The Jacksonville Jaguars are mere hours away from being on the clock with the first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft from Las Vegas.
Unlike last year when Jacksonville took Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence No. 1 overall, there’s no clear-cut top prospect. In fact, the Jaguars’ brass is said to be split between the likes of edge rushers Travon Walker and Aidan Hutchinson.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, this is part of the reason one veteran front-office executive around the NFL believes that the 2022 NFL Draft will by the craziest of the past 30 years.
What exactly does this mean? In addition to the Jaguars’ decision, there’s a lot of potential trades that could take place during Round 1. A total of eight teams have multiple first-round selections, including the New York Giants and New York Jets within the top-10 picks.
Related: 2022 NFL Draft tracker & grades
Expect the unexpected in the 2022 NFL Draft
- The quarterback situation remains highly unsettled leading up to the draft. Liberty’s Malik Willis is seen as the top prospect in a weak class. He could go as high as No. 2 to the Detroit Lions, sixth overall to the Carolina Panthers or fall out of the top-10. The Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints are also looking to move up for a quarterback. In addition to Willis, the likes of Kenny Pickett, Sam Howell, Matt Corral and Desmond Ridder are all seen as potential first-round picks.
Related: 2022 NFL mock draft
- The Jets boast the fourth and 10th picks Thursday evening. They continue to talk to the San Francisco 49ers about a potential trade for disgruntled wide receiver Deebo Samuel with the 10th pick acting as a centerpiece in a hypothetical trade. San Francisco going from not having a first-round selection to picking 10th overall could change the dynamics in a big way. Right now, there’s a chance that a deal would be made leading up to the draft or when the Jets are on the clock at 10.
- The strength of this particular NFL Draft is depth. It’s why a ton of teams are looking to move outside of the top 10. Some within the league believe that there’s not much of a difference between the 15th-best prospect and those with Day 2 grades on big boards. This could lead to some rather interesting trades with teams moving up paying less than what we’ve seen in previous iterations of the annual event.