5 Biggest Questions for the 2022 NFL Draft

The NFL Draft is full of surprises every year as teams look towards building the future. This year, there’s more uncertainty heading into the draft than we’ve seen in a long time. With the draft looming ahead, we’ll be answering the 5 biggest questions heading into it. 

#1: Who are the Jacksonville Jaguars going to take #1 overall? 

For the 2nd year in a row, the Jacksonville Jaguars end up with the 1st overall pick in the NFL Draft. In last year’s draft, they used that pick to select Trevor Lawrence who they hope will be their franchise quarterback. The Jaguars made a bit of a splash in free agency to help build around Lawrence and now look to revamp their defense. The Jaguars end up going with EDGE rusher Aidan Hutchinson out of Michigan. 

#2: How many quarterbacks will be selected in Round 1? 

Several teams are in need of a quarterback, but the talent in this year’s class is not the strongest one we’ve seen. Are teams going to be ready enough to pull the trigger this early? We think some teams like the Lions & Falcons won’t be in the 1st round but others like the Panthers and Steelers aren’t going to wait and will jump the gun instead. We predict 4 will be picked – Pickett, Willis, Ridder, and Howell while Corral falls to the 2nd. 

#3: Who will be the first quarterback selected?

None of the top quarterback prospects truly stand out from the rest of the pack making the choice a tougher one for the teams who are looking for a quarterback. Of the prospects, Kenny Pickett is arguably the most pro ready, but his ceiling is a little bit lower than others. We still think since the risk of taking one of the others is higher, the team who goes with a QB first will want the safest bet of them all and takes Pickett before the others. 

#4: Will the Packers or the Chiefs draft a wide receiver in the 1st round? 

In one of the craziest offseasons ever, both the Packers & the Chiefs traded away a top 5 receiver in the NFL. Both teams were able to acquire additional 1st round draft picks this year in their trades and the question is will either one of them use it to draft a receiver. The Packers are notorious for rarely ever drafting a receiver early with the last time in the 1st round being nearly 20 years ago. This year, the Packers are going to need to reverse that trend if they want to compete in the NFC. The Packers should actually use their extra draft picks to trade up to grab one of the top receivers in the class in someone like Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, or Jameson Williams. The Chiefs aren’t against trading up to get someone they believe in, but with other teams earlier on getting the top ones, the Chiefs will still get a receiver like Skyy Moore or Christian Watson which they’ll be content with since unlike Green Bay, they added talent at wide receiver in the offseason. 

#5: Will the record for most receivers drafted in the 1st round be broken? 

The record for most receivers drafted in the 1st round was set with 7 from the 2004 class. This year’s class can challenge that as there is an abundance of talent at the top and this receiver class is deep. 2020 came close with 6 receivers drafted in the 1st round including Pro Bowler Justin Jefferson. This draft is going to come close, but since it’s also crowded with EDGE rushers and defensive backs which is a need for many teams, the 2022 draft will match the 2020 class with only 6 drafted.