Every Tuesday I normally take a look through my notebook from the games I’ve sat and watched over the previous weekend and highlight a few things I wrote down. But this Saturday evening my wife and I were at a wedding, celebrating with some friends of ours and then spent lots of Sunday recuperating from the hangover that had ensued.
So my choice came down to missing the Falcons game (I sort of wish I had) or using the opportunity to finalise my first 200 NFL Draft Top 100 and to catch up on my scouting film at a later date. The fact this is a Special Edition of the Gameday Notebook surely gives away which of those roads I went down.
So let’s get into it shall we?
Where can I find it?
I’m glad you asked. The full top 100 in all it’s glory is right here.
A few stats before we get into the analysis:
- Quarterbacks – 6
- Running backs – 4
- Wide receivers – 15
- Tight ends – 4
- Offensive tackles – 15
- Interior offensive linemen – 4
- Defensive tackles – 5
- Edge rushers – 14
- Linebackers – 11
- Cornerbacks – 13
- Safeties – 9
That’s 48 offensive players and 52 on defense for those keeping score.
The top 10
There’s probably very few surprises amongst this list to be entirely honest with you. Like a lot of people, I’ve got Kayvon Thibodeaux as my #1 overall player despite injuries hampering his start to the 2022 season, just ahead of Evan Neal and Kyle Hamilton.
Derek Stingley is my leading corner, just ahead of Andrew Booth and Kaiir Elam (this is a good year if you need a cornerback) whilst linebacker Christian Harris and edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson also make an appearance.
But my #9 and #10 are the ones I’m most likely to be differing from the crowd on. I’ve got Sam Howell in there still as I’ve been impressed with how he’s bounced back from the opening game of the season and has seemingly added some scramble ability to his game, and I’ve also got Chris Olave as my WR-1 ahead of a number of others who might fancy themselves as the true wearer of that crown.
Who do I appear to be higher on?
Let’s talk about a few of “my guys” shall we, starting with Nakobe Dean. I’ve got him at #24 – I just love the motor, the desire to be first to the ball on every play, and the fact he’s such a surefire tackler. You can’t really ask for more from a linebacker.
Rasheed Walker is another – with NFL Mock Draft Database saying he is on average down in the middle of the second round, whereas I’ve got him inside my top 20. For a 6’6, 320lb offensive tackle, I love Walker’s athleticism as well as his desire to win every single rep. Trust me when I say this – NFL teams are going to love what he has to offer.
Jordan Strachan is next on this list. I’ll admit to being slightly biased based purely on his surname and his start to the 2021 season hasn’t quite been what we’d all hoped and dreamed. But a 10.5 sack 2020 season whilst still at Georgia Southern, coupled with the explosiveness he’s renowned for, mean I still see him a late 2nd or early 3rd round prospect at this point.
And finally, how about Khalil Shakir? The guy just keeps making play after play after play for Boise State and so many of those are absolute highlight reel catches. I’ve got him at #83 right now and honestly I still think that’s low – I almost feel like I need to get him into my top 64 when I next update this!
Who am I not so sure about?
Most people have got DeMarvin Leal inside their top 5. Not me – he’s at 13. I watched him against Arkansas and he didn’t really show up on tape in that game; definitely not enough for me to be convinced he’s a top 5 pick. His record speaks for itself and I’ve seen highlights from other games that tell me he’s got something about him, but I’m not sold on him as a top 5 player in this draft just yet.
Jaxson Kirkland is another I’m not sold on. I watched Aidan Hutchinson give him a hard time when Washington took on Michigan and whilst the Wolverine edge rusher’s big day out wasn’t all Kirkland’s fault, I didn’t sit there thinking I was watching the second coming of Rashawn Slater.
Justyn Ross is the final one I’ll mention here. Once considered a certain top 10 pick, when I’ve watched Ross this season I’ve seen a player struggling to come back from a serious back injury who lacks the old burst and freedom with which he used to play. His old tape shows there is talent there, but can he find that former version of himself? I’m less sure of it than some.
Who misses out?
I’ve got a few who are arguably rising and find themselves unlucky to miss out in my mind, whilst others may well be rated higher elsewhere – but here’s a few of the names to miss out on making my first top 100 of the year.
- Noah Daniels, CB, TCU
- Chris Rodriguez, RB, Kentucky
- Emeka Emezie, WR, NC State
- Wanya Morris, OT, Oklahoma
- Trey McBridge, TE, Colorado State
So there you have it – my first Top 100 of the 2022 Draft Season. Why not head over to twitter and tell me how terrible you think my list is? You know you want to…