With the Super Bowl behind us, attention in the NFL turns to the offseason. First is the start of NFL free agency in March. Then comes the major event of the offseason, the 2022 NFL draft.
NFL free agency matters, but teams place a varying level of emphasis on the spring spending cycle. It’s the draft where organizations look for their primary source of team building.
The reason is the players are cheaper, and the teams have their picks under contract for up to four seasons. If a team likes its first-round pick, it can use a team option on that player to keep him for a fifth year.
Because teams are spending significant portions of their cap space on quarterbacks, wide receivers, edge rushers, cornerbacks and offensive tackles, they can’t afford to miss in the NFL draft. Especially in the first three rounds of the draft, which are considered premium picks.
A player drafted in the top 100 of the NFL draft is expected to be a starter or a high-end rotation player at some point during…