Mel Kiper 2022 NFL Draft Grades: Ravens, Jets, Falcons Top ESPN Guru’s Rankings

David Becker/Getty Images

The 2022 NFL draft has come to a close, and now experts are beginning to reveal which teams they believe won the draft and which ones they believe could have done better. 

That said, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. listed the Ravens, Jets and Falcons as the biggest winners of this year’s draft, giving Baltimore and New York an A for a grade and Atlanta a B+.

Baltimore entered the draft needing to address the cornerback, defensive end and center positions. They did just that, and here’s a look at the team’s full draft haul:

• No. 14: Kyle Hamilton, safety
• No. 25: Tyler Linderbaum, center
• No. 45: David Ojabo, outside linebacker
• No. 76: Travis Jones, defensive tackle
• No. 110: Daniel Faalele, offensive tackle
• No. 119: Jalyn Armour-Davis, cornerback
• No. 128: Charlie Kolar, tight end
• No. 130: Jordan Stout, punter
• No. 139: Isaiah Likely, tight end
• No. 141: Damarion Williams, cornerback 
• No. 196: Tyler Badie, running back

Kiper notes the Ravens “did a great job filling needs” and also called their selections an “outstanding haul.” That said, the draft expert mentioned the only thing keeping Baltimore from having an A+ draft was the departure of Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, whom the franchise traded to the Arizona Cardinals. 

“Who’s going to catch deep balls from Jackson,” Kiper wrote. “The Ravens traded away Marquise Brown to get that extra first-rounder, and so there’s a lot riding on a second-year surge from wideout Rashod Bateman.”

Kiper also gave the Jets an A after satisfying all of their largest draft needs. Entering the draft, New York had holes at a defensive back, wide receiver and offensive lineman. They were able to select a player for each of those positions.

Here’s a look at the Jets’ full draft haul:

• No. 4: Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, cornerback
• No. 10: Garrett Wilson, wide receiver
• No. 26: Jermaine Johnson II, defensive end
• No. 36: Breece Hall, running back
• No. 101: Jeremy Ruckert, tight end
• No. 111: Max Mitchell, offensive tackle
• No. 117: Micheal Clemons, defensive end

Kiper noted that Jets general manager Joe Douglas had a great draft and ended up with “an awesome class.” He added that the only knock for New York was waiting until the fourth round to select an offensive lineman.

“The only slight knock here is waiting until Round 4 for an offensive tackle, which means they must be OK with George Fant and Mekhi Becton in 2022,” Kiper wrote. 

Overall, though, Kiper is very high on the Jets’ 2022 draft class, writing that it is “one of the best groups” of the year. 

Finally, Atlanta had needs for a quarterback, wide receiver and defensive end, and while they satisfied those needs, Kiper believes the franchise could have made slightly better choices, which is why he gave them a B+. 

Here’s a look at Atlanta’s 2022 draft haul:

• No. 8: Drake London, wide receiver
• No. 38: Arnold Ebiketie, defensive end
• No. 58: Troy Andersen, inside linebacker
• No. 74: Desmond Ridder, quarterback
• No. 82: DeAngelo Malone, outside linebacker
• No. 151: Tyler Allgeier, running back 
• No. 190: Justin Shaffer, guard
• No. 213: John FitzPatrick, tight end

Kiper noted the Falcons had one of the best Day 2’s of the draft. However, he noted that his grade of the team’s draft haul dropped slightly because it selected Ridder instead of Malik Willis, who was viewed as a better quarterback than Ridder by most experts. 

Other teams to receive at least a B+ from Kiper include the Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks.