Two-hundred-and-sixty-two brand new players found their way onto NFL rosters, at least temporarily, in the 2022 NFL Draft. Hundreds more have earned training camp invitations and modest, unguaranteed deals as undrafted free agents.
That infusion of talent will serve as the foundation for playoff runs across the league. There are few pieces of the league’s roster-building puzzle more valuable than a young star on a bargain rookie contract. These players can change the trajectory of a moribund franchise or be the vital reinforcements that keep the Ship of Theseus churning along.
They’ll join teams loaded with trusted incumbents and prized free agent acquisitions and work toward each franchise’s pared-down 53-man roster before the 2022 season begins. We don’t know what every team will look like in Week 1; there are still plenty of useful free agents yet to be signed. We do have a good idea of how the majority of the league’s starting lineups will shake out.
That means it’s time to make some snap judgments. Armed with the knowledge of how 2021 unfolded and how the 2022 offseason has played out so far, we can form a basic, probably-easily disproven ranking of all 32 NFL teams. Here’s how they look with the regular season a mere 18 weeks away.