3 players we can’t believe fell out of the 2022 NFL Draft entirely

The 2022 NFL Draft included its share of surprises but here are three players who had no business falling out of the draft altogether.

Every year upon the conclusion of the NFL Draft, there are always a few players that we can’t understand how they fell so far. One of those players this year was UNC quarterback, Sam Howell. Once projected as a first-round pick, the young QB fell all the way to the Commanders in the fifth round.

However, perhaps equally as surprising were a few players that every NFL team wasn’t willing to spend as much as a seventh-round pick on, and we have to wonder why. Here are three players who fell completely out of the 2022 NFL Draft:

QB Carson Strong

While I could never get behind the idea of Carson Strong a as first-round candidate, I did have a third-round grade on the Nevada product. At 6’3 3/8” and 226 pounds, Strong had quality size and the arm talent that at the very least projected him as a high-level backup QB.

Remarkably, Strong fell completely out of the NFL Draft. Knee concerns and all, I still believe that Strong should have been drafted somewhere in the mid-rounds. He’s never a player who is going to kill you with athletic traits, but he’s a big competent QB with good college production.

As a prospect, he’s not that dissimilar from Kyle Trask who went in the second round last year. Strong was picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles and will have a shot to make the roster alongside Jalen Hurts and Gardner Minshew.

WR Justyn Ross

After the neck injury, I didn’t expect Justyn Ross to ever be the same player he was when he was considered a future first-round draft choice. Now that he has returned to full health (or at least as close as it’s going to get for him), I half expected the Clemson wide receiver to go off the board somewhere in the fifth or sixth round.

Instead, Ross went undrafted and later signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. At 6’3 5/8” and 210 pounds, Ross has size and length that can’t be taught. While his 31.5” vertical and 4.64 40-yard dash were very underwhelming, he’s still a natural football player who could not only prove to be worthy of a roster spot, but also a fairly significant role in the NFL.

LB JoJo Domann

I know that JoJo Domann doesn’t have elite size or length for the linebacker position and he turns 25 years old in August, but I was shocked when the Nebraska standout fell completely out of the 2022 NFL Draft. Domann had quality college tape and the former safety is a coverage specialist.

Domann also tested as a 76th percentile athlete, according to Relative Athletic Score — posting excellent numbers in the 40-yard dash, 10-yard split, and 3-cone drill. After landing with the Colts, Domann should be able to make the team and compete for snaps in sub-packages fairly early in his NFL career.

There were certainly some other intriguing players who didn’t get selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, but these three were certainly good enough to spend a draft choice on. I’m sure they will have a chip on their shoulders after every NFL team passed them by.