2022 NFL Draft Notebook: Preseason All-Underrated Offensive Team
By John Blair
- Houston center Kody Russey set the Texas state high school deadlift record with a lift of 740 pounds. This strength has paid off on the field as well as he has made 46 starts during his college career.
- North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell was named the ACC Preseason Player of the Year. Howell goes into the year graded as NFL Draft Notebook’s number two quarterback and carries a high first-round draft grade.
- An interesting stat from NFL.com’s Gil Brandt is that of the 255 players drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft all but 19 of them are still with the team that drafted them.
- California center Michael Saffell has medically retired from football. Saffell who battled numerous injuries during his college career including ankle and knee injuries called it quites due to a back injury he suffered in 2020.
- BYU center Jame Empey received high praise last year from his old offensive line coach Eric Mateos who called Empey the smartest player he has ever coached.
- One concern with Oklahoma tight end Austin Stogner is that he dropped 13% of the passes thrown his way last year. While this is a high percent his athletic ability and overall receiving skills still earn him a third-round grade.
- Make sure to check out next week’s NFL Draft Notebook which will take a look at the 2022 NFL Draft defensive end class.