The 2021 NFL draft is a week-old distant memory: It's time to start preparing for the future.
I have released my way-too-early 2022 NFL mock draft, so now seems like a good time to post the first version of my way-too-early top 50 big board.
As you probably know, I am obsessed with the NFL draft.
Over the past three years, I'm No. 3 in FantasyPros mock draft accuracy, and I've done well betting on the NFL draft.
– 2019: +17.7 units
– 2020: +26.2 units
– 2021: +32.0 unitsHere's what I learned from placing 298 bets on the NFL draft this year.https://t.co/uGvDcqayAH
— Matthew Freedman (@MattFtheOracle) May 6, 2021
But I'd never created a big board until recently — just before the 2021 NFL draft. Given that my top 100 big board finished tied for No. 17 at The Huddle Report, I figure it's worth posting one for 2022.
I'm not a tape watcher — and right now I know almost nothing about 99.7% of the prospects in next year's class — so I have a very numbers-driven big board based almost entirely on mock draft data, historical draft trends, recruitment grades and college production.
Imagine this scenario.
- I am an NFL general manager.
- I have fired all my scouts.
- I need to create a big board very quickly.
In that situation, this is the big board I would probably come up with.
Based on the current information we have now on the 2022 prospects, these are my top 50 players in the class (a.k.a. the 50 I think will be drafted first).
2022 NFL Draft Big Board
| Rank | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kayvon Thibodeaux | EDGE | Oregon |
| 2 | Spencer Rattler | QB | Oklahoma |
| 3 | Derek Stingley | CB | LSU |
| 4 | Sam Howell | QB | North Carolina |
| 5 | Kedon Slovis | QB | USC |
| 6 | Kyle Hamilton | S | Notre Dame |
| 7 | Evan Neal | OT | Alabama |
| 8 | DeMarvin Leal | EDGE | Texas A&M |
| 9 | Drake Jackson | EDGE | USC |
| 10 | Kaiir Elam | CB | Florida |
| 11 | Desmond Ridder | QB | Cincinnati |
| 12 | Malik Willis | QB | Liberty |
| 13 | Chris Olave | WR | Ohio State |
| 14 | Sevyn Banks | CB | Ohio State |
| 15 | Zion Nelson | OT | Miami (FL) |
| 16 | Christian Harris | LB | Alabama |
| 17 | George Karlaftis | EDGE | Purdue |
| 18 | J.T. Daniels | QB | Georgia |
| 19 | Garrett Wilson | WR | Ohio State |
| 20 | George Pickens | WR | Georgia |
| 21 | Justyn Ross | WR | Clemson |
| 22 | Jalen Wydermyer | TE | Texas A&M |
| 23 | John Metchie III | WR | Alabama |
| 24 | Zach Harrison | EDGE | Ohio State |
| 25 | Kenyon Green | G | Texas A&M |
| 26 | Rasheed Walker | OT | Penn State |
| 27 | Aidan Hutchinson | EDGE | Michigan |
| 28 | Isaiah Spiller | RB | Texas A&M |
| 29 | Cade Mays | G | Tennessee |
| 30 | Charles Cross | OT | Mississippi State |
| 31 | Bubba Bolden | S | Miami (FL) |
| 32 | Jordan Battle | S | Alabama |
| 33 | Treylon Burks | WR | Arkansas |
| 34 | Josh Jobe | CB | Alabama |
| 35 | Brenton Cox | EDGE | Florida |
| 36 | Perrion Winfrey | DT | Oklahoma |
| 37 | Derion Kendrick | CB | Clemson |
| 38 | Nolan Smith | EDGE | Georgia |
| 39 | Ventrell Miller | LB | Florida |
| 40 | Nik Bonitto | EDGE | Oklahoma |
| 41 | Jordan Davis | DT | Georgia |
| 42 | Tyler Linderbaum | C | Iowa |
| 43 | Tyler Shough | QB | Texas Tech |
| 44 | Carson Strong | QB | Nevada |
| 45 | Phil Jurkovec | QB | Boston College |
| 46 | Matt Corral | QB | Mississippi |
| 47 | Andrew Booth Jr. | CB | Clemson |
| 48 | Jalen Green | CB | Texas |
| 49 | Jahan Dotson | WR | Penn State |
| 50 | Jadon Haselwood | WR | Oklahoma |
Matthew Freedman is 1,051-849-37 (55%) overall betting on the NFL. You can follow him in our free app.
