The Draft Network NFL Draft Big Board

Fighting Irish

Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton might just be the best NFL draft prospect I’ve personally studied since entering into the draft space in 2014. This is a unicorn-caliber player who is physically capable of executing a slew of roles and responsibilities and the Notre Dame program did a terrific job accentuating his versatility and allowing him to shine on all three levels of their defense. Hamilton’s football IQ and instincts are simply on another level, too. He sees the game differently and that allows him to play the game with a rare patience before calling upon elite physical skills to transition and drive to the football.

Hamilton’s youth trainer credits him with a 40” vertical, an 11’ broad jump, and ‘the fastest (electronic) 10-yard split I’ve ever timed at my facility’ at the age of 18 when he left for the Irish program. Keep your binoculars handy when you watch him play, he’ll keep you busy searching for him on a play-by-play basis. One game studied featured Hamilton’s first few snaps that involved playing coverage on the punt team, aligning in the nickel and pushing to the flat, driving to deep middle of the field coverage, aligning as a stack player and playing robber, and then aligning as an end man on the line of scrimmage in a pressure look.

He’s an elite tackler, offers tremendous range, and allowed his ball skills to shine in 2021 before an injury cut short his season as a junior and cost him the second half of the Irish’s season. NFL teams will have the luxury of plugging him into their secondary and getting an immediate upgrade and an impact player; be it fitting the box from deep alignments, man or zone coverage from the nickel or as a part of pressure packages prowling the line of scrimmage.

Hamilton can do it all and should be considered a defensive weapon that is given as many roles as a team can craft for him. He shouldn’t leave the field on defense in any personnel grouping thanks to his IQ and physical versatility and elite size for the safety position. For my money, this is the most physically talented player in the class and, as previously mentioned, is on the short-list for my best prospects since 2014.

Ideal role: Defensive weapon

Scheme tendencies: Creative system that moves players and manufactures personnel advantages in critical down and distance situations

Wolverines

Michigan EDGE defender Aidan Hutchinson is the prototype. When you’re building out a 4-3 defensive end prospect and assembling the required tools for a dominant player, the end result will look a lot like No. 97 in maize and blue. Hutchinson, a second-generation Wolverine whose father, Chris, played for Michigan from 1989 to 1992 (team MVP in 1992), plays with the kind of motor and passion that leave little doubt about his enthusiasm for the game. But that effort becomes a special product when you appreciate it paired with one of the most dynamic athletic profiles eligible for the 2022 NFL Draft.

Hutchinson is a member of The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman’s Freak’s List; highlighted by a 135 lb. Turkish Get Up. Length, power, fundamentals, effort, and speed are all hallmarks of Hutchinson’s profile, leaving little doubt that he is one of the top prospects this season. Having fully realized his potential as a college prospect, I have no qualms about projecting him into any kind of defensive system. Odd or even front teams will have a home for him, as he’s proven to be equally dynamic coming out of two and three-point releases at the snap. Teams with NASCAR personnel or 5-0 pressure packages will enjoy having the luxury of moving Hutchinson around the front in order to try to craft ideal mismatches in pass-rush situations.

He’s experienced playing OLB, base end, 4i, 3T, and even in a 0T alignment during the course of his career at Michigan. Hutchinson is a presumed “plug and play” prospect thanks to his refined hand usage and his understanding of how to deconstruct blocks at the point of attack. The sky’s the limit.

Ideal role: Primary pass rusher, every-down defensive end

Scheme tendencies: Multiple front, blitz-heavy system with several alignments in the box for rush personnel/base packages

Wolfpack

Ikem Ekwonu earned the opportunity to start at left tackle for North Carolina State as a true freshman in 2019 and he quickly developed into one of the most dynamic blockers in the country. His tenacity, size, devastating power at the point of attack, and football intelligence position him well to become an entrenched starter in the NFL. The toughness and physicality of his NFL team will immediately be improved with his addition.

Ekwonu took a notable step forward in 2021 but he does have room to grow when it comes to weight distribution, taking away inside pass rush moves, and occasionally being too aggressive, which leads to blocks not being sustained long enough. Ekwonu hails from a family of athletes. His twin brother plays linebacker at Notre Dame, his father played college basketball in Nigeria, and his mother was a track star in high school. Ekwonu wrestled in high school in addition to his time on the gridiron. Ekwonu has the makings of a year-one impact starter with Pro Bowl potential by year three.

Ideal Role: Starting left tackle

Scheme Fit: Wide zone rushing attack but he’s a universal scheme fit

Ducks

Kayvon Thibodeaux is a former No. 1 ESPN 100 player when entering the University of Oregon. Upon arriving, he earned countless honors and awards including the Morris Trophy and Pac-12 Championship Game MVP while also earning All-American and All-Pac-12 status in nearly every publication.

Thibodeaux is a very good athlete with regards to explosion and agility. In the passing game, he has an explosive first step and demonstrates very good ability to counter if he doesn’t win with his initial move. He rushes with good instincts and feel and has shown an uncanny ability to set linemen up throughout the game. In the run game, he plays with heavy hands and does a good job holding the point of attack. He should improve the consistency in which he disengages but plays with high effort, motor, and emotional endurance.

Ideal Role: Starting EDGE defender

Scheme Fit: Can play in an even or odd front. He’d ideally add more mass to his frame if drafted by a 4-3 team.

Crimson Tide

Evan Neal is a former 5-star recruit out of IMG academy. Neal possesses a large frame, measuring in at 6-foot-6 and 360 pounds. Neal uses his massive frame and power to move defenders off the line of scrimmage when run blocking. Neal excels at playing in a phone booth and uses his weight to wear defenders down. In his pass sets, he uses his body mass and length to force defenders to run around him and out of the way of the quarterback.

This year, Neal made the transition from RT to LT which seems to be a successful one and one that seems more natural for him. He uses his natural spatial awareness to take away the inside move for defenders and force them around him. Neal has the natural skill set of a right tackle but seems more comfortable at left tackle. This versatility will give more value throughout the draft process and make him a day-one starter in the NFL.

Ideal Role: A dominant run blocking RT

Scheme Fit: A downhill power scheme that allows him to use his rare combination of size and power to punish defensive lineman.

Tigers

Derek Stingley Jr. is a former 5-star recruit who was ranked as the No. 1 player in the 2019 recruiting class. Stingley Jr. splashed onto the scene, starting as a true freshman for the 2019 National Champion LSU Tigers. Stingley Jr. was an impact player for the Tigers, leading the team with six interceptions and also showing his physicality by accounting for more than 30 tackles. Stingley Jr.’s 2020 and 2021 seasons have been inconsistent at best due to a bevy of coaching changes and missing games due to injuries. Stingley Jr. has elite speed and fluid hips that allow him to match wide receivers step for step in and out of breaks while also possessing a rare instinctual ability to intercept passes thrown his way. Stingley Jr.’s elite athleticism and rare ball skills make him a generational talent at cornerback.

Ideal Role: Stingley Jr. will be best served as an outside corner matched up with the opposing team’s best WR. Stingley Jr. will be able to use his length, athleticism, and speed to match up with the most athletic boundary WRs.

Scheme Fit: Press-man scheme where he can use his strength to press WRs and disrupt the timing of opposing offenses. He can play in schemes where there are zone concepts integrated so he can get on the quarterback and use his instincts to intercept passes.

Tigers

Andrew Booth Jr. came to Clemson with a 5-star recruiting status and as an academic standout. His contributions to the program met expectations. He offers an exciting blend of size, athleticism, instincts, physicality, ball skills, and competitive toughness that give him the makeup of an impact starter at the next level. He is a fiery competitor on the field that plays with an alpha mentality.

When it comes to areas of growth, Booth Jr. can clean up some missed tackles and improve in zone coverage. While he’s never passive as a tackler, there are instances where he leaves his feet with too much distance between himself and the ball-carrier or isn’t under enough control to finish. In zone coverage, he can do a better job of squeezing routes and coming off his landmarks when necessary.

In year one, Booth Jr. has the ability to compete for a starting role and has the makings of a high-level impact starter by year two or three. He is a versatile player that can execute in any coverage technique and has no matchup restrictions. He could even warrant some situational opportunities to play in the slot given his quickness and willingness to trigger and fit the run closer to the box.

Ideal Role: Starting outside corner

Scheme Fit: Scheme-versatile but best in man

Seminoles

A 4-star recruit from Minneapolis, Jermaine Johnson II began his career in the JUCO ranks where he played from 2017-2018 before transferring to Georgia for 2019-2020 and finishing his career at Florida State in 2021. After flashing at Georgia in a rotational role, Johnson became one of the most impactful defensive playmakers in the nation with Florida State in 2021.

Watching the Seminoles’ defense in 2021, it was abundantly clear that Johnson was the best player on the field and he made an impact every week and in the most critical points of the game. As a pass rusher, Johnson is quick off the ball, has terrific length, a variety of rush moves, takes good angles, and relentlessly pursues the quarterback. As a run defender, Johnson is an exceptional processor that is stout at the point of attack, understands how to respond to blocking schemes, effectively stacks and sheds blocks, and is a consistent finisher. There are very few limitations with Johnson’s game and he’s a balanced defender against the run and pass with appeal in any scheme.

The biggest question Johnson had to answer in 2021 was what type of impact he could make in a featured role and he absolutely aced the test. Overall, Johnson has good size, athleticism, technique, and functional strength while playing the game with tremendous urgency and features a high football IQ. Johnson has the makings of an impact starter at the next level.

Ideal Role: 4-3 defensive end, 3-4 outside linebacker

Scheme Fit: Any

Crimson Tide

Jameson Williams is an Ohio State transfer that saw minimal playing time due to a loaded WR room. He transferred to the Alabama program this year and emerged as a top WR for the program. In a year where there was inexperience amongst the Alabama receiver corps, Williams has emerged as the No. 1 guy.

Williams is a smooth route-runner that has the quickness to win early in route progressions and quickly makes himself available for the quarterback. He’s a quick accelerator that pushes routes vertical then has the ability to sink his hips and quickly snap off routes. Excels at running deep routes. He understands how to properly leverage defenders on deep routes and then make a cut and use his speed to run away from them. Williams is a big play waiting to happen that seamlessly made the transition into the Alabama offense.

Ideal Role: As a Z or slot where he can use his quickness to get open quickly

Scheme Fit: In a spread system that aligns him in the slot or runs bunch sets that he can get free releases.

Bearcats

Ahmad Gardner was a wiry, 160-pound high school recruit that was overlooked by the top Big Ten schools in the recruiting process but developed into one of the best cornerbacks in college football and a top NFL prospect. Since joining the Bearcats, Gardner has filled out his frame and became a standout starter as a true freshman.

Gardner is a long and athletic corner that can function in a variety of coverage techniques but his best work comes in zone and press coverage. He is a feisty competitor with excellent coverage instincts and he has above average ball skills. When it comes to areas of concern at the next level, there can be some drag-down tendencies as a tackler—his high hips elongate his ability to trigger and drive downhill and he needs to trust his athleticism more and not be so grabby in coverage.

Gardner has the makeup of an NFL starter that could claim that role in year two if not year one. He has every necessary trait to develop into an above average starter for an NFL defense and his high-level play across three seasons in college sets him up well for success at the next level.

Ideal Role: Starting Outside Corner

Scheme Fit: Zone Coverage

Bulldogs

Georgia’s Travon Walker is an exciting defensive lineman who offers rare athleticism and versatility along the defensive front. Walker, a former 5-star recruit and high school basketball star, has been a mainstay for the Bulldogs in his three-year career but has taken his game to the next level as a junior. Walker has outstanding size and length for the position and pairs those attributes together with rare athleticism.

As a pass rusher, Walker displays rare get-off and explosion off the snap. He can easily win edges and shoot through gaps with his explosive and quick-twitch movements. He flashes very good power at the point of attack and has a terrific long arm, which he utilizes to knock back and shock offensive tackles. Walker primarily wins with quickness and speed-to-power as a pass rusher, failing to show consistent hand counters and secondary rush moves. In the run game, Walker sets a firm edge with a strong lock-out and anchor. He has outstanding lateral pursuit and consistently makes plays across the line of scrimmage or down the field with excellent effort. He struggles to get off blocks at times and can be slow tracking the football.

All in all, Walker has rare athletic upside with position versatility but needs to develop into more of an impact player to warrant as high of a pick as his athletic traits suggest.

Ideal Role: Versatile defensive lineman who can win as an edge or along the interior.

Scheme Fit: A multiple front scheme that is willing to move him around the LOS to create advantageous matchups.

Aggies

Kenyon Green is a former 5-star recruit out of the state of Texas. Green became an immediate starter for the Aggies and has notched more than 35 starts in his three-year career. Green is an experienced starter that has played multiple positions along the offensive line—every position but center.

Green has natural functional strength that he uses to become a true road grader in the run game. Offensive coordinators will find it beneficial to call run plays that follow behind Green’s path. As a pass protector, Green possesses quickness that he uses to mirror defenders and become a dominant interior pass protector. Green is a versatile offensive lineman that has amassed a ton of experience throughout his career. Green has the athleticism and physical temperament to become an instant starter and a future All-Pro offensive lineman.

Ideal Role: Green can play both guard positions and RT

Scheme Fit: Scheme-versatile

Hawkeyes

Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum projects as a high-level starting center at the NFL level. It does not appear as though Linderbaum has the functional skill set to be a positionally flexible player—I consider him a center-exclusive prospect coming out of Iowa, which may temper his value in the eyes of teams at the top of the NFL draft order. But for the product that you’re investing in, you’ll likely find Linderbaum to be well worth the cost. He is a highly polished, highly cerebral, and dynamic weapon on the offensive line that presents some unique traits that could make him a game-changer in the middle of your offensive front.

Coming into Linderbaum’s evaluation, I expected to regard him as a wide-zone-exclusive fit that would make sense for the coaches off the Shanahan tree. But in reality, Linderbaum offers better functional strength than some of his contemporaries, such as former NC State center Garrett Bradbury (2019 NFL Draft, Minnesota Vikings). Linderbaum, a former high school wrestler who came to Iowa City as a defensive tackle and transitioned to the offensive side of the football after his true freshman season with Iowa, has steadily developed and improved in all phases and now finds himself as the latest product of the Iowa Hawkeyes’ offensive line factory.

Linderbaum is still best projected to the Shanahan systems but I have enough belief in his tools that I wouldn’t consider him a scheme-exclusive candidate; he’s done well in his limited situations to handle high volume passing situations and has shown the ability to apply his wrestling background to sit down on rushes and anchor in the middle. But when you can run the ball and stay involved in the screen game, Linderbaum allows you to execute calls that are unique based on the landmarks you can ask him to hit relative to his peers at the position. I’d expect some level of growing pains early on given his stature and reach and learning to apply those things at the NFL level, but I do think in time this is a Pro Bowl-caliber center who should serve as an offensive line keystone for several contracts.

Ideal role: Starting center

Scheme tendencies: Wide zone, play-action pass-heavy, screen-heavy

Bulldogs

Georgia’s Devonte Wyatt has been a four-year contributor for the Bulldog defense and has improved with each season. As a senior, Wyatt has seemingly put everything together and had a breakout season, which has earned him a trip to the Senior Bowl. Wyatt is an excellent athlete inside, displaying quickness and burst to penetrate gaps. He is a disruptive interior rusher with the quickness to win the edges inside and shoot gaps.

Wyatt plays with good balance and has excellent change of direction and lateral mobility. He has very good speed overall to cross offensive linemen’s faces and is excellent with his hands, showing an ability to tie rush moves together inside. Wyatt is susceptible to power in the running game and there are times he loses gap integrity, especially when forced to face double teams. He has just average power overall and wins primarily with his first-step quickness and motor.

A versatile defender, Wyatt can align anywhere along the line of scrimmage. having had success playing 0-tech all the way to rushing outside at 7-tech. A player whose best football is still ahead of him, Wyatt has the size, length, pass rush instincts, and athleticism to develop into a consistent interior rusher at the next level.

Ideal Role: Three-down interior defensive lineman who has positional versatility.

Scheme Fit: Even front 3-technique.

Utes

Devin Lloyd is a fifth-year junior who aligns at LB for Ute defense. He has good athleticism, quickness, and agility. The passing game is an area in which he improved from 2020 to 2021. My initial assessment pegged him as a two-down linebacker, however, he has had some on-the-ball production which has solidified his ability to remain on the field in sub-package situations.

In the passing game, he can rush from inside or outside, and while he shows some stiffness in space, he can still get depth in his zone drop, come up, and tackle underneath. He has also proven in 2021 that he can get home in pass-rush situations from various alignments. In the run game, he’s a thumper who plays downhill and physical. He has a heavy run lane anchor and has good tackling efficiency in the box. He’s a downhill player who is among the nation’s leaders in TFLs. He uses his agility inside to defeat blockers and find the football. He has been productive in the box when he can quickly diagnose the run.

On third downs, he has proven that he can remain on the field on passing downs and projects as a productive special teams player if necessary.

Ideal Role: Starting OLB in the NFL

Scheme Fit: 4-3 defense but would progress to suffice in a 3-4 as well.

Bulldogs

Charles Cross is a redshirt sophomore that has started the past two seasons for Mississippi State. Cross has logged more than 20 starts at LT for the Bulldogs. Cross is an exceptional athlete with a great initial first step that makes it difficult for edge rushers to beat him around the edge. He is a fluid athlete in the open field, making it easy to redirect and match defenders’ counter moves. In the NFL, Cross’ best position will be as a left tackle who can athletically match up with some of the best edge rushers in the NFL. Cross lacks the true strength at the point of attack to be a dominant run defender, but in the right offense, he will be a great pass protector.

Ideal Role: Starting left tackle (primary role to pass protect).

Scheme Fit: Zone-blocking scheme where his primary role is to cut off the backside of plays.

Wolverines

Daxton Hill is a versatile defender who has been very productive throughout his three-year tenure with the Wolverines. A highly touted recruit with NFL bloodlines, Hill stepped on campus with big expectations and has certainly lived up to them. Hill will align at various roles in the Michigan defense but he does his best work playing single-high safety or as a nickel defender in the slot. He is a smooth and efficient mover in coverage and has very good straight-line speed.

In zone coverage, Hill flashes excellent eyes, instincts, and awareness to peel off his zone and locate the ball and make a play. He has good short-area quickness and closing burst to make plays on the football or tackle anything completed in front of him. Hill flashes good range playing single-high and can make plays red line to red line.

While Hill has good overall athleticism to be an effective man cover player both playing high safety and in the slot, he can get lazy in his transitions and can be slow to open up and run, leaving separation between him and the receiver. Additionally, while Hill is tough and ultra-competitive both in the passing game and in run support, his lack of size and strength leave him at a disadvantage at the catch point as well as playing in the box.

Ideal Role: Starting free safety with the ability to play nickel

Scheme Fit: Cover 1 or Cover 3

Buckeyes

Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave is one of college football’s most refined route-runners. A true route technician, Olave has illustrated high levels of football IQ and is the latest product of an Ohio State Buckeyes program that is churning out high-level prospects under the watch of wide receivers coach Brian Hartline.

Olave lacks the physical stature to be a dominant possession receiver in traffic and his worst moments do seem to come when contested or looking to high-point footballs in traffic, but an accurate passer will be able to feed him the football on schedule and allow Olave’s high-end separation skills to shine in the pro game. Olave took advantage of a higher market share of targets in 2020 and was the clear and obvious preferred target of quarterback Justin Fields in the passing game, alongside teammate Garrett Wilson. Those trends continued in 2021 with a young quarterback in C.J. Stroud taking over the offense and Olave has continued to shred opposing defenses on his way to setting the OSU career record for receiving touchdowns.

Olave’s route-running and releases will offer him a strong chance to translate to just about any passing system in the league—it will be more so a preference of whether or not Olave plays inside or outside depending on team-by-team preferences for measurables on the perimeter. Expectations for Olave should fall in line with some of the other successful rookies in recent years: an immediate impact player on his new team once he finds out his landing spot.

Ideal role: Featured receiver

Scheme tendencies: Vertical offense, shallow crossers, option routes, play-action kill shots

Trojans

Drake London is a former multi-sport standout who has also competed on the USC basketball team, and that skill set has certainly transferred over to the field. He is an excellent athlete with regards to jumping ability, body control, and agility for a big receiver. In the run game, he has the potential to be a dominant run blocker due to his toughness, length, and competitive spirit.

He is surprisingly very good as a runner after the catch. In the passing game, he is excellent. He has outstanding body control and agility as a route-runner and uses his bigger frame to “big boy” smaller receivers. He is excellent in contested-catch situations and uses his strong hands to secure the football in traffic. His separation ability at the top of the route is sufficient but bigger receivers should be assessed differently than shorter, more agile ones. He is a downfield threat in the passing game and even if the corner is in phase, London will likely win the contested-catch situation. While he has played outside, playing this receiver as a big slot or off the ball at Z could free him to maximize his outstanding physical ability.

Ideal Role: Starting Outside WR

Scheme Fit: Vertical passing offense

Panthers

Trevor Penning is a good athlete with good explosion and agility to get out on the perimeter. In the run game, he is a nasty and physical player. He has a savage temperament and has finished several plays with the defender on the ground. He is extremely powerful at the point of attack and gets consistent vertical movement in the run game. However, due to his size and inability to bend extremely well, leverage issues are of slight concern against smaller edge defenders.

In the passing game, he has been a dominant player in the Missouri Valley Conference. He bends a little at the waist which gets him in trouble at times. He had a couple instances of struggling with the hard inside move by quicker defenders. Although he is a good athlete overall, when he has to move laterally, he has shown instances of struggling. He doesn’t bend exceptionally well, which results in him bending at the waist at times. When his posture isn’t good, it affects his balance while in his pass set. However, he has a powerful punch and is virtually impossible to bull rush. He demonstrates very good length and range and could suffice in the NFL at left tackle. However, he may be a better fit on the right side.

Ideal Role: Starting Offensive Tackle

Scheme Fit: Power run scheme would suit his skillset best but could play in any scheme