With The First Pick
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3 teams likely to trade down in the 2022 NFL Draft

By Geoffrey Godfrey

Joe Theismann, co-owner Dan Snyder, defensive end Jonathan Allen, and co-owner Tanya Snyder Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Joe Theismann, co-owner Dan Snyder, defensive end Jonathan Allen, and co-owner Tanya Snyder Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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The 2022 NFL Draft will offer a little bit of everything in the top 20 picks. Some teams are already looking to move down, and some need to just due to the pure value of their pick vs what they would get in the long run.

There are three teams with multiple picks in the top 16 picks in the NFL draft. Then there are teams like Houston, Atlanta, and Washington where their pick will hold more value than the player they could get at that slot.

Washington could move out of 11th get some solid value down to the late-teens and still end up with a QB who can come in and compete if not win the starting job day one.

There is still a lot of smoke surrounding this draft class, not just from who teams want, but truly where players will end up. With the quarterback, wide receiver, and defensive back positions having the least amount of clarity in the top five let alone the top three. This should shake itself out after the combine, but could still leave people at odds with the best at each position.

I would not be surprised after Kenny Pickett or Matt Corral get picked if quarterback-needy teams look to move down and target the others later, or just go after Malik Willis, Carson Strong, or Desmond Ridder much earlier than their current draft slot.

We could also say the same for WR if Jameson Williams, Treylon Burks, and Drake London go early teams aiming for a top-end WR, may just choose to slide back and fill another hole. Then attack the wideout position in the second or third round.

What should we expect in the 2022 NFL Draft?

We should expect for the first time in a few drafts more teams looking to move down than to move up. Which could diminish some of the value, and also show the lack of the true top-end talent we have seen show up in the last three drafts. We could also be looking at an interesting move where teams are looking more toward the 2023 draft, and trading back to stack picks in that class.

I would not be surprised to see more than five trades in the first round this year, and see quarterbacks slide who weeks ago we thought could go in the top 15.

So who could be looking to trade down?

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