NFL Hot Press: Senior Bowl 2022 Rumors Friday

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Senior Bowl 2022 Rumors Friday

Updated Feb. 4, 2022
By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.

With all the general managers, coaches and scouts in attendance for the Senior Bowl there is a lot of chatter going around. Here are some of the highlights from around the league on Day 5 of the 2022 Senior Bowl week.

Many years, we see quarterback prospects rise as the NFL draft approaches. Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett is the consensus top quarterback and likely to be the first signal-caller drafted. Liberty’s Malik Willis, however, has impressed teams at the Senior Bowl with his powerful arm and athleticism. He could be a riser who ends up going as a top-20 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. NFL team sources shared with WalterFootball.com they believe the appropriate value for Willis and North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell are early in the second round. Given the demand for quarterbacks and teams pushing players up, both Willis and Howell have a real shot to go in the first round, especially Willis. Even though Willis and Howell are second-round-caliber players per many scouts’ grades from last fall, Willis and Howell to a lesser extent could be the rising quarterbacks this year.

An NFL team’s director of player personnel told WalterFootball.com their top-graded cornerback is Washington’s Trent McDuffie. They love his smooth cover skills, ability to run the route and instincts, and feel he is a natural football player. That director said they feel McDuffie is more polished and safer as a selection than LSU’s Derek Stingley or Cincinnati’s Ahmad Gardner. Stingley is getting branded as a buyer-beware prospect who is viewed as boom or bust by some team sources. His last season of good tape came from 2019, and he has been injured while also being inconsistent at times on the field otherwise. McDuffie could end up coming off the board before Stingley during the 2022 NFL Draft.

That same director said LSU linebacker Damone Clark was their highest-graded linebacker. Georgia’s Nakobe Dean and Utah’s Devin Lloyd have received more media hype, but some teams like Clark a lot more than those two and see him as the best linebacker for the 2022 NFL Draft. Other teams could have the order switched, but Clark has helped himself with his good week at the Senior Bowl.

The Carolina Panthers are in store for an interesting offseason as they try to figure out how to return to playoff contention. Last spring, Carolina traded for Sam Darnold, and after a good start, Darnold struggled for the majority of the 2022 season. The franchise is still searching for a true replacement for Cam Newton. Sources from other teams say the Panthers organization is complicated and bordering on dysfunctional. Head coach Matt Rhule has been on a power trip over the past two years, and he pushed out former general manager Marty Hurney. Owner David Tepper is meddlesome as well and stays involved in the football side. General manager Scott Fitterer has his hands full, and it sounds like a very challenging situation with Rhule trying to impose his will in all directions despite struggling to win games over the past two seasons.

Sources from around the league feel the Panthers would be much better off if Fitterer were given the power to build the roster and run the organization as he sees fit. Rhule had very little NFL experience when Tepper hired him away from Baylor, and Tepper comes from Wall Street. Fitterer and assistant general manager Dan Morgan have been in the NFL for decades. It will be interesting to see if Rhule is on the hot seat next season, but Rhule could become more competitive on Sundays by allowing the evaluators to build the roster to let him focus on coaching the players who are brought in.

Florida running back Dameon Pierce has been one of the stars of the 2022 Senior Bowl practices, and he has helped himself perhaps more than any other prospect in Mobile . On top of showing dynamic running ability, Pierce has interviewed extremely well with teams. He has a great team-first attitude and is smart, respectful and motivated. Sources say the Atlanta Falcons are very high on Pierce. I have also heard and seen that the Lions, Bills and Packers are all showing a lot of interest in Pierce.

The top of the 2022 NFL Draft could have some surprising picks because the class lacks clear-cut high first-rounders like Kyle Pitts, Ja’Marr Chase and Penei Sewell were a year ago. That disparity could make for some interesting selections at the top of the 2022 NFL Draft. Sources with Detroit indicated the organization is keeping its options open and giving a lot of consideration to a variety of directions to go with the second-overall pick.

The Lions are in a massive rebuilding project after their roster was decimated by former general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia. The team has big needs for help at wide receiver, edge rusher, linebacker, cornerback, safety, and a long-term quarterback. As a result, Detroit could go a lot of different directions at No. 2 overall, especially considering what the franchise’s draft class could look like as a group of players considering the team will have pick No. 31 or 32 to go along with pick No. 34.

By the sounds of it, the Lions are not head over heels in love with Michigan edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson or Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux. Washington felt that way about Chase Young in 2020, yet he went No. 2 overall. The 2022 NFL Draft is a strong year for edge rushers, and the Lions could find other good ends available at their later picks. Players like Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson, Georgia’s Travon Walker, and Penn State’s Arnold Ebiketie could be good values for Detroit in the early 30s.

If the Lions don’t take a pass rusher at No. 2, they could look to grab a No. 1 receiver. Some team sources feel USC’s Drake London could be a Mike Evans-type wideout, and that would obviously be quality value for the second pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Other receivers like Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson and Arkansas’ Treylon Burks could get consideration as well.

Cornerback is another position that could be in play for the Lions. Jeff Okudah, the third-overall pick from 2020, is nearing bust status and was a pick of Detroit’s prior regime. The organization could consider cornerbacks like Cincinnati’s Ahmad Gardner, LSU’s Derek Stingley and Washington’s Trent McDuffie. Even if Okudah turns things around in his third year, another corner would give the Lions a potential starting trio with Okudah and Amani Oruwariye.

Lions general manager Brad Holmes also said he would listen to trade offers to potentially move down. A lot of the teams picking in the top five would be interested in moving down, but there may not be a market of teams interested in trading up. That could force Detroit to stick and pick. While Hutchinson and Thibodeaux are candidates for the Lions, they are keeping their options open and might go another direction high in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

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