It’s a guarantee that star players will emerge from the 2022 NFL Draft and excel where they were ultimately taken. Throughout history, we’ve seen players who had nothing to do with developing into achievers in terms of their draft position. The most extreme example of this, of course, is Tom Brady, who became the greatest quarterback of all time after being picked the No. 199 in 2000. While no one saw Brady coming, other instances do occur during the draft where you know almost immediately that a team took a player of tremendous value.
Below, we’ll highlight these types of additions as we cover five of the biggest steals of the 2022 NFL Draft
Jermaine Johnson (No. 26) to Jets
Johnson was one of the most notable players to see his stock fall on day one. The FSU product was CBS Sports’ third-place edge rusher, trailing only Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux, both of whom finished in the top five. In various final mock drafts, Johnson was also fixated on getting off the board in the top 10, but fell to 26th overall, where the New York Jets would eventually trade for him. The Jets leadership acknowledged that the ACC Defensive Player of the Year was in talks to be hit with one of their top 10 picks.
After getting such a high note for Johnson and seeing him fall, GM Joe Douglas made the move to trade in first to get him. It’s safe to say they were pretty excited.
Baltimore dropped Hamilton in his lap on Thursday night’s first lap in 14th overall. Of all the players in that class, Notre Dame’s safety was #1 on CBS Sports NFL draft expert Chris Trapasso’s last big slate. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, he owns great height and length at the position and should be able to get in this Ravens secondary and make an instant impression, which this offseason added Marcus Williams for safety and corners already hat, Marlon Humphrey and Markus Peters.
Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean routinely found himself a first-rounder in mock drafts leading through Thursday night. However, the opening round came and went and he was still on the board. Not only that, Dean held out until the third round when Philadelphia decided to take him as their No. 83 overall pick. Injury concerns, along with his size, were the driving forces behind Dean’s freefall when NFL Media noted he was recovering from a “severe pectoral muscle injury” and recently decided against surgery to repair it. However, after the election, GM Howie Roseman said Dean is expected to be on the field for the launch of the OTAs and will be a full participant. He also said the team doesn’t expect him to be absent at any point. Health aside, Dean was one of the best players for a national championship-winning defense, and the Eagles got him for pennies on the dollar.
The Liberty product was in talks throughout the pre-draft process to be QB1 in that draft class, and some mocks even saw him go to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 8 overall. Much like Dean, however, Willis fell into Day 2 where he was eventually taken 86th overall by the Tennessee Titans in the third round. This is incredible value for a Titans team that could pull from Ryan Tannehill after the 2022 season if he continues to trend downward. When that happens, they have a highly talented quarterback option waiting in the wings with a year of experience in the system.
At the start of the season, Sam Howell was under discussion as the top quarterback in the class and a potential first-round pick. However, after a poor season for UNC, his stock fell enough for him to be selected by the Washington Commanders on day three, who placed him 144th overall. While Howell’s game needs some tweaking, he still possesses immense talent and a strong arm. For a team like Washington — the last to try to fix Carson Wentz — getting a development quarterback in Howell is a no-brainer at this stage in the draft.