NFL Draft grades

The Lions made eight picks in the 2022 draft, including two in the top 12 after trading up to land Alabama receiver Jameson Williams with the 12th pick Thursday ...

But that’s too big of a move — and too much to give up — for a receiver. “It’s possible the Lions got the best defender available this year at No. 2 in Hutchinson and the best receiver in the draft at No. 12 in Williams. Picking the talented pass-catcher was a bit of a risk, given the draft capital they parted with to trade up for him and the fact that he is coming off an ACL tear. “The Detroit Lions have officially entered the Bryce Young/CJ Stroud sweepstakes by not selecting a quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft. Which is fine considering the talent they brought in elsewhere. “On the flip side of the Stafford coin, coach Dan Campbell and GM Brad Holmes seem to be putting the draft capital obtained from the Rams to good use as the Motown rebuild rolls on. “The Lions made the proper move by taking pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson when he fell to them at No. 2, courtesy of the Jaguars. They also got a potential star when they traded up 20 spots to take WR Jameson Williams at No. 12. The rest of the haul isn’t that bad, but there’s definitely a knock for not thinking about quarterback and taking corner depth only very late.” “Tight end James Mitchell (177) is another prospect coming off a torn ACL -- he missed the final 11 games of the season -- but could be a solid find when he’s healthy. Credit Holmes for trying to turn edge rusher from a weakness to a strength. The draft is such a crapshoot that it’s almost always better to take two chances at a top-ranked prospect than one. Houston’s pass rush ability and strength against the run made him worthy of a selection.” This is one of the league’s worst rosters from top to bottom. The Lions may be the most improved team in the NFL next year by virtue of this class.

Those who cover the 2022 NFL draft were generally pleased with what GM Brad Holmes and Detroit Lions did in the annual three-day extravaganza.

"It's possible the Lions got the best defender available this year at No. 2 in Hutchinson and the best receiver in the draft at No. 12 in Williams. Picking the talented pass-catcher was a bit of a risk, given the draft capital they parted with to trade up for him and the fact that he is coming off an ACL tear. Houston's pass rush ability and strength against the run made him worthy of a selection." The rest of the haul isn't that bad, but there's definitely a knock for not thinking about quarterback and taking corner depth only very late." The trade felt like general manager Brad Holmes forced his way into a big move to fill a need, but Williams is going to be great when he's on the field. The draft is such a crapshoot that it's almost always better to take two chances at a top-ranked prospect than one. "I love the aggressiveness.

Grading each NFL team's 2022 draft: Who had the best draft hauls, and what teams left their fan base scratching their heads?

From the amazing Ravens to the lowly Vikings, here's how every team did this weekend.

However, in the end they got three starting caliber players (Hall, Goedeke and Otton) in a draft where they didn’t pick until the second round. If you remove Malik Willis from this class, it’s still a good draft for the Titans. Add him in, and this was a coup. This was a franchise-defining class, and it has the strength to bring the Jets back into relevance. Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal is a legendary haul worthy of the No. 5 and No. 7 picks. This team came away with two great players in the first round at positions of need, which is exactly what they needed to do after moving to get a second first round pick. With such a lean class there wasn’t really a “worst” pick, but both their 7th rounders were going to be UDFAs. I also really like picking up Isaiah Spiller as a steal, when many believed he was the best running back in this class. Yes, if you’re doing the math that means Detroit has a very real chance to end up with the best defensive player in the draft, and the best skill position offensive player as well. I liked the Zion Johnson pick in No. 1 as a player, but felt there were better players on the board. Luck at the No. 2 spot allowed them to take the best, most-reliable pass rusher, and then by jumping back up and fleecing the Vikings they took the receiver with the best chance to be elite. The Ravens had the best draft in the entire league, and it’s not even close. It’ll be interesting to see if Matt Corral can develop, but overall the excellence of the first round gives way to a lack of selections in a deep draft that could have helped this team.

Last year, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes and company did a wonderful job of laying down the foundation and bringing in starters like Penei ...

They went out and got the blue-chip players they were looking for while addressing some of their biggest needs. It’s nice to bet on athletes and the Lions could use some more DBs in their 4-2-5 scheme, so this one gets a passable grade. I can’t complain much about any of these picks, and in some cases, I would have made the same selection that Brad Holmes did. Chase Lucas was drafted with pick 237 of round 7 in the 2022 draft class. James Houston IV was drafted with pick 217 of round 6 in the 2022 draft class. Malcolm Rodriguez was drafted with pick 188 of round 6 in the 2022 draft class. Thankfully, even though the Indianapolis Colts had just traded up ahead of them to take safety Nick Cross, Joseph was still on the board and is a player who can immediately upgrade their pass defense. Josh Paschal was drafted with pick 46 of round 2 in the 2022 draft class. He had a fantastic 2021 and finished the year with a 90.4 overall grade via PFF, but only played a total of 288 snaps in his previous two seasons. Williams is the fastest player in the draft, and this team hasn’t had this type of speed since they traded up for Jahvid Best in 2010. Many were surprised to see the Lions double-dip at EDGE while they still had pressing needs at linebacker and safety, but let’s be honest. If Williams can stay healthy, they have someone who can take the top off of defenses and open things up for guys like St. Brown, Hockenson, Swift, and others.

The 2022 NFL Draft has concluded which means only one thing -- draft grades are here. Below you will find the full draft classes for all 32 teams with ...

Phidarian Mathis is a high floor defensive lineman, and Sam Howell in Round 5 was tremendous value. The Commanders had a sound albeit unspectacular draft. It's better to start strong in a draft when the picks are more valuable and fade away later than the opposite. They made some great selections -- Drake Jackson in Round 2, Tariq Castro-Fields and Kalia Davis in Round 6 -- and some squint-at-my-computer-screen picks like Tyrion Davis-Price and Danny Gray in the third round. And Tyreke Smith is a hand-work master with serious bend. Asamoah is a rangy linebacker who will eventually be able to cover and takes on blocks with authority. The Dolphins did a reasonable job despite having minimal draft capital. JT Woods will be a playmaker next to Derwin James. Grade: B Romeo Doubs is a serious vertical threat. Grade: A Martin Emerson is a long, well-rounded corner. Kyle Hamilton was my No. 1 prospect, Ojabo was a tremendous stash.