I’m about to start finals, but I figured I’d put out a big board for players that I’ve had a chance to scout thus far. As far as the defense goes, I love a lot of the pass rushers and cornerbacks — especially in the early rounds. There is exceptional talent all over the board, which is excellent news for the Falcons. The defense needs a lot of work, and if they can somehow acquire more picks, I think there are some really solid building blocks on this side of the ball. However, this is a big board for the whole NFL, so nothing will be scheme-specific to Atlanta. I haven’t got to watch many of these guys, so if someone is missing or in honorable mention, I may not have gotten to them yet. I’ll post a complete version closer to the draft after the bowl games, Senior Bowl, and NFL Combine. If you want to check out the offensive side of the ball, I’ll link that below:
2022 NFL Draft Big Board 2.0 (Offense – Top 5)
Defensive Line:
DL1 Jordan Davis – Georgia
DL2 DeMarvin Leal – Texas A&M
IDL3 Devonte Wyatt – Georgia
IDL4 Perrion Winfrey – Oklahoma
IDL5 Travis Jones – UConn
Honorable Mention: Phil Mathis – Alabama, Haskell Garrett – Ohio State, Travis Jones – Clemson
This is not a very strong class overall, and it’s a very top-heavy group. I have Jordan Davis slightly over DeMarvin Leal, primarily for his incredible athleticism. Alabama gave a bit of a blueprint for slowing down Davis — spreading out the field can tire him out. That may restrict him to a two-down player in the NFL, but it’s unlikely that defenses will be game-planning around Davis as a rookie. I still love his upside as a Vita Vea-type pass rusher and run stuffer. DeMarvin Leal is a versatile piece; he can move all across a defensive line and is a strong force against the run. Right now, he doesn’t have a real arsenal of pass rush moves — he wins with his raw power and athleticism a lot. Of course, this is the case for many young defensive linemen, and this can be coached. Wyatt, Winfrey, and Jones are all big space eaters who have bullied college centers. They’ll have to clean up their technique, but there’s absolutely starter potential later down the board.
EDGE:
EDGE1 Aidan Hutchinson – Michigan
EDGE2 Kayvon Thibodeaux – Oregon
EDGE3 David Ojabo – Michigan
EDGE4 George Karlaftis – Purdue
EDGE5 Travon Walker – Georgia
Honorable Mention: Kingsley Enagbare, South Carolina, Myjai Sanders – Cincinnati, Drake Jackson – USC, Nolan Smith – Georgia, Jermaine Johnson – Florida State, Zach Harrison – Ohio State, Xavier Thomas – Clemson
This is a difficult group to rank, and luckily for the Falcons, there’s a lot of talent across the board. I’m moving Aidan Hutchinson to my top spot; he is the most polished edge rusher out of the draft since Chase Young. Kayvon Thibodeaux is right there with him, and his incredible athletic gifts could mold him into a true franchise defensive player. David Ojabo is the name to watch here. He’s still learning the game, but his body and athleticism are something out of a video game. He could easily be a top-ten pick in this draft. You really can’t go wrong with any of these guys; even a handful of the honorable mentions have a case to be in the top five.
Linebacker:
LB1 Nakobe Dean – Georgia
LB2 Devin Lloyd – Utah
LB3 Christian Harris – Alabama
LB4 Brandon Smith – Penn State
LB5 Damone Clark – LSU
Honorable Mention: DeMarvion Overshown – Texas, Owen Pappoe – Auburn, Quay Walker – Georgia, Channing Tindall – Georgia, Henry To’o To’o – Alabama, Mike Jones Jr. – LSU, ZaKoby McClain – Auburn
This isn’t the deepest group in this draft, but there’s a lot of talent at the top led by Nakobe Dean, who looks to be a plug-and-play WILL from day one. Devin Lloyd could be a WILL, but he profiles more as a MIKE that serves as the captain of a defense. Brandon Smith is interesting, and I think he shoots up boards closer to the draft due to his potential to be an elite coverage sub-linebacker hybrid player. Harris could profile as a WILL or MIKE, and his versatility will be very appealing to teams. Damone Clark put up eye-popping numbers at LSU, and as a pure thumper — he could be a steal later in the draft.
Cornerback:
CB1 Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner – Cincinnati
CB2 Derek Stingley Jr. – LSU
CB3 Kaiir Elam – Florida
CB4 Andrew Booth Jr. – Clemson
CB5 Roger McCreary – Auburn
Honorable Mention: Trent McDuffie – Washington, Mykael Wright – Oregon, Derion Kendrick – Georgia, Martin Emerson – Mississippi State
Like EDGE, this is another insanely talented bunch with a lot of depth. I think it’s really close between Gardner and Stingley for CB1, but I’m a huge fan of Gardner, so I’ll put him at one for now. All of these guys are incredible press corners with great ball skills, and the Falcons could absolutely snag AJ Terrell’s running mate in the first round of the draft, or potentially the second.
Safety:
S1 Kyle Hamilton – Notre Dame
S2 Jordan Battle – Alabama
S3 Daxton Hill – Michigan
S4 Jaquan Brisker – Penn State
S5 Brandon Joseph – Northwestern
Honorable Mention: Verone McKinley III – Oregon, Jalen Catalon – Arkansas, Lewis Cine – Georgia, Smoke Monday – Auburn, Tykee Smith – Georgia
Kyle Hamilton is the crown jewel of this class, as he’s a versatile chess piece that can support the run in the box or play excellent coverage over the top. Battle and Joseph both play that hybrid role, while Hill and Brisker look like more traditional strong safeties. Either way, I like this group, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Falcons snag one of these guys on day two.
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