This new section highlights which players have improved or worsened their 2022 NFL Draft stock as the draft approaches.
By Charlie Campbell.
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2022 NFL Draft Stock Up
Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon Thibodeaux is the favorite to the No. 1-overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, and his performance against the Washington Huskies over the weekend made for just one more tape that will help him achieve that statuss. Despite facing a quality offensive lineman in Washington left tackle Jaxon Kirkland, Thibodeaux continued his impressive final season for Oregon.
In the first quarter on a third-and-3, Thibodeaux read a play well to make the stop short to force a fourth-and-1. Shortly later, Thibodeaux dropped into coverage, where he did a nice job of covering a receiver to occupy a throwing lane, which helped lead to an easy interception for a teammate.
At the start of the third quarter, Thibodeaux worked upfield against Kirkland before spinning back toward the line of scrimmage to join a teammate for a sack. Late in the game, Thibodeaux came close to a sack with a powerful rush up the middle to blow up the pocket. Oregon was moving him around to try to make it hard for Washington to send double teams, but when Thibodeaux was on the edge, the Huskies would slide blocking his direction. Even with extra blocking, Thibodeaux impacted the pass rush and put steady pressure on the quarterback. Thibodeaux also created a push in the ground game, driving tackles backward in the pocket. This outing against the Huskies was another good tape from Oregon’s superstar rusher.
For the NFL, Thibodeaux looks like a Khalil Mack type pass-rusher. He is explosive, twitchy, physical, shocks opponents with his power, and has a burst to close. This game showed Thibodeaux has a very good get-off, firing off the ball despite playing on an ankle that has bothered him all season. Thibodeaux is worthy of going high in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft and should as one of the first three picks next April.
Chris Oladuokun, QB, South Dakota State Oladuokun has started to generate some buzz this season while breaking out for South Dakota State. He has completed 61 percent of his passes in 2021 for 1,834 yards, 16 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also has two rushing touchdowns. The Tampa, Florida product has a quality arm and checks in at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds. Oladuokun is a sleeper who could benefit from playing at an all-star game.
Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama Williams makes this list for the second straight week; this time because he dominated LSU on Saturday night. While the Tigers shut down the Alabama ground offense, Williams carried the Crimson Tide through the air with 10 receptions for 160 yards and a touchdown. Without Williams’ huge game, Alabama probably would have lost. Early in the third quarter, Williams showed his game-breaking speed by running a deep post route and getting wide open for Bryce Young to hit him on the run. Williams coasted into the end zone with a 58-yard touchdown. That ended up being the game-winning score in the Crimson Tide’s 20-14 victory.
The 6-foot-2, 189-pound Williams has quality height and explosive speed alongside suddenness and a burst that catches defensive backs by surprise. He has put himself in contention to be a late first-round or early second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Tyree Johnson, OLB, Texas A&M Johnson started the season slowly, but over the last month, he has been on a tear and that continued against Auburn last Saturday. On the first drive against the Tigers, Johnson kept fighting and by his second effort he was able to notch a coverage sack that forced a punt. Johnson would added another sack later in the game. Those marked his sixth and seventh sacks over the last four games. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder could be a good fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker for the NFL.
Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M Sources from multiple teams told WalterFootball.com that they see Green as having late first-round or early second-round potential. Versus Auburn last Saturday, Green packed a punch in the ground game, sustained his blocks with strength, and moved defenders the direction he wanted them to go. He was also rock solid in pass protection as well. Green was superb against the Tigers, absolutely dominanting them. His performance against Auburn will help him receive more late first-round consideration next April during the 2022 NFL Draft.
Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy loves to tweet, and he posted last week that Woolen could be a second- or third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. After reaching out to some area scouts who cover Texas, two of them said they had Woolen on Day 3 and one said they had him on Day 2.
“He’s a fourth or fifth-rounder to me,” said one area scout. “He’s 6-foot-3, but real raw. He’d have to have a good week at Senior Bowl to go on Day 2 in my opinion.”
Woolen is a freak athlete with size and speed, but he has some background and medical concerns that need to be addressed to help him go on Day 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft. Still, Woolen is a rising prospect who looks bound for the Senior Bowl in January.
2022 NFL Draft Stock Down
Adam Anderson, OLB, Georgia Anderson looked like he was on his way to being a top-10 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but his draft status and NFL future were thrown up in the air by a rape allegation, which has him indefinitely suspended from Georgia. Anderson vehemently denies the accusation, and he has not been arrested. If he is exonerated, he could return to high first-round status, similar to how Jameis Winston was able to weather a similar allegation before going No.1 overall in 2015. Even if Anderson is cleared, however, this incident is going to be looked into repeatedly by NFL teams leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft and could cause some teams to shy away from Anderson.
Drake London, WR, USC London recorded 88 receptions for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns over his eight-game 2021 before a broken ankle brought his year to an end. It was a devastating injury for London because it will probably keep him from running at the combine and impact his pre-draft workouts. He needed those opportunities to attempt to reduce concerns about whether he lacks speed for the NFL. The ankle injury makes it less likely that London will end up as a first-round pick next April in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Terrel Bernard, LB, Baylor Bernard is a good college linebacker, but team sources say he has limitations for the NFL and they are grading him as a future backup. Entering the season, there was some media buzz about Bernard, but he has not played up to it this year. Team contacts think that Bernard could be a backup linebacker and special teams contributor, but they don’t see him as a future starter.
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