2022 NFL Draft grades: Biggest winners and losers
The 2022 NFL Draft is officially in the books. Which teams were the biggest winners and losers after seven rounds of picking players?
It may seem silly to try grading an NFL Draft just hours after it was completed, but what fun would it be to wait four years to see who ended up picking the best players out of the 2022 draft class? There were plenty of early contenders for bad picks in the first round of the draft, which made headlines for its plentiful trades and lack of star power at the quarterback position.
Let’s take a quick look around the NFL and go division by division to sort out who had the best NFL Draft hauls in the league. We’ll start in the AFC East.
NFL Draft Grades – AFC East
Buffalo Bills
The Bills made an early trade to grab Kaiir Elam in the first round, shoring up a weakness in the secondary opposite rehabbing Tre’Davious White at corner. Snagging running back James Cook in the second round offered good value for Buffalo, which hasn’t gotten enough production out of its Devin Singletary/Zack Moss platoon. The class wasn’t anything flashy but the Bills did address some key needs, although failing to add help to the interior of the offensive line was a disappointment.
Grade: B
Miami Dolphins
It is important to factor in the Tyreek Hill trade into the Dolphins’ draft class, which sapped first and second-round picks to secure the star wide receiver’s services. That did make it surprising when Miami used its fourth-round choice on another receiver, Texas Tech’s Erik Enzukama, since he is going to be a depth piece and that pick could have gone towards help in the trenches. Having Hill will be extremely important at the end of the day but the Dolphins didn’t do enough to maximize the picks they had left.
Grade: C-
New England Patriots
The Patriots did a lot of trading, which is not surprising given their history at the draft, but Bill Belichick reached with both of his first two picks. Guard Cole Strange is a nice player that New England likely could have gotten in the second round while wide receiver Tyquan Thornton is a limited burner that had Day 3 grades on most draft charts. The picks New England did make were very targeted but the overall value of this class appears lacking for the number of picks they ended up with.
Grade: D
New York Jets
Joe Douglas entered the draft with two Top 10 picks and managed to leave with three of the top eight players on his board, using some of the extra assets he acquired to take advantage of the sudden fall of Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson. The trio of first-rounders, which also included wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, was a strong start to a draft that also saw the Jets add another weapon for Zach Wilson in running back Breece Hall. Those four players could all become quality starters, making this a home run for New York.
Grade: A