NFL Draft

LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. will enter the 2022 NFL draft, he announced Thursday in an article for The Players' Tribune.

Stingley wrote that he knows he's "ready to lock in and focus on what’s next" as he prepares for the jump to the next level:

I can't say thank you enough to LSU and the fans for the support that you have given me throughout my time there, and how much I appreciate the moments we have shared together. They will never be forgotten. To my family that has been there every step of the way, thank you … your support means everything to me. I hope I continue to make you proud.

Stingley has been projected as a top NFL draft pick since his freshman season when he recorded six interceptions, 15 passes defended and 38 tackles. However, the 20-year-old has been limited by injuries over the last two seasons.

Stingley appeared in seven games in 2020, finishing with 19 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He played even less in 2021, appearing in three games before undergoing a foot procedure in October that sidelined him indefinitely. 

Despite his injury history, ESPN's Todd McShay (h/t 247Sports) believes Stingley could be a top pick in the 2022 draft and potentially a top-five selection:

“I don’t know if there’s a consensus because we haven’t seen much of him. Three games this year. He just hasn’t played much in the last two years. You go back to 2019 and you study that tape. He had six interceptions as a freshman, and he has everything you look for physically. He’s long, he’s got oily hips, just so loose in terms of his ability to turn and run. He’s got the top-end speed, he’s got the arm length you look for, he’s got the ball production I mentioned before with the six picks. But is he gonna be healthy enough? You’ve gotta study the medical if you’re an NFL team. And I think workouts are gonna be critical for him, not just combine and Pro Day workouts, but individual workouts for teams just trying to get a feel for where he is and has his game slipped any, or post-injury, is he gonna get back to the player he was in 2019? And if he is, I think he has a chance to be a top-5 pick. He’s that special from a talent standpoint.”

McShay listed Stingley second in his 2022 NFL draft rankings in October after he had been ruled out. It's unclear which teams might be interested in the young cornerback. 

Per B/R's NFL scouting department, Stingley is the top-ranked cornerback and No. 8 overall player. He's also listed as the best player in man coverage among all draft-eligible corners this year. 

Stingley will look to become the first Tigers cornerback since Tre'Davious White in 2017 to be drafted in the first round. 

The 2022 NFL draft is expected to be held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas from April 28-30. 

If the race for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft comes down to Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux, some NFL executives believe the Michigan star should get the edge because of his week-to-week consistency. 

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, one executive from an NFC team cited Hutchinson's high-floor talent as the reason to select him ahead of Thibodeaux. 

"One NFC exec put it this way with Hutchinson: He might not be a home run, but he's, at worst, a stand-up double. In other words, people around the league believe Hutchinson has virtually no risk of being a bust, a clean prospect in every way," Fowler wrote. 

An AFC team executive told Fowler that Thibodeaux went through long stretches when he "barely saw him make a play," but Hutchinson "at least shows up every week."

The discussion about the top pick this year looks to be wide-open, in part because there don't appear to be any quarterbacks in the mix. 

Per the B/R NFL scouting department big board, Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder is the top quarterback at No. 22 overall. 

Thibodeaux is the top-ranked player on the list, with Hutchinson coming in at No. 4. Purdue edge-rusher George Karlaftis and Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal are second and third, respectively. 

"Explosion and range ... I would take him. He scares you more," another AFC executive told Fowler about why Thibodeaux should be the No. 1 pick. 

Hutchinson certainly seems to have a lot of momentum behind him. The Michigan star finished second in Heisman voting, the best finish by a defensive player since Manti Te'o in 2012. He recorded 16.5 tackles for loss and 14 sacks in 14 games this season to help the Wolverines win the Big Ten for the first time since 2004 and make their first appearance in the College Football Playoff. 

Thibodeaux did miss three games early in the season with a sprained ankle. He still finished with 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks in 10 games for the Oregon  Ducks. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars can clinch the top pick in the 2022 draft on Sunday with either a loss to the Indianapolis Colts or a Detroit Lions win over the Green Bay Packers. 

No team has picked No. 1 overall in back-to-back years since the Cleveland Browns in 2017 and '18.     

Michigan linebacker David Ojabo is going to enter the 2022 NFL draft after a fantastic junior season in which he finished second on the team with 11 sacks. 

Ojabo, a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2021, announced Tuesday he was turning pro:

Ojabo originally committed to the Wolverines in 2019 after graduating from Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey. He was a 4-star recruit and the No. 19 strong-side defensive end in the 2019 class, per 247Sports composite rankings. 

After redshirting as a freshman and playing primarily on special teams as a sophomore. Ojabo finally got his chance to play on the Wolverines defensive line in 2021. The 21-year-old made the most of his opportunity with 12 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. 

Only Aidan Hutchinson (16.5 tackles for loss, 14 sacks) was more productive as a pass-rusher than Ojabo this season. 

Per B/R's NFL scouting department, Ojabo is ranked as the No. 4 edge-rusher and No. 20 overall player. He ranks behind Oregon's Kayvon Thibodeaux (No. 1 overall), Purdue's George Karlaftis (No. 2 overall) and Hutchinson (No. 4 overall) at his position. 

ESPN's Todd McShay cited Ojabo's "superquick first step and excellent torso flexibility" as his biggest strengths coming into the NFL. 

Ojabo was incredibly raw as a prospect coming out of high school. He didn't have a lot of game experience as a defensive lineman in three seasons at Michigan but made the most of his opportunity in 2021 to put himself in the mix as a first-round talent.     

After helping lead Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff, cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner is turning pro. 

Gardner told Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports in a phone interview that he is declaring for the 2022 NFL draft. 

“I talked things over with my family,” Gardner said Tuesday. “My work at Cincinnati is done. I came in and did everything I was supposed to do. I listened to everything the coaches were telling me to do to get in a better position to take care of my family.”

Thamel noted Gardner is projected as a first-rounder, with some scouts believing he could go off the board within the top 15 picks. 

Per B/R's NFL Scouting Department, Gardner is the No. 5 cornerback and the No. 26 player overall in the 2022 draft class.   

ESPN's Todd McShay wrote that Gardner is "tall and long, and he smothers coverage underneath," as well as having "strong recognition ability in zone" and "is an adequate wrap-up tackler and flashes playmaking skill."

Gardner was a key player for the Bearcats during their run to the College Football Playoff this season. He started 13 games, setting career highs with five tackles for loss, three sacks and tying his career high with three interceptions. 

A native of Detroit, Gardner was a 3-star recruit coming out of Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School in 2019. He was named to the All-AAC first team in each of his three seasons at Cincinnati. 

As a junior in 2021, Gardner was named AAC Defensive Player of the Year and a consensus All-American. He recorded five total tackles and one tackle for loss in a 27-6 loss to Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal on Dec. 31. 

Gardner can become the third player in Bearcats history selected in the first round of the NFL draft. Quarterback Greg Cook (No. 5 overall in 1969) and defensive tackle Bob Bell (No. 21 overall in 1971) are the only Cincinnati alums drafted in the first round.    

North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell announced Saturday on Instagram that he will forgo his senior season with the Tar Heels and enter the 2022 NFL draft.

Howell entered the 2021 campaign with sky-high expectations, including a place in early discussions about the potential No. 1 overall pick in 2022, after tallying 68 passing touchdowns and 14 interceptions across his first two seasons at UNC.

Despite that track record of success, he faded from the spotlight after throwing three interceptions in a season-opening loss to Virginia Tech.

Yet, he quickly returned to form and finished the season with a 62.5 percent completion rate for 3,056 yards with 24 touchdowns and nine picks in 12 games. He added 828 rushing yards and 11 scores on the ground.

One of the biggest highlights of the season came in October when he became the school's all-time leader in passing yards, moving past T.J. Yates for the top spot.

Howell used the record-breaking moment to discuss his entire UNC tenure:

It's definitely not why I play the game, but it's definitely something that I don't take for granted. It's an awesome deal. You know I have had a lot of help to get to where I am and I am just super blessed by God to be in the position I am in and have all these people around me that allow me to go out there and have success. I can be anywhere in the world and I am here playing football with the people that I love in this locker room.

I truly enjoy being with those guys. It is just super fun to go out there and fight with my brothers. I think what I take away most from the records are just the memories and the relationships I have been building. It has been a lot of fun and I am excited to finish it out.

The 21-year-old North Carolina native will ultimately go down as one of the best players in Tar Heels history.

Howell didn't have anything left to prove in college, so his decision to make the jump doesn't come as a surprise, especially since he's a potential first-round pick.

His size (6'1'', 220 pounds) will likely become a talking point in the months ahead since his height is a bit below prototypical standards, but his ability to navigate the pocket, and escape it to run when necessary, has allowed him to minimize the impact on his game.

He's capable of being a day-one starter depending on where he lands, but spending a little time on the sideline behind a veteran wouldn't hurt development, either.

During the predraft process, Howell figures to battle with the likes of Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett, Liberty's Malik Willis, Mississippi's Matt Corral and Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder for the right to be the first quarterback selected in the 2022 NFL draft.

Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills isn't going to gain any traction for Offensive Rookie of the Year, though in recent weeks, he may have garnered some support to start under center in 2022.

In Week 14, Mills replaced journeyman signal-caller Tyrod Taylor for the second time this season. Over the past three weeks, he's performed at the level of a capable pro, throwing for 794 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception while the Texans went 2-1.

Last week, Mills engineered two scoring drives and completed a career-high 77.8 percent of his passes against the Los Angeles Chargers. 

Though the Chargers didn't have All-Pro safety Derwin James (hamstring) or four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Joey Bosa (reserve/COVID-19 list), Mills' performance likely opened some eyes as he consistently stood in the pocket and delivered accurate strikes:

With nine starts in 11 appearances, Mills seems comfortable within the Texans offense, and wideout Chris Conley broke down a 41-yard touchdown play in which Mills read the defense perfectly and made a great decision: "In that instance, Davis was able to recognize the coverage and put it up. It's not a play that was scripted to go deep, but he took a chance right there, and I think that message was seen throughout the day—a lot of guys trusting each other to go out there and make plays—and it paid off."

When a young quarterback makes plays like that, he builds confidence and garners trust from his teammates along with the coaching staff. 

In Week 2, Mills replaced Taylor, who suffered a hamstring injury, and went through some rocky outings. In starts against the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals, he threw six interceptions combined and zero touchdowns.

On the flip side, he had flashed some promise in a matchup with the New England Patriots, who rank third in yards allowed with the second-most interceptions. In that Week 5 contest, he threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns in a near upset over a squad that usually picks apart inexperienced passers.

After about six weeks in a backup role, Mills rejoined the starters with some poise and a stronger grip on the pro game. He went into detail about his growth during a learning period:

"When they called my number, I was ready. It felt like the game started to slow down more for me. I have a really good feel of what we're trying to do on offense, and the time just gave me more time to build chemistry week in and week out with my receivers so we're all on the same page. And I felt like it was good, and I feel like I'm playing some good football right now." 

During Monday's press conference, head coach David Culley talked about Mills' development from the spring up until this point.

"I've seen Davis grow a lot since we stepped foot here in rookie minicamp, OTAs," Culley told reporters. "You can tell he's really stacking his days, really trying to work on the things he needs to improve on. You can tell he's getting comfortable. He's still growing." 

Culley didn't provide meaningless quotes to pat Mills on the back. The Stanford product, who only made 11 starts on the collegiate level mostly because of injuries, stacks up well when compared to a couple of his peers who went Nos. 1 and 2 in this year's draft. He has a higher passer rating (86.2) and completion rate (66.6) than Trevor Lawrence (70.6 and 58.7 percent) and Zach Wilson (67.9 and 56.7 percent).

While Mills plays in a different situation than Lawrence and Wilson, which makes it difficult to compare all three quarterbacks fairly, we should acknowledge that the Texans didn't come into the season with a loaded roster.

Sure, Mills has wideout Brandin Cooks, but he's the only player on the team with more than 30 receptions. In Houston's previous outing, running back Rex Burkhead passed Mark Ingram II to lead the club in rushing yards (356), which says a lot when you consider the front office traded the latter to the New Orleans Saints after Week 7.

Mills has played well with upstart playmakers around him, and since his return to the starting lineup, fellow 2021 draftees Nico Collins and Brevin Jordan have made contributions in the passing game. With a viable aerial attack, the Texans offense has come alive.

If Mills continues to play well against two playoff-caliber opponents in the San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans in the final two games, the Texans may overlook the 2022 quarterback class. Next year's group doesn't appear to feature a star prospect, and Houston may address other positions with its top selections.

With a full offseason of first-team reps, continuity with his top pass-catchers and the addition of a dynamic playmaker in the backfield, Mills may show significant progress through the 2022 campaign.

Assuming the Texans move on from Deshaun Watson, who requested a trade before he faced 22 accusations of sexual assault and misconduct, general manager Nick Caserio may already have his succession plan at quarterback in the rookie third-rounder.

If not and Mills falls apart, Houston can look toward the 2023 draft and target 2021 Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young, who can declare as an underclassman out of Alabama, or Heisman Trophy Finalist C.J. Stroud from Ohio State.

At the very least, Mills' recent performances should encourage the Texans to weigh their options and go with the best player available regardless of position. Caserio doesn't have to reach for a quarterback.

At the top of the 2022 draft, the Texans may want to consider edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson, edge-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, safety Kyle Hamilton or cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. to bolster their 29th-ranked scoring defense. Looking further ahead, they can monitor Mills' growth through the 2022 season.

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @MoeMoton.