Seahawks 2022 Top-30 NFL Draft Big Board
Seahawks 2022 Top-30 NFL Draft Big Board
Seaside Joe 1128: Time to smell the stenches from the trenches
This morning, I watched Chris Simms’ top-5 QB rankings for the 2022 class and while I know that I’ll always run into “Ahh, this guy sucks!” when mentioning almost any NFL commentator or analyst, I like Simms’ annual rankings. He doesn’t seem to let outside narratives and popularity impact his analysis. Simms ranked Malik Willis third, behind Matt Corral and Kenny Pickett, and was adamant that he should not be a top-10 pick. I’ve not seen enough analysts make these Malik points to the greater public even though what he’s saying should be obvious to anyone who talks about the NFL Draft for a living.
I would run far away from anyone who says that the Seattle Seahawks should draft a quarterback in the first round this year.
I wrote last week why I’m taking Tyler Linderbaum and all centers off of my draft board and won’t be in me top-40. Neither will any quarterbacks, despite the reality that not fake-hyping QBs many not get the attention that fake-hyping them does.
In my last Seahawks big board, I posted a top-20. Today I will post a top-30, with the first 20 names coming before the paywall and the final 10 names being an exclusive for “Regular Joes” premium subscribers. Freesiders will get the top-30 soon, so don’t fret!
There are major adjustments made with each new big board and so the order of this top-20 will be different than the last top-20. I’ll highlight 10 names that I didn’t highlight on the last big board.
Updated Top-20 (4/5/2022)
1. DE Travon Walker, Georgia
2. DE Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan
3. DE Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon
4. DE Jermaine Johnson II, Florida State
5. OL Evan Neal, Alabama
6. OT Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa
7. OT Bernhard Raimann, Central Michigan
8. CB Sauce Gardner, Cincinnati
9. DE George Karlaftis, Purdue
10. OL Ikem Ekwonu, NC State
11. CB Derek Stingley, Jr., LSU
12. LB Devin Lloyd, Utah
13. LT Charles Cross, Ole Miss
14. CB Trent McDuffie, Washington
15. DT Jordan Davis, Georgia
16. DL Devonte Wyatt, Georgia
17. WR Jameson Williams, Alabama
18. OT Tyler Smith, Tulsa
19. G Zion Johnson, Boston College
20. EDGE Boye Mafe, Minnesota
WHY…
Isn’t Kyle Hamilton to be found? I believe there are reasonable questions about his ability to translate being a great college football player into being a great NFL player. He also doesn’t fit the Seahawks present roster. Rather than drop Hamilton entirely, I guess you could argue that if he slid a lot, Seattle could pounce because he is a good football player.
Are the first 7 slots assigned to defensive and offensive linemen? Because the Seahawks will use their first pick on a player in the trenches. I think the first pick will only be on a corner if the board falls just right.
Are Neal and Icky listed as “OL”? Because Rob Staton told me that he sees Neal and Ekwonu as guards and that’s enough for me to suspect they could be guards. I do think Neal could be a run-blocking right tackle though, so there’s enough there to believe that Pete Carroll loves that.
Is Raimann so high? You won’t see Berhnhard Raimann in the top-10 of many draft boards but as I’ll explain soon, he may be the perfect Pete prospect. The Seahawks could trade down if Raimann is the highest-remaining player on their board at nine and still get him at 17ish.
Is there a random inside linebacker? Because Devin Lloyd can be a special player and immediately take over for Bobby Wagner.
EDGE Jermaine Johnson II
Maybe Staton’s favorite player in the draft. Johnson, like the other edge rushers in this class other than Hutchinson, seems to have a “range” of going anywhere from 1st to 14th. There’s no good consensus on anything this year other than the fact that there’s no consensus.
CB Derek Stingley, Jr.
Yes, he’s got the upside to be special. Let’s not forget that Stingley also has the potential to be the biggest disappointment of the top-10.
DT Jordan Davis
The most polarizing defensive player in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Seahawks should only target Davis if they move down and he’s slid past the top 15 picks or so. It’s rare to find any defensive college players who combine athletic freakism with on-field success at Heisman-type levels.
DL Devonte Wyatt
Could Wyatt be a better NFL player than his Georgia teammate?
CB Trent McDuffie
I’ll be surprised if the Seahawks’ first pick is a cornerback. McDuffie could be someone that they’d like if he was available after day one. That seems to be less likely by the day. Here I’ve got Simms’ CB rankings queued up to McDuffie:
DE George Karlaftis
Karlaftis weighs 266 lbs. For the record, the other day, Aaron Donald said he weighs 260 lbs. A “fun” fact for you.
Who are the next ten players on my Seahawks big board?