2022 NFL Draft: Grading Every Team’s 2022 NFL Draft Haul
By Hunter Haas
Lions (8 picks):
1:02 – Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan
1:12 – Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
2:14 – Josh Paschal, DL, Kentucky
3:33 – Kerby Joseph, Safety, Illinois
5:34 – James Mitchell, TE, Virginia Tech
6:09 – Malcolm Rodriguez, LB, Oklahoma St.
6:39 – James Houston IV, EDGE, Jackson State
7:16 – Chase Lucas, CB, Arizona State
The second half of this 2022 NFL Draft class is largely forgettable for me, but the day one picks carry a lot of the grade for this haul. The Lions not only got their hometown boy, Aidan Hutchinson, but they also got the best wide receiver in the class, Jameson Williams.
The Lions let Jacksonville take the more raw Travon Walker, and wasted no time turning in the card for Hutchinson following that pick. General manager Brad Holmes was not done. He successfully moved up TWENTY spots in the first round, without surrendering any future draft capital to do so. That alone is a major win.
Josh Paschal felt a bit rich for me in round two, but I can’t deny his fit for the culture that Dan Campbell has in place. He plays with a mean streak and is the exact type of hard hat personality that the Lions covet. Kerby Joseph, James Mitchell, and Malcolm Rodriguez have a chance to claim meaningful reps, but they don’t bring enough for the Lions to land in the top five of this list. Still, there is no other way to slice it, Detroit did what they set out to do in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Grade: B+