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The 2022 NFL draft is complete, and teams will be looking to take the next step with their draftees, including signing contracts, bringing them in to meet the local media and getting them ready for rookie mini-camp.
These rookies have sacrificed on and off the field to make it to this point. Getting drafted into the NFL is a true dream come true. However, there are some players who will look closer at their draft position and enter the league with a chip on their shoulders.
With such a focus on the pre-draft process and every website and podcast coming up with its own mock draft, a group of draftees will enter rookie camp thinking they should have been drafted significantly higher.
The reason players fall is, sometimes, a mystery, but attitude, medical reports and team fit are usually the top three reasons.
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Here are the top 5 players who slid dramatically in the 2022 NFL draft.
5. Perrion Winfrey, DT - Cleveland Browns #108
Perrion Winfrey might not be a household name, but for those who watched him terrorize at Oklahoma, a slip to the fourth round was quite surprising. Winfrey finished college with 56 quarterback pressures since 2022, which ranks him first in the Big 12. He was projected as a round 2 pick, so the drop is not overwhelmingly substantial, but for a league that puts such a focus on getting to the quarterback without blitzing, seeing him available on day three was a surprise.
4. Rasheed Walker, OT - Green Bay Packers, #249
Offensive line is a difficult position to evaluate at the next level outside once you start moving past the elite prospects. Most linemen possess similar traits, or they wouldn't be able to play the position - size and strength. Walker has both of these qualities and was projected to go somewhere between round two and three. He ended up falling all the way to round seven and could be making the switch to guard with the Packers.
3. Sam Howell, QB - Washington Commanders, #144
Blame it on Mitch Tribusky. At a very early part of the 2022 NFL draft process, Sam Howell was looked at as the number one pick. Things changed for the North Carolina quarterback, and one has to think that the Bears' miscalculation of another Tar Heel quarterback in Tribusky might have affected his draft status. Once things cleared up, Howell was looked at as a second round pick who might sneak his way into round one. Instead, he found himself taken at the top of round five. Ironically, he probably finds himself in a great situation with the Commanders, where there is absolutely no pressure to play, and if he does get into some NFL action, Washington fans might be relieved that it's anybody besides Carson Wentz.
2. Nakobe Dean, LB - Philadelphia Eagles, #83
The 2022 NFL draft will be remembered for two things: the quarterback slide and run on Georgia defensive players. This is what makes Nakobe Dean's slide to the Eagles even more shocking. Questions arose about Dean's health, including a report about a torn pectoral muscele. Dean has squashed those reports, saying he's 100% healthy, and if he is, the Eagles may have drafted the best defensive player in round 3.
1. Malik Willis, QB - Tennessee Titans, #86
Coming into the NFL draft, Malik Willis was the number one ranked quarterback prospect. A few mock drafts had him going to the Detroit Lions at number 2. Instead, Willis found himself sliding all the way to round three of the draft. Whether it was questions about his height or his over-the-middle passing ability and decision making, Willis' slip to day two and into the third round was shocking. Landing with the Titans might be the best-case scenario for him. Even though the Titans were the number one seed in the AFC, it looks like the they aren't resting on their laurels when it comes to updating their roster. Willis will have time to develop behind Ryan Tannehill, but there are plenty of questions surrounding his long-term future with the team after a terrible playoff performance. Willis could be the starter on a playoff contender sooner than he thinks.
