NFL Draft Community Mailbag: Can Any Prospect Unseat Kayvon Thibodeaux as No. 1?

As the NFL enters the midpoint of its first 17-game regular season, a better understanding of where each franchise sits in the league's hierarchy and its approach to the rest of the campaign, as well as the offseason, becomes clearer by the day.

Meanwhile, the college football season is deep into conference play while conference championship games loom.

The NFL draft should be on the minds of many, and not just the fans of teams that have disappointed.

An acknowledgment of each team's strengths and weaknesses will help while watching games and evaluating prospects. By the time the predraft cycle begins, a firm grasp of where a franchise needs to proceed coupled with working knowledge of top incoming talent will provide a fuller view of April's must-see event.

Bleacher Report's scouting department is here to help.

Brandon Thorn, Brent Sobleski, Cory Giddings, Derrik Klassen and Nate Tice pored over hundreds of games when evaluating the upcoming class. With two-plus months of evaluations under their belts, the community mailbag has been reopened to answer pressing questions regarding how the next class is taking shape and individual progress.

Which prospect from the upcoming class could be the dark-horse No. 1 overall pick? — mplem19

Preseason expectations that a quarterback prospect could emerge to take the top spot much like Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Joe Burrow haven't materialized.

Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux is positioned well to run wire-to-wire as the top-rated prospect. His talent is in line with Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney to warrant such a high grade.

But Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal presents plenty of intrigue because of his physical upside, on-field performance and value at another premium position.

Bleacher Report's scouting department has North Carolina State's Ikem Ekwonu as the highest-rated offensive tackle. He's been phenomenal this season and deserves recognition as a top-three talent.

However, some franchises may view Ekwonu as a better fit at guard, and Neal—a top-five talent based on his play—will have an opportunity to wow scouts during the predraft testing process.

The 6'7", 350-pound prospect, who has right-left versatility, came into this season as the No. 1-ranked player on Bruce Feldman's yearly "Freaks List." 

Neal moves unlike any other blocker at his size. He's extremely flexible, nimble and powerful. He could blow away his athletic testing and demand consideration for the No. 1 overall pick.

— Sobleski

Who is the generational talent in this draft at any position? — YourHonor

The term "generational" is overused in draft parlance, but it applies in a specific case during this draft cycle.

Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum should go down as the highest-graded center prospect of the modern era. At Bleacher Report, the scouting department grades him as a top-five overall prospect.

The NFL hasn't seen a pivot selected in the top five since the Cincinnati Bengals did so with the franchise's first-ever draft selection of Bob Johnson with the second overall pick in 1968. None have even been selected in the top 10 since then.

Linderbaum brings a rare blend of power, athleticism and nastiness to the position. Some may knock him for his 290-pound frame, but girth doesn't always equate to power. The former high school wrestler plays with excellent leverage and angles as he works to bury his blocking assignments. He's skilled at reaching shaded defensive linemen and linebackers. He's the ideal center in today's outside-zone world.

Still, the Iowa lineman may be knocked because of positional value. He may even slide once the draft starts. But one thing is for sure: He's this year's unicorn. Sometimes a player is so good, a franchise will look past traditional norms. Quenton Nelson and Kyle Pitts are great examples.

— Sobleski

Who is the best defensive end for the 2022 class besides Oregon's Kayvon Thibodeaux? — Eagles233

Purdue's George Karlaftis could be the top edge-rusher or a coin flip with Thibodeaux based on play style and team preference.

At 6'4" and 275 pounds, Karlaftis has a tall, thick frame, and his athleticism pops off the screen. He flies off the ball, has heavy hands and plays with better quickness and bend than a player his size should.

Karlaftis has also shown clear growth in his hand usage and run defense over three years at Purdue. He should not fall out of the top five picks in any circumstance.

None of this is to discount Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson, seen by many as the second-best edge-rusher. He is a great prospect and should land among the top 12 picks.

Karlaftis' ceiling is higher, though Hutchinson might be a hair "safer" thanks to his excellent technique and play recognition.

— Klassen

Will any off-ball linebackers be worth a first-round pick? — SparkyBFS

Alabama's Christian Harris seemed like he could be that guy because his speed, coverage potential and flashes of explosion when taking on blocks are enticing.

However, the more I see of Harris, the more it feels he is too much of a work in progress. His willingness to take on blockers can run hot and cold, and his tackling is a worry because of stiff hips.

His ceiling is intriguing, but the risk is greater than initially thought. Even so, it's hard to forget how promising Harris looked dating back to his freshman season.

A couple of other candidates are worth mentioning.

Nakobe Dean's production, athleticism and relentless pursuit will give him a strong chance to make the first round. Being one of the best players on Georgia's all-time great college defense will go a long way.

Utah's Devin Lloyd has the versatility some teams are willing to take a swing on, so he may be positioning himself to make the first round as well.

— Klassen

How is the linebacker class shaping up? — manjams

I'm not sold on a clear No. 1 like Micah Parsons during the previous cycle, but the class has different flavors to offer in the 20-50 range.

Devin Lloyd is a do-it-all who can take edge snaps the same way we have seen some guys thrive in New England (think Kyle Van Noy).

Nakobe Dean plays with his hair on fire versus the run and as a blitzer, and he is as sure a tackler as they come.

Penn State's Brandon Smith may be turning into my favorite. He is a coverage savant.

Despite his incompleteness, Christian Harris flashes as well as anyone in the class.

— Klassen

Would any quarterback prospects in this year's class have been a first-round pick in 2021? — trmcgary

Short answer: Likely none. Maybe one, at most.

Mac Jones provides a great barometer for how to stack this year's class.

While I am bullish on Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder, whose traits and improvement throughout this season would have snuck him into the back half of the first round, he is behind Jones as a prospect, or comparable if you're a glass-half-full thinker.

The class has some intriguing quarterbacks with traits and/or production—like Liberty's Malik Willis or Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett—but last year saw five legitimate first-round quarterback prospects. This year, we're squinting to find one.

— Tice

Will Arkansas' Treylon Burks become the No. 1 wide receiver prospect with an amazing combine performance? — vinkeatin

The wide receiver class has a fun mix of talented players. There might not be a dominant guy among the top 10 prospects, but the class features at least a half-dozen first-round prospects, including Burks.

He has a rare blend of size and athleticism and flashes natural hands when catching the ball. Arkansas tries to find every way to get the ball into his hands, which makes for a funny sight with a 6'3", 225-pound runner on jet sweeps from the slot.

Burks is an excellent athlete, and any combine testing would an exclamation point rather than a moment of persuasion for teams. Teams will be trying to figure out if he's a true outside receiver and what his football IQ is.

Does he play in the slot because he has to be there—whether due to his route-running ability or winning vs. press coverage—or is it a way to get him closer to the football more often?

His size, athleticism and production make him an easy candidate to end up as WR1 on some teams' boards, but probably not all 32 teams thanks to the premium crop of talent at the position.

— Tice

Can Jahan Dotson be a first-round selection with his lack of size? — SeriousFan120

Absolutely. While teams prefer to skew larger at all positions when drafting early, the rule changes in the NFL have allowed smaller and faster players to thrive at all positions with wide receiver chief among them.

Precedent can be found in the 2021 draft when the Miami Dolphins selected a receiver with similar size to the 5'11", 184-pound Dotson in Jaylen Waddle (5'10", 182 pounds) with the sixth overall selection. While you can make the argument Waddle has world-class speed, Dotson is a more technically refined receiver prospect at all three levels with more than enough speed to win deep and with the ball in his hands.

I would not advocate for Dotson—or any "smaller" receiver—to go in the top 10 as Waddle did. But Dotson's explosive athletic ability, natural hands and polish on routes and releases would overcome size concerns when considering him for the first round.

— Tice

What offensive tackle prospects could be available near the bottom of the first round? — guiltyascharged

Northern Iowa's Trevor Penning, Central Michigan's Bernhard Raimann and Ohio State's Nicholas Petit-Frere could land near the end of the first round.

Penning is a massive tackle with prototypical size and starter-level play strength. The 6'7", 321-pound blocker brings a tone-setting presence that could reshape the identity of a line. He hasn't been tested much at Northern Iowa but has dominated the competition to check the box at the lower level.

Raimann will likely be a fast riser in the offseason with the movement skills, balance and relative newness to the game as an Austrian exchange student at the high school level to suggest he is just scratching the surface of what he could become.

Petit-Frere is an explosive athlete with pop at the point of contact to jolt defenders and valuable starting experience at both tackle spots. He has some bad habits in pass protection that need to be cleaned up before being relied on as an NFL starter, particularly set points and strike timing.

Each could find his way into the back end of the opening frame with Penning and Raimann likely to be more highly rated than Petit-Frere.

— Thorn

What makes Notre Dame's Kyle Hamilton special as a safety prospect? — therealGM

Hamilton's size makes him stand out from other safeties.

At 6'4", he has the length to cover tight ends and bigger receivers. That also shows up when taking on linemen in the run game, where he can use his long arms to shed and control blocks.

On top of his rare length, he carries 220 pounds on a frame that could easily add another 10 to 15 pounds.

When playing deep, Hamilton has the range to cover all over the field and outstanding ball skills to finish the play. Whether he is deep or in underneath coverage, he has the athleticism and fluidity to make a play on the ball.

Against the run, Hamilton uses his size and athletic ability to not only beat blocks but also chase down ball-carriers behind the line of scrimmage. He can blitz off the edge or between the tackles.

His combination of rare traits translates to all three levels and makes Hamilton a special safety prospect. Other players had similar physical measurements, such as former USC safety Taylor Mays, but Hamilton moves in a much smoother and athletic manner.

— Giddings