2022 NFL Draft – Overall Rankings

Complete NFL Draft Rankings:

You are currently viewing the best overall players in the 2022 NFL Draft. Our top overall prospects are selected after thousands of hours carefully scouting the best players in college football. Even though only 256 will get selected in the draft, hundreds more are signed as free agents, and many more receive a training camp invite. Find who is a first round talent, and who is likely nothing more than a training camp body. Find draft sleepers, draft stars, who will be a bust, and who is being undervalued.

BNB Football is the best place for in-depth analysis of 2022 NFL Draft prospects at all levels of college football. To view other positions, follow the links below.

(Last Updated: April 26, 2022)

2022:  | QB | WR | RB | FB | TE | OT | G | C | DT | EDGE | LB | S | CB | K | P | LS | OVERALL |

Aidan Hutchinson has absolutely everything you could want out of a prospect, and has one of the highest floors you could imagine. Unexpected injuries aside, there’s no chance he doesn’t become at least a high quality starter for 10 years. More likely, he’ll become a cornerstone piece of a defense. At 6’7" 265 pounds, Hutchinson has prototypical size for a defensive end, and has the ideal blend of power and athletic traits. He’s quick around the edge and bends well, while using his strong hands to knock lineman off balance. His pass rushing moves have developed well over his time at Michigan, and he’s got both a high football IQ and high character. Add in that he never takes a play off, contributing in both the run and pass defense. Hutchinson offers great upside, with very little risk.

2021 Stats

14 games: 62 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 14.0 sacks, 3 passes defended, 2 fumbles forced

Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner has been an All-American corner from his first day at Cincinnati. At 6’2"+, 200 pounds, and an extra long wingspan, Gardner has the next-level size that’s coveted in modern corners. That’s helped him to allow a gaudy total of ZERO touchdowns allowed throughout his 3 years as a starter. By the time he was a sophomore in 2020, teams had already learned to never throw his direction. His ball skills are above average, but most importantly he simply doesn’t allow receivers to get open. While fans love big interception totals, the main job of a corner is to prevent catches, and that’s exactly what Sauce does. It doesn’t matter if he faces a small shifty receiver, a big bodied receiver, or a 5 star Alabama receiver, he’s shut down everyone he’s faced. Beyond coverage, Sauce has turned into a surprisingly great tackler in run protection, which was his best way to get involved in games later in his career. Unlike everyone above him, he wasn’t a highly touted recruit. The only question will be if he has the next level athleticism to match up with the NFL’s top receivers each week for 17 games. Some scouts will also look down on Cincinnati’s higher-than-average use of zone coverage.

2021 Stats

13 games: 40 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, 3 interceptions, 7 total passes defended

You have to be truly special to start as a true freshman at Alabama. Evan Neal did that in 2019, stepping in as the #1 rated OT recruit and playing immediately at left guard. After being named a freshman All-American, he moved to RT in 2020, and finally to left tackle in 2021. The 6’7" 360 pounder has elite athleticism for his size, including fast feet, strong bend, and great stamina to maintain top level play all game. His positional versatility will be very appealing to teams, with enough athleticism and length to play either tackle position or even push inside to guard if necessary. Lateral mobility is considered his biggest question mark, and like most other extra-large offensive linemen, he’ll have to learn how to use his length to compensate for this against the NFL’s craftiest pass rushers.

2021 Stats

14 games, 14 starts. 3 year starter at LT/RT/LG. 1st Team All-SEC

Kayvon Thibodeaux entered the year as the #1 overall prospect for most people, and he ended up having a solid season. Despite missing a few games due to injury, Thibodeaux put up solid numbers en route to some All-America recognition for Oregon. The former top-5 recruit made a big impact from day 1, immediately standing out on tape thanks to his freakish athleticism. His speed moves and bend around the edge will obviously translate to success rushing the passer in the NFL, and his 6’5" 258 pound frame is in line with what most NFL teams expect from their edge rushers. As just a 3rd year player, Thibodeaux still has a lot of room to grow and develop his skillset. While he may be less advanced than Hutchinson, his next-level athleticism could help him have a higher ceiling.

2021 Stats

10 games: 49 tackles, 12.0 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, 1 pass defended, 2 fumbles forced

It’s time to know the name Ikem Ekwonu. Some scouts will call him a guard and some will call him a tackle, as his height, length, and weight distribution make him look like a guard. Ekwonu plays with raw power, and finishes blocks through the toughest of competition. His point of attack is low and strong, routinely finishing his blocks through the ground with ease. His initial get off from the line is elite, with a strong first step and extremely quick hips. He’s so powerful that it can be hard to even scout things like hand placement and anchor, as he seems to barely even need these. Despite lacking ideal size and being a bit of a tweener, he’s got everything the teams covet in a run blocking offensive lineman. He has the positional versatility and work ethic to dominate at a number of different positions for the next decade.

2021 Stats

12 games, 12 starts. 3 year starter at LT/LG. 1st Team All-ACC

Derek Stingley comes from DBU, and immediately made a name for himself as an All-American candidate as a true freshman in 2019. After exploding for 6 interceptions and 21 total passes defended in LSU’s championship season, he has only played 10 games since then. At 6’1" 190 pounds, Stingley has prototypical size for a versatile outside corner. He was trusted from day 1 to provide press coverage on athletic SEC wide receivers, and has shown flashes as a tackler. While Stingley has the pedigree, productivity, and physical traits of a top-10 pick, the big question is his lack of recent experience and potential medical red flag. A consistent nagging foot injury kept him to 3 games this past season and eventually required surgery.

2021 Stats

3 games: 8 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1 fumble forced

Kyle Hamilton is yet another prospect who jumps off the page with his versatility. At 6’4" 220 pounds, he’s incredibly large for the position and can move to the box to help in run defense in a pinch. His size and length make him a great option for defending tight ends in the slot, and he has enough speed to cover deep on the backend. Hamilton’s ball skills are solid, producing 8 touchdowns through his 3 years at Notre Dame. While he didn’t show great progression statistically, his film shows a lot more consistent play and fewer coverage issues. Lateral quickness will be the biggest question for Hamilton, as he’ll need to learn to use his length to compensate against shifty slot receivers. He has traits that can’t be taught, and is undoubtedly the #1 safety in the class.

2021 Stats

7 games: 34 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, 7 total passes defended

Walker has been steadily rising as a prospect since the beginning of the season, and it seems his stock has finally reached its peak as a likely top 10 pick. Walker is a truly elite athlete, with 4.5 speed in a 6’5" 275 pound frame. Even more important, he plays with that speed and matches it with the next-level agility, bend, length, and play strength of an All-Pro edge rusher. His ceiling is as high as anyone in the draft, with physical traits that inspire “1st overall" conversations. He is currently held back by a very unrefined pass rushing profile and limited production in his college career. He has the traits to develop his pass rush traits and is young as just a 3rd year player, but he’s significantly more raw than the other true defensive end prospects.

2021 Stats

12 games, 12 starts. 2 year starter at LT. 1st Team All-SEC

Devin Lloyd is a low risk, high reward linebacker who does everything you could want from the position. At 6’3" 235 pounds with long arms, Lloyd has ideal size and a powerful frame. After a dominant 2020 campaign, he topped himself big time in 2021 despite additional attention. Lloyd eclipsed 100 tackles, with over 20 tackles for loss and 4 interceptions. His rare versatility helps him dominate in pass coverage, as a run stopper, and as a pass rusher. He diagnoses plays at an advanced level, has a quick first step, and accelerates into his hits, rarely missing tackles while occasionally delivering massive hits. His length helps him cover against the spread offenses in the PAC12, and he projects as an ideal tight end stopper at the next level. With his impressive versatility and complete lack of red flags, Lloyd should be firmly in the top 10 discussion.

2021 Stats

14 games: 111 tackles, 22.0 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, 4 interceptions, 10 total passes defended, 1 fumble forced

Garrett Wilson an elite route runner who was part of the most dominant group of receivers in college football. Keep in mind that fellow first round prospect, Jameson Williams, couldn’t even find playing time at Ohio State. Wilson was a big reason why, with elite body control, a deceptive method of route running, natural hand catches, and an advanced understanding of how to play the position. He certainly isn’t the perfect prospect as his size (6’0" 190) is nothing to write home about, plus he had more drops than you’d expect after watching his highlights. Despite the drops, there shouldn’t be any long term concerns about his hands. He made plenty of “wow" catches over the past two years, and is such a diverse route runner that he’ll be able to consistently get open. He’s faster than he’s given credit for and has a massive ceiling.

2021 Stats

11 games: 1058 receiving yards, 12 receiving touchdowns, 15.1 yards per catch, 76 rushing yards

Complete draft rankings for 2022

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2022:  | QB | WR | RB | FB | TE | OT | G | C | DT | EDGE | LB | S | CB | K | P | LS | OVERALL |

A lot can still change at this point, but the 2022 NFL Draft class currently looks exceptionally deep, yet fairly weak in the first round. Despite not having many marquee offensive players, this class benefits from all the players who returned to college after the unusual 2020 season. This year we see a very deep tight end, a tight race for QB1, and great depth along the offensive line and at EDGE. This is also the oldest NFL draft class in quite some time. While many of the top players are 3rd or 4th year guys, the extra year of eligibility has led to a large number of 5th or 6th year players who are more NFL-ready. Contending teams could find instant plug-and-play players in the later rounds, and there’s a chance to be a record number of undrafted players making rosters.