After seven rounds and 262 total picks, the lengthy 2022 NFL draft came to a close Saturday afternoon. Some franchises were big winners coming out of the draft while others struggled.
In the AFC, there were clear winners and losers in this year’s draft. Here are five winners and five losers from the AFC in the 2022 NFL draft.
AFC Losers in the 2022 NFL Draft
If you like the bad news first, you’re in luck. These are the biggest losers from the AFC.
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New England Patriots
The Pats got off to a terrible start in the first round. They elected to trade down and reached on Cole Strange at pick 29.
In the second round, New England reached on another pick. They selected the blazing-fast wide receiver from Baylor, Tyquan Thornton. This was a player projected to go in the third or fourth round.
New England finally made several good selections from the third round on. However, it’s hard to recover from poor selections in the beginning rounds. The Patriots’ early-round reaches were extremely risky, making them one of the AFC’s biggest losers.
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Indianapolis Colts
The Colts’ start to the 2022 NFL draft was already off to a bad start after losing their first-round selection in last year’s Carson Wentz trade.
Drafting receivers was a need going into the draft. Indianapolis only selected one wideout, Alec Pierce, in the second round. Plus, Pierce’s selection was earlier than expected. In addition, the Colts completely overlooked their need for interior offensive linemen.
Overall, Indianapolis did not draft to its needs.
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Miami Dolphins
Miami went into the 2022 draft with little draft capital. They were left with four total selections after the blockbuster acquisition of Tyreek Hill.
With few selections to work with, the Dolphins had to pick to their needs. They did not do that; their need for help on the offensive line was ignored.
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Jacksonville Jaguars
Among the biggest losers from the AFC, Jacksonville’s draft was not too bad.
For example, the Jags’ second first-round selection of Devin Lloyd was a fantastic pick.
Devin Lloyd (27th, Jacksonville) came into the day as a projected 19½ pick (but faded to the over up to -150). Still, bettors had to lay -1200 he would make the first round…#DUUUVAL #NFLDraft #NFLDraft2022 #NFLTwitter #GamblingTwitter
— BetUS Pro Football (@BetUSProFB) April 29, 2022
In addition, adding another LB, Chad Muma, in the third round was another good pick.
Ultimately, using the No. 1 pick on Travon Walker is still a huge risk.
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Las Vegas Raiders
Vegas started the draft with a bang. The Raiders got tremendous value with their third-round pick, taking Dylan Parham. The Raiders followed that with more solid selections from the fourth round to the fifth. In the sixth and seventh rounds, Las Vegas had mediocre selections.
Performing well in the early rounds matters the most, which gives the Raiders a solid draft class. However, the AFC crushed the 2022 NFL Draft. Even a solid class from Vegas falls into the loser category.
AFC Winners in 2022 NFL Draft
Now, let’s look at the opposite end of the spectrum. The biggest AFC winners had masterful drafting performances.
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Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens could have the best draft. Baltimore addressed its needs while also getting great value with each pick.
The fit value of the Kyle Hamilton selection in the first round was terrific.
Tough scene for Kyle Hamilton (14th, Baltimore) — thought to go as high as 6½ last month (and bet to the under), Hamilton fell to 12½ and was still priced -160 to the under…#RavensFlock #NFLDraft #NFLDraft2022 #NFLTwitter #GamblingTwitter
— BetUS Pro Football (@BetUSProFB) April 29, 2022
The Ravens’ next three picks — Tyler Linderbaum, David Ojabo, and Travis Jones — all checked the same boxes. Overall, this was an elite performance from Baltimore’s front office.
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New York Jets
The Jets selecting Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, and Jermaine Johnson all made perfect sense.
In addition, New York had another good day in the second third rounds. The additions of Breece Hall and Jeremy Ruckert will give Zach Wilson even more weapons to work with.
They had only one selection on day three, but the Jets’ picks from the first through the third round were fantastic.
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Kansas City Chiefs
While the Chiefs had a great first round by adding Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis, their selections on day two of the draft could be better.
Skyy Moore and Bryan Cook in the second round were both great fits. Kansas City’s offense is the perfect spot for Moore’s skillset — a well-versed slot receiver.
Talked to Coach Reid about their second round pick, WR Skyy Moore – the @Chiefs have had one of the best overall #NFLDraft weekends and it’s not unreasonable to think Skyy Moore could be an OROY contender next season… #chiefskingdom!! Also this was 🙏🏼 to me. @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/hUciO1vAq0
— cynthia frelund (@cfrelund) April 30, 2022
The Chiefs continued to draft well for the rest of the draft. Kansas City had one of the NFL’s best 2022 drafts.
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Tennessee Titans
Titans fans were miserable after Tennessee traded AJ Brown to kick off the 2022 NFL draft. However, they immediately snagged Treylon Burks in the first round.
On day two, the Titans had some of the best picks in the second and third rounds. Their third-round selections of Nicholas Petit-Frere and Malik Willis were fantastic.
Both slid a bit, giving Tenessee great value in the third round. Willis could be the best QB in the 2022 class, sitting behind Ryan Tannehill for one season could be perfect.
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Los Angeles Chargers
What an offseason it’s been for Los Angeles. Not only did the Chargers do well in free agency by adding Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson, but they also had a great 2022 draft.
Instead of taking a shiny, attractive pick in the first round, they made the mature selection by taking the guard Zion Johnson. Los Angeles also got great value in the sixth round with another guard, Jamaree Salyer. The Bolts have quickly put together an above-average offensive line.
The Chargers’ selection of Isaiah Spiller, the RB from Texas AM, in the fourth round is another pick that stands out. Los Angeles had a draft full of addressing needs while getting good value with each pick.
Most of the NFL’s best drafts in 2022 came from the AFC. As a whole, the AFC had a very good draft, just like their moves in free agency.
Now that NFL rosters are nearly rounded into form, the picture for next season looks clear. Take your pick for Super Bowl 57 at BetUS Sportsbook.
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