10 things we learned from the 2022 NFL Draft
The 2022 NFL Draft is now in the history books. Here are 10 things we learned from the Draft.
1) Reports that this was the weakest quarterback class in a long time proved true. The first signal-caller was not drafted until the Pittsburgh Steelers took Kenny Pickett with the 20th pick. Malik Willis was not even drafted until the third round.
2) This was a weak first round for the offense in general. The first five picks were all defense. No running back was chosen in the first round. Whether or not defense wins championships is debatable, but this was the year where offensive superstars were put on the back burner.
3) Even when not picking, the Raiders somehow make news. They traded away their first and second round picks to the Green Bay Packers for stud wide receiver Davante Adams. Yet with the Draft being held in Las Vegas, the Silver and Black had home field advantage. Derek Carr got the crowd pumped up early on. He also slapped down rumors of a Darren Waller trade by saying it was not happening. While this is beyond his authority, Carr would never make the statement without tacit if not outright clearance. Mark Davis even suggested that he would welcome Colin Kaepernick to his team “with open arms.” The team during the Draft announced that they would be declining the fifth year option for all three 2019 first round draft picks.
4) Speaking of Kaepernick, he remains toxic. Every year or so an owner or coach or two will muse about bringing Kaepernick onboard. Then the Draft goes by and nothing happens. Kaepernick remains fired because owners do not want to anger a large chunk of their fan base on a backup quarterback. Kaepernick is simply not worth the hassle.
5) Mr. Irrelevant never gets old. This year it was quarterback Brock Purdy, who has the potential to be the best Brock since Osweiler but may never reach the level of Dieter Brock.
6) Ryan Tannehill is on the hottest of hot seats. The Titans had home field advantage throughout the playoffs and lost at home 19-16 to the eventual AFC champion Bengals. The Tennessee defense beat the daylights out of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, sacking him nine times. Yet Tannehill threw three interceptions, including a killer late in regulation when the game seemed destined for overtime. Tannehill revived his career after ;anguishing in Miami, but he is seen as the weak link on a very physical Mike Vrabel team. Drafting Malik Willis is a shot across Tannehill’s bow.
7) Ed Marinaro has not been on the football field for a long time, but he has also not been on the acting stage for awhile either. The former “Hill Street Blues” actor nearly had the microphone yanked from him when his opportunity to announce the Vikings pick turned into a monologue.
8) This first round involved more trades than anything not connected to the stock market. Nine teams had more than one first round Draft pick. 10 teams had no first round Draft pick at all. These are both records in the Super Bowl era.
9) The Draft again inadvertently showed why anything not connected to football is unnecessary at a football event. For some reason the NFL thinks that the Super Bowl requires a halftime show with music acts rather than football highlights. The Super Bowl is only three to four hours. The Draft is nearly 15 hours, and people tune in just to watch football people talk about football. There is no fluff. The Draft is all football, all the time, and it works.
10) Professional football remains the king of all sports. The NBA and NHL playoffs receive less attention than a three-day football infomercial involving billionaires making telephone calls and millionaires speculating what the billionaires are talking about. Baseball games are played, which somebody cares about somewhere. An event that does not even involve an actual game is still more important than games in other sports.