Only three more days until the 2022 NFL Draft! All signs are pointing to this draft being the most unpredictable draft in years. Here is a quick list of my top 5 players at every position with an asterisk next to the players who the Commanders should be considering at #11 overall and a double asterisks next to the players who they should be considering at #47 overall.

QB:

1. Malik Willis, Liberty 1^st round
2. Sam Howell, UNC 1-2^nd round
3. Kenny Pickett, Pitt 1-2^nd round
4. Desmond Ridder, Cincy 2^nd round
5. Matt Corral, Ole Miss 2-3^rd round

RB:

1. Breece Hall**, Iowa ST 2^nd round
2. Kenneth Walker**, Mich ST, 2^nd round
3. Isiah Spiller**, Texas A&M 2-3^rd
4. Brian Robertson**, Alabama 2-3^rd
5. James Cook, Georgia**, 2-3^rd

WR:

1. Chris Olave* 1^st round
2. Garret Wilson* 1^st round
3. Treylon Burkes* 1^st round
4. Jameson Williams* 1^st round
5. Jahan Dotson 1-2^nd round

TE:

1. Jeremy Ruckert, OSU, 2-3rd round
2. Trey McBride, Colorado ST, 2-3rd round
3. Greg Dulcich, UCLA, 3-4th round
4. Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M, 4-5th round
5. Isiah Likely, Coastal Carolina, 4-6th round

OT:

1. Ikem Ekwonu, NC ST* Top 5
2. Evan Neal, Alabama* Top 10
3. Charles Cross, Miss ST 1^st round
4. Tyler Smith, Tulsa 1-2^nd round
5. Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa 2^nd round

IOL:

1. Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa* Top 10
2. Kenyon Green, Texas A&M 1^st round
3. Zion Johnson, BC 1^st round
4. Ed Ingram, LSU 2-3^rd round
5. Jamaree Sayler, Georgia 3-5^th round

DT:

1. Jordan Davis*, Georgia Top 5
2. Devonte Wyatt, Georgia Top 10
3. Perrion Winfrey**, Oklahoma 1-2^nd round
4. Travis Jones, UCONN 1-2^nd round
5. Logan Hall, Houston 2^nd round

EDGE:

1. Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon Top 5
2. Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan Top 10
3. George Karlaftis, Purdue 1^st round
4. Jermaine Johnson, Florida ST, 1^st round
5. Boye Mafe, Minnesota, 1-2^nd round

LB:

1. Nakobe Dean, Georgia, 1^st round
2. Devin Lloyd, Utah, 1-2^nd round
3. Chad Muma**, Wyoming 2^nd round
4. Christian Harris**, 2^nd round
5. Leo Chenal, 2-3^rd round

CB:

1. Ahmad Gardner*, Cincinnati, Top 5
2. Devin Stingley*, LSU Top 10
3. Trent McDuffey, Washington 1^st round
4. Kaiir Elam**, Florida 1^st round
5. Andrew Booth**, Clemson 1-2^nd round

S:

1. Kyle Hamilton*, ND Top 5
2. Jalen Pitre**, Baylor 1-2^nd round
3. Jaquan Brisker**, Penn ST 2^nd round
4. Daxton Hill**, Michigan 2^nd round
5. Lewis Cline, Georgia 2-3^rd round

Film notes:

1. This class is deep with edge rushers. It’s insane to think that edge rushers could go 1, 2, 3 in this draft but with Georgia’s Trayvon Walker now being rumored as the 1^st overall pick, that may become reality. The Lions have made it clear Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson is their favorite player on the board so if he is there at #2, they will not hesitate to select him. Thibodeaux has the highest pedigree being the #1 overall player coming out of high school but there are concerns about his work ethic and love for the game. Yet, he was still great at Oregon and should be a top 5 pick on his talent alone. Karlaftis is barely being talked about but he is a Ryan Kerrigan clone and should have a solid career. Boye Mafe was widely thought of as a day two pick but after his stellar senior bowl, some are thinking he may even go late in the 1^st round, especially if there is a run on edge rushers early. Michigan’s David Ojabo tore his ACL at his senior day but he should go day 2 and has just as much talent as anyone in the top 5. Also, it will be interesting to see where the Ole Miss’s Sam Williams (2021’s SEC sack leader) ends up on day 2.
   
   
2. While the WR class is deep, there is no true consensus #1 like Jamar Chase was last year. That being said, it will be interesting to see how many go in the 1^st round after the price tag on wide receiver position has skyrocketed this offseason (Christian Kirk 4yr/ $72m, Tyreek Hill 4yr/ $120m, Devonte Adams 5yr/ $140m). Many old-school GMs cannot stomach the thought of paying a player $30m+ a year who only touches the ball maybe 5-6 times a game. Not to mention, in today’s game, you need 3 or even 4 good pass catches for a successful offense and they are all useless if your QB can’t make the throws or make the right decisions… However, all this means that WRs on rookie deals are becoming the next best bargain next to QBs on rookie deals. If the WR you draft becomes a star (especially in the 1^st round with that 5th year option) you have 3-4 years to make a super team around him before you have to pay him. Teams like Green Bay and Kansas City just traded away their superstar WRs instead of paying those big contracts, so they will likely be in the hunt for WR (or two) early in this draft. Also, considering both of them have two 1^st round picks in the late 1^st, teams who need a WR may be forced to use an early pick on one instead of waiting until round 2 to see who falls (if any). There could be 6 or even 7 WRs selected on Thursday…
   
   
3. The offensive lineman in this class are mediocre at best. While I think Ekwonu, Neal, and Linderbaum could be studs, the rest of the bunch does not excite me. I expect those three to go off the board early and the rest day 2 or undrafted. The Commanders are lucky to have a decent offensive line because outside of those top 10 guys, it is slim pickings.
   
   
4. The QBs in this class are going to get some general managers fired. Kenny Pickett was clearly the most productive QB last year out of this bunch. However, he was somewhat of a one-year wonder, where his sophomore/ junior year were meh before he exploded this past year. Plus, he has a knack for leaving clean pockets for no reason. Malik Willis is the best athlete in the class along with arguably the strongest arm and can escape pressure like Mike Vick. However, he plays hero-ball to much, running backwards and throwing back across his body at bad angles which led to back-breaking interceptions. He is my favorite QB in the class but is one handful of a project. Sam Howell is somewhat of a mixture of Pickett and Willis. He has a strong arm and is a strong runner but he showed serious inaccuracy at times and looks more like a Taysom Hill type of QB, bulldozing linebackers and getting tough yards, than he does a pro-style QB who can deliver from the pocket. While the Commanders made a head-scratching move giving up a 3^rd round this year and soon-to-be 2^nd round pick in 2023 for a QB who most likely was going to be cut, it may have been worth it to avoid having to select someone from this QB class and potentially have the whole operation implode.
   
   
5. The Cornerbacks in this class are very good, deep, and somewhat underrated. Derek Stingley was widely considered to be best player in this draft before he had a lackluster 2021 riddled with injuries. However, his freshman year was one of the best years ever for college CB so if an NFL coach can harness that potential, he could be wearing a gold jacket one day. Cincy’s Sauce Gardiner is now widely considered to be the first CB to come off the board and after watching his film, you can see why. He was one of the only players to put the straps on Bama’s Jameson Williams this year plus he is one of the taller CBs in the class. Oh, and did I mention he didn’t give up a single TD his entire collegiate career? Washington’s McDuffie and Florida’s Kaiir Elam are not being talked about as much but they are going to help an NFL team’s secondary tremendously. The best way to stop a WR is with a lockdown corner. If teams are going to start loading up at WR either via the draft or by signing them to massive contracts, I can see their rivals loading up on CBs to combat them. I expect CBs to go much higher than what the NFL media is expecting.
   

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