NFL Draft News and Rumors: Travon Walker, Kyle Hamilton, and others

Finally!! Two weeks from tonight, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be called to the clock to kick off the 2022 NFL Draft, ending the cycle of news and rumors leading up to the big event. After a yearlong process of watching film, scouting games in person, and attending scouting events such as the Shrine Bowl, Senior Bowl, and Combine, the final phase of picking college prospects will commence.

And while I have my own big board of more than 1,300 graded players here at Pro Football Network, teams around the league are finalizing their own draft boards after all their work. In conversations with teams around the league and sources in certain franchises, here is how draft boards are shaking out.

To hear all the latest from PFN’s Chief Draft Analyst and NFL Insider Tony Pauline and Chief NFL Analyst Trey Wingo, check out the latest episode of the Draft Insiders show.

NFL Draft News and Rumors: Biggest winner and loser of the past week

Who are the biggest winners and losers in the most recent cycles of NFL Draft news and rumors? Let’s look at which player is seeing their stock increase and who might be taken later than expected.

Winner: Travon Walker

Back on March 25, I reported the Jacksonville Jaguars were giving serious consideration to selecting Georgia defensive end Travon Walker with the draft’s first pick. Other outlets have since followed along and are reporting much the same. I’m now hearing several teams have Walker graded as the top player on their draft board. Hence, it’s not only the Jaguars who believe Walker is the best of the best.

Loser: Kyle Hamilton

For more than seven months, Kyle Hamilton’s name was always mentioned as one of the best players in the draft and a lock to be a top-four pick. I never bought into that opinion and neither have NFL teams. Most teams presently believe Hamilton is a mid-first-round prospect and do not rank him as a top-10 player.

Why the fall from grace? The fact he’s a long, loping safety with deficiencies in coverage added to take the bloom off the rose. Finally, 40 times which ranged from a best of 4.59 seconds at the Combine to a pedestrian 4.70 seconds during pro day workouts was the final nail in the coffin. This doesn’t mean Hamilton won’t be a good player in the NFL. Rather, his style of play possibly won’t be sought out during the early part of the draft.

NFL Draft News and Rumors | Latest updates from around the league

Walker/Hamilton might be the headliners in terms of draft stock, but there are plenty of rumblings around the NFL. Let’s go position by position and look at the latest I’m hearing from sources within the league.

Could Kenny Pickett, Malik Willis, and Desmond Ridder all be taken in the first round?

Kenny Pickett and Malik Willis are graded neck and neck and stamped as mid-first-round choices. From what I gather, it’s 50/50 as to which signal-caller teams prefer. Meanwhile, just about all the teams I’ve spoken with give Desmond Ridder a first-round grade and believe he’ll come off the board in the bottom half of Round 1.

Who sits atop the running back position, and who might be some surprise Day 2 names?

Breece Hall of Iowa State is the consensus top back in the draft, and it’s not even close. Several teams have given Hall a late-first-round grade, though the junior is not assured of landing in the top 32.

To the surprise of many, Dameon Pierce of Florida and Pierre Strong Jr. of South Dakota State are both receiving third-round grades. Pierce comes off a terrific year. He excelled as a pass catcher out of the backfield as well as a ball carrier. Strong probably never should’ve fallen by the wayside — he was highly rated coming into the season.

Which wide receivers are viewed as potential first-round prospects?

Though the order may be slightly different than some have it, there are few surprises. Teams I spoke with have the receivers ranked Garrett Wilson, Drake London, Chris Olave, Jameson Williams, Jahan Dotson, and Treylon Burks. Williams is slightly downgraded because of the late knee injury. Burks is getting late-first-round grades.

While he’s been mocked in the top 32 by some, no team I’ve spoken with has given Christian Watson of North Dakota State a first-round grade. Most believe he belongs in the middle of Round 2. Some teams have Skyy Moore of Western Michigan graded higher than Watson.

Who holds the top spot at the tight end position?

Trey McBride and Greg Dulcich are neck and neck on my board for the top spot at tight end. But it’s not so much with teams who have a big spread between their No. 1, McBride, and Dulcich, who ranks as the third tight end on a few boards.

The player between the two is Jelani Woods of Virginia, who has had a hell of a lead-up to the draft. Teams do admit that Woods is a projection based on his athletic testing numbers. Comparatively, McBride and Dulcich are sure things.

Tyler Linderbaum as a first-round pick and other offensive line updates

No surprise to me at least, but no team I spoke with had a first-round grade on Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum. It was all early second round.

College tackles Darian Kinnard of Kentucky, Sean Rhyan of UCLA, Luke Goedeke of Central Michigan, and Cordell Volson from North Dakota State are listed on the guard boards for most teams.

Some surprises with the defensive line rankings

Right now, teams have a mid-second-round grade on David Ojabo, as the Michigan junior starts to rehab the Achilles he tore during his pro day workout.

Despite a poor Combine performance at linebacker size, Kingsley Enagbare is still receiving second-round grades.

I was shocked to find teams have a late-round (sixth) grade on Isaiah Thomas of Oklahoma, who I stamped as a Day 2 prospect. The reasoning is Thomas is a linear pass rusher who must fill out his frame and get stronger.

Nakobe Dean and Christian Harris highlight the linebackers

Georgia’s Nakobe Dean is getting late-first-round grades, but at this point, it may be tough for him to land in the top 32. He suffered an ankle injury during the national championship and has yet to work out for teams who want to get testing marks on a linebacker who measures under 6-feet tall and not even 220 pounds.

Christian Harris of Alabama is receiving early-second-round grades, and teams feel he could slide into the late part of Round 1. His film in 2021 wasn’t bad but not as good as the prior season when Harris was exceptional. Teams are looking back at his 2020 campaign.

Four corners receiving first-round grades

Four corners — Ahmad Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr., Trent McDuffie, and Kyler Gordon — are receiving first-round grades. I was surprised teams grade Gordon that high and slot him over the likes of Roger McCreary, Kaiir Elam, and Andrew Booth Jr.

While Booth has been given an early-second-round grade, some feel he’ll end up in the first round. Teams are concerned about his deep speed and the fact he won’t run prior to the draft. Booth announced on March 30 that he was having surgery to repair a sports hernia, which means it will be a lingering question.

Small-school corner Joshua Williams of Fayetteville State has received a lot of third-round grades. He’s a bigger corner with solid athleticism and a developmental prospect. Additionally, teams feel he can line up in dime packages and on special teams as a rookie.

During the April 6 edition of the Draft Insiders, I mentioned Lewis Cine of Georgia has been receiving late-first-round grades, and that’s since been confirmed. Teams understandably love Cine’s range, ball skills, and ability in coverage. Likewise, Daxton Hill of Michigan is also getting grades in the bottom third of Round 1.

I grade Alontae Taylor of Tennessee as a third-round cornerback on my board. But a lot of teams grade him as a fourth-round safety. The feeling is Taylor is best suited facing the action when the ball is in the air.

Could Jordan Stout surpass Matt Araiza?

Jordan Stout of Penn State is graded as the No. 1 punter over Matt Araiza of San Diego State. One team I spoke with did not like Araiza’s ability to directional punt — something I disagreed with.