2022 NFL Draft - Pro Football Rumors

USC WR Drake London Declares for NFL Draft

December 17th, 2021 at 9:56pm CST by Ely Allen

Drake London is one of the more intriguing prospects in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft. The junior out of USC officially announced his intentions via Twitter earlier this month.

The young wide receiver is undoubtedly talented. Despite only playing 8 games this year, London led his team in every receiving statistic, reeling in 88 receptions for 1,084 yards and 7 touchdowns. The next closest receiver on the team had 54 catches for 602 yards through 12 games.

The intrigue doesn’t necessarily stem from London’s abilities but from London’s draft stock. London’s season came to an early end when he suffered a fractured ankle in late October. He underwent surgery but, according to ESPN’s Matt Miller, there was no ligament damage in the ankle, leaving the door open for a potential return in time for pre-draft testing.

At the time of his injury, London was widely considered a top wide receiver in college football. Before he missed any time, he led the NCAA in receiving yards, contested catches (19), and missed tackles (22) and was the highest-graded receiver according to Pro Football Focus.

While London is still widely considered to be a first-round pick based on the abilities he’s already displayed, it is yet to be seen how his injury and recovery will affect his draft stock after testing.

Mississippi State’s Charles Cross Declares For NFL Draft

December 17th, 2021 at 2:41pm CST by Adam La Rose

The declarations of soon-to-be first round picks in the upcoming NFL draft continue. Mississippi State offensive tackle Charles Cross will opt out of his team’s bowl game and focus on his professional career, per ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller (via Twitter).

Cross’ college career will come to an end after two seasons in the SEC. Listed at six-foot-five, 310 pounds, the redshirt sophomore is widely regarded as one of the top prospects across any offensive line position, and is thought to be a likely top-ten pick.

In a tweet, Cross said in part, “Over the past three years, I have grown off the field just as much as I have developed on it… I will always remember and be thankful for my time as a Bulldog and will continue to proudly represent Mississippi State as I pursue my dream of playing in the NFL.”

Mississippi State finished the 2021 season with a 7-5 record, and will play 6-6 Texas Tech on December 28th in the Liberty Bowl.

Pitt QB Kenny Pickett To Skip Bowl Game, Prepare For Draft

December 16th, 2021 at 8:23pm CST by Ben Levine

As expected, one of the top QB prospects will declare for the NFL Draft. Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett announced on Twitter that he won’t be playing in his upcoming bowl game as he prepares for the 2022 draft.

“I am incredibly proud to say I was a part of the team that brought back another trophy to the City of Champions,” Pickett said in his statement. “With love and gratitude, I have decided to forgo the Peach Bowl and begin training for the 2022 NFL Draft.”

Pickett put himself on the NFL map with a breakout season for the Panthers, completing 67.2 percent of his passes for 4,319 yards, 42 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions. The 23-year-old finished the season as a Heisman Trophy finalist, and he earned a number of accolades like the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and ACC Player of the Year.

This year’s draft class hasn’t been touted for its quarterbacks, but Pickett is a popular pick to be the first signal-caller off the board. Dane Brugler of The Athletic recently had Pickett as the first QB taken, as did ESPN’s Todd McShay. Austin Gayle of Pro Football Focus had the prospect behind Matt Corral of Ole Miss. The Steelers are a popular landing spot in mock drafts for the Pitt product, and Pickett has also been listed as a potential option for WFT and the Panthers.

Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III Enters NFL Draft

December 16th, 2021 at 2:33pm CST by Zachary Links

Kenneth Walker III is going pro. On Thursday, the Michigan State running back announced that he will forgo his remaining eligibility, skip the Peach Bowl, and enter the 2022 NFL Draft.

“It has been a true honor to represent Michigan State University and wear the Green and White,” Walker said in a statement. “I am beyond grateful to Coach Tucker and the entire staff for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to shine under their leadership. As the regular season has come to a close, I would like to announce that I have decided to forgo playing in the Peach Bowl to begin preparation for the NFL Draft.”

“I would like to thank God, my family, my teammates, fans and all my coaches over the years for helping me become the player and man I am today. I will forever be a Spartan Dawg.”

Walker, the nation’s second leading rusher, has amassed 1,636 yards and 18 touchdowns this year off of 263 carries. His performance earned him sixth-place in Heisman voting and the Doak Walker Award, given to the country’s best collegiate RB. Walker was also crowned a unanimous All-American. Needless to say, he won’t last long come April. Dane Brugler of The Athletic has the 5’10”, 212-pound Spartan ranked as the No. 1 RB in the ’22 class, ahead of Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller and Iowa State’s Breece Hall.

Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order

December 16th, 2021 at 11:05am CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs (9-4) and Chargers (8-5) are getting set to kick off Week 15 in a matchup that could decide the AFC West crown. Meanwhile, more than one-quarter of the NFL’s teams have either been mathematically or effectively eliminated from playoff contention.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record. (Ex: Washington would own the No. 19 pick if they were eliminated in the Wild Card round with the worst record of the group.)

With that in mind, here’s a look at the currently projected 2022 NFL Draft Order:

1. Detroit Lions (1-11-1)
2. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-11)
3. Houston Texans (2-11)
4. New York Jets (3-10)
5. New York Giants (via Bears)
6. New York Giants (4-9)
7. New York Jets (via Seahawks)
8. Carolina Panthers (5-8)
9. Atlanta Falcons (6-7)
10. Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
11. Philadelphia Eagles (6-7)
12. Minnesota Vikings (6-7)
13. New Orleans Saints (6-7)
14. Las Vegas Raiders (6-7)
15. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6-1)
16. Denver Broncos (7-6)
17. Cincinnati Bengals (7-6)
18. Cleveland Browns (7-6)
19. Washington Football Team (6-7)*
20. Buffalo Bills (7-6)*
21. Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)*
22. Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)*
23. Los Angeles Chargers (8-5)*
24. Detroit Lions (via Rams)*
25. Baltimore Ravens (8-5)*
26. Dallas Cowboys (9-4)*
27. Kansas City Chiefs (9-4)*
28. Arizona Cardinals (10-3)*
29. Tennessee Titans (9-4)*
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-3)*
31. New England Patriots (9-4)*
32. Green Bay Packers (10-3)*

* = Playoffs

Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller To Enter NFL Draft

December 14th, 2021 at 1:04pm CST by Zachary Links

Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller is going pro. On Tuesday, the promising running back announced that he’ll forgo his remaining eligibility to enter the 2022 NFL Draft (Twitter link).

“Thank you to the 12th man,” said the Aggie in his statement. “You are the best fans in the nation and the atmosphere and energy you bring to every game is second to none. You’ve embraced me and my family [and], therefore, we are forever grateful. It has been an honor to take the field and represent you.”

Spiller has rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his last two seasons. In total, he leaves campus with 2,993 yards on the ground and 25 rushing touchdowns, plus 74 grabs for 585 yards and one receiving TD. Currently, Dane Brugler of the The Athletic has him slotted as the second-best running back in this year’s class, behind only Kenneth Walker of Michigan State.

Spiller will be joined in the NFL by defensive tackle DeMarvin Leal, a likely first-round pick.

Texans Could Draft DE If QB Mills Shows Promise

December 12th, 2021 at 5:42pm CST by Ely Allen

With two defensive ends topping most 2022 NFL mock drafts and the Texans staring down a potential spot in the top 3 draft picks, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that his sources have told him Houston may elect to draft Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson or Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux should rookie quarterback Davis Mills show promise in the last four games of the season.

The third-round pick out of Stanford has started seven games this season, taking over for season starter Tyrod Taylor after Taylor suffered a hamstring injury in Week 2 of this season. When Taylor returned to health, Mills went back to his backup role. In Week 13, due to an injured wrist and general ineffectiveness Taylor was benched for Mills and the Texans announced that Mills would be tabbed as the starter for the remainder of the season.

In his play as a rookie, Mills has shown impressive accuracy completing 65.8% of his passes. He’s thrown for eight touchdowns and eight interceptions and, in games he’s started, he’s averaged about 227 passing yards per game for a Texans team that isn’t necessarily rich in offensive weapons. The Texans did say that, if Mills struggles down the stretch, they still may aim for a quarterback with a high draft pick.

This decision may end up being a bit more complicated than they’re currently saying. If Mills shows too much promise en route to proving they don’t need to draft a quarterback and wins a couple of games, he could potentially push them out of range of the draft’s top defensive ends. If Mills does indeed struggle in the tail end of the season and Houston decides they need to draft one of the top quarterbacks available in the draft, due to the lack of a consensus top quarterback prospect, they may be tempted to let an anxious team trade up into their high draft pick, assuming that some of the top quarterback prospects may still be available throughout the top 10 picks.

Regardless of the their thought process, Houston has provided Mills with motivation and an opportunity to take hold of the starting job and has put the onus on him to determine how they approach the 2022 NFL Draft. In his attempts to prove his starting abilities, Mills will face the Jaguars, Chargers, 49ers, and Titans in the final four games of the season.

Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton To Enter NFL Draft

December 10th, 2021 at 12:01pm CST by Zachary Links

Kyle Hamilton is going pro. On Friday, the Notre Dame safety confirmed that he will forgo the rest of his eligibility to enter the 2022 NFL Draft.

Hamilton, long been pegged as a potential Top 10 pick, will also skip the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State in order to protect his pro career. The 6’4″ safety has been lauded for his range, versatility, and advanced football IQ. Even scouts who have kept a watchful eye on him tend to forget that he’s still only 20 years of age and won’t turn 21 until March.

Hamilton posted 34 tackles, three interceptions, and four passes defensed in just seven games. He should impress even more at the combine when he displays his reported 40-inch vertical leap.

Along with Hamilton, Notre Dame will also lose running back Kyren Williams to the draft. Williams impressed with over 1,000 rushing yards this season and 4.9 yards-per-carry on average. He also added 42 grabs for 359 yards and three receiving TDs for good measure.

Arkansas WR Treylon Burks Declares For NFL Draft

December 8th, 2021 at 3:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

Another potential first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft has set his sights on his professional career. Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks tweeted that he will opt of the Razorbacks’ upcoming bowl game and forego his senior year.

Burks had a hugely productive career during his three years in Arkansas. The high-end prospect’s junior year was his best. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound wideout tallied 67 catches for 1,123 yards and 11 touchdowns, along with 112 yards and another score on the ground, this season.

The SEC figures to send a few first-round-caliber receivers into the 2022 draft pool. Burks’ yardage total ranked fourth in the conference, behind the likes of Alabama stars Jameson Williams and John Metchie. Burks, however, is listed as ESPN’s sixth-highest-ranked receiver — behind Williams but ahead of Metchie — and checks in at No. 24 overall in Mel Kiper’s latest 2022 draft rankings.

The No. 22-ranked team in the country according to the final AP rankings, Arkansas will play Penn State on New Year’s Day in the Outback Bowl. Burks joins Oregon pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux as Round 1-level talents who intend to skip their team’s bowl game to concentrate on pre-draft training. They will certainly not be the last among the 2022 crop.

Purdue DE George Karlaftis Enters NFL Draft

December 7th, 2021 at 8:54am CST by Zachary Links

Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis will enter the 2022 NFL Draft, according to head coach Jeff Brohm (via Tom Dienhart of Gold and Black). This was the expected move as Karlaftis is regarded as one of the best edge rushers in this year’s class.

“They will not be coming back to play next year,” Brohm said over the weekend. “They will be moving on.”

Mel Kiper of ESPN currently has Karlaftis ranked 21st on his Big Board. He’s registered just 4.5 sacks this season, but the 6’4″, 270-pounder has consistently brought the pressure. As a frosh in 2019, his only other full season, he registered 7.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. In 2020, a positive COVID-19 test limited him to just three games.

Karlaftis will be joined by wide receiver David Bell, a potential Day 2 pick. Bell set new collegiate career-highs this year with 93 catches for 1,286 yards and six touchdowns.

2022 NFL Draft News & Rumors