The National Football League held their 2022 Draft in Las Vegas from Thursday night to Saturday night. The New England Patriots made one surprising pick in the first round, while the University of Georgia broke a record of players taken in the annual event.
New England with their first round pick (#29) took guard Cole Strange out of the University of Chattanooga. Strange was slated for at least a third round choice, and some said possibly fourth round. The Patriots went on to choose wide receiver Tyquan Thornton- Baylor (2nd rd, #50), cornerback Marcus Jones- Houston (3rd rd, #85), cornerback Jack Jones- Arizona State (4th rd, #121), running back Pierre Strong- South Dakota St. (4th rd, #127), quarterback Bailey Zappe- Western Kentucky (4th rd, #137), running back Kevin Harris- South Carolina (6th rd, #183), defensive tackle Sam Roberts- Northwest Missouri St. (6th rd, #200), guard Chasen Hines- LSU (6th rd, #210), and offensive lineman Andrew Stueber- Michigan (7th rd, #245). Jones from Houston has a chance to make an immediate impact at cornerback, and also is an elite punt and kick returner. Harris out of South Carolina was the RB1 for the Gamecocks, and carried the ball 337 times for 1,619 yards and 19 touchdowns over the past two seasons.
Only four quarterbacks were taken in the first 100 picks of this years draft, and 15 former Georgia Bulldogs were taken which is a record for seven rounds. Here is how it shook out for the top 10 players taken in the first round-
1. Travon Walker DE Georgia- Jacksonville
2. Aidan Hutchinson DE Michigan- Detroit
3. Derek Stingley Jr. DB LSU- Houston
4. Sauce Gardner CB Cincinnati- NY Jets
5. Kayvon Thibodeaux Edge Oregon- NY Giants
6. Ickey Ekwonu OT NC State- Carolina
7. Evan Neal OT Alabama- NY Giants
8. Drake London WR USC- Atlanta
9. Charles Cross OT Mississippi St- Seattle
10. Garrett Wilson WR Ohio St- NY Jets
