Breakdown of Daniel Jeremiah top 50 NFL draft prospects
NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah released his first ranking of the top 50 prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The first edition shows the depth of talent at several premium spots, as four position groups make up 28 of the 50 players. Edge rushers, offensive tackles, cornerbacks and wide receivers each have seven prospects in Jeremiah's rankings.
Here is a breakdown of how many players made Jeremiah's list by position:
- Edge rusher - Seven
- Offensive Tackle - Seven
- Cornerback - Seven
- Wide Receiver - Seven
- Defensive Tackle - Five
- Linebacker - Four
- Quarterback - Four
- Safety - Three
- Interior Offensive Line - Two
- Running Back - Two
- Tight End - Two
Jeremiah released his first mock draft last week, in which he projected the Giants to address both sides of the ball with their picks at No. 5 and No. 7.
With their first pick, the NFL Network analyst believes the Giants will address the offensive line with the selection of North Carolina State OT Ikem Ekwonu. Ekwonu comes in at No. 2 in Jeremiah's rankings.
"Ekwonu is a thick, powerful tackle prospect with a nasty play style," writes Jeremiah. "In pass protection, he carries his hands low but he delivers a quick, powerful punch to stun edge rushers. He is quick to kick out and handle speed on the edge, but he's had issues oversetting, resulting in pressures. He can sink his weight and absorb bull rushers. He is at his best in the run game. He rolls his hips on contact and uproots defenders with force. Ekwonu is quick out of his stance on pulls and delivers knockout shots at the second and third levels. He constantly blocks to and through the whistle. He's not a finished product in pass protection, but the tools are all there. Worst-case scenario, he slides inside and becomes a Pro Bowl-caliber guard."
Jeremiah then projected Utah LB Devin Lloyd to the Giants at No. 7. Lloyd is ranked No. 8 in his top 50.
"Lloyd is a tall, rangy linebacker with excellent versatility and production," says the draft analyst. "He split time between lining up on the edge and at inside linebacker. Against the pass, he can run and mirror TEs all over the field. He is very instinctive as a zone dropper, able to anticipate, drive and make plays on the ball. His ball skills are special for a linebacker. Lloyd is an effective blitzer off the edge, displaying a burst to close and wreak havoc in the backfield. Against the run, he plays downhill and uses his length to play off of blocks and collect tackles. He has excellent lateral range. He does have some stiffness in space, but is a reliable tackler. I love Lloyd's play speed, passion and aggression. He has Pro Bowl potential."
Here are the top 10 prospects in Jeremiah's rankings:
- Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan
- Ikem Ekwonu, OT, North Carolina State
- Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
- Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
- Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
- Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
- Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia
- Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
- Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
- Drake London, WR, Southern California
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah released his final edition of the top 50 prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft.
No. 50 Logan Hall, DT, Houston
No. 49 David Ojabo, EDGE, Michigan
No. 48 Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
No. 47 Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida
No. 46 Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State
No. 45 Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan
No. 44 Nik Bonitto, EDGE, Oklahoma
No. 43 Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan
No. 42 Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa
No. 41 Jalen Pitre, S, Baylor
No. 40 Matt Corral, QB, Mississippi
No. 39 Lewis Cine, S, Georgia
No. 38 Christian Harris, LB, Alabama
No. 37 Travis Jones, DT, Connecticut
No. 36 Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M
No. 35 Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington
No. 34 Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State
No. 33 Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan State
No. 32 Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson
No. 31 Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota
No. 30 Zion Johnson, IOL, Boston College
No. 29 Quay Walker, LB, Georgia
No. 28 Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State
No. 27 Tyler Linderbaum, IOL, Iowa
No. 26 Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
No. 25 Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State
No. 24 Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
No. 23 Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia
No. 22 Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
No. 21 Dax Hill, S, Michigan
No. 20 Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
No. 19 Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
No. 18 George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue
No. 17 Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia
No. 16 Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
No. 15 Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
No. 14 Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
No. 13 Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
No. 12 Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
No. 11 Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
No. 10 Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
No. 9 Jermaine Johnson II, EDGE, Florida State
No. 8 Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
No. 7 Drake London, WR, Southern California
No. 6 Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
No. 5 Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
No. 4 Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
No. 3 Ickey Ekwonu, OT, North Carolina State
No. 2 Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
No. 1 Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan
Mock Draft Tracker 3.0: Senior Bowl Week underway
Since playing their final game of the 2021 season and securing the fifth and seventh overall selections, the Giants have gone through the process of hiring a new general manager and head coach. Now, it's Senior Bowl Week. And, as the slogan goes, the draft starts in Mobile.
The annual college all-star game will be played on Saturday, but much of the evaluation takes place beforehand during the week of practices and interviews. Last year, the Senior Bowl broke its record with 106 players selected in the draft, representing 41 percent of the entire 2021 class. Over the past three drafts (2019-2021), 88.4 percent of the players made an active 53-man NFL roster at some point during their rookie season.
What happens this week in Alabama will surely affect draft boards around the league from the first round to the final pick. Here is a look at the pre-Senior Bowl projections for the Giants:
Pick for No. 5: Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State
Analysis: "There has been a lot of recent buzz around Ekwonu, whose stock is rising. He dominated at left tackle for the Wolfpack this season after playing some guard earlier in his career. Based on the 2021 tape, there's not much separating Ekwonu from Evan Neal, and I wouldn't be surprised if Ekwonu was the top tackle off the board in April. He has All-Pro potential as a run-blocker and as a pass-blocker."
Pick for No. 7: David Ojabo, OLB, Michigan
Analysis: "Ojabo can help the pass rush immediately. He had an incredibly impressive season, racking up 11 sacks and five forced fumbles while playing opposite my projected No. 1 pick, Aidan Hutchinson. He doesn't have Hutchinson's all-around game -- he has to get better against the run -- but as a pure pass-rusher, he has a very high ceiling. With these two top-seven selections, New York can get high-end starters on both sides of the ball."
Pick for No. 5: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
Analysis: "His balance will fade as the play progresses, but he has a rare mix of size, athleticism and flexibility to make plays in pass protection and the run game."
Pick for No. 7: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
Analysis: "Safety isn't the most glaring need on the Giants' depth chart, but with a new general manager and head coach, they will be looking to draft impact players, above everything else, in the top 10. And Hamilton might be the most talented player in the draft, regardless of position. At 6-3 and 218 pounds, Hamilton is a super-sized safety with the range and length to be a matchup weapon in the NFL. Though his physical traits stand out, it is his football IQ that is most impressive, sensing what is about to happen and being disruptive."
View photos of the best players ever to be selected with the Nos. 5 and 7 picks in NFL draft history.
1940: No. 7 C/LB Clyde "Bulldog" Turner (HOF)
1944: No. 5 HB Steve Van Buren (HOF)
1945: No. 5 HB/E Elroy Hirsch (HOF)
1946: No. 5 T George Connor (HOF)
1957: No. 5 QB Len Dawson (HOF)
1958: No. 7 LB Chuck Howley
1961: No. 5 TE Mike Ditka (HOF)
1964: No. 5 DE Carl Eller (HOF)
1965: No. 5 RB Gale Sayers (HOF)
1976: No. 5 DB Mike Haynes (HOF)
1979: No. 7 QB Phil Simms
1988: No. 7 WR Sterling Sharpe
1989: No. 5 DB Deion Sanders (HOF)
1990: No. 5 LB Junior Seau (HOF)
1992: No. 7 DB Troy Vincent
1994: No. 7 DT Bryant Young
1995: No. 5 QB Kerry Collins
1996: No. 7 WR Terry Glenn
1997: No. 7 WR Ike Hilliard
1999: No. 7 DB Champ Bailey (HOF)
2001: No. 5 RB LaDainian Tomlinson (HOF)
2004: No. 5 DB Sean Taylor
2007: No. 7 RB Adrian Peterson
2010: No. 5 DB Eric Berry
2011: No. 5 DB Patrick Peterson
2014: No. 5 LB Khalil Mack
2014: No. 7 WR Mike Evans
2015: No. 5 OL Brandon Scherff
2016: No. 5 CB Jalen Ramsey
2016: No. 7 DE DeForest Buckner
2018: No. 7 QB Josh Allen
2019: No. 5 LB Devin White
2021: No. 5 WR Ja'Marr Chase
🎥 On This Day: Giants shock world against undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII
Exactly 14 years ago today, the Giants pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history when they defeated the Patriots 17-14 at University of Phoenix Stadium.
It was in this game that Eli Manning connected with David Tyree on 'The Helmet Catch,' one of the most legendary moments in Super Bowl history.
Check out the video below to re-live the Giants' magical victory over the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
