Daniel Jeremiah's pro comparisons for top EDGE prospects
A lot has been made about the 2022 draft class.
With less than two weeks to go before the draft kicks off, there are a ton of ways the top of the first round could play out.
While there certainly remains uncertainty on where some of the top prospects might land, one thing that has become clear throughout the pre-draft process is that there are a lot of talented edge rushers in this year's draft.
NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah is one of the top draft experts out there. This week, Jeremiah came out with pro comparisons for some of the top EDGE prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Here are Jeremiah's pro comps for a few of the top edge rush prospects, along with some commentary from the draft analyst.
Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson - Jared Allen
"Hutchinson is an ultra-productive edge rusher with ideal size, quickness and polish. He stood up this past season in defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald's system at Michigan. As a pass rusher, he has a quick first step and a wide array of hand moves to generate pressures/sacks."
Oregon's Kayvon Thibodeaux - Shawne Merriman
"Thibodeaux has ideal size (6-5, 258), length and explosiveness. He moved up and down the line of scrimmage in the Ducks' scheme, but primarily stood up on the edge. He shows a tremendous burst off the snap and excels using his inside arm to stab, create space, close and finish."
Florida State's Jermaine Johnson II - Danielle Hunter
"He has ideal size, length and quickness. As a pass rusher, he has a quick get-off, but he needs to lengthen his stride and gain more ground. He uses his length to snatch/pull tackles to collect sacks. He also has a steady bull rush to walk tackles back to the quarterback."
Purdue's George Karlaftis - Ryan Kerrigan
"Karlaftis has outstanding size, power and instincts off the edge, but he doesn't have ideal length. As a pass rusher, his best weapon is converting speed to power. He explodes upfield before jolting tackles with his hands and powering through them. He also will flash a nifty arm-over or spin move on occasion."
Oklahoma's Nik Bonitto - Cliff Avril
"Against the pass, he has excellent snap anticipation and burst to win right away. He can really dip, bend and close at the top of the pass rush. He is fluid and fast in everything he does on the field. He has shown the agility to peel off and mirror tight ends in coverage, too."
Minnesota's Boye Mafe - Kwity Paye
"Mafe is an ascending edge rusher with an enticing blend of speed and power. He steadily improved throughout the season, culminating with an outstanding performance at the Reese's Senior Bowl. As a pass rusher, he has an explosive first step and his hand usage has started to come together."
Kentucky's Josh Paschal - Carlos "Boogie" Basham
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah released his final edition of the top 50 prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft.


No. 50 Logan Hall, DT, Houston

No. 49 David Ojabo, EDGE, Michigan

No. 48 Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina

No. 47 Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida

No. 46 Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State

No. 45 Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan

No. 44 Nik Bonitto, EDGE, Oklahoma

No. 43 Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan

No. 42 Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa

No. 41 Jalen Pitre, S, Baylor

No. 40 Matt Corral, QB, Mississippi

No. 39 Lewis Cine, S, Georgia

No. 38 Christian Harris, LB, Alabama

No. 37 Travis Jones, DT, Connecticut

No. 36 Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M

No. 35 Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington

No. 34 Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State

No. 33 Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan State

No. 32 Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson

No. 31 Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota

No. 30 Zion Johnson, IOL, Boston College

No. 29 Quay Walker, LB, Georgia

No. 28 Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State

No. 27 Tyler Linderbaum, IOL, Iowa

No. 26 Malik Willis, QB, Liberty

No. 25 Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State

No. 24 Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh

No. 23 Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia

No. 22 Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State

No. 21 Dax Hill, S, Michigan

No. 20 Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa

No. 19 Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas

No. 18 George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue

No. 17 Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia

No. 16 Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama

No. 15 Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State

No. 14 Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington

No. 13 Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah

No. 12 Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU

No. 11 Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia

No. 10 Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon

No. 9 Jermaine Johnson II, EDGE, Florida State

No. 8 Evan Neal, OT, Alabama

No. 7 Drake London, WR, Southern California

No. 6 Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia

No. 5 Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame

No. 4 Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State

No. 3 Ickey Ekwonu, OT, North Carolina State

No. 2 Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, CB, Cincinnati

No. 1 Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan
Lance Zierlein's latest picks for Giants
Every day leading up to April 28, another analyst releases his or her latest prediction for the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
One of the latest to do so is NFL Media draft analyst Lance Zierlein.
In his last mock draft, Zierlein had the Giants taking Northern Iowa OT Trevor Penning at No. 5 and Florida State EDGE Jermaine Johnson II at No. 7.
While he still has the Giants selecting an edge rusher and an offensive tackle, Zierlein changed both of his predictions for Big Blue with their two first-round selections.
Here are Zierlein's updated picks for the Giants at Nos. 5 and 7.
Pick for No. 5: Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
Analysis: "The Giants need more pass rush, and they'll hope to find just that with this two-way defender who boasts untapped rush potential."
Thibodeaux put together three consecutive strong seasons for the Ducks, which began with an eye-opening freshman campaign in 2019. In 13 games that year, Thibodeaux registered nine sacks and 14 tackles for loss while earning a 77.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. This performance led to him being named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
He followed that up with three sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss in seven games in 2020, good for a 78.9 overall grade, and was named First-Team All-Pac-12 and the recipient of the Morris Trophy as the conference's best defensive lineman. Playing in 10 games as a junior this past season, Thibodeaux had seven sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. He received an 83.9 overall grade from PFF, including an elite 91.5 pass rush grade, and was once again named First-Team All-Pac-12 along with Unanimous All-American.
For his player comparison, PFF described Thibodeaux as a "rawer Myles Garrett," while Lance Zierlein compared him to Brian Orakpo.
Pick for No. 7: Ickey Ekwonu, OT, N.C. State
Analysis: "Ekwonu is a guard/tackle prospect with a healthy mean streak and exciting upside, if he can learn to play with more consistency in pass protection."
Ekwonu allowed just three sacks and 10 hurries on 500 pass block snaps last season. As Frelund mentions, PFF was very high on Ekwonu's performance during his junior campaign. The analytics site awarded him a 91.6 overall grade, which included 93.8 run block and 78.3 pass block grades. In his first two seasons at N.C. State, the young tackle had overall grades of 80.6 (2020) and 80.5 (2019). Ekwonu earned numerous awards and honors this past season, including Unanimous All-American and the ACC Jacobs Blocking Award as the conference's best offensive lineman.
For his player comparison, both PFF and Lance Zierlein compared him to Kelechi Osemele.
View photos of EVERY player projected to the Giants by draft analysts in mock drafts.


Evan Neal, OT, Alabama

Ikem Ekwonu, OT, N.C. State

Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon

Travon Walker, DE, Georgia

Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State

Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, CB, Cincinnati

Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame

Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah

Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State

Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU

Drake London, WR, USC

George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue

Jermaine Johnson II, EDGE, Florida State

Tyler Linderbaum, IOL, Iowa

Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa

Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia

Zion Johnson, IOL, Boston College

David Ojabo, EDGE, Michigan

Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota

George Pickens, WR, Georgia

Kenyon Green, IOL, Texas A&M

Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State

Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida

Drake Jackson, EDGE, USC

Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington

David Bell, WR, Purdue

Devonte Wyatt, DL, Georgia

Christian Harris, LB, Alabama

Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa

Daxton Hill, S, Michigan

Nik Bonitto, EDGE, Oklahoma

Jalen Pitre, S, Baylor

Travis Jones, DL, Connecticut

Logan Hall, EDGE, Houston

Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State

Kingsley Enagbare, EDGE, South Carolina

Jelani Woods, TE, Virginia

Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State

Jamaree Salyer, OL, Georgia

Cade Otton, TE, Washington

Isaiah Likely, TE, Coastal Carolina

Zamir White, RB, Georgia

Darian Kinnard, OL, Kentucky

Max Mitchell, OT, Louisiana-Lafayette

Greg Dulcich, TE, UCLA

Dylan Parham, IOL, Memphis

Josh Paschal, EDGE, Kentucky

Charlie Kolar, TE, Iowa State

Coby Bryant, CB, Cincinnati

Sean Rhyan, OL, UCLA

Quay Walker, LB, Georgia

Jalen Tolbert, WR, South Alabama

Ed Ingram, IOL, LSU

Damone Clark, LB, LSU

DeAngelo Malone, EDGE, Western Kentucky

John Metchie III, WR, Alabama

Jeremy Ruckert, TE, Ohio State

Leo Chenal, LB, Wisconsin

Nick Cross, S, Maryland

Otito Ogbonnia, DT, UCLA

Kerby Joseph, S, Illinois

James Cook, RB, Georgia

Kellen Diesch, OT, Arizona State

Channing Tindall, LB, Georgia

Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinnati

Dohnovan West, IOL, Arizona State

Erik Ezukanma, WR, Texas Tech

Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky

Luke Fortner, IOL, Kentucky

Brian Asamoah, LB, Oklahoma

Jerome Ford, RB, Cincinnati

Troy Anderson, LB, Montana State

Eyioma Uwazurike, DL, Iowa State

Nephi Sewell, LB, Utah

Rachaad White, RB, Arizona State

Eyioma Uwazurike, DL, Iowa State

Cordale Flott, CB, LSU

Tyler Badie, RB, Missouri

Derrick Deese Jr., TE, San Jose State

Dawson Deaton, IOL, Texas Tech

Velus Jones Jr., WR, Tennessee

Dane Belton, S, Iowa

Khalil Shakir, WR, Boise State

Justin Eboigbe, DL, Alabama

Tyquan Thornton, WR, Baylor

Vincent Gray, CB, Michigan

Esezi Otomewo, DT, Minnesota

Alec Lindstrom, IOL, Boston College

James Mitchell, TE, Virginia Tech

Percy Butler, S, Louisiana

Isaiah Thomas, DE, Oklahoma

Josh Rivas, IOL, Kansas State

Carson Wells, LB, Colorado

Jeremiah Gemmel, LB, North Carolina

Danny Gray, WR, SMU

Jeremiah Moon, OLB, Florida

Ty Chandler, RB, North Carolina
PFF's 2022 NFL Draft linebacker superlatives
The Giants will be likely addressing several different positions on defense in this year's draft.
With nine picks, Joe Schoen has a lot to work with as he looks to bolster the team's depth heading into the 2022 season.
One position Schoen might decide to use a pick or two on is linebacker.
Pro Football Focus' Michael Renner recently looked at this year's crop of linebacker prospects, which the analytics site says is the deepest LB class it has seen in eight years of evaluating college football.
With 13 linebackers ranked inside PFF's top 100, there is a lot to be excited about.
Here are a few of Renner's 2022 NFL Draft linebacker superlatives.
Best sideline-to-sideline range: Channing Tindall, Georgia
"Tindall looks like the T-1000 when he's chasing down running backs in the flat — he just keeps building up speed. At the combine, he ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash with a 1.52 10-yard split. Just watch him scoot."
Best at taking on blocks: Leo Chenal, Wisconsin
"It's incredible how adept Chenal is at separating from blockers despite not possessing ideal length for the position (31-inch arms). That skill enabled him to earn a 94.1 run defense grade (first among linebackers) and 91.8 pass-rushing grade (second among linebackers) last season. Chenal is so adept at it that Wisconsin routinely walked him up on centers to play a tilt nose tackle role."
Best tackler: Quay Walker, Georgia
"Walker was not only an incredibly proficient collegiate tackler, but he also has ideal traits to continue to do so at the NFL level, as he missed only seven tackles on 138 attempts in his four years at Georgia. At a shade under 6-foot-4 with a nearly 6-foot-8 wingspan and 4.52 speed, Walker is going to be a value-add as a tackler in the NFL."
NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks revealed his final position rankings for the 2022 NFL Draft.


EDGE DEFENDERS
1. Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan |
2. Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon |
3. Jermaine Johnson II, Florida State |
4. Travon Walker, Georgia |
5. George Karlaftis, Purdue |

DEFENSIVE TACKLES
1. Jordan Davis, Georgia |
2. DeMarvin Leal, Texas A&M |
3. Logan Hall, Houston |
4. Devonte Wyatt, Georgia |
5. Travis Jones, Connecticut |

LINEBACKERS
1. Devin Lloyd, Utah |
2. Nakobe Dean, Georgia |
3. Christian Harris, Alabama |
4. Troy Anderson, Montana State |
5. Chad Muma, Wyoming |

CORNERBACKS
1. Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, Cincinnati |
2. Derek Stingley Jr., LSU |
3. Andrew Booth, Clemson |
4. Trent McDuffie, Washington |
5. Roger McCreary, Auburn |

SAFETIES
1. Kyle Hamilton, Notre Dame |
2. Dax Hill, Michigan |
3. Lewis Cine, Georgia
4. Jaquan Brisker, Penn State |
5. Jalen Pitre, Baylor |

QUARTERBACKS
1. Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh |
2. Malik Willis, Liberty |
3. Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati |
4. Matt Corral, Mississippi |
5. Sam Howell, North Carolina |

RUNNING BACKS
1. Breece Hall, Iowa State |
2. Kenny Walker III, Michigan State |
3. Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M |
4. Kyren Williams, Notre Dame |
5. James Cook, Georgia |

WIDE RECEIVERS
1. Drake London, USC |
2. Jameson Williams, Alabama |
3. Garrett Wilson, Ohio State |
4. Chris Olave, Ohio State |
5. Jahan Dotson, Penn State |

TIGHT ENDS
1. Trey McBride, Colorado State |
2. Greg Dulcich, UCLA |
3. Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State |
4. Jelanie Woods, Virginia |
5. Isaiah Likely, Coastal Carolina |

OFFENSIVE TACKLES
1. Ickey Ekwonu, N.C. State |
2. Evan Neal, Alabama |
3. Charles Cross, Mississippi State |
4. Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa |
5. Bernhard Raimann, Central Michigan |

INTERIOR BLOCKERS
1. Kenyon Green, Texas A&M |
2. Zion Johnson, Boston College |
3. Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa |
4. Jamaree Salyer, Georgia |
5. Cam Jurgens, Nebraska |

Giants Draft Party: Claim your free tickets now
Join Giants fans at MetLife Stadium to watch the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 28.