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Which 2022 NFL Draft picks have excelled so far? Our early All-Rookie Team
The Athletic NFL Draft Staff
Oct 5, 2022
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It’s impossible for us to hand out complete NFL Draft grades the day players are picked, as full context — multiple seasons’ worth — is needed for an exercise like that. However, we can do our best to chart progress along the way.
Which brings us to our All-Rookie Team at (approximately) the quarter mark of the 17-game NFL season. Our NFL Draft staff voted, position by position, on the early standouts from the ’22 class. Who’s leading the way for the first-year players so far? Dane Brugler, Nick Baumgardner, Nate Tice and Chris Burke weigh in.
Quarterback
Bailey Zappe, Patriots
Honorable mention: Kenny Pickett, Steelers
Entering Week 4 of the
NFL season, we were ready to place an “n/a” designation on this spot. But lo and behold, two rookie quarterbacks came off the bench this past weekend: Zappe and Pickett (who’s now the official starter in Pittsburgh).
Zappe averaged only 6.6 yards per attempt in his NFL debut, but he became the first (and still the only) rookie to throw a touchdown pass. He also led an offense that pushed the
Packers to overtime at Lambeau Field. The fourth-round pick might not have the strongest arm, but he showed sound decision-making and played well Sunday, considering the circumstances.
Running back
Breece Hall, Jets; Dameon Pierce, Texans
Honorable mention: Tyler Allgeier, Falcons
Pierce (Round 4, No. 107) stood out as a potential draft steal the second he slipped to Day 3. He’s matched that buzz, establishing himself as an early Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate with 313 yards rushing (135 more than Hall), two TDs and 10 receptions on 10 targets. On Sunday, he ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run against the
Chargers as part of a 131-yard day.
Although Hall has been a more prominent receiving threat (15 catches for 113 yards and a TD on 27 targets), he hasn’t seen Pierce’s volume of carries. That might be changing, though — Hall had 17 rushes in a Week 4 win at Pittsburgh. All told, he’s averaging 5.5 yards per touch (rushing and receiving).
Keep an eye on Allgeier, too. The Falcons rookie just rushed for 84 yards on 10 carries against
Cleveland, and an injury to
Cordarrelle Patterson has propped the door wide open for Allgeier to play a sizable role.
Wide receiver
Chris Olave, Saints; Jahan Dotson, Commanders; Drake London, Falcons
Honorable mentions: Garrett Wilson, Jets; Romeo Doubs, Packers; George Pickens, Steelers
As expected, wide receiver was, by far, the toughest position to narrow down for our initial All-Rookie Team. It was painful to leave Wilson (20 receptions, 255 yards, two TDs) off the list, and even Doubs (19 catches, 184 yards, two TDs) made a strong case to earn a top-three spot. But it’s hard to argue against the three who made it.
Through four weeks, Olave ranks top 10 in the entire NFL in receiving yards (335) and is one of only six receivers with at least six receptions of 20-plus yards. Dotson has just 12 catches this season, but he’s made them count with four touchdowns, which ties him with
Stefon Diggs for the NFL lead. And
despite spotty quarterback play, London has been as-advertised thanks to his basketball skills on grass. He leads all rookie receivers in missed tackles forced (five) and has yet to register a drop.
Tight end
Jelani Woods, Colts; Isaiah Likely, Ravens (tie)
Honorable mention: Daniel Bellinger, Giants
This position is notorious for being difficult on rookies, and we’re seeing it again this season. No first-year tight end has 10 catches or 100 yards receiving yet. Bellinger leads in both of those categories (eight receptions for 79 yards), but Woods is the only rookie TE to have found the end zone twice. Those scoring grabs came in a Week 3 upset of the
Chiefs, with his second touchdown that day handing the Colts a win in the final minute.Statistically, Likely hasn’t carried over his eye-popping preseason performance (12 catches for 144 yards and a TD over the final two games). He did have a four-catch, 43-yard day against the
Dolphins in Week 2, though, so the Ravens still should be excited about his potential.
Offensive line
Tyler Linderbaum, Ravens; Kenyon Green, Texans; Zion Johnson, Chargers; Tyler Smith, Cowboys; Jamaree Salyer, Chargers
Honorable mentions: Ikem Ekwonu, Panthers; Spencer Burford, 49ers; Luke Goedeke, Buccaneers; Dylan Parham, Raiders; Charles Cross, Seahawks; Abe Lucas, Seahawks; Cole Strange, Patriots
Many questioned (and rightly so) the Cowboys’ decision to give Smith a shot at tackle coming out of camp, as the deficiencies we saw from Smith in college seemed like they’d be better masked inside at guard. Early on, however, the former Tulsa star has proved the skeptics among us wrong. He had a bit of a dip last week against Washington, but he’s had some outstanding stretches.
Linderbaum and Green were dealt tough hands with camp injuries, but they’ve rebounded. It’s all there for Green to be a stud — but as was the case in college, there are still technical issues to iron out. Once he does, look out.
The toughest call here was Johnson over Parham. The Chargers guard gets the nod, although it’s important to note that Parham has already played both center and guard for the Raiders and should only improve with time. And while Salyer earned a nod off the back of just one game, that game — a start — was as good as
Rashawn Slater’s rookie debut for the same team last year (and perhaps better from a pass-pro standpoint). That was special from Salyer, so let’s see if he can follow it up.
Defensive line
Jordan Davis, Eagles; Logan Hall, Buccaneers
Honorable mentions: Micheal Clemons, Jets; DeMarvin Leal, Steelers
The first defensive tackle selected in 2022, Davis (Round 1, No. 13) has collected a number of flash plays to back up his high draft pick. He logged multiple pressures each of the past two games and also showed off his motor to make things happen away from the line of scrimmage. One of the issues with Davis as a prospect was the uncertainty over whether he could play the 35-plus snaps per game needed to justify his stock. That question remains unanswered — he’s playing 21 snaps per game for Philadelphia — so it will be interesting to see if that changes.
Hall, who landed at No. 33, was considered a potential top-40 prospect, in part, because of a wide-ranging skill set that allows him to play multiple positions (he grabbed votes at both DL and edge on our ballot). The Buccaneers have tapped into that versatility, lining him up across the defensive line and even standing him up in space.
Edge
Travon Walker, Jaguars; Aidan Hutchinson, Lions
Honorable mentions: George Karlaftis, Chiefs; Jermaine Johnson II, Jets
This is a tough conversation, because — as was the case when we evaluated this position before the draft — there’s good news and bad news all over the place.
While Hutchinson leads all rookie edges through four games with “true pass set pressures” (nine), per Pro Football Focus, and sacks (three), both he and Walker have had rather pedestrian win rates (PFF grades each at 8 percent). The top two picks in April’s draft have shown solid, improving work against the run, though, and each has offered glimpses of a much higher ceiling.
Karlaftis and Johnson shouldn’t be slept on here, at all. A case could’ve been made for either to make this list. Karlaftis continues to push the pocket for the Chiefs, but — as was the case at Purdue, on occasion — he’s not quite finishing (zero sacks).
Linebacker
Devin Lloyd, Jaguars; Malcolm Rodriguez, Lions
Honorable mention: Quay Walker, Packers
Lloyd has been, in a word, phenomenal. After (inexplicably) slipping to No. 27 in the draft, the Utah product has paired with Travon Walker to help the Jaguars reshape their defensive identity. Lloyd has 38 tackles and six pass
breakups, and he picked a pass in each of Jacksonville’s two wins thus far — that puts him halfway to his total of four INTs as a Ute last year. As it stands through four weeks, he’s probably the leading contender for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez (33 tackles, three tackles for loss, two QB hits) has been a bright spot on a miserable Detroit defense. It was an absolute robbery that the Lions were able to snag Rodriguez in Round 6 (No. 188). He’s already playing 72 percent of defensive snaps and making a huge impact on special teams.
Cornerback
Sauce Gardner, Jets; Derek Stingley Jr., Texans; Jaylen Watson, Chiefs
Honorable mentions: Jack Jones, Patriots; Tariq Woolen, Seahawks; Roger McCreary, Titans
Gardner and Stingley were unanimous selections, but there wasn’t much separating Watson and Woolen for the final spot — especially after Woolen delivered a pick six in Detroit on Sunday (his second INT of the season). And Jones set himself up as a name to watch for our midseason All-Rookie Team
with a pick six of his own during a brilliant debut start at Green Bay.
Watson, pick No. 243 in April, might still be riding the momentum of his own 99-yard interception in Week 2, which helped him land AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Those top two choices of Gardner and Stingley — picks 4 and 3, respectively — haven’t forced a turnover yet, but quarterbacks already are approaching them with caution. Gardner has five pass breakups, and Stingley came out of the blocks with a combined 15 tackles and three PBUs over Weeks 1 and 2. They’ll each be a centerpiece of a rebuild.
Michael Carter II said that Sauce Gardner baited Kenny Pickett into the throw he made on Carter's interception in the fourth quarter.
Intrigued to see the coverage numbers, but I thought Gardner was stellar on Sunday. He's a stud.
#Jets
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt)
October 2, 2022. In general, the rookie CB crop looks
deep. Also on the ballot were names like McCreary (leading all rookie corners with 26 tackles), the Bears’
Kyler Gordon and the Bills’
Kaiir Elam. Expect to hear a lot from all three.
Safety
Jaquan Brisker, Bears; Jalen Pitre, Texans
Honorable mention: Kyle Hamilton, Ravens
Brisker looked like the Bears’ best pick on draft weekend, and that’s held up so far. That he fell to No. 48 still feels pretty wild, but it was a good-looking find for Chicago. Brisker is a big safety who can play downhill, but he’s also athletic enough to hold his own in coverage. The Bears have moved him all over the place early defensively — the former
Penn State star has seen time at deep safety, in the box, off the edge and in the slot.
Pitre’s another player whose success is no real surprise, based on what we saw from him at Baylor. Similarly to Brisker, Pitre is a fearless safety who can line up in the box and not get destroyed. He’s going to stick his nose in, he understands run fits, and he can cover. It’s been an encouraging start for both guys.