Identifying the top 2022 Senior Bowl prospects
The 2022 Senior Bowl class is one of the most talented groups in recent memory. Luckily for the New York Jets, they will get to see all of that talent up close and personal.
Head coach Robert Saleh and his staff will be running practices for the Senior Bowl National team, joining the Detroit Lions, who will head the American team. New York hasn’t coached the Senior Bowl since 1979, where they discovered a little-known defensive end from East Central Oklahoma State University: future Jet legend Mark Gastineau.
Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas will spend the week gathering as much information on prospects as possible. If they want to take advantage of their unique opportunity, they must work efficiently and identify the top prospects in the group as soon as possible.
With that in mind, who are the best prospects the Jets will see in Mobile?
The 2022 Senior Bowl roster is chock-full of quality players, but the defensive talent, in particular, is remarkable.
Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson is the top pass rusher of the group, and might just be the best overall prospect of the bunch. Standing at 6-foot-5 and an imposing 262 pounds, Johnson is a rocked-up butt-kicker ready to contribute for whatever team ends up drafting him. He’s athletic, strong, instinctual, and plays every game like it might be his last.
If the Jets miss out on the top pass rushers come April, Johnson could be an excellent consolation prize.
On the back end, Cincinnati cornerback and Jim Thorpe Award winner Coby Bryant leads a very talented crop of DBs. Bryant played Robin to Sauce Gardner’s Batman in the Bearcats’ defense, routinely facing target after target while Gardener locked down on the other side.
Despite his increased target rate, Bryant won the Thorpe Award, the defensive back equivalent of the Heisman. Looking ahead to Mobile, Bryant is ready to make his name known.
The Oklahoma Drill Podcast is back to break down the Senior Bowl with a fantasy draft of all the best prospects. Hosts Matt and Andrew take turns drafting players to fill out their ideal Senior Bowl rosters, breaking down each player along the way.
Who had the better draft? Listen to the full episode to find out.
