The 2022 NFL Draft is under three weeks away, and we have officially entered the home stretch of the pre-draft process. College pro days have wrapped up, and NFL teams are using their 30 pre-draft visits trying to gather last-minute information on prospects. There are plenty of rumors swirling around, but don’t believe everything you hear over the next few weeks. With that in mind, let’s look at some players who are either rising or falling on draft boards.
Draft Risers
Garrett Wilson & Chris Olave (WR – Ohio State)
Unlike the 2021 draft class, we don’t have a clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver this year. However, the Ohio State tandem could be the first two wide receivers off the board. Six weeks ago, Arkansas’ Treylon Burks (WR – Arkansas) was viewed as likely the first wide receiver off the board during the draft. However, his subpar performance at the combine has knocked him down some draft boards. Meanwhile, Wilson and Olave have been superstars over the past month. Wilson is the favorite to be the first wide receiver drafted, while Olave likely won’t make it past the Washington Commanders with the 11th overall pick. Both wide receivers should be off the board within the first 15 picks of the draft.
Arnold Ebiketie (EDGE – Penn State)
Ebiketie ran a 4.65 40-yard dash at 247 pounds while posting a 6.95 three-cone time at Penn State’s pro day. More importantly, Ebiketie showed explosiveness during the drills. He had a 38-inch vertical jump and a 128-inch broad jump, both scoring in the 91 percent or higher percentile. As we get closer to the draft, coaches become more involved in the pre-draft process. That means players with raw tools tend to get pushed up the draft board by coaches who think they can make the most of the talent. Furthermore, after David Ojabo (EDGE – Michigan) suffered a torn Achilles at his pro day, he will likely fall out of the first round. Don’t be surprised if Ebiketie takes his spot on opening night.
Derek Stingley Jr. (CB – LSU)
There might not be a more polarizing prospect in this year’s draft than Stingley. He had a historic freshman season in 2019 with six interceptions and 15 passes defended. However, Stingley dealt with injuries over the past two years, playing only 10 games. While that is still a concern for NFL teams, Stingley is healthy and took part in LSU’s pro day on Wednesday. He had a massive performance, running an unofficial 4.37 40-yard dash. Stingley also had a 28.5-inch vertical jump and a 122-inch broad jump. Ahmad Gardner (CB – Cincinnati) will still be the first cornerback off the board. However, Stingley has made himself the second one off the board and a top-15 pick.
Draft Fallers
Kenyon Green (OL – Texas A&M)
A few months ago, Green was a possible top-10 pick. However, his stock took a massive blow at his pro day. Green put up only 20 reps on the bench press and had a vertical jump of 26 inches. Both of those are well below average for starting guards in the NFL. Yet, those aren’t even the top red flag with Green. He ran the 20-yard shuttle (or short shuttle) in 5.12 seconds, which puts him in the fourth percentile. Some teams have taken him off their board entirely because of that time, while others will drop him down. At this point, Green likely doesn’t get selected in round one.
Sam Howell (QB – North Carolina)
We all know this quarterback class starts with Malik Willis (QB – Liberty). Behind him is Kenny Pickett (QB – Pittsburgh). Both of them are first-round locks. After that, Matt Corral (QB – Ole Miss) and Desmond Ridder (QB – Cincinnati) will be the next two quarterbacks off the board, going in the 25-45 pick range. However, the quarterback position becomes very unclear after that. Howell could slide during the draft after so many teams decided to fill their quarterback void in free agency or trade. A few months ago, Howell was a possible late first-round pick. Now he could slide into the late third round. If Howell slides to that range, keep an eye on the Tennessee Titans with the 90th overall pick. Howell would be a good option to push and possibly eventually replace Ryan Tannehill (QB – TEN).
Nakobe Dean (LB – Georgia)
The first strike against Dean is his size, measuring at 5’11” and 229 pounds at the combine. He also had an under 32-inch arm length and a 76-inch wingspan. All of his measurements fell in the bottom third percentile of linebackers. The second strike against Dean was his limited work at Georgia’s pro day last month because of a pec strain. While he will reportedly have a personal pro day sometime this month, Dean has a lot riding on that performance. According to ESPN’s Todd McShay, some teams have Dean’s teammate, Quay Walker (LB – Georgia), ahead of him on their draft boards. At this point, Dean likely falls into the second round.
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive follow him @Mike_NFL2.
