5 teams that really nailed the 2022 NFL Draft

The first round of the NFL Draft was a wild affair full of trades but these five teams managed to really nail their picks in the first round.

The 2022 NFL Draft was expected to be a bit of a mystery since there were no franchise quarterbacks or elite prospects available in this class. The first round was an exercise in chaos as a run on wide receivers, including two big names who got moved via trade, and deals shook up everyone’s expectations entering Thursday night.

While eight teams entered the first round without picks, there was a lot of movement and some clear winners at the end of the night. Let’s take a look at five teams who really nailed the draft this year, beginning with the New Orleans Saints.

Teams that nailed the NFL Draft

5. New Orleans Saints

A curious trade in the weeks prior to the draft set up the Saints with a pair of first-round picks, leading to speculation that New Orleans was planning to target a quarterback to serve as the long-term heir to retired franchise icon Drew Brees. That would have been a mistake given the subpar quarterback class, which the Saints smartly avoided by using their two picks to land Day 1 starters.

New Orleans recognized a wide receiver run was underway and jumped up to the 11th pick to snag Ohio State’s Chris Olave, giving them a solid complement to Michael Thomas on the outside as weapons for Jameis Winston. Snagging Trevor Penning at 19 was also solid value for the Saints, who needed to find a new left tackle with Terron Armstead departing for Miami in free agency.

The NFC is wide open outside of top-tier teams like the Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It makes sense for the Saints to make a push for the postseason by fortifying their needs like they did with these first-round picks.