1st Round Draft: Picks & Trades oh my…
LAS VEGAS — The city was lit up last night. Between the stars, the fans, and the Vegas lights, this NFL Draft 2022 is one to remember. The night kicked off immediately with some vital picks early in the first round, making their competitors make a run for their money or, in this case, their picks.
It was a huge night for the NY Jets, who quickly managed to fill their rosters' needs. The Jets’ picks include CB Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner (No. 4), WR Garrett Wilson (No. 10), and in a trade-up, edge rusher Jermaine Johnson (No. 26). These picks are a steal, and general manager Joe Douglas scored big as the Jets have only won six games in the past two seasons. With these solid picks, it's safe to say, Thursday was a night to celebrate for Jets fans.
"You get three impact players at three premium positions — you dream of it happening," said Jets coach Robert Saleh. "It was a really good day."
Photo: NFLNetwork
No sooner than the Jets scooped up three of their eight targets, the Giants reinforced their offensive and defensive lines with edge-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux (5), and OT Evan Neal (7). Both teams managed to beef up their defense, and ultimately build solid lines on both sides of the field.
A key takeaway from this 2022 Draft is the first five selections were defensive players. Not only is this out of the ordinary, but it's usually quarterbacks who are quickly snagged within the first two picks. It's so rare that this only occurred in 1991 when that draft had six back-to-back defensive selects. Building the defense is a crucial priority early this draft for some teams, and we love to see it.
While it was a great day for many teams, it was shocking for others. WR A.J Brown tweeted a farewell to the Titans after getting traded to the Eagles, he tweeted, “This was not my fault.” The tweet is now deleted, however, is still circulating on the web. Former Baltimore Ravens WR Marquise “Hollywood” Brown trended throughout social media when he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals. While many were shocked by the news, it was later revealed the star receiver requested the trade as he told Sirius XM ,
"I love Lamar. It’s just the system wasn’t for me personally. I love all my teammates. I love the guys. It was just something I had to think about for myself,” Said brown
And there are more trades to be expected in this draft. There are already a total of nine trades that were executed in the first round. Trades played a massive role in six receivers being selected with the first 18 picks.
The emotions are high and we’ve got two more nights to go. First-round - done.
