Rookie Rankings

The consensus top running back in the 2022 draft class, Hall is 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, as Hall's 4.39 40-yard time at the 2022 Combine was among the top marks at his position, backing up a prolific college career that included five touchdowns of 75 yards or more. 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 experience as a pass catcher (82 catches in three seasons at ISU) is also a good sign, though 2021 fourth-round pick Michael Carter is the favorite to handle passing downs after his promising rookie season. There are some mild question marks about Hall's elusiveness in traffic and the overall quality of the Jets offense, but Hall has all the physical 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 London, a three-year starter at USC who averaged 43.6 yards per game as a true freshman, 83.7 as a sophomore and 135.5 as a junior. He went eighth overall to Atlanta, despite missing the final four games last year — plus predraft workouts — after fracturing his ankle in October. It may have been a blessing in disguise, considering 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 (he turned 22 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 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, as the young tight end 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 bona fide, 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 draft-day trade of Brown to Philadelphia. The new guy was not 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 of Arkansas' receiving touchdowns and 40 percent of its 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). 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 quarterback Ryan Tannehill's other top options are wide receiver Robert Woods (coming back from an ACL tear), tight end Austin Hooper and wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.

The Saints took Olave at No. 11 overall, one pick after college teammate Garrett Wilson. Statistically, the two were similar, though Olave arrived a season earlier and had less of an impact as a true freshman. Four years later, Olave is well prepared for the NFL, after putting up 1,665 yards and 20 TDs in 18 games in his final two collegiate seasons. He then ran a 4.39 40 at the combine — a strong time even for a thinner receiver (6-1, 189) — but had a middling broad jump (125 inches) and the fourth-lowest vertical (32 inches) of any WR. High jumper or not, Olave should be the Saints' main downfield threat while Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry run mostly shorter routes. The team also has Marquez Callaway, Tre'Quan Smith and speedy Deonte Harris in the mix, and the QB situation remains subpar with Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton. It's a tough path to rookie-year fantasy stardom, but not an impossible one if Thomas and Landry prove to be only shadows of their former selves.

The second running back taken in this year's draft, Walker went to Seattle with the 41st overall pick after a huge junior season at Michigan State that included a 75-yard TD run on his first carry. A compact, powerful runner at 5-9, 211, Walker opened eyes at the combine with a surprising 4.39 40 time, raising his draft stock even higher after the big finish to his college career. Without Russell Wilson this season, the Seattle offense could be even more run-heavy than it was last year, though efficiency likely will be a problem until the team finds a new franchise quarterback. Former first-round pick Rashaad Penny finished 2021 on a tear and thus enters camp as the starting running back, but he's missed nearly as many games (28) as he's played (37) through four NFL seasons, so it may not be long before Walker gets his shot as the lead back.