While the NFL awaits the most anticipated Super Bowl in recent memory, 30 of the 32 teams in the league have already turned their attention to the upcoming draft. This draft class is an interesting composite of players, with top defensive talents outnumbering offensive skill players at the top. With that in mind, here are five of the top 2022 NFL Draft prospects.
Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
Stats (2021 Season): 968 snaps, 131 yards allowed, 3 interceptions
Affectionately known as “Sauce” throughout the college football community, the Detroit native made a huge statement with his play this season for the Bearcats.
Gardner’s claim to fame is that he never allowed a single touchdown during his three years at Cincinnati. This is especially impressive when you consider that Gardner has been starting since he was a true freshman. He also allowed just 14 yards on four targets against a star-studded Alabama wide receiver group. Against all levels of college football, Gardner has been up to the test every time.
At 6’3, 200 pounds, Gardner is a physical specimen. While there is no official measurement of his wingspan, it is safe to assume it exceeds his height by a solid margin. He plays a highly physical brand of football. Gardner ranked 1st in college football in press coverage snaps this past season, almost always lining up within 2-3 yards of the opposing receiver. He gets handsy from time to time, but he can hold his own with the opposing teams WR1 and has great strength at the catch point.
His physicality translates over to his run defense, an underrated aspect of his game. Gardner was highly effective when Cinncinatti would bring him on blitz packages. His 77.8 PFF run-defense grade ranked in the 76th percentile amongst eligible cornerbacks. His ability to tackle in space and his unwavering physicality with blockers was evident in his film.
Areas of Improvement
Gardners’ most glaring area of improvement is his hand placement. With the majority of his snaps coming in press coverage, getting his hands correctly placed off the line is crucial to not give up preventable penalties. While his more handsy technique worked in college, more experienced receivers in the NFL will look to draw holding penalties on him if he gets too latched on at the top of the route. Even with that in mind, Gardner is undoubtedly CB1 in this draft. His physicality and remarkable consistency over three years will land him comfortably in the top-10 come draft day.
Drake London, WR, USC
Stats (2021 Season): 88 receptions, 1,084 yards, 7 touchdowns
Flipping from Gardner to one of his counterparts, London was one of the most dominant receivers in college football this year. His stellar performance on a turbulent USC team was nothing short of spectacular.
Londons’ performance this season in the eyes of advanced metrics was second to none. His receiving grade, grade versus man coverage, and grade versus zone coverage all ranked above the 95th percentile amongst eligible CFB receivers. He also forced 24 missed tackles, good for 6th in the nation. Especially in conference play against the PAC-12, London was nearly unstoppable.
His calling card in the NFL will be his contested-catch ability. At 6’5, 210 pounds, London was a mismatch on every corner in the nation. He ranked 1st in contested catches with 19 this season. He has fantastic body control and an elite catch radius that reeled in even the most wildly thrown passes. Londons’ film against PAC-12 competition is the best evidence of his physical dominance.
Londons’ jump ball ability in the red zone is reminiscent of Titans receiver Julio Jones. Like Jones, London will quickly become an end zone favorite of whichever quarterback he ends up with. With that being said, he has some work to do on his way to becoming a complete NFL receiver. The majority of the routes he won on in college were because he could bully smaller opponents. This won’t work as effectively against the veterans of the NFL. Developing a more diverse route tree will be huge for his game. But as we saw with D.K Metcalf, passing up on London because of his route running deficiencies would be a huge mistake. London will be a perfect WR1 for a team at the next level and is all but locked into the top-15 of the upcoming draft.
Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn
Stats (2021 Season): 830 snaps, 442 yards allowed, 2 interceptions
McCreary’s career against some of the nation’s top receivers in the SEC has been phenomenal. After being targeted 183 times in his three years with the Tigers, there is no denying that McCreary can hang with the best at the next level.
McCreary’s athleticism and quick-twitch are very evident on film. He mirrors routes with relative ease and is very patient in reading the breaks of the receivers. While he isn’t the biggest corner in the draft, he plays with an unmatched physicality at the line and rarely gives up significant leverage. His 21 pass breakups in 2021 led the nation, according to PFF. His 25.6% forced incompletion rate was also a top-20 mark in the country.
It bodes well for McCreary’s draft stock that, arguably, his best game of the season came against Alabama. McCreary was matched up against Crimson Tide star John Metchie for most of the night. Whether Metchie was lined up in the slot, on the boundary or field side, McCreary stayed latched to him. He registered four pass breakups versus Alabama, including these two wins versus Metchie.
McCrearys’ best-case scenario is ending up on a defense that plays primarily man coverage. His zone coverage isn’t atrocious, but it isn’t the strength of his game. It will be interesting to see how he tests at the upcoming combine, given his less than ideal size and frame. Regardless of the testing numbers, McCreary is a top-5 corner in this upcoming draft and should be firmly locked into the first round of this year’s draft.
Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
Stats (2021 Season): 3,051 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, 9 interceptions
In a review of the top prospects, it is hard to leave out a prospect at the game’s most important position. Howells’ play with the Tar Heels during the last three seasons has him in the discussion for the top QB of this upcoming draft class.
Howells’ biggest asset is his physical tools. He has an absolute cannon of an arm, which was on full display this season at UNC. According to PFF, his average depth of target was 11.7 yards, which ranked 16th in the country. If Howell is given enough time in the pocket to let his receivers develop their routes, he can blow the top off a defense with his arm talent.
Howell impressed scouts with his rushing development from his 2019-20 tape to this season. Howell rushed for over 1,100 yards this season, including 647 yards after contact. He isn’t the most athletic of the quarterbacks in this class, but at 6’1 and 220 pounds, he is difficult to bring down in the open field.
Areas of Improvement
While the rushing aspect of his game has overall been a good thing for his draft stock, it comes with its downsides. 13% of his dropbacks during the 2021 season resulted in a scramble. He is a capable runner, but that scramble rate won’t be successful in the NFL. His tendency to leave the pocket is also another concern of scouts. He struggles to progress through his reads efficiently and will even look off open receivers from time to time.
North Carolinas offensive play calling can explain those issues to some extent. UNC led the country in RPOs and “9” routes (or “go” routes) last season. If Howell didn’t like his first reads on these two looks, he struggled to improvise. If paired with the right coach and coordinator, Howell’s patience in the pocket and ability to process reads will drastically improve. A top-3 quarterback in this class, Howell will likely be drafted in the 15-25 range come draft night.
Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia
Stats (2021 Season): 663 snaps, 54 tackles, 122 receiving yards allowed, 2 interceptions
With the fifth and final prospect, we turn to Georgia linebacker and national champion Nakobe Dean. The heartbeat of a historically talented Bulldogs defense, Dean is the most complete linebacker in this year’s draft class.
Dean is the epitome of a sideline-to-sideline linebacker. His ability to read plays and hunt down the ball carrier through a sea of players is remarkable. While he may not put up an eye-popping 40 time, Deans’ play speed is absolutely elite. Check this play in Georgia’s game versus Florida this past season. Florida runs an option play to the field side, away from where Dean is lined up. Watch the closing speed from Dean to make the play. He also makes a great read in the second clip against Tennessee.
He is also a stellar pass rusher. His PFF pass-rush grade of 91.4 ranked in the 98th percentile amongst all linebackers. His 31 pressures ranked 6th in the nation, and he also added eight sacks and 17 hurries to that total. Dean shoots the gaps with pace, and any blocker in his way never deters him from getting to the quarterback.
While he won’t be primarily utilized as a coverage linebacker at the next level, he is proficient in coverage. He allowed 21 receptions on 36 targets this past season to go along with two pass breakups. His instinct to read plays as they happen is evident in his coverage film. Dean is just barely scraping 6 feet, which makes scouts concerned about how his frame will translate to the next level. However, his playmaking ability and elite game speed will likely land him a spot in the top 20 picks come draft night.
