Looking for a safe pick in the first round of the draft?
At least there was an NFL Combine this year, but that quest is a little bit different. Sporting News found eight safe first-round selections for the 2022 NFL Draft, which runs April 28-30 in Las Vegas.
You won't find a quarterback on this list. Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett and Desmond Ridder come with more question marks than last year's QB-heavy class. Even top edge rushers Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux have some risk factors.
How do you find them? Well, seven of the eight players on this list played in the College Football Playoff over the course of the last two seasons.
So who are those eight safe picks? Sporting News takes a closer look:
MORE NFL DRAFT: TSN's 7-round mock | Top 150 big board
Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
- Ranked No. 4 overall on SN's big board
There is a case to be made that Hamilton could be the top pick in the draft. He's a unicorn in the secondary at 6-4, 220 pounds who made splash plays for the Irish's secondary. Hamilton ran a 4.59 in the 40, but he was a top-five performer in the three-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle. He's an instinctive safety who can be moved all over the field as a chess piece for a defensive coordinator. Harrison Smith was the last Notre Dame safety to be taken in the first round. Hamilton has that kind of ability.
Cool perspective of Kyle Hamilton’s opposite hash interception against FSU. pic.twitter.com/HlDnixgMRu
— John Ellis (@1PantherPlace) April 12, 2022
Ickey Ekownu, OT, N.C. State
- Ranked No. 3 overall on SN's big board
Ekownu's athleticism is off the charts. The 6-4, 320-pound tackle ran a 4.93 in the 40 at the NFL Draft. He played left guard and left tackle at an All-American level for the Wolfpack. Ekownu also is a can't-miss-leader who you can build an offensive line around. He's a better run blocker at this point, which means he could slide into guard early in his career. Either way, that versatility is going to keep him in the league for a long time.
MORE: A look at some major mock drafts
Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
- Ranked No. 4 overall on SN's big board
This will be the fourth straight season that Alabama has put a tackle in the first round of the NFL Draft. Neal would join Jonah Williams (2019), Jedrick Wills (2020) and Alex Leatherwood (2021). Neal will be the seventh first-round tackle since Nick Saban took over at Alabama, and he is massive at 6-foot-7, 337 pounds. That's basically Cam Robinson.
Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
- Ranked No. 8 overall on SN's big board
"Sauce" allowed just 18 receptions last season, and just 6.8 yards per catch. He plays with the confidence of a shutdown cornerback, and the comparisons to Richard Sherman have some weight. Gardner is long at 6-3, 221 pounds and runs a 4.41 in the 40-yard dash. He played well in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Alabama, too.
Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
- Ranked No. 12 overall on SN's big board
Garrett Wilson and Olave paired well together at Ohio State, even though they took different paths. Wilson was a five-star receiver expected to make this jump. Olave was a three-star recruit who grinded his way up the Buckeyes' loaded depth chart. He stayed for his senior season, and the production did not suffer. Olave is a clean route runner who ran a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He will fit in almost any offensive scheme, and it won't be a surprise if he's the first receiver taken in the draft.
MORE: NFL Draft pick trade value chart
Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
- Ranked No. 13 overall on SN's big board
Expectations for rookies will go up given Ja'Marr Chase (1,455) and Jaylen Waddle (1,015) both hit the 1,000-yard mark as rookies last season. Wilson (6-0, 192) has that kind of ceiling. He has a 32-inch wingspan and a knack for making the highlight-reel catch. He topped that off with a 4.38 in the 40-yard dash in the NFL Combine. Former Ohio State receiver Michael Thomas had 1,137 yards and nine TDs as a rookie in 2016. Wilson could hit those numbers.
Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia
- Ranked No. 20 overall on SN's big board
Dean elevated his game in every phase for the best defense in college football last season. He had 72 tackles, six sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. He's a complete sideline-to-sideline three-down linebacker with inside and outside capability. This year's linebacker class is going to be judged on the Micah Parsons' standard, which will be impossible to match. That said, Dean is an immediate starter who will be an impact player on any defense right away.
This is a hell of a play by Nakobe Dean. He sniffs out this play from the other side of the field.
— Due# (@JDue51) January 2, 2022
Going into the game, I thought Michigan might have the coaching prep/scouting advantage. I was way wrong. pic.twitter.com/ozrfWEsIa7
Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
- Ranked No. 25 overall on SN's big board
Davis has all the tools to be the next dominant defensive tackle in the NFL. He's 6-6, 340 pounds and runs a 4.78 in the 40-yard dash. His freakish ability translated to 32 tackles and five tackles for loss for the national champions last season. Davis will draw some comparisons to Haloti Ngata, who was a five-time Pro Bowl selection as a game-changer on the interior. Ngata was the No. 12 pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. If Davis falls outside the top 10, which is the case in most mocks, then the value here is tremendous.
