The 2022 NFL draft was the National Football League's 87th annual draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise next to Las Vegas. The first round was held on Thursday, April 28, and was followed by the second and third rounds on Friday, April 29. The draft concluded with rounds 4–7 on Saturday, April 30. It was the first draft to be held in the Las Vegas metropolitan area and the state of Nevada.
The first five selections were defensive players, the second-most taken at the start of a draft after the six in 1991. Along with the 1972 and 2000 drafts, it marked the third time defensive players were the first two picks after the first three picks in the previous year's draft were quarterbacks. Five Georgia defensive players were taken during the first round, the most from an individual school in a draft. In addition to the high number of defensive selections, nine offensive linemen were taken in the first round, the most since 2013. Conversely, only one quarterback was selected in the first round at 20th overall, the lowest for a draft's first quarterback since 1997, and no running backs were taken in the first round for the first time since 2014.
A record nine draft-day trades with first-round picks were made, which resulted in less than half of the first-round selections being made by the teams that initially owned them. Analysts attributed the high number of trades to eight teams entering the draft without a first-round selection and a general absence of highly touted prospects.
Host city
Las Vegas was originally scheduled to host the 2020 NFL draft, coinciding with the Oakland Raiders' relocation to the city. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the draft was held as a virtual event. Las Vegas was given the 2022 Draft as a result.
Draft activities were held around two main locations on the Las Vegas Strip; invited players walked a floating red carpet on the man-made lake in front of the Bellagio and its fountains. The plans were similar to those originally intended for the 2020 draft, although a plan for players to be transported onto the stage by boat was scrapped in favor of using walkways.
Caesars Forum housed infrastructure for the event. The Linq Promenade hosted the NFL Draft Experience, which featured fan activities. Parts of Flamingo Road and Las Vegas Boulevard were closed to vehicle traffic to allow spectators to travel between the two sites.
Player selections
The following is the breakdown of the 262 players selected by position:
- 37 cornerbacks
- 33 linebackers
- 28 wide receivers
- 24 offensive tackles
- 22 running backs
- 21 defensive ends
- 19 safeties
- 19 guards
- 19 tight ends
- 19 defensive tackles
- 9 quarterbacks
- 6 centers
- 4 punters
- 1 kicker
- 1 fullback
Trades
(PD) indicates trades completed prior to the start of the draft (i.e. Pre-Draft), while (D) denotes trades which took place during the 2022 draft.
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Resolution JC-2A selections
Resolution JC-2A, enacted by the NFL in November 2020, rewards teams for developing minority candidates for head coach and/or general manager positions. The resolution rewards teams whose minority candidates are hired away for one of those positions by awarding draft selections, which are at the end of the third round, after standard compensatory selections; if multiple teams qualify, they are awarded by draft order in the first round. These picks are in addition to, and have no impact on, the standard 32 compensatory selections. Seven picks were awarded for the 2022 draft pursuant to the resolution.