- Aidan Hutchinson is the class' top performer: The Lions’ No. 2 pick leads all edge rushers with a 92.3 PFF overall grade and owns the highest grade among all players in the 2022 class.
- The Ravens’ boast elite talent from the 2022 NFL Draft: Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum, both first-round picks in 2022, lead their respective positions in PFF overall grade.
- Subscribe to PFF+: Get access to player grades, PFF Premium Stats, fantasy football rankings, all of the PFF fantasy draft research tools and more!
Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes
The 2025 NFL Draft came and went, and as the excitement and tension surrounding the spectacle continues to wane, we look forward to when the players take the field in earnest.
For now, we’re looking back at the 2022 NFL Draft and examining the highest-graded player at every position.
QB: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (90.2)
The 2022 class wasn’t touted as having a strong quarterback group. Nine quarterbacks were drafted overall, and only one, Kenny Pickett, was taken in the first round. Ironically, the final pick in the draft, Brock Purdy, has been the only quarterback to make his mark in the NFL. Purdy has earned a 90.2 PFF overall grade through three seasons as the 49ers’ starting quarterback and has completed 67.5% of his pass attempts for 9,518 yards and 64 touchdowns in 40 career games.
A big extension is likely on the horizon for Purdy, and despite being the 263rd pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, he has seamlessly slotted into Kyle Shanahan’s offense, proving that he’s capable of running an offense as designed while also showing off his ability to create plays out of the pocket on occasion.
RB: Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons (92.0)
Allgeier was the Falcons’ starter for only half of the 2022 season before being usurped by Bijan Robinson in 2023. Despite that, the former fifth-round pick has earned the highest PFF overall grade among running backs from the 2022 class and continues to be an efficient player for Atlanta on fewer opportunities.
Since 2022, Allgeier ranks ninth in missed tackles forced and eighth in yards after contact per carry among running backs, and he’s had three straight years of 82.0-plus PFF overall grades.
WR: Drake London, Atlanta Falcons (90.1)
London was the first of six wide receivers drafted in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and the former No. 8 pick owns the highest PFF overall grade of any receiver in the class so far. The 2024 season was a career best for London, too, as he caught 100 passes for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns en route to an 87.8 PFF overall grade, ranking seventh out of 133 receivers.
London will look to continue building rapport with Falcons starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who replaced Kirk Cousins late in the 2024 season. In three games with Penix, London caught 22 passes for 352 yards and two touchdowns, earning an 88.9 PFF overall grade — fifth best among receivers over the span.
TE: Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals (79.3)
McBride was a second-round pick and the first tight end off the board in the 2022 NFL Draft but didn’t make a significant impact until his second season, catching 81 passes for 825 yards and earning a 76.3 PFF overall grade. The Cardinals tight end earned his first-ever Pro Bowl selection in 2024 after catching a career-high 111 passes for 1,146 yards and two touchdowns, and his 86.8 PFF overall grade ranked second among tight ends.
McBride's 79.3 career PFF overall grade through three seasons is the highest in the class, beating out Jake Ferguson and Isaiah Likely. His past two seasons have been productive enough to consider him one of the best tight ends in the NFL, and he’s still only 25 years old.
T: Bernhard Raimann, Indianapolis Colts (87.0)
Three offensive tackles were picked in the top 10 of the 2022 NFL Draft, but Colts third-rounder Bernhard Raimann has earned the highest PFF overall grade in the class over his first three seasons. Raimann became the team's starting left tackle early in his second season and hasn’t looked back, and he earned a career-high 85.1 PFF overall grade in 2024.
Raimann has benefited from joining a Colts organization that has been able to consistently develop offensive line talent, and he was one of just seven tackles in 2024 to post PFF run-blocking and pass-blocking grades above 80.0.
G: Tyler Smith, Dallas Cowboys (77.4)
Smith played the majority of his rookie season at left tackle, deputizing for the injured Tyron Smith and impressing, before moving back inside to guard for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The former No. 24 pick has quietly been one of the most consistent guards in the NFL over the past two seasons and has earned a 77.4 PFF overall grade in his career.
Like the Colts, the Cowboys are prolific at developing offensive line talent, and Smith has shone at left guard and left tackle for Dallas. His 3.3% pressure rate allowed is the lowest among guards drafted in 2022 and is the third lowest among all guards over the past three seasons.
C: Tyler Linderbaum, Baltimore Ravens (84.1)
No center prospect was more highly coveted than Tyler Linderbaum in the 2022 NFL Draft, and the former Iowa prospect was the highest-drafted center since Garrett Bradbury three years earlier. Predictably, no other center drafted in 2022 has earned a higher career PFF overall grade than Linderbaum.
His 84.1 mark through three seasons ranks fifth among all centers since 2022, and Linderbaum has improved his PFF overall grade every year since his rookie year, culminating in a career-high 78.1 figure in 2024. Impressively, he hasn’t allowed a sack since his rookie season.
DI: Jordan Davis, Philadelphia Eagles (71.6)
Davis’ size and strength made him an intriguing draft prospect, and the Eagles secured him with the No. 13 pick in 2022. His 71.6 PFF overall grade is the highest of all defensive tackles drafted in 2022, but his impact has often waned.
At his best, Davis is a run-stuffing behemoth capable of swallowing up multiple gaps with his frame and power, but he’s played more than 500 snaps in a season just once and posted a 22.5% missed tackle rate in 2024. Davis can still be a high-impact player, but consistency is the name of the game.
EDGE: Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions (92.3)
Hutchinson was the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and has lived up to that draft billing through three seasons. He played in only five games in 2024 due to injury but was on pace to contend for Defensive Player of the Year. He notched 45 pressures and eight sacks through the first five weeks of the season, more than any other defender in the NFL. His 94.9 PFF overall grade was also the highest among edge defenders.
Through three seasons, Hutchinson boasts the highest PFF overall grade among edge defenders drafted in 2022, and ranks fifth among all edge defenders.
LB: Leo Chenal, Kansas City Chiefs (81.6)
Chenal was the 103rd pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and slotted in nicely on a Chiefs defense about to win back-to-back Super Bowls. His 81.6 PFF overall grade is the highest among linebackers drafted in 2022, and his grade has improved every year in the NFL.
The 2024 season was the best of Chenal’s career, as his 83.6 PFF overall grade ranked fifth among linebackers and he recorded 40 tackles and 22 stops with a 90.2 PFF run-defense grade. His 5.7% missed tackle rate was the sixth lowest among linebackers.
CB: Sauce Gardner, New York Jets (90.7)
Sauce Gardner entered the NFL as the No. 4 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft with a lot of hype. Three years in, he’s lived up to it and more. In his first two years in the NFL, Gardner won Defensive Rookie of the Year, was a two-time first-team All-Pro selection and earned 87.9 and 88.6 PFF overall grades to rank first and third, respectively, among cornerbacks.
His PFF overall grade in 2024 dropped to 70.2, as he allowed a career-high 391 yards and garnered 10 penalties, but Gardner still tallied seven pass breakups and allowed just a 53.2% completion rate when targeted. Even in a down year, Gardner was still a cornerback not to be trifled with.
S: Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens (91.5)
The Ravens hit the jackpot in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, landing Tyler Linderbaum with the No. 25 pick and Hamilton with the No. 14 pick. The former Notre Dame safety has earned not only the highest PFF overall grade among all safeties drafted in the 2022 class, but also the highest by any safety since 2022.
He is a safety who can do just about anything. Hamilton is an excellent blitzer and tackler, can defend the run and makes big plays in coverage. His 90.0 PFF overall grade in 2024 ranked second at the position.
© 2025 PFF - all rights reserved.