Tag: 2022 NFL draft

Bears 2022 rookie review: RB Trestan Ebner

Bears RB Trestan Ebner was unable to take advantage of his opportunities in his rookie season.

The Chicago Bears saw significant contributions from rookies on offense, defense and special teams during the 2022 season, whether it was from draft picks or undrafted free agents.

The Bears drafted running back Trestan Ebner in the sixth round, where the expectation was he’d contribute as a return specialist and a reserve on offense. Ebner showed promise during training camp and the preseason with his explosiveness, but it didn’t necessarily translate to the regular season.

Let’s take a look back at Ebner’s rookie season and see what we can expect for the future.

Texans RB Dameon Pierce gets slept on in CBS Sports 2022 NFL draft redo

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce doesn’t make the cut to be a first-rounder in CBS Sports’ redo of the 2022 NFL draft.

Dameon Pierce had an abbreviated rookie season with 13 games, but it was spectacular nonetheless.

The fourth-rounder from Florida carried 220 times for 939 yards and four touchdowns. Among rookies, Pierce finished third in rushing yards as the Seattle Seahawks’ Kenneth Walker had 1,050 and the Atlanta Falcons’ Tyler Allgeier had 1,035. However, Walker played in 15 and Allgeier had the benefit of 16 games.

The secret to Pierce’s success was his ability to bull and squeeze his way on second efforts to turn short gains into moderate gains. Pierce also had 54 first downs on the ground, the most between Walker (51) and Allgeier (53).

One of Pierce’s best runs of the season was even lauded at the NFL Honors as the “Angriest Run of the Year” against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 9, 2022, in a 13-6 win at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

However, according to Chris Trapasso, Pierce wasn’t good enough to crack the first round in CBS Sports’ redraft of the first round from last year’s draft. In fact, none of the running backs from the draft were taken in Round 1.

The Texans take Ohio State receiver Garrett Wilson, who went to the New York Jets originally, with their No. 3 overall pick in Round 1. With Houston’s second pick in Round 1 at No. 13 overall, they take UTSA cornerback Tariq Woolen, who originally went to the Seattle Seahawks and led the NFL in interceptions.

Houston did have some of their picks from 2022 crack the first round. Cornerback Derek Stingley from LSU goes No. 4 overall to the Jets after the Jacksonville Jaguars take Ahmad Gardner with the No. 1 overall selection. Safety Jalen Pitre from Baylor goes No. 31 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals.

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CBS Sports ranks Giants’ 2022 draft class in bottom half of NFL

CBS Sports recently ranked the New York Giants’ 2022 NFL draft class in the bottom half of the league largely due to injuries.

The New York Giants and general manager Joe Schoen made 11 picks in the 2022 NFL draft knowing that all of those players would likely see significant roles.

Unfortunately for Schoen & Co., they got bit by the notorious East Rutherford injury bug. 10 of the 11 draftees missed time due to injury with five of them closing out the season on IR.

Linebacker Micah McFadden was the only rookie to see action in all 17 games.

Despite those issues, there was some notable upside. Edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux appears to be lightyears ahead of where most rookies are, while offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu and tight end Daniel Bellinger showed enough to be optimistic about their future.

Wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson was also flashing before he went down with a torn ACL.

But because of all those injuries, it was hard to properly grade the Giants’ rookie class. And that ultimately led Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports to rank them in the bottom half of the NFL.

Thibodeaux hit the ground running after an injury delayed the start to his pro career. Bellinger, who many thought was a project, caught 30 passes in Year 1. (Cor’Dale) Flott was a part-time cornerback and chipped in with two pass breakups and a big one in the playoff win.

Over time, Schoen’s first draft class will likely look much better. They need right tackle Evan Neal to have an Andrew Thomas-like rebound and for the others to stay healthy. If that happens, there’s quite a bit of meat on the bone.

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Watch some of Jahan Dotson’s best plays in 2022

Jahan Dotson had some highlight-reel plays as a rookie. What was your favorite?

Trading back from No. 11 to No. 16 the Commanders surprised many in drafting Penn State rookie wide receiver Jahan Dotson in the 2022 NFL Draft.

There was much criticism that the Commanders had reached on Dotson, many believing he could have been drafted later in the round, some even suggested his value was as late as early in the second round.

However, in training camp Logan Paulsen had already seen enough that he declared Dotson already the best route runner of the receivers group.

Dotson exploded out of the starting blocks when on opening day, he caught two touchdown passes in his first NFL game, including the game-winner against the Jaguars.

The second week saw Dotson collect another touchdown pass in Detroit. After two games, the rookie already had achieved three touchdown receptions.

Against the Cowboys in Dallas, Dotson caught his fourth touchdown pass of the season in only five games. However, he pulled a muscle and would miss five games, which really hurt the passing offense.

Upon his return, he struggled, only collecting two receptions in his first three games back for a mere 27 yards against the Eagles, Texans and Falcons.

Dotson however, finished his rookie campaign strongly. Against the Giants in New York there were five receptions (one touchdown). At home against the Giants he collected four more receptions including a touchdown. Six receptions (one touchdown) came against the 49ers. Three Dotson receptions came in both final home games against the Browns and Cowboys.

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Bills 2022 rookie class ranked in middle of NFL by CBS Sports

Too high or just right for the #Bills’ rookies in 2022?

The Buffalo Bills’ 2022 NFL draft rookie class did not pop off the charts. However, they still received a solid level of praise from one outlet.

CBS Sports ranked all 32 rookie classes from this past season. Overall, the Bills finished right in the middle of the league at No. 16 overall, a placement that some of the most-loyal Buffalo fans might not even consider.

First, here’s how CBS Sports came to their conclusion:

16. Buffalo Bills

Year 1 hits: CB Christian Benford, RB James Cook, CB Kaiir Elam

Benford had five pass breakups and a pick despite two long lapses sidelined due to injury. Cook didn’t generate a major stir as Buffalo’s backup runner, so you probably won’t believe he averaged 5.7 yards per carry. Elam didn’t start all year, so his action was limited. He did finish with four defended passes and a pair of interceptions.

Buffalo’s rookie class wasn’t a total loss, but it felt like many other teams around the NFL got more contributions from their first-year pros than the Bills. CBS Sports’ ranking of them might be a bit generous.

While Elam did have a pair of interceptions and came on late in the year, as a first-round pick, he did not see Round 1 contribution levels in 2022. The Bills had to bring him along slower than they probably wanted. So much so that Benford, a sixth-round rookie, might have had the better first year.

But this is just one season. Buffalo might not have gotten huge impacts in 2022 from their rookies, but with the team up tight against the salary cap early this spring, it appears likely that several of these players will be leaned on a lot more moving forward.

Overall, the Bills rookie class was also the third-highest graded amongst AFC East teams. The New York Jets, who had both the Offensive (Garrett Wilson) and Defensive (Sauce Gardner) Rookies of the Year took the top-overall spot in the NFL in little surprise.

Here’s a full divisional roundup:

  • 24. Miami Dolphins
  • 16. Buffalo Bills
  • 10. New England Patriots
  • 1. New York Jets

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Grading the Commanders’ 2022 rookie draft class

What grade would you give each of Washington’s rookies for 2022?

The Washington Commanders entered the 2022 NFL draft with only six selections, thanks to a March trade for quarterback Carson Wentz. In addition to giving up a third-round pick in 2022, the Commanders and Colts swapped second-round picks in 2022 and Washington also gave up a 2023 third-round pick.

With multiple positions of need, many fans wanted to see the Commanders move back. Washington did that, trading the No. 11 overall pick to the New Orleans Saints for the No. 16, 98 and No. 120 overall selections. The Commanders selected Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson in the first round, used the No. 98 pick on Alabama running back Brian Robinson Jr. and moved back from the No. 120 selection to add North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell and Nevada tight end Cole Turner.

So the goal for head coach Ron Rivera and general manager Martin Mayhew was to add more picks to the 2022 class. That’s what happened. How did the class perform in 2022?

We grade Washington’s 2022 draft class.

Houston Texans land in top-10 of 2022 rookie class grades

The Houston Texans landed among the top-10 in CBS Sports’ rankings of the 2022 NFL draft classes.

The Houston Texans may have had one of the worst rosters last season, as evidenced by their 3-13-1 finish, but they did not have one of the worst rookie classes.

According to Chris Trapasso from CBS Sports, the Texans were actually No. 7 in his ranking of all 32 NFL draft classes from the 2022 campaign. Leading the way for Houston were cornerback Derek Stingley (Round 1), safety Jalen Pitre (Round 2), linebacker Christian Harris (Round 3), and running back Dameon Pierce (Round 4).

Before his injury, Pierce was in the Offensive Rookie of the Year race, and the two defensive backs were playmakers, although Stingley didn’t reach his full potential, likely because he played far more zone than he was accustomed to from his time at LSU. Harris missed tackles at an alarming rate but was a super-active three-down linebacker. 

Then-offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton told reporters on Nov. 10 that Pierce had already demonstrated that he could thrive at the pro level.

“I think there’s no question that he can play with the ball, and he’s improved with playing without the ball,” said Hamilton. “I don’t know that he has many limitations. I guess the one thing that you can’t teach and coach is experience and the more he plays we’ll continue to see improvements.”

Pierce finished the season with 220 carries for 939 yards and four touchdowns through 13 games, all of which he started. What is also fascinating about Pierce’s total is he was held to 16 total yards from Weeks 11-12 as the Texans offense sputtered with quarterbacks Davis Mills and Kyle Allen.

Pitre led the Texans with 147 combined tackles, five tackles for loss, a quarterback hit, 1.0 sack, a fumble recovery, eight pass breakups, and five interceptions through 17 starts.

Stingley showed promise through an abbreviated nine games, picking off a pass and collecting 43 combined tackles along with 1.0 sack.

Despite playing in 12 games, Harris finished fifth on the team with 74 combined tackles, six tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, 1.0 sack, a forced fumble, five pass breakups, and an interception.

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Bears 2022 rookie review: DE Dominique Robinson

While Dominique Robinson didn’t have a substantial impact in his rookie year, there’s reason to be optimistic about his development.

The Chicago Bears saw significant contributions from rookies on offense, defense and special teams during the 2022 season, whether it was from draft picks or undrafted free agents.

Fifth-round defensive end Dominique Robinson was always considered a project, as he’d spent just two years at the position after converting from wide receiver in college. While he didn’t have a substantial impact in this rookie year, there’s reasons to be optimistic for his continued development.

Let’s take a look back at Robinson’s rookie season and see what we can expect for the future.

Titans hold on to A.J. Brown in ESPN’s 2022 re-draft

ESPN has the Titans doing exactly what fans were clamoring for in this 2022 re-draft.

In a recent redo of the 2022 NFL draft by ESPN, the Tennessee Titans right their wrong and decide not to trade A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles.

I’ve seen a few re-draft scenarios that have the Titans still trading Brown, but I can guarantee if Tennessee (and Jon Robinson) could do it all over again, Brown would stay in Nashville.

After keeping Brown, the Titans stick and pick wide receiver Treylon Burks at No. 26 overall in ESPN’s re-draft. This is the exact approach fans were clamoring for before their respective hearts were ripped out on draft night.

Here’s the write-up for the decision, via ESPN’s Turron Davenport, who absolutely nails it.

This re–draft gives the Titans a do–over, allowing them to keep A.J. Brown while complementing him with Burks, who is a similar yards–after–catch specialist who can win on contested catches. With so much defensive attention devoted to the rushing attack and double coverage on Brown, Burks would get the opportunity to dominate one–on–one coverage. The Titans want to be physical in all phases of offense, and adding Burks would support the “be great around Ryan Tannehill” mantra coach Mike Vrabel wanted to have entering the season. Burks finished his rookie season with 33 catches for 444 yards in 11 games.

With this approach, the Titans wouldn’t have landed Roger McCreary in the second round, but it’s safe to say fans would sign up for that if it meant keeping Brown.

ESPN’s re-draft does extend to the second round, but the Titans didn’t have a second-round choice prior to the trade with the New York Jets because of the Julio Jones deal.

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Seahawks take Arnold Ebiketie over Boye Mafe in this ESPN 2022 re-draft

There’s still time for Mafe to catch up, but for now Ebiketie appears to have the higher ceiling in the NFL.

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. That’s the energy that Brady Henderson brought into ESPN’s 2022 NFL re-draft. In the first round, he had the Seahawks going the same route they did last year, selecting Mississippi State left tackle Charles Cross with the No. 9 overall pick.

In the second round of ESPN’s re-draft, Henderson picked Michigan State running back Ken Walker in the spot (No. 40 overall) that had gone to Minnesota outside linebacker Boye Mafe.

With the very next pick, Henderson went in a different direction. Instead of taking Mafe, he went with a different edge defender: Penn State’s Arnold Ebiketie:

“The Seahawks loved Ebiketie but never got a chance to take him in the actual draft, ending up with Boye Mafe instead. With Mafe off the board in this scenario, they could take Ebiketie, who had similar production during his rookie season but a much better pass rush win rate — 17.6% compared to Mafe’s 10.2%.”

You’ll hear no argument from us. There’s still time for Mafe to catch up, but for now Ebiketie appears to have the higher ceiling in the NFL.

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