Live blog of all first round selections

1. From long shot to number one choice… Georgia DE Travon Walker is the first selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Jacksonville Jaguars needed an explosive player who could generate power from scratch.
2. Detroit Lions take Michigan DEAidan Hutchinson with the second choice overall. No shock. A perfect fit. “Hometown Hutchinson” sounds good.
3. Houston Texans select LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. at No. 3. His grandfather – a former New England Patriot – was also drafted in the first round. I love seeing talents that run in the family.
4. At No. 4 – New York Jets select lockout Cincinnati CB Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner. Never gave up a single TD pass in his college career. His nickname comes from his little league coach and it has stuck ever since.
5. New York Giants select Oregon Pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux with the fifth pick overall. A huge stopgap for the Giants. He’s a guy who had
   nine sacks his first season at Oregon led them to a Pac-12 football championship and when healthy he’s virtually impossible to block. His stock project plummeted because people started questioning his fire. But tonight, he looks more than fiery and ready to prove people wrong. A great catch for the New York Football Giants.
6. The Carolina Panthers take NC State OT Ikem Ekwonu with the sixth pick overall. Otherwise known as the “King of Pancakes” for his on-the-ground guy pancakes and love for maple syrup. A dominant 310-pound run blocker.
7. With the seventh overall pick – New York Giants select Alabama OT Evan Neal. He is 6’7 at 337 pounds and moves like he weighs 237 pounds. A sensible guy. He’s a businessman and that’s exactly what New York needs.
8. The Atlanta Falcons take USC WR Drake London with the eighth choice. A Pac-12 Player of the Year and a guy that many teams had at the top of their WR charts tonight.
9. Seattle Seahawks selection Mississippi State OT Charles Cross with the ninth pick overall. He is the best pure pass blocker in his draft class. I think it’s safe to say he’s the starting left tackle this season. Seattle will need it.
10. At No. 10 – the choice of the New York Jets Ohio State WR Garrett Wilson. Excellent hands, ball awareness and body control. A global vertical path hazard. Last season’s stats: 70 catches, 12 receiving touchdowns and 1,058 receiving yards.
11. The New Orleans Saints traded the No. 16 pick plus 98 and 120 to Washington Commanders for the No. 11 pick. The saints select Ohio State WR Chris Olave. Another real weapon alongside Michael Thomas.
12. Detroit Lions with a huge trade…sending Nos. 32, 34 and 66 to the Minnesota Vikings for picks No. 12 and 46. The Lions Choice Alabama WR Jameson Williams. Electric speed. A dream QB. A real talent. Great use of a huge trade. The only problem is an injury which could prevent him from playing at full capacity straight away this season.
13. Third times trade the charm. The Philadelphia Eagles now move to No. 13. They traded with the Houston Texans for numbers 15, 124, 162 and 166. The Eagles select Georgia DT Jordan Davis. A monster tackle of 6’6 and 340 pounds. If he fell to the Patriots – he’s a guy I could have seen Bill Belichick select this round.
14. Baltimore Ravens select Notre Dame S Kyle Hamilton pick No. 14. A 6’4, 220-pound player with some of the best reaction skills in the draft class. An extremely versatile guy. The Ravens simultaneously traded WR Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and the No. 100 to the Arizona Cardinals for the No. 23 pick. A nice draft gift for Kyler Murray — who will reunite with his former Oklahoma teammate.
15. Houston Texans take Texas A&M G Kenyon Green. A versatile and tough offensive lineman. A good fit for Houston.
16. Washington commanders select Penn State WR Jahan Dotson with the 15th pick overall. A good target for QB Carson Wentz. Probably has some of the best hands in the draft class – despite suffering severe hand burns when he was younger. What a success.
17. Chargers select Boston College G Zion Johnson with the 16th choice. He’s more than proven himself – fighting to get to this place. He started in Davidson and then went to British Columbia. He brings the versatility needed to the Chargers organization.
18. Eagles traded picks No. 18 and 101 to Titans for WR AJ Brown (which got a huge extension) — and in return — the Titans get Arkansas WR Treylon Burks with the 18th choice. He is tall, physical and versatile. Last season he had 66 catches and over 1,100 yards.
19. With the 19th pick — The New Orleans Saints select Northern Iowa OT Trevor Penning. The Saints’ new left tackle. Incredible athleticism. New Orleans clearly didn’t have a problem with their level of involvement in the field fights.
20. As expected – Pittsburgh Steelers remove first QB from roster tonight – selecting Pitt QB Kenny Pickett with the 20th choice. Without a doubt the most pro-ready quarterback in this draft class.
21. The New England Patriots traded pick 21 to the Kansas City Chiefs for picks 29, 94 and 121 (Shocker? I don’t think.) The chefs select Washington BC Trent McDuffie with the 21st choice. He has a competitive nature that plays with a bigger goal. He may be the best tackle corner in the draft.
22. Green Bay Packers select Georgia ILB Quay Walker with the 22nd choice. He is 6’3, 241 pounds and ran 4.52 at the combine. Walker is powerful, a good blitzer and has great potential in the NFL — even though he only played a year as a starter at Georgia.
23. After trading with the Baltimore Ravens – the Buffalo Bills take Florida BC Kaiir Elam with choice #23. The Bills needed a CB and Elam is an excellent selection to fill the void. Elam is extremely athletic, can run well, do media coverage, and is also good at zone coverage. Elam can play indoors and outdoors. It could be a sneaky pick for the Bills.
24. The Dallas Cowboys take Tulsa OT Tyler Smith with the 24th selection. He’s struggled with penalties, but he’s just 21 – the youngest player in this year’s draft class. He showed glimmers of pro-ready ability to make a rather immediate impact for the Cowboys.
25. Baltimore Ravens select Iowa C Tyler Linderbaum with the 25th choice. He was named the 2021 consensus All-American center. He may have short 31-inch arms, but his athleticism proves that measurables don’t always matter. Last season, he allowed 3 sacks on 1,141 passing blocks. Impressive.
26. The Titans traded that pick with the New York Jets – who selected Florida State OF Jermaine Johnson II. Johnson was featured on “Last Chance U” and then ended his career at Florida State. He improved and, as a result, became a first-round pick. He averaged 61 snaps per game this year for Florida State. A top 10 pass rusher is now a Jet.
27. At No. 27 – Jacksonville Jaguars select Utah LB Devin Lloyd. A great leader for Utah. Both of her parents served in the military, so her sense of discipline and responsibility is extremely strong. One of my favorite college players. Just a guy and a standing player.
28. With the 28th pick – Green Bay Packers select Georgia DT Devonte Wyatt. Yet another selection of players from Georgia.
29. At No. 29 – the Patriots’ pick Chattanooga OL Cole Strange. A strange choice indeed… with all the holes New England needs to fill – an offensive lineman wouldn’t be my first choice. Dizzy.
30. With 30th pick – Chiefs select Purdue BY George Karlaftis. I love seeing a Greek picked in the first round. He plays with a lot of power. The rookie ranked number one at Indiana State but decided to stay close to home. It is a disturbance that comes from the edge. Good choice.
31. At No. 31 – Cincinnati Bengals select Mich. S Daxton Hill.
32. With the final selection of the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft – the Minnesota Vikings select Georgia S Lewis Cine. He is 6’2, 199 lbs and an aggressive player.

Who are my first round winners of the NFL Draft? The Jets and the Giants… definitely. Both teams have made choices that will do more than make their rebuilds easier.