NFL Draft Rundown: Analysis and takeaways from the weekend

Recapping the major storylines and takeaways from the 2022 NFL Draft.

Story of the weekend

Good teams stay good, and bad teams stay bad.

That has never been more true than this weekend, where the Baltimore Ravens, forever the Gods of the NFL draft, put on a clinic in their war room. Other teams can get on their level for short periods of time - the Eagles, Jets, Falcons, and Chiefs all had tremendous drafts of their own - but nobody does it like the Ravens on a year-to-year basis.

This particular masterclass started with a no-brainer at No. 14. Baltimore had already spent a lot of money on Marcus Williams to shore up the safety position in the offseason, but it couldn't pass up Kyle Hamilton at that spot. The Notre Dame standout's arrival rounds out a star-studded secondary and potentially gives the Ravens one of the NFL's top safety duos heading into the fall.

Then came the trade that nobody expected: General manager Eric DeCosta flipped Marquise "Hollywood" Brown to the Cardinals, along with a third-round pick, for the No. 23 overall selection. The Ravens then picked up an extra fourth-rounder to move back to No. 25 and take Iowa's Tyler Linderbaum, one of the best center prospects in recent memory and a player widely thought to be among the safest picks in the draft.

Brown's speed brings a dynamic element to an offense, but the reality is he's only topped 1,000 yards in a season once. Flipping him before having to decide on a fully guaranteed fifth-year option - or extending him in an increasingly wild receiver market - and getting a potential cornerstone player in return is expert work from the Ravens.

But that was only the beginning. Second-round pick David Ojabo could have been a Day 1 selection were it not for a torn Achilles suffered during his pro day workout. Baltimore, as much as any other team, can afford to wait until he gets healthy. And when he does, he'll combine with Odafe Oweh to form one of the league's most athletic edge-rush tandems.

In Round 3, the Ravens stopped the slide of another player who was getting some deserved first-round buzz: Travis Jones. The Connecticut product is an outstanding run defender who also has some impressive pass-rush flashes for a player who gets typecast as a space-eater. He'll fit in nicely alongside Michael Pierce and Calais Campbell on a stout defensive front.

The first of six (!) fourth-rounders - nobody stockpiles mid-round assets like the Ravens - was Daniel Faalele, a 6-8, 384-pound right tackle. Faalele likely slid because of the concern that he wouldn't quite have the athleticism to deal with speed rushers at his size, but the same was said about Orlando Brown Jr. when Baltimore grabbed him in the third round of the 2018 draft. Faalele just feels like a Raven - and a good one at that.

Among the other notable selections in the fourth round were Alabama's Jalyn Armour-Davis - a talented corner who's a natural fit in the Ravens' man-heavy defense - and a pair of tight ends in Charlie Kolar and Isaiah Likely, adding role players alongside Mark Andrews in an offense that loves to utilize multiple tight ends.

Would they have liked to add a receiver to replace Brown? Sure. But there are still plenty of opportunities to do so before camp. (More on that later)

In an offseason dominated by the AFC arms race, it seemed like the Ravens had become something of an afterthought. Don't forget: A ridiculous run of injuries was the only thing that kept this team from another playoff appearance last year. Baltimore somehow still managed to finish the season 8-9, despite extended absences for star players on both sides of the ball.

With a full offseason to get everyone healthy and a home-run draft class added to the roster, make sure you include the Ravens on the increasingly long list of Super Bowl contenders in the AFC. And they should be pretty damn close to the top.

Every team's best pick

Each club's most impressive work in terms of both quality and value.

Winners & losers

Winner: Eagles

We had to lead with the Ravens, but we can't forget Philly here. The Eagles entered draft season with three first-rounders before trading one to the Saints for a package including a first in next year's draft. That left them with two Day 1 picks, which they turned into Jordan Davis, a generational nose tackle prospect, and a deal to acquire superstar receiver A.J. Brown from the Titans. Getting Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean in the third round was the cherry on top. Even if injuries keep him out as a rookie, that's a first-round value the Eagles get the following season. All of this sets up for the ultimate evaluation year for Jalen Hurts. If he rises to the occasion, great - the Eagles can build around him with two first-rounders in 2023. If not, they have the assets to either move up for one of next year's top QBs (C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young) or hit the trade market (Kyler Murray?). Either way, some phenomenal work from Howie Roseman has the Eagles back in business for the long term.

Loser: Justin Fields

Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker are strong additions to the secondary for Chicago, but it's tough to look at the Bears' draft class, and their offseason as a whole, without asking what the hell they are doing. Fields becoming a superstar quarterback is the only chance this team has of going anywhere. And the odds are stacked against him with such a terrible roster on the offensive side of the ball. The one receiver Chicago added in the draft, Velus Jones Jr., is primarily a special teams player who turns 25 this month.

Winner: Georgia

This draft can't be properly evaluated without a nod to Georgia. The Bulldogs had five players drafted in the first round (all on defense!), another four on Day 2, and a modern record of 15 in total. Had Nolan Smith and Jalen Carter been draft-eligible, they likely would have been first-rounders, too. That's how good the Georgia football program is right now.

Loser: Aaron Rodgers

Calling Rodgers a draft day/weekend loser has become something of a tradition, but you can blame the Packers for that one. Even when they do make a point of adding a receiver - in this case, trading up for Christian Watson in the second round - it's fair to want more. A project receiver does little to fill the void left by the departure of Davante Adams. Rodgers can't be thrilled.

Under-the-radar moves

Khalil Shakir ➡️ Bills

Buffalo landing Shakir in the fifth round could quickly prove to be one of the steals of this draft. The Boise State product is a refined route-runner who has a knack for making plays after the catch. For as productive as the Bills' offense has been, that's one area of the passing game they could stand to improve.

He won't have a clear path to immediate playing time, with Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis, and free-agent addition Jamison Crowder holding down the top three spots at receiver, but there's so much to love about this fit in the long term. For now, he'll provide depth and competition. Eventually, he could be a dynamic weapon for a high-powered offense that just keeps getting better.

Perrion Winfrey ➡️ Browns

The Browns have cycled through a ton of defensive tackles in an effort to boost their interior pass-rush in recent years, most of which to middling results. Don't be surprised if it's an early fourth-round pick in this year's draft who ends up emerging as the player they've been looking for to line up inside Myles Garrett.

Oklahoma's defense didn't really put Winfrey in a position to rack up sacks, but he has all the traits evaluators look for in disruptive interior players. Even if his shortcomings as a run defender limit him to a passing-down role, there's a chance for this pick to return a ton of value immediately. Winfrey can win with quickness or power, and he's a more refined technician than his college production may suggest. With opponents focused on Garrett, he could feast.

Biggest reach

Cole Strange ➡️ Patriots

There's always at least one first-round pick that comes out of nowhere, with the Raiders doing most of the heavy lifting in recent drafts. The Patriots took care of that this year. Strange could very well be an impact player at the next level, but the issue here is value.

The Chattanooga product was widely considered to be a mid-to-late Day 2 pick. And this doesn't appear to be a matter of the media not quite being in tune with how NFL teams view a player, either. How the Rams' Sean McVay and Les Snead reacted to the pick live tells you everything you need to know. Just a weird move all-around.

QB takeaways

• The Steelers fooled us all. Mock drafts everywhere were locked in on a quarterback at No. 20, but most thought they favored either Malik Willis or Desmond Ridder. Pickett may well turn out to be the best of the bunch, and given the gap between him and the next quarterback selected, the NFL seems to agree. He has to be thrilled with the landing spot, too. But from the team's perspective, Pickett still feels like a high-floor, low-ceiling prospect. And is that really how you want to address the QB position in the first round in today's NFL?
• Willis had to wait far longer than anyone could have expected, but Tennessee is a great landing spot. Having Ryan Tannehill in place as the starter will allow the Titans to be patient with their rookie quarterback, perhaps even giving him a full redshirt season to develop. But even if his progression as a passer takes some additional time, it's worth noting just how impactful Willis could be as a runner from Day 1. He may already be the NFL's second-best runner at quarterback, behind Lamar Jackson. An Eagles-like run-heavy offense led by Willis and Derrick Henry is incredibly intriguing. And it just so happens that the Titans are able to move on from Tannehill after next season.
• Ridder's fit with the Falcons seems perfect. It was much later than we all thought he'd go, so the value is incredible, but it's also just an ideal landing spot. His athletic ability should be put to great use in Arthur Smith's system, and he can sit behind Marcus Mariota until he's ready to play. Ridder already does a lot of the little things well, and the hope will be that he can improve his accuracy at the next level. Whether he does or not, joining a team with a pair of catch-radius monsters in Kyle Pitts and Drake London certainly can't hurt.

Rookie award picks

Offensive Player of the Year - Skyy Moore

Picking a receiver that ended up with the Chiefs feels a little bit like cheating, but this fit also just makes so much sense. Kansas City has had to adjust its offensive philosophy of late, with two-high coverages forcing Patrick Mahomes to be more patient and attack the short and intermediate levels of the field. Moore will see plenty of targets in those spots, and his ability to make things happen with the ball in his hands will lead to a lot of big plays after the catch. There's a real chance that he leads all Chiefs' wide receivers in yards this year.

Defensive Player of the Year - Drake Jackson

Finding another edge rusher to line up opposite Nick Bosa was a must for the 49ers. They wasted little time doing so, scooping up Jackson near the end of the second round with their first pick of the draft. Jackson is an athletic pass-rusher who seems to be flying under the radar after an underwhelming final two seasons at USC. But he's back to his freshman playing weight, and there are few landing spots more ideal for a pass-rusher than San Francisco. His speed and bend alone could be enough for some big sack totals playing on a talented front four as a rookie. And given the time to develop his game, he's got star potential.

Veteran player fallout

Deebo Samuel

The first round came and went without a trade for Samuel. It's clear that he wants out, but if the 49ers weren't willing to move him for anything offered in this draft, it's tough to see a trade happening at all. This is a team that's ready to contend, so picks in next year's draft would be of little interest to Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch right now. If Deebo doesn't want to sign an extension, the smart money may be on him playing one more year in the Bay Area before getting the franchise tag and pursuing a trade again next spring.

Tyrann Mathieu

Mathieu has been in no rush to find a new home, and he should still have his share of suitors on the other side of the draft. Neither the Saints nor the Eagles, who both met with Mathieu as a free agent, added to the safety position over the weekend. And a strong draft for each club should only reinforce the idea that they're ready to compete right now. Either squad could sign Mathieu at any time, but waiting until after June 1, when a few teams can open up more cap space, could also give him an even stronger market.

Free-agent WRs

Odell Beckham Jr., Julio Jones, Jarvis Landry, and Will Fuller have all had to remain patient, with a strong receiver class no doubt impacting teams' willingness to pay up for free agents. But not every team can come away with the receiver they want in the draft, and some even have more holes than they did heading in.

The Packers' only major move was going up to get Watson early in the second round. He's an intriguing player dripping with upside, but there's no guarantee he provides immediate production. A veteran addition, like Landry, feels inevitable.

Elsewhere, the Ravens are actually down a receiver after trading Hollywood Brown to Arizona and not drafting a replacement. They'll need to make an addition to pair with 2021 first-rounder Rashod Bateman. Knowing how much this team loves Alabama players, it may only be a matter of time before Julio is wearing purple.

The Chiefs, Colts, and Eagles all filled major needs at the position, while the Browns and Chargers remain among the contenders who could still stand to add another receiver. Fuller has always seemed likely to join former teammate Deshaun Watson in Cleveland. Knowing Beckham would probably like to stay in L.A. - but may no longer have a spot with the Rams - could the Chargers make another splash?

Best draft weekend energy