Thirty-two takeaways from the first round of an unusual NFL draft

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell figured this draft could be a return to normalcy when it comes to main sporting occasions.

In a way it was — valuable few masks in sight on a balmy Nevada night — however there was little or no that was regular concerning the first draft in Sin Metropolis.

5 defensive gamers in a row to start out the night time?

A document six receivers within the first 20 picks?

Just one quarterback taken by a league so dominated by passing?

And NFL groups wrapping their arms round Georgia’s protection the way in which the commissioner bear hugs draftees on stage?

A memorable night time, certainly.

Thirty-two observations from the primary spherical of the 2022 NFL draft:

1. Aidan Hutchinson had his goals written into the liner of his sports activities coat, together with changing into a first-team All-American and a Heisman finalist. He’s the highest-drafted defensive participant in College of Michigan historical past, surpassing Charles Woodson, taken fourth by the Oakland Raiders in 1998.

2. A yr after quarterbacks went 1-2-3, the primary 5 gamers chosen had been defenders. This was the primary time since 2000 that defensive gamers went 1-2, not to mention 1-2-3-4-5. It didn’t high 1991, although, when defenders had been the primary six gamers off the board. That went Russell Maryland, Eric Turner, Bruce Pickens, Mike Croel, Todd Lyght and Eric Swann.

3. Cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner is a superb pickup for the New York Jets. He’s tall, rangy and fashions his sport after the Rams’ Jalen Ramsey. “He’s assured however humble, man,” Gardner stated. “Lots of people assume he’s cocky, however taking part in cornerback you may’t be like, `He’s going to win some and I’m going to win some.’ You’ve received to go on the market like, `I’m going to dominate this man,’ even when that’s not the end result. I really feel like that’s the place we click on.”

4. Fairly an increase for Gardner. Because the NFL Community’s Daniel Jeremiah famous, he was the nation’s 163rd-rated nook popping out of highschool. Not solely was he the primary nook chosen, but additionally the highest-drafted nook in Jets historical past.

5. Prepare, Madison Avenue. With each Gardner and Thibodeaux coming to New York groups, that’s some critical advertising and marketing potential. Bruisers of Broadway, and each nice talkers.

6. Travon Walker is the primary Georgia Bulldog taken No. 1 total since present Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was the highest decide by Detroit in 2010.

7. Goodell considers this draft the league’s first true return-to-normalcy occasion. “I believe that is going to be the largest coming-out get together in sports activities,” Goodell instructed The Los Angeles Instances. “I actually imagine individuals are going to come back collectively in a means we haven’t seen shortly. You noticed it on the Tremendous Bowl, however I believe that is going to be larger so far as the whole variety of folks over the three days.”

8. Backstage, chosen gamers stroll the pink carpet down a ramp towards the stage. Their final cease earlier than stepping out to hug Goodell is a conceit to allow them to test themselves within the mirror. The hat of their new group is resting on it.

9. That is the primary time the NFL has staged the draft west of Dallas, and the primary in Pacific Time. Accordingly, it’s the primary time the league has needed to fear about daylight in Goodell’s eyes. Subsequently, there was a contingency stage for Goodell that was pointed away from the solar, in case he wanted to make use of it. Additionally, if the winds picked up, there was a method to stage the choice announcement indoors.

10. The draft has gotten to be such a mega-event, it now has a army flyover. That occurred for the primary time Thursday — a UH-72 Lakota, a UH-60 Black Hawk and a CH-47 Chinook from the Nevada Military Nationwide Guard and the U.S. Military.

11. Don’t crane your neck watching these Atlanta receivers. The Falcons took 6-foot-5 Drake London a yr after utilizing their first decide on 6-6 tight finish Kyle Pitts. That’s high-altitude soccer.

12. 5 Georgia defenders went within the first spherical, and that’s a document for one unit. And linebacker Nakobe Dean wasn’t certainly one of them. He ought to go within the second.

13. How do they get the names on the No. 1 jerseys so rapidly? Simply off the stage is a room with not less than 5 clean jerseys for each group. There’s additionally a nameplate for each participant attending the draft and within the particular person fonts of all 32 groups. The folks in that room are instructed the decide simply earlier than it’s introduced, then have lower than two minutes to press a jersey. They’ve two machines to allow them to press a pair of jerseys, in case one nameplate is skewed or one thing. The jersey that isn’t used is chopped up and used for cloth in particular Panini rookie playing cards.

14. The Saints had been so decided to get a receiver, they traded up from 16 to 11 to seize Ohio State’s Chris Olave, one decide after the Jets took former Buckeyes star Garrett Wilson. This wasn’t the primary time two Ohio State receivers went within the first spherical. In 2007, Buckeye teammates Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez went within the opening spherical.

15. You possibly can exhale, Jared Goff. The Detroit Lions traded up 20 spots to get … a quarterback? No, they took Alabama receiver Jameson Williams, changing into the third consecutive group to pick a wideout. Williams is coming off a knee damage or he may need gone earlier.

16. Defensive sort out Jordan Davis may have some epic battles with former Alabama teammate Evan Neal. Davis is headed for Philadelphia, whereas Neal will likely be with the NFC East rival New York Giants.

17. The Ravens took Notre Dame security Kyle Hamilton at 14 and traded again into the spherical, sending a decide and receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to Arizona for No. 23. It has been a turbulent offseason for Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, however he’s received to be pleased about reuniting with Brown, a school teammate at Oklahoma.

18. Earlier than Oklahoma, Brown attended School of the Canyons in Santa Clarita. When enrolled there, he had a job at Six Flags Magic Mountain loading folks onto “Full Throttle,” a experience the amusement park known as the tallest and quickest looping curler coaster on the planet. “I’m not a experience individual,” the soft-spoken Brown instructed The Instances in 2019. “I don’t actually see the kick out of it. They made me strive it one time and I regretted it. Yeah, that’s not my factor.”

Former Titans receiver A.J. Brown can’t keep in bounds on this catch in opposition to Rams cornerback Dont’e Deayon. Tennessee traded Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles for the 18th decide of the NFL draft.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Instances)

19. Big acquisition by Philadelphia, sending the No. 18 decide to Tennessee for receiver A.J. Brown. When wholesome, he’s a game-changer. The Eagles have used a premium decide on a receiver every of the final three years — and in a way, that is the fourth. In taking Treylon Burks, the Titans received a equally bodily alternative for the $100-million Brown, and for lots much less cash.

20. The Steelers despatched a message by drafting College of Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett over Liberty’s Malik Willis. Pickett is broadly thought of essentially the most ready-to-play of the quarterback prospects on this class. Clearly, the thought of transferring ahead from Ben Roethlisberger with Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph was unappealing.

21. As famous by ESPN Stats & Data, with Pickett going twentieth, it was the most recent right into a draft the primary quarterback was taken since 1997 when San Francisco took Jim Druckenmiller with the twenty sixth decide.

22. For the primary Thursday Night time Soccer sport broadcast solely on Amazon Prime Video, it’s the Chargers on the Chiefs. The Chargers have gained three of their final 4 video games at Arrowhead Stadium, together with a Thursday sport in 2018.

23. Why did Kansas Metropolis commerce as much as seize a nook? Look across the AFC West — Justin Herbert, Russell Wilson and Derek Carr.

24. There’s a particular room backstage put aside for household photographs — lighting, skilled photographer … every part. The NFL used to ask total households onstage, however that led to site visitors jams within the fast-moving occasion.

25. No motive for Jets followers to boo this draft. Their group received three excellent gamers. They haven’t had a premier edge rusher since buying and selling John Abraham in 2006, and Thursday they traded again into the primary spherical and grabbed a slipping Jermaine Johnson II.

26. Jacksonville made a commerce with Tampa Bay for a second first-round choice. The Buccaneers actually favored Georgia security Lewis Cine, and possibly they thought he would final till the primary decide of the second spherical. However Minnesota grabbed him at No. 32.

27. A group of Corridor of Famers and others announce the picks on the second night time of the draft. One among Goodell’s favourite tips is at hand a nervous presenter a card with an impossible-to-pronounce title and want him luck. Then, with fun and a slap on the again, the commissioner will hand him the precise card.

28. Inexperienced Bay has gone 20 consecutive drafts with out taking a receiver within the first spherical.

29. NFL Community host Wealthy Eisen observed an fascinating sample. In 2000, a yr after quarterbacks went 1-2-3, there was just one chosen within the opening spherical (Chad Pennington). That occurred once more from final yr to this yr.

30. Needed to be a pins-and-needles night time for 49ers followers, however their group didn’t commerce Deebo Samuel.

31. New England shocked lots of people by taking Chattanooga guard Cole Unusual within the first spherical. An fascinating stat on him: Unusual surrendered only one sack within the final 4 years.

32. Simply-retired Rams sort out Andrew Whitworth was honored Thursday night time because the reigning Walter Payton Man of the 12 months. He’ll be speaking soccer on one of many networks subsequent season. A pure.