The dust has settled from Round 1, but there are still two full days of the 2022 NFL Draft ahead! Round 2 and 3 are pivotal for teams trying to build on their first-round selection. Let’s take a look at the top rookie 2022 NFL Draft prospects remaining on Day 2.
You can check out all of the first-round picks and draft grades for the initial round. We’ve also shared draft needs for every team as you look ahead to what each squad might do on Day 2.
For the players below, we’re using the top 2022 NFL Draft prospect lists from Matthew Freedman and Andrew Erickson to list the top remaining rookies available for Day 2.
David Ojabo (Edge – Michigan)
Erickson No. 19 prospect | Freedman No. 37 prospect
David Ojabo enjoyed a breakout season with 11 sacks in 2021 after playing just 26 snaps in 2020. The considerable leap was unequivocally tied to Ojabo’s freakish athleticism that regular football players just don’t have. His 4.55 40-yard dash ranks in the 96th percentile among edge defenders.
Pair him with another top-tier edge rusher, and NFL offenses won’t know what to do.
Unfortunately, Ojabo tore his Achilles at Michigan’s pro day. The injury potentially knocks him out of Round 1, and however, he still has apparent top-20 talent.
Malik Willis (QB – Liberty)
Erickson No. 23 prospect | Freedman No. 37 prospect
After an impressive week at the Senior Bowl, the Liberty signal-caller did wonders to his draft stock. His 91.7 PFF passing grade throughout the Senior Bowl practices was the highest of the week.
Willis averaged almost 100 rushing yards per game over the last two seasons, putting him in elite company with some of college football’s best rushers. His ability to add value with his legs will grant him extra time to develop as a passer at the NFL level.
Combining his mobility with a robust downfield arm – fourth in PFF passing grade on throws of 20-plus air yards – is a recipe for fantasy football success.
Andrew Booth Jr. (CB – Clemson)
Erickson No. 26 prospect | Freedman No. 37 prospect
Andrew Booth Jr. doesn’t have a signature calling card to his game because he is so well-rounded. He’s a scheme-diverse enough to contribute to any defense, but his best fit would be zone coverage.
The Clemson cornerback has spent most of his career in a zone coverage scheme while generating an elite sub-40 passer rating when targeted.
Booth Jr. recently underwent sports hernia surgery, which could cause him to fall to the back end of the first round after being pegged as a top 25-player throughout the pre-draft process.
George Pickens (WR – UGA)
Erickson No. 30 prospect | Freedman No. 37 prospect
The Georgia Bulldog WR broke out as a true 18-year old freshman, finishing 2019 as PFF’s the 17th-highest-graded receiver in the nation (88.0) – ahead of future NFL wideouts like Jerry Jeudy, Justin Jefferson, DeVonta Smith, and Jaylen Waddle.
His 2.64 yards per route run were identical to Jefferson’s. George Pickens’ unbelievable first year generated a 27% dominator rating – the No. 1 age-adjusted mark among the WRs in this draft class.
And it’s so clear that Pickens plays with a dog mentality. Part of his highlight tape is him putting opposing cornerbacks on the ground in the run game.
Injuries plagued Pickens’ draft stock during the college season, but he looks fully healthy based on his testing at the NFL Combine. I will be drafting a lot of Pickens in my dynasty rookie drafts.
Bernhard Raimann (OT – Central Michigan)
Erickson No. 31 prospect | Freedman No. 37 prospect
6-foot-7 tackle Bernhard Raimann went from playing tight end two years ago to PFF’s third-highest graded tackle in 2021 (94.6). His short-area quickness and burst (91st percentile 20-yard shuttle, 85th percentile three-cone drill, 97th percentile broad jump) give him a sky-high ceiling.
Boye Mafe (Edge – Minnesota)
Erickson No. 33 prospect | Freedman No. 36 prospect
The Minnesota Golden Gopher didn’t post monster numbers rushing the passer in the Big Ten – 38th in the class in pressures generated – but he graded extremely well in PFF’s PRP formula, which combines sacks, hits, and hurries relative to how many times a defender rushes the passer. Mafe’s 10.2 PRP ranked seventh in the class behind projected top-5 picks Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
There’s reason to believe Mafe could translate to a first-round-worthy pass-rusher at the NFL level based on his uber-athleticism.
At the NFL combine, Mafe ran a 4.53 40-yard dash (98th percentile), jumped 38″ in the vertical (90th percentile), and leaped 125″ in the broad jump (90th percentile). All while measuring in at 6-foot-4 and 261 pounds. His profile bears a striking resemblance to Jadeveon Clowney when he came out of South Carolina.
He also showed out at the Senior Bowl, posting the highest defensive grade in the all-star game (92.0).
Breece Hall (RB – Iowa State)
Erickson No. 46 prospect | Freedman No. 35 prospect
Running back, Breece Hall was my No.1-ranked rookie in normal and Superflex formats heading into the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, and his elite showing solidified his status atop the rookie rankings. The Iowa State product measured in at 5-foot-11 and 217 pounds, slightly different from his listed playing size in school (6-foot-1, 210 pounds).
But his slightly stockier build did nothing to impede the Iowa State Cyclones’ on-field performance because he lit the testing drills ablaze: 4.39 40-yard dash (93rd percentile), 40 vertical jump (94th percentile), and 126? broad jump (91st percentile).
Hall’s 116.85 size-adjusted speed score was nearly identical to former Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray.
Pairing Hall’s athleticism with an off-the-charts college production profile – over 4,500 yards from scrimmage and 50 touchdowns – makes him my 1.01 in dynasty rookie drafts.
Consider his abilities as a slick receiver out of the backfield – 82 catches over three seasons, just two drops in his last two seasons – and Hall provides immediate fantasy football appeal. He has the requisite size and tools to be a three-down running back who never leaves the field.
Arnold Ebiketie (Edge – Penn State)
Erickson No. 34 prospect | Freedman No. 38 prospect
After combining for just 32 pressures and six sacks during a three-year stint at Temple, Arnold Ebiketie was unleashed by Penn State in 2021. He converted his explosiveness – 38″ vertical jump (91st percentile), 128″ broad jump (95th percentile) – into 52 pressures, which ranked 12th in the class.
As PFF’s sixth-highest graded pass-rusher among his draft-eligible edge rushers on true pass sets, Ebiketie won’t last outside the second round.
Matt Corral (QB – Ole Miss)
Erickson No. 35 prospect | Freedman No. 32 prospect
Matt Corral rallied the Rebels to a 10-2 record while finishing third in the SEC in passing yards (3,343) and 11th in the nation in PFF passing grade from a clean pocket (91.6). Corral’s expected throw air time is the lowest in the class, which is a reflection of his quick release and imposing arm strength.
He also rushed for nearly 750 yards and 11 scores. It’s that exact dual-threat ability that fantasy football dynasty managers should be looking to invest in for years down the line.
Sam Howell (QB – UNC)
Erickson No. 36 prospect | Freedman No. 53 prospect
Sam Howell earned the starting quarterback job at North Carolina as a 19-year old true freshman and never looked back. He finished fourth in the FBS with 38 touchdown passes in his first season, cementing himself on the NFL radar.
He followed up an impressive introduction with an even more dominant performance as a passer in 2020, finishing as the nation’s sixth-highest-graded quarterback (92.3) and fourth-best deep passer (98.0) in an offense littered with future NFL talent.
Unsurprisingly, Howell took a bit of a step back in his final season without the likes of Javonte Williams , Michael Carter, Dyami Brown, and Dazz Newsome at his disposal. The UNC product was PFF’s 37th-graded passer (80.3) – 15th among his 2022 draft class.
Howell turned up the dial on his rushing production to compensate for the lack of passing efficiency. After posting just 600 yards on the ground through two seasons, Howell rushed for 1,106 yards as PFF’s second-highest-graded rusher (91.0) in 2021.
Howell was looking to create yards with his legs if the first read wasn’t there. This presents problems for the real-life NFL but shouldn’t be considered negatively for fantasy.
Howell’s escapability lends itself to rushing success at the NFL level if he doesn’t have a lot of talent around him. Conversely, his first two years of college show he will take full advantage when he does have weapons around him.
It’s hard to label Howell as a “situation-proof” quarterback – a rookie quarterback’s team context plays an integral part in their growth – but it’s hard to overlook his versatility as far as how he can rack up fantasy points in the years to come based on which team selects him.
Skyy Moore (WR – Western Michigan)
Erickson No. 38 prospect | Freedman No. 45 prospect
Skyy Moore first played wide receiver in college after playing quarterback and defensive back in high school. In hindsight, the transition couldn’t have worked out better, considering the Western Michigan Bronco has entered the Day 2 NFL Draft conversation after a highly productive college career.
Moore broke out as a true freshman with a 20% dominator rating, catching 51 passes for 802 yards and three touchdowns. He took a backseat in his sophomore season to Seattle Seahawks second-rounder D’Wayne Eskridge in 2020, but he still posted a modest 20% dominator rating amid the stiff competition.
He would more than make up for a so-so second year in his final season at Western Michigan, finishing as PFF’s third-highest graded wide receiver in the FBS (91.6) with a 41% dominator rating to boot.
His 3.40 yards per route run ranked in the 99th percentile among 2022 draft-eligible wide receivers over the past three seasons. The slippery playmaker – tied for first with 26 forced missed tackles in 2021 – should hear his name in the second round after an impressive combine outing.
Moore ran a 4.41 40-yard dash (82nd percentile) at 195 pounds. He also jumped 125? in the broad jump (77th percentile) and 34.5? (38th percentile) in the vertical jump.
His athletic numbers were better than expected.
Nakobe Dean (LB – UGA)
Erickson No. 39 prospect | Freedman No. 25 prospect
No linebacker epitomizes speed more than Nakobe Dean.
The Georgia Bulldog finished as PFF’s highest-graded linebacker on college football’s No. 1 defense in 2021. And although he is undersized at 6-feet and 225 pounds, he more than makes up for it with his sideline-to-sideline range. His speed also shows up when he rushes the passer, evidenced by his eight sacks and top-4 PFF pass-rush grade (91.3).
Jalen Pitre (S – Baylor)
Erickson No. 40 prospect | Freedman No. 47 prospect
Safety Jalen Pitre has spent most of the last two seasons in coverage from the slot – capped off by a 2021 campaign that saw him finish first in PFF run defense among all defensive backs in the nation.
His dual-threat ability as a box safety that can cover and make stops in the run game is rare in an undersized safety at 5-foot-11 and 198 pounds. The smaller size does raise concerns about whether Pitre can keep up his tenacious play – man on a mission mentality – against larger NFL players. But at least he offers a floor as slot coverage defender.
His 6.74 3-cone time (88th percentile) illustrates his short-area quickness.
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