2022 NFL Draft Second-Day Values: Offense
2022 NFL Draft Day 2 Values: Offense | 2022 NFL Draft Day 2 Values: Defense
2022 NFL Draft Potential Busts: Offense | 2022 NFL Draft Potential Busts: Defense
2022 NFL Draft Day-Three Sleepers
Published April 21, 2022.
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell
In the recent weeks, there have been a lot of questions about who are my value picks in the 2022 NFL Draft class. A value or sleeper prospect is basically a player who gets drafted after the first round and proves to be a steal. The second day of the draft is where the men are separated from the boys among NFL general managers. All the players have strengths and flaws, but the top evaluators find future starters and team building blocks on Day 2.
Every year, I pick my favorite second-day values. In case the player I picked goes in the first round, I started picking two players in case one is a surprise first-round pick. If a player goes in the first round, I should not get credit for calling them a second-day value pick if they pan out. Here is my track record starting in 2008, going back to my time with Pewter Report.
2008: Brandon Flowers, CB, Virginia Tech
2009: Mike Wallace, WR, Ole Miss
2010: Brian Price, DT, UCLA and Brandon Spikes, ILB, Florida
2011: Justin Houston, OLB, Georgia
2012: Derek Wolfe, DL, Cincinnati
2013: Larry Warford, G, Kentucky
2014: Jeremy Hill, RB, LSU
2015: Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M and Ronald Darby, CB, Florida State
2016: Jaylon Smith, LB, Notre Dame and Sheldon Day, DT, Notre Dame
2017: Gerald Everett, TE, South Alabama and Akhello Witherspoon, CB, Colorado
2018: Terrell Edmunds, S, Virginia Tech and Arden Key, DE, LSU
2019: Darnell Savage, S, Maryland and Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina
2020: Cam Akers, RB, Florida State and Jordyn Brooks, LB, Texas Tech
2021: Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson; Aaron Robinson, CB, Central Florida; and Dayo Odeyingbo, DE, Vanderbilt
2022: Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State and Lewis Cine, S, Georgia
My top candidates this year were North Dakota State wide receiver Christian Watson, Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean, Georgia safety Lewis Cine and Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson.
Overall, this list is very strong, with a few exceptions like the pairs in 2015 and 2016. I definitely hit on Brandon Flowers, Mike Wallace, Justin Houston, Derek Wolfe, Larry Warford, Jaylon Smith, Ronald Darby and Deebo Samuel. Last year, I selected three players because I thought it was likely that either Etienne or Robinson would go in the first round. Here is a breakdown of a top day-two value prospect at each offensive position for the 2022 NFL Draft. All the players will be prospects who are likely going on the second day of the 2022 NFL Draft. If a player is a possible late first-round pick, I generally don’t include them as an option.
Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina While Howell does not blow away evaluators from a size, athleticism, or arm strength perspective, he is a natural football player with passing instincts and feel. The 6-foot, 220-pounder is a confident signal-caller who can pick apart defenses and is very efficient at spreading the ball to his playmakers. There is no doubt that Howell is an accurate passer. Regularly, Howell places his ball well, putting it in position for his receiver to make catches while avoiding putting the pass in danger of being intercepted. While he is a natural passer, Howell is a good athlete with enough quickness to get yardage on the ground. With mobility and athleticism, Howell is able to buy time and escape sacks. Howell will slide to the second day of the 2022 NFL Draft because his skill set is not dominant or overwhelming. Of the 2022 NFL Draft quarterback prospects, however, Howell could be the sleeper who ends up turning into a competent starter and a nice value on Day 2.
2021: Kyle Trask
2020: None
2019: Clayton Thorson
2018: Luke Falk
2017: Pat Mahomes
2016: Christian Hackenberg
2015: Garrett Grayson
2014: Teddy Bridgewater
Dameon Pierce, RB, Florida With his skill set, Pierce (5-9, 220) is a sleeper who could have three-down starting potential. Pierce is a hard-nosed back who runs angry and often brings pain to defenders who try to tackle him. Coming downhill, Pierce shows serious aggression to plow through defenders and power through them to continue to add yards. Even though Pierce is a powerful runner, he is not a slow plodder, as he has some quickness. In the passing game, Pierce is a nice back to serve as an outlet receiver. He is smooth in space and has soft, reliable hands. As a pro, he could be a solid contributor as a receiver and should be a treasure as a blocker. At the Senior Bowl, Pierce put on display his superb blocking ability.
In the 2022 NFL Draft, Pierce could go as high as the second round and as low as the fourth round. It all depends on how teams feel about his speed. Pierce could start out his career as a backup rotational back, but he is a sleeper who could evolve into being a quality starter.
2021: Travis Etienne
2020: Cam Akers
2019: Damien Harris
2018: Ronald Jones
2017: Alvin Kamara
2016: C.J. Prosise
2015: T.J. Yeldon
2014: Jeremy Hill
Isaiah Likely, TE, Coastal Carolina Likely is a solid receiving tight end who could be a valuable contributor and a mismatch problem for defense. He is a good athlete with the speed to generate separation from coverage, and he is a quality route runner. Likely has a nice burst out of his breaks to create space from defenders and get open for his quarterback. As a blocker, Likely has room for improvement for the NFL. He should add strength because he can struggle to sustain blocks, and he could stand to show more willingness to block.
In the NFL, Likely could be a good F – movement – tight end to contribute to a passing attack. Given his size and blocking limitations, however, he will have to work in a platoon with a Y – blocking – tight end. Likely still brings lots of versatility as he can also line up as an h-back or wide receiver. He can serve as a chess piece who can be moved around to create mismatches for his offense. Likely could go on the second day of the 2022 NFL Draft and turn into a valuable weapon as a pro.
2021: Tre’ McKitty
2020: Adam Trautman
2019: Irv Smith Jr.
2018: Ian Thomas
2017: Gerald Everett
2016: Austin Hooper
2015: Clive Walford
2014: Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State There is a lot to like about Dotson for the NFL because he is dynamic receiving weapon. Dotson is a dangerous playmaker who is a threat to score and rip off long gains on any reception. With his speed off the line and second gear, Dotson is fast through his route with burst out of his breaks to consistently create separation. Dotson is dangerous on double moves as his route running and suddenness allow him to get open downfield while challenging defenses vertically. Dotson is a superb, natural hands catcher who is very reliable at securing ball.
Dotson shows an uncanny ability to make leaping grabs and routinely haul in highlight-reel acrobatic receptions. With excellent body control, leaping ability, and secure hands, he makes some incredible catches to bail out inaccurate passes. While Dotson is not a big wideout, his ability to make leaping grabs makes him dangerous on 50-50 passes while also giving his quarterback a larger catch radius than most small receivers. Dotson is a feisty player with a gritty and competitive style that energizes his team beyond his big-play ability.
In the NFL, Dotson could end up as a wide receiver of the caliber of T.Y. Hilton or Deebo Samuel. Dotson is my favorite value pick on the offensive side of the ball in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinnati Wide receivers with Pierce’s skill set of being big, fast, and productive don’t last long in the NFL drafts, and Pierce has special ability for the next level. Big receivers are a dime a dozen, but what sets Pierce (6-3, 213) apart from a typical big wideout is how much he can really run. Pierce has explosiveness and deep speed to get vertical. After a fast first-step, he has a second gear to accelerate down the field and stretch defenses over the top. Pierce can run by double coverage and create separation from defensive backs by beating them in a vertical race downfield. His speed and route-running skill allow him to consistently generate separation from defensive backs because he is very difficult to run with.
Pierce is an advanced route runner who doesn’t take extra steps and is sudden out of his breaks. Along with being a vertical threat, Pierce should be a good third-down weapon in the NFL given his ability to get open on intermediate routes. Pierce shows developed technique as a receiver as well. He tracks the ball well and uses late hands to reel in passes even with defenders close. At his stature, Pierce also presents a size mismatch versus defensive backs.
The knocks on Pierce from NFL sources are that he is a hair tight and is not an exceptional at picking up yards after the catch. The tightness is not surprising considering his size, and running after snagging the pass is something he can work on improving. For the NFL, Pierce could fit well as a X – split end – receiver who works along the sideline and challenges teams vertically. Pierce also can run crossing routes and work the middle of the field, so he could also play Z – flanker – receiver. In my opinion, Pierce is worthy of being an early second-round pick and will turn into a good NFL starter.
2021: Terrace Marshall Jr.
2020: Jalen Reagor
2019: Deebo Samuel
2018: Equanimeous St. Brown
2017: JuJu Smith-Schuster
2016: Tyler Boyd
2015: Justin Hardy
2014: Jared Abbrederis
Luke Goedeke, OT/G, Central Michigan There has been a good amount of hype about Central Michigan left tackle Bernhard Raimann, but in speaking with team sources, some of them like his former teammate Luke Goedeke more. As a run blocker, Goedeke has good technique and strength at the point of attack. He packs a punch and can rock defenders back with his strength. When Goedeke gets his hands on defenders, he stalls them out and keeps the from making plays by moving them at the point of attack.
Goedeke is reliable in pass protection. He has a strong anchor with the ability to sink his weight to stuff bull rushes. Goedeke could stand to continue to improve his feet to mirror speed rushers, and he can get himself in trouble when he lunges after fast defenders. With his lack of length, Goedeke could be a better fit on the inside at guard in the NFL.
2021: Liam Eichenberg
2020: Solomon Kindley
2019: Elgton Jenkins
2018: Braden Smith and Martinas Rankin
2017: Dan Feeney
2016: Nick Martin and Le’Raven Clark
2015: Cedric Ogbuehi
2014: Antonio Richardson
2022 NFL Draft Day 2 Values: Offense | 2022 NFL Draft Day 2 Values: Defense
2022 NFL Draft Potential Busts: Offense | 2022 NFL Draft Potential Busts: Defense
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