The joys of being a top pick can be washed away pretty quickly once a rookie realizes he’s headed to a struggling franchise. For a handful of notable names, the road to success in the NFL can be paved with early growing pains because of the environments they’re entering after their early selections. Which five first-round rookies from the 2022 NFL Draft could struggle in Year 1?
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Five first-round rookies set up for difficult rookie situations
While the top talent in the draft typically heads to losing franchises to create parity in the NFL, the consequences of landing with one of those teams can lead to some early struggles.
Sometimes, a rookie’s development can be dramatically impacted — positively or negatively — by the players and coaches around them.
Here are five first-round rookies who could experience some significant growing pains during their “Welcome to the NFL” campaign.
Ikem Ekwonu, OT, Carolina Panthers (6th overall)
While some pundits consider Ikem Ekwonu the best offensive tackle prospect in this year’s class, he’s entering a situation with whirlwind optics.
The Panthers have struggling QB Sam Darnold leading the offense and much-maligned head coach Matt Rhule in charge of the entire operation. On top of that, the Panthers aren’t really a well-oiled machine of a roster to begin with.
Fellow first-round offensive tackles Evan Neal (Giants) and Charles Cross (Seahawks) are in similar situations, but at least their offenses have some sort of dynamic to them. The Giants have put playmakers around Daniel Jones, while the Seahawks still have a strong rotation of running backs and wideouts DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
The Panthers have DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, and Christian McCaffrey, but will Darnold be able to get them the ball fast enough to not expose the line, including Ekwonu, to unnecessary sacks?
Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons (8th overall)
Drake London, the top receiver taken during draft weekend, is being put in an unenviable position. While he and last year’s first-round pick, tight end Kyle Pitts, should see the lion’s share of the targets in the passing game, they won’t have Matt Ryan to rely on as their passer. Instead, Marcus Mariota, who threw just one pass last season, will take the reins at QB.
Mariota isn’t a complete disaster, but he obviously isn’t the top choice for a young wideout to develop with. London received a lot of flak for his speed (or lack thereof) during the draft process, and Mariota will need to be extremely accurate to take advantage of the first-round pick’s strengths.
London will probably be asked to go “above the rim” on most of his targets, leading to limitations in his output. Pitts will still be the alpha pass catcher, but there will be a lot of pressure on London if he can’t deliver in single coverage early on.
Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers (20th overall)
Kenny Pickett has been billed as the most NFL-ready QB in the class, which likely played into his status as the only first-round pick at his position.
Pickett is a flawed QB with a high floor but an indistinguishable ceiling. That said, he’s about to compete for a QB1 job with a questionable offensive line in front of him.
While the Steelers will probably give Mitchell Trubisky every chance to win the starting job in training camp, Pickett seems like a player destined to start early in his rookie campaign.
The Steelers’ weapons certainly aren’t bad, but Pickett will need to overcome his poor pocket tendencies to get them the ball with the Steelers’ inconsistent line protecting him.
Like most rookie QBs, Pickett will have some major ebbs and flows this season if he starts games.
Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions (12th overall)
The Lions traded up from the 32nd overall pick to 12th to select Jameson Williams. The out-of-nowhere trade up for the Alabama wideout was met with shock, seemingly from all onlookers, including Williams, who looked less than thrilled to be at his introductory press conference.
That said, as he recovers from an ACL surgery, Williams will need to learn the Lions’ offense, which didn’t have much success last season. Williams will be back at some point during his rookie campaign, and Detroit will ask him to carry the passing offense for the foreseeable future.
The Lions traded two top-34 picks to get him, and now the pressure is on Williams to recover from his injury and deliver. That’s a tough ask for anyone, let alone a rookie wideout with Jared Goff as his primary QB.
Derek Stingley Jr., CB, Houston Texans (3rd overall)
The Texans selected Derek Stingley Jr. early, and now he will be tasked with serving as the top player on their defense.
Stingley has dealt with injuries and inconsistent play over the past two years at LSU. Now, the Texans are burdening him with top-talent responsibilities that he will need to deliver on immediately. Stingley’s biggest obstacle to overcome is Houston’s pass rush, which isn’t all that appealing or proven.
If the Texans can’t force regular pressure, Stingley could be stuck in zone coverage for a long time. He needs to prove that he can cover in man and zone looks efficiently, and Houston’s lack of pressure up front could hurt him in that mission.
