There’s a storm coming, and Day 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft is just a small part of what’s to come. Tonight shows that the broad receiver market has become so intense that teams are more likely to risk young, unproven rookies than proven veterans of the Pro Bowl.
This is what Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, and especially Christian Kirk have done. They have left teams unable to pay receivers what they are worth in the market, and that will force some of the top recipients to voice their displeasure and potentially sit out an entire season in when they wait for an extension that the team doesn’t want. give them.
It was a great night for pass catchers as a record six wide catchers were taken in the first 20 picks (18 in fact).
In tonight’s draft, the top two recipients (like the #1 receiver on their former teams) were traded just a year before their rookie contracts expired. These are the people who are about to get paid, but their old teams don’t want to pay them. We’ll see a lot of that in the near future. I promise you that and it will be interesting to see how the broad free reseller market reacts. Now, let’s take a look at that draft day’s transactions.
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AJ Brown to Philly
While the picks were being traded left and right, the Philadelphia Eagles caused a bombshell to the NFL world, acquiring Tennessee Titans star recipient AJ Brown in exchange for an 18th overall pick and turn-player. Tuesday.
Rumor has it that Brown is unhappy in Tennessee and wants an extension with Davante Adams/Tyreek Hill-esque done before the season starts. Although Brown has never officially requested an exchange like his colleague Deebo Samuel, shortlisted for the second round of 2019, it has not been confirmed whether Brown will appear at the team’s training camp without an agreement. newspaper.
With the 18th pick, the Titans drafted a replacement for Brown’s Treylon Burks in Arkansas. Combined with the new Robert Woods receiver, the duo is theoretically just a younger, cheaper version of the aerial assault that the Titans carried out last year. While Woods isn’t as talented as Brown and is about to leave the tattered ACL and the unproven Burks in the NFL, it’s likely the Titans’ wide-reception team becomes one of the AFC’s most dynamic and explosive teams. From what we’ve seen in 2021, Ryan Tannehill needs effective weapons to lead the Titans attack. It will take a lot of work for Tannehill to develop a new relationship with both Woods and Burks, but with the lackluster reception found elsewhere in the South AFC, it won’t take long for Woods and Burks to return. into the top team of the division.
Marquise Brown for the Arizona Cardinals
In another Draft Day move involving a man named Brown, the Baltimore Ravens are working on a deal that will submit their former first pick Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown and the 100th overall pick that will to Arizona for the 23rd pick.
According to Ian Rapaport, the move has been around for a long time for the Cardinals. GM Steve Keim said after the deal was made that he liked Brown as a freshman while the team was looking for Kyler Murray. This transaction was somewhat expected. Brown was not seen working with other Raven receivers or his quarterback Lamar Jackson throughout the season. Also, with Murray reportedly unhappy with the current team, a reunion with his former top pick at Oklahoma could be a smart move from the Cardinals. The team clearly wants to move forward with Murray going forward, and making Murray comfortable in Arizona will make extension negotiations go more smoothly.
The Cardinals are also looking for a replacement for Christian Kirk after Kirk deceived Jaguar into signing him to a four-year, $72 million contract. Brown is a solid replacement and should immediately move into the team’s number two role in the passing attack behind DeAndre Hopkins. While there’s a chance that Brown could overtake Hopkins if his chemistry with Murray can be rekindled and Hopkins continues the slump we saw last year (though that’s largely played by Hopkins due to injury). As for Baltimore, Raven will now be looking for Rashod Bateman in the first round of 2021 for a big leap into his second season.
