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The NFL 2022 draft is just two weeks away (Round 1 starts on April 28 at 8pm on ESPN and ABC) and there are still many questions about how all 32 teams will approach the draft. And no wonder why. This year’s wild free Agency filled holes for some teams and created great needs for others. In addition, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ off-season strategy changed completely when Tom Brady decided not to retire. So will the Green Bay Packers, with two first-round options after the Davante Adams trade, abandon their strategy of not designing receivers in the first round? Will the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions or Pittsburgh Steelers try to draft early… or will they wait until 2023? What will the New York Jets and New York Giants do with two top-10 options each? And how will the teams try to upgrade without first round options? No one knows for sure what any of the 32 teams will do, but our reporters at NFL Nation have a great idea. Below, NFL analysts Matt Miller and Jordan Reid – who described the needs of each team last week – asked 32 questions to our reporters, one per team. Take a look at what each team thinks two weeks away from Round 1, sorted by category: Go to a group: ARI ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CYCLE DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | INDJAX | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | ONE MINNE | NO NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | ΣΦΣΕΑ | ΤΒ | TEN WSH
AFC EAST
Reid: Will the Bills have fun the chance to return to the first round due to their need in the backfield? Definitely not out of the question. The Bills clearly feel that a return is a necessity – they tried to sign JD McKissic – and the addition of Duke Johnson to the free dealership is not enough to make up for the missing piece. Buffalo has the flexibility in the draft to chase the player who adds the best to the roster. A dynamic back would be a valuable addition, although the story was not polite in the draft of the position in the first round. General Manager Brandon Beane was at the Panthers’ front desk, bringing Christian McCaffrey to eighth overall in 2017. – Alaina Getzenberg 2 About Reid: The Dolphins do not choose until the last selection of the third round (No. 102 in total). What positions could they aim for there? Dolphins general manager Chris Grier went to work this season, boosting the team’s sad offensive line a season ago, adding one of the best receivers in the Tyreek Hill league and enriching the room with talent in their running backs – – all this while keeping every defensive key from last season. Miami is really in a position to get the best player available, but they need to prioritize the inside back and the inside offensive line. – Marcel Louis-Jacques Reid: Now that the team has acquired DeVante Parker, could the wide receiver continue to play or will they aim for another place at No. 21 overall? The wide receiver is still in the game, if that’s the way the board falls, with the key being that Nelson Agholor and Jakobi Meyers – two of the top returning players – are programmed for unlimited free agents after in the 2022 season. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that in his previous 22 drafts with the Patriots, Bill Belichick has picked a first-round receiver only once (2019, N’Keal Harry). – Mike Rice Reid: After an aggressive exchange attempt for Tyreek Hill, do you plan to select a wide receiver at No. 10 overall? Assuming the Jets do not trade a veteran for the draft, yes, it is a possibility. Leading candidates are Drake London, Garrett Wilson and perhaps even Jameson Williams. But it’s not certain, especially not with two options near the top of Round 2. With a class of deep receivers, they could find a comparable talent in the second round. General manager Joe Douglas will not reach No. 10 if there are better players. – Rich Tsimini
AFC NORTH
Reid: What position will the Ravens fill in at No. 14 in general, knowing that they still need help in the trenches and corners? The Ravens must choose the best available pass-rusher or cornerback. Baltimore’s biggest need is in outside defense, as Tyus Bowser tore his Achilles in the season finale and Za’Darius Smith withdrew from a free agent deal. There is also a gap in the cornerback where there is no depth outside of Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters, both of whom suffered injuries at the end of the season last season. – Jamieson Hensley • Grading: Kiper »| McShay »| Seats “• Mocks: Kiper »| McShay »| Reid »• Stacking of QBs» | Interested groups »• Full draft order» First draft podcast »• More coverage »| Full ranking » Reid: If the Bengals upgraded their offensive line to free agency, what other position could they aim for at No. 31 overall? It makes sense for the Bengalis to look at the corners in the first round. Cincinnati have two veterans in Eli Apple and Chidobe Awuzie, but could use a young player who could be a long-term key player in 2022 and beyond. Cincinnati was never shy to take a corner at the end of the first round. – Ben Baby Reid: With Deshaun Watson now a general, is drafting a receiver early a possibility or will CEO Andrew Berry try to add elsewhere? The wide receiver is the place to watch the Browns in the draft. Cleveland traded for Amari Cooper this off-season, but this team still needs work to unlock potential games in the passing game. The Browns have no choice for the first round after Deshaun Watson’s trade, but they could choose a potential leader in the second round or look for something in the form of a strong draft class. – Jake Trotter Reid: Could the Steelers trade a quarterback or look to tackle another place in the first round? The Steelers were adamant that free-agency moves would not preclude them from adding a place in the draft – and that included the general. But it seems unlikely the Steelers will go ahead to get one. They have exchanged their choice in the first round only six times in the common draft season. The Steelers could still score a quarterback in the first, but the board would have to fall in the right way to do so. Otherwise, look for the team for the best available player draft, with an emphasis on the defensive back, the wide receiver, the inside back and the defensive line. – Brooke Pryor
AFC SOUTH
Miller: With No. 3 in the overall selection, are Texans in the “best available player” mode or will it be an option to meet a need? The answer must be the best player available. Texans have so many holes in their roster that general manager Nick Caserio should not be selective about which emergency he will fill. Following Watson’s negotiations, Caserio said he did not want to eliminate any positions in the draft, including the general. Although it seems unlikely that the general manager will use one of Houston’s top options in fourth quarter, almost every other position is a fair game. – Sarah Barshop Answer NFL 2022 Draft Questions to Win $ 100,000! Make your choices Miller: Without a first-round pick, how do the Colts solve their need on the left tackle? Expect the Poularades to look at the house first to try to counteract the departure of veteran Eric Fisher in the left tackle. Matt Pryor will take the first crack to protect Matt Ryan’s edge. “He is a young player who we believe has a lot of talent,” CEO Chris Ballard told the Pat McAfee Show last season. Pryor, 28, is a versatile attacker who can play tackle and guard. – Mike Wells Miller: Aidan Hutchinson is the No. 1 overall favorite, but what should Jacksonville look for in No. 33? If the team is seriously interested in pursuing a “build around Trevor Lawrence” approach, then a receiver or in-house offensive lineman should be the focus here. The Jaguar did add Christian Kirk and Zay Jones to the free dealership, but adding another pass-catcher – especially an external receiver – is another investment in Lawrence. However, Jaguars need to strengthen the inner line, so using No. 33 to meet a need there would also make sense. – Michael Di Rocco Miller: The wide receiver was a hot virtual choice for the Titans, but is the offensive line more of a first-round goal? Yes, the offensive line is more of a target because the Titans have two starting positions. Tennessee would like the second round of 2021, Dillon Radunz, to take one of the vacant starting positions. This year ‘s group of receivers is deep enough, so the Titans could get wider later in the draft. Whoever chooses is unlikely to have many goals behind AJ Brown, Robert Woods and Austin Hooper. – Turron Davenport
AFC WEST
Miller: What does an ideal early plan look like for the Broncos, who do not have many paper needs? Even after trading for Russell Wilson, the Broncos have eight options in the draft – five of them over the first 116 options. They need some help with the cornerback, the edge rusher, the linebacker, a proper tackle and possibly an impact. But the cornerback should be the priority, as the fastest way to watch your defensive plan collapse in the current NFL is to not be able to handle the inevitable injuries in the cornerback or to be able to show variety in nickel and penny packs. you because you have no players to do it. – Jeff Legwold Miller: Will general manager Brett Veach and coach Andy Reid use the numbers 29 and 30 or is an exchange possible? A transaction seems more likely than not. Leaders also have two options in each of the second, third and fourth rounds. They can easily move for a player or players they like and Veach likes to deal. He exchanged the selection of the first round of Leaders in two of the last three years and has been exchanged in the second round several times since his first draft as GM in 2018. – Adam Teicher I am playing 2:40 Stephen A. Smith and Dan Orlovsky have different levels of interest in the upcoming draft leaders’ choices. Miller: If the Raiders go all-in on the defensive side …
