade: B+

No. 11 (via WAS): Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
No. 19: Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
No. 49: Alontae Taylor, CB, Tennessee
No. 161: D’Marco Jackson, LB, Appalachian State
No. 194: Jordan Jackson, DT, Air Force

The Saints moved around a lot in the draft and didn’t have that many selections with only three in the first four rounds. They crushed the first round taking a great WR in Chris Olave and shoring up their offensive line with OT Trevor Penning. Even second-round selection CB Alontae Taylor has upside, but they didn’t look into a QB for the future and they could’ve used their later selections to add more protection for whoever is under center.

New York Giants

Final draft grade: A-

No. 5: Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon
No. 7: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
No. 43: Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky
No. 67: Joshua Ezeudu, OG, North Carolina
No. 81: Cordale Flott, CB, LSU
No. 112: Daniel Bellinger, TE, San Diego State
No. 114: Daniel Belton, S, Iowa
No. 146: Micah McFadden, LB, Indiana
No. 147: DJ Davidson, DT, Arizona State
No. 173: Marcus McKethan, OG, North Carolina
No. 182: Darrian Beavers, LB, Cincinnati

The Giants had five picks in the first three rounds and they hit on all of them. They improved their defensive line by taking Kayvon Thibodeaux with the fifth overall pick who had been mocked as high as No. 1 in the offseason. They also addressed their offensive line taking OT Evan Neal with the seventh overall pick and OG Joshua Ezeudu in the third. WR Wan’Dale Robinson in the second is a great addition to their receiving corps. The only team need they didn’t address was outside linebacker or quarterback for the future. Still a solid draft overall.

New York Jets

Final draft grade: A-

No. 4: Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
No. 10: Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
No. 26 (via TEN): Jermaine Johnson, DE, FSU
No. 36 (via NYG): Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State
No. 101: Jeremy Ruckert, TE, Ohio State
No. 111: Max Mitchell, OT, Louisiana
No. 117: Michael Clemons, DE, Texas A&M

It’s hard to think about how the Jets could have managed a better start to their draft. They were looking at Johnson with the fourth overall pick and snagged him at 26. Gardner, Wilson and Johnson figure to be instant starters while Hall gives them a strong running back to either be their bell cow or to tag team with Michael Carter. The only knock with their selections would just be that they didn’t need a TE at 101 and could have looked at the ILB board and addressed that team's need. Otherwise, Jets fans should be happy with these selections.

Philadelphia Eagles

Final draft grade: A-

No. 13 (via HOU): Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
No. 51: Cam Jurgens, C, Nebraska
No. 83: Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia
No. 181: Kyron Johnson, LB, Kansas
No. 198: Grant Calcaterra, TE, SMU

This draft was incredible for the Eagles. They picked up AJ Brown from the Titans to address their wide receiver need and Jordan Davis should be an instant starter on the defensive line. Due to some injuries, one of the best linebackers in the entire draft, Nakobe Dean, fell right into their laps in the third round and is expected to be ready for training camp. The only knock is that they could’ve looked at safety, but this draft went well for the birds.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Final draft grade: B

No. 20: Kenny Pickett, QB, Pitt
No. 52: George Pickens, WR, Georgia
No. 84: DeMarvin Leal, DE, Texas A&M
No. 138: Calvin Austin III, WR, Memphis
No. 208: Connor Heyward, FB, Michigan State
No. 225: Mark Robinson, LB, Ole Miss
No. 241: Chris Oladokun, QB, South Dakota State

The Steelers drafted the heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger in Kenny Pickett and they are almost the same age. Pickett is the fourth oldest QB (24) to be drafted in the Common Draft Era. Still, they have watched him practice for five years so they didn’t have a deeper scouting report on anyone. They spent two selections on WR which was a surprise, but they got two good ones. They didn’t address their needs in the secondary or offensive line though which caps their draft grade potential.

San Francisco 49ers

Final draft grade: B+

No. 61: Drake Jackson, DE, USC
No. 93: Tyrion Davis-Price, RB, LSU
No. 105: Danny Gray, WR, SMU
No. 134: Spencer Burford, OT, UTSA
No. 172: Samuel Womack, CB, Toledo
No. 187: Nick Zakelj, OT, Fordham
No. 220: Kalia Davis, DT, UCF
No. 221: Tariq Castro-Fields, CB, Penn State
No. 262: Brock Purdy, QB, Iowa State

The Niners didn’t end up moving quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo ahead of or during the NFL Draft. That could change before August, but they focused on helping out whoever is under center. They drafted a RB, WR, and two OTs with four of their first six selections. With their first pick of the draft, they took OLB Drake Jackson who improves an already solid defensive front. They took a corner in the fifth and sixth and could’ve used a safety, but otherwise a solid draft for San Francisco.

Seattle Seahawks

Final draft grade: C+

No. 9: Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
No. 40: Boye Mafe, DE, Minnesota
No. 41: Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan State
No. 72: Abraham Lucas, OT, Washington State
No. 109: Coby Bryant, CB, Cincinnati
No. 153: Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA
No. 158: Tyreke Smith, DE, Ohio State
No. 229: Bo Melton, WR, Rutgers
No. 233: Dareke Young, WR, Lenoir-Rhyne

The Seahawks' best selection was their first as they drafted OT Charles Cross to help protect their quarterback. They had ample chances to select a quarterback that would be an improvement over current QBs Drew Lock and Geno Smith and they passed. With back-to-back picks in the early second, they drafted an OLB who addressed a team need and an RB that didn’t. Ken Walker III with the ninth selection in the second round is added to a RB room with Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny. At least they took another OT, but overall they didn’t dispel the rebuild rumors in this draft.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Final draft grade: B

No. 33 (via JAX): Logan Hall, DE, Houston
No. 57 (via BUF): Luke Goedeke, OT, Central Michigan
No. 91: Rachaad White, RB, Arizona State
No. 106 (via JAX): Cade Otton, TE, Washington
No. 133: Jake Camarda, P, Georgia
No. 157 (via JAX): Zyon McCollum, CB, Sam Houston
No. 218 (via LAR): Ko Kieft, TE, Minnesota
No. 248: Andre Anthony, DE, LSU

The Bucs didn’t really need to do much to be relevant in the 2022 season. They drafted a solid DE in Logan Hall and improved their offensive like with Luke Goedeke. White will add to their RB depth and Cade Otton will provide depth for TE. Their final three picks starting with a punter in the fourth round were surprising. They could have looked at a defensive tackle or two, or an offensive guard.

Tennessee Titans

Final draft grade: B

No. 18 (via PHI): Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
No. 35 (via NYJ): Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn
No. 69 (via NYJ): Nicholas Petit-Frere, OT, Ohio State
No. 86: Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
No. 131: Hassan Haskins, RB, Michigan
No. 143: Chigoziem Okonkwo, TE, Maryland
No. 163 (via NYJ): Kyle Phillips, WR, UCLA
No. 204: Theo Jackson, S, Tennessee
No. 219: Chance Campbell, TE, Ole Miss

The Titans were out to improve their offensive with the first few picks they made. After trading away WR AJ Brown, they picked up Treylon Burks from Arkansas with the 18th overall pick. McCreary the CB, and OT Nicholas Petit-Frere provide solid depth at their positions. Quarterback Malik Willis was once mocked as high as No. 2, but fell all the way to the Titans' late third-round selection. They could have taken another wide receiver earlier, but otherwise, the back end of this draft had a lot of depth for the Titans.

Washington Commanders

Final draft grade: B

No. 16 (via NO): Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State
No. 47: Phidarian Mathis, DT, Alabama
No. 98 (via NO): Brian Robinson Jr., RB, Alabama
No. 113: Percy Butler, S, Louisiana
No. 144: Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
No. 149: Cole Turner, WR, Nevada
No. 230: Chris Paul, OG, Tulsa
No. 240: Christian Holmes, CB, Oklahoma State

Finding a wide receiver to complement Terry McLaurin was a big need for the Commanders heading. Dotson is a speedy guy who’s a crisp route runner, but there are concerns about his size at just 178 pounds. It wasn’t a bad pick, but feels like a bit of a reach. Defensive line wasn’t a big need for Washington, but the Mathis pick is a good one, giving that group some insurance from injury. Robinson joins a crowded backfield. However, he brings one thing the rest of the running backs don’t have, a tenacious downhill running style they’ll appreciate on first and second downs. Of all of their day three picks, the one that people are going to be talking about is Howell. He’s a little short, but he throws a nice deep ball and has the mobility to keep plays alive. It’s hard to think of a fifth-round pick as a potential franchise quarterback, but Howell at least brings enough to the table to get a look.