NFL Draft 2022: First round live updates recap, with emphasis on where the players went to high school
Photo by The Cincinnati Enquirer-USA TODAY NETWORK
The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas is officially in the books.
One of the biggest surprises of the night is that Liberty quarterback Malik Willis (Roswell High School, Georgia) is still available, but his grandmother drew some attention Thursday night.
Here's how the first round shook out (with some quick notes on each player's high school career).
1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Travon Walker, DE, Upson-Lee High School (Georgia)
Walker starred in football and basketball for Upson-Lee High School in Georgia, winning 71 straight games and consecutive Class 4A titles on the hardcourt. He entered college at Georgia as the No. 2-ranked defensive tackle in the nation, and now he's the top overall pick.
2. Detroit Lions: Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Divine Child High School (Michigan)
Hutchinson finished his career at Divine Child High School in Michigan as the top-ranked player in the state but ranked outside the top 100 in the country. He played defensive end, tight end, offensive lineman and long snapper, plus starred for the lacrosse team before becoming a Michigan Wolverine.
3. Houston Texans: Derek Stingley Jr., CB, Dunham High School (Louisiana)
Before starring for hometown LSU, Louisiana’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2018 led Dunham to back-to-back district titles for the first time in school history while playing DB, WR and RB.
4. New York Jets: Sauce Gardner, CB, Martin Luther King High School (Michigan)
Gardner led Martin Luther King High School in Detroit to the Division 3 state championship in 2018 playing wide receiver and defensive back. He left high school as a three-star prospect ranked as one of the top 30 players in Michigan before developing into a superstar at Cincinnati.
5. New York Giants: Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oaks Christian (California)
Thibodeaux didn't sneak up on anybody, as he headed to Oregon ranked by multiple outlets as the No. 1 player at any position coming out of Oaks Christian in Southern California. He attended Dorsey High School as a freshman and sophomore before winning a CIF Southern Section Division 2 title at Oaks Christian.
6. Carolina Panthers: Ickey Ekwonu, OT, Providence Day High School (North Carolina)
The uber-athletic lineman developed into a wrecking ball at N.C. State after leaving Providence Day High School as the No. 23-ranked prospect in North Carolina. Ekwonu played both sides of the ball in high school, in addition to wrestling and running track.
7. New York Giants: Evan Neal, OT, IMG Academy (Florida)
Neal left IMG Academy as the top-ranked offensive tackle in the nation and top 10 regardless of position. He was the standout on a stacked offensive line for coach Kevin Wright's Ascenders before starring for Alabama.
8. Atlanta Falcons: Drake London, WR, Moorpark (California)
London was a two-sport star at Moorpark High School in Southern California before choosing USC. He made 62 catches for 1,089 yards with 12 TDs on the football field and averaged 29.2 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists on the basketball court his senior year.
9. Seattle Seahawks: Charles Cross, OT, Laurel High School (Mississippi)
Cross stayed home at Mississippi State after leaving Laurel High School just north of Hattiesburg as one of the top prospects in the nation at any position. He anchored a dominant offensive line for the Tornadoes.
10. New York Jets: Garrett Wilson, WR, Lake Travis High School (Texas)
A three-sport athlete at Lake Travis High School in Texas who earned Division I scholarship offers as a basketball player, Wilson chose to focus on football at Ohio State as one of the top-ranked recruits in the nation. He had 204 receptions for 3,359 yards and 55 total touchdowns in his high school career.
11. New Orleans Saints (via Washington): Chris Olave, WR, Mission Hills High School (California)
Olave finished his high school career in record-breaking fashion, catching 93 passes for a San Diego Section-record 1,764 yards and 26 touchdowns before becoming an Ohio State Buckeye. The track star (sprints, long jump) sat out his junior season after transferring to Mission Hills from Eastlake High School.
12. Detroit Lions (via Minnesota): Jameson Williams, WR, Cardinal Ritter College Prep (Missouri)
Williams had eight 100-yard receiving games, including a 257-yard effort with five touchdowns, during his time at Cardinal Ritter. The four-star prospect started his college career at Ohio State before starring at Alabama.
13. Philadelphia Eagles (via Houston): Jordan Davis, DT, Mallard Creek High School (North Carolina)
Davis went to Georgia as a three- to four-star prospect ranked anywhere from the top 200 to top 400 nationally. He helped lead Mallard Creek to a 14-1 record and an appearance in the 2017 4AA state championship game and also played varsity basketball.
14. Baltimore Ravens: Kyle Hamilton, S, Marist (Georgia)
Hamilton played wide receiver and defensive back for legendary coach Alan Chadwick's Marist War Eagles in Atlanta. He entered college ranked anywhere from 97th to 282nd nationally and far exceeded those projections at Notre Dame.
15. Houston Texans (via Philadelphia): Kenyon Green, G, Atascocita High School (Texas)
Green was an Under Armour All-American and Army All-American playing for Craig Stump at Atascocita High School in the Houston area before making the 90-mile move to Texas A&M.
16. Washington Commanders (from New Orleans): Jahan Dotson, WR, Nazareth Area High School (Pennsylvania)
After starring in football, basketball and track in high school, Dotson headed to Penn State ranked as one of the top 150 overall prospects in the nation as a wide receiver. He spent his junior year at The Peddie School in New Jersey.
17. Los Angeles Chargers: Zion Johnson, OG, Riverdale Baptist (Maryland)
Johnson finds himself in this position thanks in part to being what his high school offensive line coach described as the most coachable player he’s had in 43 seasons. Johnson, who already has a master's degree, went from Riverdale Baptist to Davidson to Boston College, and the Chargers up next.
18. Tennessee Titans (via Philadelphia): Treylon Burks, WR, Warren High School (Arkansas)
Burks finished his high school career with 151 receptions for 3,403 yards and 43 touchdowns playing for small-town Warren High School. The top-ranked recruit in the state thrilled Arkansas when he chose to be a Razorback.
19. New Orleans Saints: Trevor Penning, OT, Newman Catholic High School (Iowa)
Penning has charted an under-the-radar course to the NFL, lettering in football, basketball and track and field at Newman Catholic High School. He drew much more NFL attention at Northern Iowa than another former Panther — undrafted Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Kenny Pickett, QB, Ocean Township High School (New Jersey)
Pickett was ranked the nation’s No. 10 pro-style quarterback by 247Sports before heading to Pitt. He passed for 4,670 yards and 43 touchdowns and rushed for 873 yards and 17 TDs in his high school career at Ocean Township.
21. Kansas City Chiefs (via New England): Trent McDuffie, CB, St. John Bosco (California)
The former St. John Bosco star was strong in coverage and excelled in blitz packages in high school, and he kept that up at Washington. He was ranked as high as the No. 66 prospect nationally coming out of high school.
22. Green Bay: Quay Walker, LB, Crisp County High School (Georgia)
Walker starred on both sides of the ball for Crisp County, making 76 tackles, 10 for loss, and catching 13 passes for 201 yards and five TDs as a senior. He also starred on the basketball team before heading to Georgia as a four-star linebacker.
23. Buffalo Bills (via Baltimore): Kaiir Elam, CB, Benjamin High School (Florida)
Elam was a three-sport star at Benjamin (football, basketball, track), starring at defensive back and wide receiver for the 2018 Class 3A regional finalists before becoming a Florida Gator. He averaged 11.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in his last high school basketball season.
24. Dallas Cowboys: Tyler Smith, OT, North Crowley High School (Texas)
Smith took his talents to Tulsa after clearing space for the North Crowley offense that gained 293 yards and 3.5 touchdowns per game rushing in 2018.
25. Baltimore Ravens (via Buffalo): Tyler Linderbaum, Solon High School (Iowa)
Earned first-team all-state and all-district honors as an offensive lineman as a junior and senior at Solon. Placed third in state wrestling tournament as a senior and also played baseball before heading to college at Iowa.
26. New York Jets (via Tennessee): Jermaine Johnson II, DE, Eden Prairie High School (Minnesota)
Johnson took a circuitous route toward becoming a first-round pick. He went from a two-star wide receiver at Eden Prairie High School in Minnesota to a star defensive end via Independence Community College in Kansas to Georgia and then Florida State.
27. Jacksonville (via Tampa Bay): Devin Lloyd, LB, Otay Ranch High School (California)
Lloyd played safety, receiver and punter in high school, along with playing basketball. As a senior team captain, he had 52 tackles, eight interceptions, three pass breakups and three defensive touchdowns.
28. Green Bay Packers: Devonte Wyatt, DT, Towers High School (Georgia)
Wyatt chose the junior college route after being tapped by most outlets as a three-star prospect out of Decatur, Georgia. He made that move pay off, eventually starring for his home-state Georgia Bulldogs via Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.
29. New England Patriots (via Kansas City): Cole Strange, G, Farragut High School (Tennessee)
The two-star Chattanooga grad played in the Tennessee-Kentucky Border Bowl, earning Defensive MVP and membership on the All-Bowl team.
30. Kansas City Chiefs: George Karlaftis, DE, West Lafayette High School (Indiana)
Selected to play in 2019 U.S. Army All-American Bowl, where he received national Defensive Player of the Year honors before starring at Purdue. He was a consensus four-star recruit.
31. Cincinnati Bengals: Daxton Hill, S, Booker T. Washington High School (Oklahoma)
The 2018-19 Gatorade Player of the Year in Oklahoma was the top-ranked player coming out of the state and contributed right away as a freshman at Michigan.
32. Minnesota Vikings (via Detroit): Lewis Cine, S, Trinity Christian (Texas)
Cine left high school as a four-star prospect ranked as high as No. 31 in the nation overall. He transferred to Trinity Christian after playing his first three seasons at Everett High School in Massachusetts, and then earned playing time right away at Georgia.
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