The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft is complete. 32 players have been selected, the names have been called and hope has sprung up in cities all across the NFL landscape. It was just as wacky as the offseason at large, and there were surprises all the way from Travon Walker to Lewis Cine.

 

Here are three winners and losers from the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

2022 NFL Draft first-round winners and losers

Honorable Mention: Tennessee Titans trade AJ Brown, draft Treylon Burks

The most insane development of the night also resulted in the least certain future for the team that pulled it off. Surely, when the dust fully settles in a year or two, the Titans will be somewhere on this list? There's really just no way to tell yet if this massive gamble by Titans GM Jon Robinson will pay off and they'll be a winner, or it won't and they'll be a loser. Robinson said that things got to a point where it was going to be incredibly difficult to make a breakthrough on contract negotiations with Brown, who ended up being given a four-year, $100 million contract by the Eagles.

If there was one receiver in this draft who seems like an AJ Brown clone, however, it's Treylon Burks, who the Titans ended up taking. In three years at Arkansas, Burks racked up 2,399 yards and 18 touchdowns on 146 catches. Sounds good, right? In 2021 alone, Burks posted numbers of 1,104 yards and 11 touchdowns on 66 catches, all of that coming with the highest yards per catch of any receiver in the country who got at least 100 targets.

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This combination of trading away a superstar along with potentially replacing him with an identical clone makes the water very muddy as to whether this works out for the Titans.

Winner: Jets select Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson

The Jets had two picks in the first round, at fourth and tenth overall, respectively, coming into the NFL Draft. There was buzz before Thursday night that they might use the 10th overall pick in a trade for San Francisco 49ers star Deebo Samuel, but that never materialized.

With the fourth pick, the Jets selected Sauce Gardner from Cincinnati, who was rated as the best cornerback by many pundits, and when he wasn't No. 1 he was always no. 2. Really the third and fourth picks were always going to be some combination of Gardner and Derek Stingley Jr., it was just in question as to which order.

Gardner was consistently one of the best corners in the nation at Cincinnati, most notably never giving up a single touchdown to the receiver he was covering in his entire career as a Bearcat. In addition, Gardner went the entire 2021 season without giving up a reception over 20 yards, which given the competition he played against last year is nothing short of insane

With their second pick, the Jets took advantage of the Falcons making Drake London the first receiver off the board to grab Garrett Wilson, who many think was the best receiver in the class. Near the end of the first round the Jets traded back up to grab Jermaine Johnson, who was, to most pundits, the best edge rusher outside of the trio of Travon Walker, Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Good business overall for Gang Green.

Loser: Packers select Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt, not a receiver

The Green Bay Packers got two excellent defensive players in Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt, but why they're listed here as a loser is simple. The Packers had one giant need that they didn't fill, and that's at receiver.

Three pass catchers left Green Bay this offseason, namely Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who signed with the Chiefs, Equanimeous St. Brown, who signed with the Bears, and most troubling of all, Davante Adams, who requested and was granted a trade to the Raiders. One receiver was brought in, Sammy Watkins, but this team still lacks a true No. 1 pass catcher, and they ignored it for back-to-back first-round picks.

That's why they're on this list, though they could remedy the situation in the second round of this NFL Draft.

Winner: Giants take Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal

The Giants are firmly in rebuild mode, and though the announcement that the team wouldn't be picking up quarterback Daniel Jones' fifth-year option raised questions as to whether either of their first-round picks would be used on a passer, the Giants smartly stuck to their gut and drafted the best player available at their two biggest positions of need.

There was a time when Thibodeaux was thought of as the surefire first overall pick, and Neal entered that discussion himself for a time as well. Both players have the potential to be franchise-changing players, and the Giants make this list for their realization of which needs were most pressing.

Loser: Commanders take Jahan Dotson

Jahan Dotson is a very good receiver, don't get me wrong, but what's puzzling about this pick is both that they decided to take a receiver and which one was still on the board. The Commanders could've easily taken their pick of any quarterbacks, all of whom were still on the board. They also could've shored up their offensive line more, or their defensive line if they felt so inclined.

Choosing to take a receiver isn't a particularly terrible choice by the Commanders, it just probably wasn't their position of biggest need, and Jahan Dotson also probably wasn't the best receiver left on the board. Notable receivers still there when the Commanders picked include Treylon Burks, Skyy Moore, Christian Watson and George Pickens. This is definitely the loser with the biggest likelihood of being a winner when the draft dust settles in a couple years time, however.

Winner: Chiefs select Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis

Sure, the Chiefs could've taken a receiver to help offset the loss of Tyreek Hill, but defense has long been the bigger issue for the Chiefs, and they grabbed the best player available at two impact positions. The Chiefs traded up for McDuffie, who was pretty much universally considered the best corner in the draft not named Sauce Gardner or Derek Stingley Jr., while Karlaftis was easily the best edge rusher left on the board. Smart business and sticking to your list of needs is always a good thing, and the Chiefs did just that.

Loser: Ravens select Tyler Linderbaum

Another case where a team grabs a very good player, but did so at the cost of ignoring other more pressing needs. Much like the Chiefs, the Ravens' biggest hole right now is on the defense, both on the line and in the secondary. Again, Linderbaum is very good and will definitely improve the offensive line, but it just doesn't seem like that was the best business for the Ravens to conduct.

Perhaps the Ravens felt there wasn't the right player for them left at either of those two spots, but with defensive linemen like Devonte Wyatt still there at 25 when the Ravens picked, it's fair to question that assessment. This is even without mentioning the trade of their best receiver in Hollywood Brown.