Rookie Rankings

The consensus top running back in the 2022 draft class, Hall seems built to be a starter in the NFL. He's got the size to handle the punishment that comes with a big workload, the balance to keep going after initial contact and the vision and patience to take advantage of the holes his scheme and offensive line can create for him. He's also got the speed to turn those holes into big plays, and Hall's 4.39 40-yard time at the Combine was among the top marks at his position, backing up a resume that saw him score five touchdowns of 75 yards or more in college. During his tenure at Iowa State he also showed a willingness to lower his pads and gain extra yards, a trait that should make him an effective goal-line option for the Jets after he was taken early in the second round as the first RB off the board. His hands and receiving skills could also make him a three-down option right out of the gate, although Michael Carter seems the favorite for that role. There are some mild question marks about Hall's elusiveness in traffic and the mileage he's already accumulated, and his patient, calculating approach to hitting holes will make him dependant on an iffy Jets offensive line, but Hall has all the tools to make an immediate impact.

Isn't it convenient when the team most in need of a wide receiver is the first to pick one in the draft? So it went for Drake, a three-year starter at USC who averaged 43.6 yards per game as a true freshman, 83.7 ypg as a sophomore and 135.5 ypg as a junior. He went eighth overall to Atlanta, despite missing the final four games of his junior year -- plus predraft workouts -- after fracturing his ankle in October. It may have been a blessing in disguise, considering USC's season was going nowhere and the 40-yard dash and other Combine drills were never likely to be the strength of London's prospect profile. What he does bring to the table is production, size (6-4, 219) and youth (21 in July), and he landed with a team where the other candidates for WR snaps are an uninspired mix of journeymen and undrafted guys. The Falcons do have last year's first-rounder, Kyle Pitts, the 21-year-old tight end who eclipsed 1,000 yards as a rookie. They're seemingly counting on London to have a similar immediate impact, though even the success of Pitts' debut campaign illustrates a big part of the downside here, as the young TE scored only one TD on 68 catches. The Atlanta offense isn't likely to get much better with Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder replacing Matt Ryan at QB, unless both Pitts and London prove to be bonafide, ready-made superstars.

Scouts compared Burks to A.J. Brown before they had any idea the former might be tasked with replacing the latter. All the better that the Titans drafted Burks with the very same pick, 18th overall, acquired in the Brown trade. The new guy wasn't quite as prolific as AJB in college (2,984 yards to 2,399) and ran the 40-yard dash a step slower (4.49 vs. 4.55), but Burks is a strong prospect in his own right, coming off a junior season with half the Razorbacks' receiving TDs and 40 percent of their receiving yards. And while his other workout numbers from the Combine were no better than the 40 time -- 33-inch vertical, 122-inch broad jump, 7.39 three-cone drill -- Burks gets some leeway on account of his massive build (6-2, 225 pounds). That's where the comparisons to Brown kick in, along with Burks' excellent work picking up yards after the catch. He even took 38 carries in his three seasons at Arkansas, averaging 5.8 YPC, and the Titans should find ways to get him easy touches early on. Targets are there for the taking, even in a run-first offense, as QB Ryan Tannehill's other top options are WR Robert Woods (coming back from an ACL tear), TE Austin Hooper and WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.