Over three days of the 2022 NFL draft, 262 prospects found new homes. And we saw it all in Las Vegas, from a record number of first-round trades, to a serious run on wide receivers, to a slide for many of the top quarterbacks.
Some teams did better than others overall -- the Jets and Lions really stood out to me -- but all 32 made at least one really good pick. It might be an instant-impact Rookie of the Year candidate in the first round, or it might be a Day 3 steal of someone who has the chance to be a solid starter. And for a few teams, it was a quarterback taken at outstanding value long after I thought he'd come off the board.
So while my guy Mel Kiper Jr. tackles team grades, I'll call out the best overall pick for each NFL team -- one selection for all 32 franchises that I thought was truly excellent. But to be clear, "best pick" does not necessarily mean "best player." Team needs, the value a player presented in comparison to my board, scheme fit and any trades related to the pick all factor in here. In all, 86 of my top 100 prospects were drafted in the first 100 picks, so plenty of teams landed really good players. But the "when" and "why" of each pick factors in here, too. In other words, each team's top-ranked or earliest selection doesn't automatically translate to their best selection.
Let's get into it, starting with the AFC East, but you can jump to any team below and see its aced pick.
Jump to:
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN
CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND
JAX | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIA | MIN
NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF
SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
AFC EAST
