Ranking the 10 Biggest Potential Steals of the 2022 NFL Draft
0 of 10
Noah K. Murray/Associated Press
The NFL draft is all about maximizing value. While hitting on a top-10 pick usually means adding at least a Pro Bowl-caliber player, finding future starters throughout the draft is the key to winning the event.
Draft steals come in all shapes and sizes. Travis Kelce fell to the third round of the 2013 draft following a collegiate career that included a yearlong suspension in 2010 for failing a drug test. Richard Sherman was taken on Day 3 because of his questionable athleticism.
Teams that can identify these potential steals and utilize them in the right ways usually go on to be successful. It’s no coincidence that both Kelce and Sherman have won Super Bowls.
The following players aren’t expected to hear their names called in the first round based on Bleacher Report’s latest big board. However, they all have the chance to bring better-than-expected returns for the team that drafts them.
Here, we’ll rank the top potential steals in the draft, starting with 10 and counting down to No. 1. Criteria for ranking included the likelihood the player actually breaks out, the prospect’s ceiling and his positional value.
1 of 10
Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
B/R Big Board Rank: No. 232
Scouting Report
Amare Barno is the definition of a boom-or-bust prospect. He has obvious weaknesses. He’s small for an edge defender at just 246 pounds with a 6’4 5/8″ frame, and his lack of production at Virginia Tech is certainly a concern (3.5 sacks, 5.5 TFL in 2021).
But the athletic tools he has showcased in the predraft process are enticing. His 4.36 40-yard dash with a 1.49 10-yard split and 2.5 20-yard split were all scored as 10s on his relative athletic score, per Kent Lee Platte of Pro Football Network.
However, that athleticism doesn’t always show up on film. B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen had this to say about his pass rush in his scouting report:
“His get-off is uninspiring and his bend is below-average, in part because he is an awkward strider. At this stage, Barno also lacks a reliable pass-rushing approach.”
The key phrase there is “at this stage.” If a coaching staff can figure out how to translate his raw athleticism into his pass-rushing technique, he could become a terror off the edge and a huge Day 3 value.
2 of 10
Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
B/R Big Board Rank: No. 80
Scouting Report
“You draft the traits and then develop the body, and the technique and he’ll be fine.” That’s what an NFC pro personnel director told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com about UAB defender Alex Wright.
Those traits include a 6’5 1/8″, 271-pound frame with 34″ arms, a great first step and the ability to use power to rush the quarterback.
What’s interesting about Wright as a mid-round prospect is his potential to continue growing into his frame. His explosion and athleticism at 270 pounds hint that he could add some weight and strength and still be effective.
According to PFF, Wright had 43 hurries but only converted his pressures into a sack five times. That could be a sign there’s some meat on the bone with his development.
What makes Wright a potential steal is the versatility he could have. His power and frame make him a candidate to play on the outside while also sliding inside in sub-packages.
With the ever-growing trend of more nickel and dime packages, a defensive end that can kick inside in pass-rush packages has incredible value.
3 of 10
Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images
B/R Big Board Rank: No. 125
Scouting Report
Kent Lee Platte’s relative athletic score database tracks the athletic testing of draft prospects going back to 1987. Of the 998 tight end prospects he has measurements for, Jelani Woods has the highest score of all time.
The 6’7 1/8″, 253-pound prospect set the combine ablaze with a 4.61 40-yard dash, a 37.5-inch vertical and 6.95 three-cone. That’s incredible movement ability for a man of his stature.
The three-cone time might be the most impressive. His flexibility and change of direction skills signify the potential for Woods to become a much better route-runner as he transitions to the pros.
Woods was rarely used as a receiver in his time at Oklahoma State. Before transferring to Virginia, he had just 36 targets in 23 games, per PFF. In his final season with the Cavaliers, he looked like a completely different player with 44 catches for 598 yards and eight touchdowns.
His potential as a red-zone menace is already clear. Add in the possibilities that come with his unique athletic profile, and we could look back on this draft and think it was ridiculous he wasn’t the first tight end taken.
4 of 10
Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press
B/R Big Board Rank: 63
Scouting Report
Many of the players in these rankings are boom or bust, but Tulsa tackle Tyler Smith comes with a pretty safe floor while still bringing exciting upside.
That’s because Smith has the potential to play a premium position at tackle, but he will make a great guard if that doesn’t work out. The 6’4 5/8″, 324-pounder is a mauling presence in the run game. He led the nation in “big-time blocks,” according to PFF.
The redshirt sophomore is one of the youngest players in the class, making his physical dominance at the collegiate level all the more impressive.
Smith’s technique in pass-blocking needs improvement, even if the results weren’t bad. He only ceded two sacks and five hurries last season and gave up no sacks on 355 pass blacking snaps in 2020, per PFF.
That was playing left tackle. If he can repeat those results on the outside in the NFL, he will be the steal of the draft. Even if he doesn’t, he has Pro Bowl potential at guard and will likely go in the second or third round.
5 of 10
Butch Dill/Associated Press
B/R Big Board Rank: No. 48
Scouting Report
There’s a real argument to be made that Travis Jones is the best nose tackle in this class. That includes combine superstar Jordan Davis (scouting report).
Davis’ athleticism and run-stuffing ability probably makes him the top nose tackle, but it’s hard to ignore Jones’ ability to play more snaps and rush the passer.
At 6’4 3/8″ and 325 pounds, Jones has plenty of size to hold up on the interior. But it’s his own athleticism and production as a pass-rusher that makes him stand out. B/R NFL draft scout Derrik Klassen noted that Jones, “should have few issues seeing the field as a two-down player early on while working to become more dangerous in the passing game.”
Yet, Jones has shown good pass-rushing skills already for a nose tackle. He had four sacks, seven hits and 14 hurries in his final season at Connecticut, per PFF.
With an RAS score of 9.39 and athletic comparisons to Muhammad Wilkerson and Dexter Lawrence, the potential is there for Jones to become a top-tier defensive tackle, even if he goes much later than Davis.
6 of 10
Rick Bowmer/Associated Press
B/R Big Board Rank: No. 69
Scouting Report
The idea that running backs are not worth first-round picks is built around prospects like Tyler Allgeier.
While a team might be willing to spend a first-round selection on the likes of Breece Hall (scouting report) or Kenneth Walker III (scouting report), they are likely to get similar production out of Allgeier later in the draft.
The biggest drawback for Allgeier is he doesn’t have elite athleticism and will be criticized for his explosiveness. His burst score is 37th percentile for the position, per Player Profiler.
However, he had the third-most runs of 20 yards or more over the past two seasons, according to The 33rd Team.
At 5’10 3/4″ and 224 pounds, Allgeier has the kind of build you’d want from a between-the-tackles runner. He averaged 4.2 yards per carry after contact, per PFF. That he also caught 28 passes points toward his potential as a three-down back who could be available much later in the draft than the class’ top-ranked backs.
7 of 10
Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
B/R Big Board Rank: No. 51
Scouting Report
It’s easy to get swept away with testing numbers and the eye-catching frames of receiver prospects in the draft. But we are coming off a year in which Cooper Kupp—a 6’1″ 204-pound guy from Eastern Washington who ran a 4.6 40-yard dash—just led the league in each major receiving category.
There’s something to be said for being a strong route-runner with good hands. Those things don’t necessarily pop in the predraft process, but they are important for having success in the NFL.
That’s why Skyy Moore could wind up being one of the biggest steals in the draft. Moore was PFF’s top-graded receiver in the nation last year. He was 99th percentile in target share, and his breakout age of 20.0 was 62nd, per Player Profiler. Both are good indicators of future success.
That isn’t to say that Moore will be Kupp. But the Western Michigan product seems to be falling into the second-round range when it’s completely plausible he out-produces some of his first-round peers.
8 of 10
Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
B/R Big Board Rank: No. 74
Scouting Report
Leo Chenal has the potential to be the most impactful off-ball linebacker in this draft class. Devin Lloyd and Nakobe Dean are great prospects who will likely be high-impact rookies from Day 1, but Chenal is the sleeper option.
The Wisconsin defender does not have the pass-coverage chops teams are hoping for in the modern off-ball linebacker. What he does have, though, is an incredible athletic profile, the ability to defeat blocks and the athleticism to run down ball-carriers all over the field.
Chenal’s athletic testing is off the charts. He earned a 9.99 unofficial RAS score, per Kent Lee Platte of Pro Football Network, in part due to elite explosive testing in the vertical (40.5″) and broad jump (10’8″). Luke Kuechly is among his athletic comps.
At minimum Chenal is going to be an elite run defender. His strength, explosion and vertical speed are going to allow him to do that early in his career.
It’s a good bet he’ll be the kind of disruptive presence that should have gone higher on draft day.
9 of 10
Ted S. Warren/Associated Press
B/R Big Board Rank: No. 106
Scouting Report
A dominant press-man corner can be an incredibly valuable asset to an NFL defense.
There are questions about whether Kyler Gordon can fulfill that role at the next level, but he thrived in it at Washington.
B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings’ scouting report includes concerns about Gordon’s hips and quickness. There’s also concern about his length and speed. His 31″ arms are in the 34th percentile for the position, and his 4.52 40 time is 36th, per MockDraftable.
However, Gordon’s overall athleticism is a plus, and he has demonstrated success as a man-to-man corner. His 9.68 RAS score is anchored by his agility grade with a 3.96 shuttle and 6.67 three-cone time at the Washington pro day.
Gordon allowed a passer rating of just 12.8 in man coverage last season, per PFF. Only Sauce Gardner of Cincinnati was better.
At worst, Gordon projects as an elite slot corner. If he proves he can overcome his length and speed to be an outside man corner, he will provide incredible value to the team that drafts him.
10 of 10
John Amis/Associated Press
B/R Big Board Rank: No. 42
Scouting Report
Unfortunately for some prospects, timing is everything.
That includes George Pickens, who only got to play in four games in his final season at Georgia after tearing his ACL in the spring. He clearly wasn’t 100 percent in those games, either. He had just five catches for 107 yards.
Nearly half of those yards came on his 52-yard reception against Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
As a result, Pickens is widely viewed as a second-rounder. According to NFL Mock Draft Database, he appears in just 21.6 percent of first-round mocks. Now compare that luck with Jameson Williams—a similar deep threat receiver who tore his ACL in the championship game—who is in 63.3 percent of first-round mocks.
Pickens was Georgia’s leading receiver as a freshman in 2019. Had he put up similar numbers in his final year with the Bulldogs, he would be in the discussion as one of the elite receivers in the class.
The Georgia receiver has the size (6’3 1/4″, 195 pounds) and vertical speed (4.47 40-yard dash) that you’d want to see from an elite outside receiver. If he can get back to his 2019-2020 form after his injury, he’ll be an absolute steal.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.