The first night of the 2022 NFL Draft had quite a few surprises, from an NFL record five Georgia defensive players selected in the first round (one not being Nakobe Dean), to the Philadelphia Eagles trading for A.J. Brown and the Baltimore Ravens moving on from Marquise "Hollywood" Brown.
The first round didn't see a quarterback drafted until No. 20 (the latest since 1997) and five defensive players were selected with the first five picks -- only the second time in the common draft era that occurred (first since 1991). This was also the first draft where no running backs or tight ends were taken in the first round, which sets the stage for a wild Day 2 of the draft (check out our tracker of every pick along with grades and analysis here).
Night one had plenty of thunder, so what does night two have in store? We have some bold predictions for Day 2 of the draft that will be certain to provide plenty of fireworks.
1. Giants draft Malik Willis
New York didn't think any of the top quarterbacks would be left on the board by the time they picked at No. 36, yet with only Kenny Pickett getting drafted in the first round, the possibility of selecting a quarterback was brought into fruition. The three teams above the Giants (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans) likely won't select a quarterback (although one can't rule it out), leaving the Giants in position to take one.
Malik Willis may be the quarterback that gets New York to pounce, serving as competition for Daniel Jones in training camp. The Giants declined the fifth-year option for Jones, so anything is on the table. If Willis gets to No. 36, wouldn't be surprising to see head coach Brian Daboll take a shot on the talented quarterback -- giving him time to develop in a new system.
The Giants can start the run of quarterbacks with one pick. Teams may try to trade up and get Desmond Ridder or Matt Corral soon after.
2. 49ers don't trade Deebo Samuel
Samuel reportedly wants out of San Francisco, but do the 49ers really want to part ways with him? The 49ers reportedly turned down an offer to acquire the No. 10 pick from the New York Jets in exchange for Samuel -- which included a pick swap. With the first round of the draft over, why would the 49ers accept any offers for any Day 2 picks when a top-10 pick wasn't good enough?
The Green Bay Packers could use Samuel, but would San Francisco trade him to a Super Bowl contender in their own conference? Highly unlikely, unless the Packers offer the 49ers more picks than what the Kansas City Chiefs got in the Tyreek Hill deal?
The 49ers didn't have a first-round pick this year, nor do they have one next year. A top-10 pick wasn't enough to thread the needle and move Samuel. A king's ransom may be what it takes for San Francisco to move him at this point.
3. Chiefs move up, get a wide receiver for Patrick Mahomes
The Chiefs drafted two good defensive players on Day 1 of the draft in cornerback Trent McDuffie and edge rusher George Karlaftis. On Day 2 of the draft, Kansas City takes care of the offensive side of the ball -- giving Patrick Mahomes another pass catcher to add to his arsenal.
Kansas City has the draft capital to move up in the second round, having the No. 50 and No. 62 overall picks. They also have a third-round pick (No. 103) and a fourth-round pick (No. 135) as ammunition. The Chiefs may not even need that much to move up a few spots and get an impact receiver for the offense.
The top receivers available are Christian Watson, Skyy Moore, George Pickens, John Metchie, and David Bell. Wouldn't be surprising if the Chiefs traded up for one of them (most notably the first three mentioned on this list).
4. Ravens also move up, making Lamar Jackson happy
The Ravens moving on from Marquise Brown had to hurt Lamar Jackson, as the quarterback who has yet to sign a lucrative contract extension just had his close friend and most reliable wide receiver target traded. Baltimore has Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay at wide receiver, yet needs more on the outside to help out Jackson.
Eric DeCosta is a good general manager and will find someone for Jackson. The Ravens move up from No. 45 overall and land one of the best wide receivers remaining in the draft and trade for a veteran wide receiver with one of their third or fourth-round picks.
Baltimore has two thirds (No. 76, No. 100) and four fourths (No. 119, No. 128, No. 139, No. 141) in this draft in addition to their second. There's plenty of draft capital to add a rookie wideout and a veteran receive in this draft.
Jackson will be smiling again after Day 2.
5. Buccaneers get Breece Hall at No. 33
So what are the Buccaneers going to do with this pick? There are plenty of routes Tampa Bay could go here, but adding weapons on offense has always been the priority since Tom Brady arrived. Tampa Bay has Leonard Fournette and Gio Bernard, but Hall could be their No. 1 running back come playoff time and an excellent change-of-pace back to Fournette.
Hall is an excellent receiver in the backfield and one of the toughest backs to bring down in the country in pass-catching situations. Brady always liked having that check down option, which is what Hall would provide to the Buccaneers offense in year one. Hall can also take on the bell-cow role if needed, as his 41 touchdowns over the last two years are the most of any running back in college football.
Tampa Bay has a luxury pick at No. 33. They add to their explosive offense by selecting Hall, priming the unit to compete with the Los Angeles Rams for the best in the NFC.
