Identifying the 2022 NFL draft’s team captains
He’s only completed two drafts as the lead decision-maker in Florham Park, but New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas is already well-known for having a strong tendency to draft team captains.
Douglas selected 10 team captains across his first two drafts, acquiring five of them in each draft:
- 2021: Zach Wilson, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Michael Carter, Michael Carter II, Jonathan Marshall
- 2020: La’Mical Perine, James Morgan, Cameron Clark, Bryce Hall, Braden Mann
With Douglas having made 19 selections between the 2020 and 2021 drafts, that means over half of his picks (52.6%) were team captains in college.
Of course, that brings us to this question: which players in the 2022 draft class were team captains?
I scoured through nearly 200 of the draft’s best prospects and noted which of them were captains for their college squads.
Keep in mind that it requires a lot of research to figure out whether a player was a team captain. There isn’t one place on the internet where this information can be easily located for any given player. I gave my absolute best effort to dig as deep as I could for each player, but it’s possible I missed one, so if you notice anything amiss, feel free to let me know.
Listed below are the 192 non-quarterback prospects ranked within the top-200 of NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board (as of April 15, 2022) and an indicator of whether or not they were a team captain.
| Board Rank | Player | Position | School | Captain? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aidan Hutchinson | EDGE | Michigan | Yes |
| 2 | Evan Neal | OT | Alabama | Yes |
| 3 | Kayvon Thibodeaux | EDGE | Oregon | No |
| 4 | Ikem Ekwonu | OT | NC State | No |
| 5 | Travon Walker | EDGE | Georgia | No |
| 6 | Sauce Gardner | CB | Cincinnati | No |
| 7 | Kyle Hamilton | S | Notre Dame | Yes |
| 8 | Charles Cross | OT | Mississippi State | No |
| 9 | Garrett Wilson | WR | Ohio State | No |
| 10 | Derek Stingley | CB | LSU | No |
| 12 | Jermaine Johnson | EDGE | Florida State | No |
| 13 | Drake London | WR | USC | Yes |
| 14 | Jordan Davis | DT | Georgia | Yes |
| 15 | Jameson Williams | WR | Alabama | No |
| 17 | Chris Olave | WR | Ohio State | Yes |
| 18 | Trevor Penning | OT | Northern Iowa | No |
| 19 | George Karlaftis | EDGE | Purdue | No |
| 20 | Devin Lloyd | LB | Utah | Yes |
| 21 | Trent McDuffie | CB | Washington | No |
| 22 | Treylon Burks | WR | Arkansas | No |
| 23 | Tyler Linderbaum | IOL | Iowa | Yes |
| 24 | Andrew Booth | CB | Clemson | No |
| 25 | Devonte Wyatt | DT | Georgia | No |
| 26 | Nakobe Dean | LB | Georgia | Yes |
| 27 | Kenyon Green | IOL | Texas A&M | Yes |
| 28 | Zion Johnson | IOL | Boston College | Yes |
| 29 | Kaiir Elam | CB | Florida | No |
| 30 | Jahan Dotson | WR | Penn State | No |
| 31 | Daxton Hill | S | Michigan | No |
| 32 | David Ojabo | EDGE | Michigan | No |
| 33 | Boye Mafe | EDGE | Minnesota | No |
| 35 | Lewis Cine | S | Georgia | No |
| 36 | Breece Hall | RB | Iowa State | Yes |
| 38 | Roger McCreary | CB | Auburn | No |
| 39 | Bernhard Raimann | OT | Central Michigan | No |
| 40 | Kyler Gordon | CB | Washington | No |
| 41 | Logan Hall | DT | Houston | No |
| 42 | Arnold Ebiketie | EDGE | Penn State | No |
| 43 | Travis Jones | DT | Connecticut | Yes |
| 44 | Tyler Smith | OT | Tulsa | No |
| 45 | Jalen Pitre | S | Baylor | No |
| 46 | Kenneth Walker | RB | Michigan State | No |
| 47 | Christian Watson | WR | North Dakota State | No |
| 48 | DeMarvin Leal | DT | Texas A&M | No |
| 49 | Quay Walker | LB | Georgia | No |
| 50 | Perrion Winfrey | DT | Oklahoma | No |
| 51 | Christian Harris | LB | Alabama | No |
| 52 | Jaquan Brisker | S | Penn State | Yes |
| 53 | Trey McBride | TE | Colorado State | Yes |
| 54 | George Pickens | WR | Georgia | No |
| 55 | Skyy Moore | WR | Western Michigan | No |
| 56 | Daniel Faalele | OT | Minnesota | Yes |
| 58 | Drake Jackson | EDGE | USC | No |
| 59 | Isaiah Spiller | RB | Texas A&M | No |
| 60 | John Metchie | WR | Alabama | No |
| 61 | Nik Bonitto | EDGE | Oklahoma | No |
| 62 | Leo Chenal | LB | Wisconsin | No |
| 63 | Nicholas Petit-Frere | OT | Ohio State | No |
| 64 | Cameron Thomas | EDGE | San Diego State | No |
| 65 | Chad Muma | LB | Wyoming | Yes |
| 66 | Kingsley Enagbare | EDGE | South Carolina | Yes |
| 67 | Phidarian Mathis | DT | Alabama | Yes |
| 68 | Darian Kinnard | OT | Kentucky | No |
| 69 | Wan'Dale Robinson | WR | Kentucky | No |
| 70 | David Bell | WR | Purdue | No |
| 71 | Jamaree Salyer | IOL | Georgia | Yes |
| 72 | Tariq Woolen | CB | UTSA | No |
| 73 | Dylan Parham | IOL | Memphis | No |
| 74 | Calvin Austin | WR | Memphis | No |
| 75 | Alec Pierce | WR | Cincinnati | Yes |
| 76 | Troy Andersen | LB | Montana State | Yes |
| 77 | Isaiah Likely | TE | Coastal Carolina | No |
| 78 | Jeremy Ruckert | TE | Ohio State | No |
| 79 | Martin Emerson | CB | Texas A&M | No |
| 80 | Myjai Sanders | EDGE | Cincinnati | Yes |
| 81 | Sean Rhyan | IOL | UCLA | No |
| 82 | Jalen Tolbert | WR | South Alabama | No |
| 84 | Abraham Lucas | OT | Washington State | No |
| 85 | Greg Dulcich | TE | UCLA | No |
| 86 | Cole Strange | IOL | Chattanooga | No |
| 87 | Channing Tindall | LB | Georgia | No |
| 88 | Brian Robinson | RB | Alabama | No |
| 89 | Rasheed Walker | EDGE | Penn State | Yes |
| 90 | Sam Williams | EDGE | Mississippi | No |
| 91 | Kerby Joseph | S | Illinois | No |
| 92 | Justyn Ross | WR | Clemson | Yes |
| 93 | Coby Bryant | CB | Cincinnati | Yes |
| 94 | Brandon Smith | LB | Penn State | No |
| 95 | Khalil Shakir | WR | Boise State | Yes |
| 96 | James Cook | RB | Georgia | No |
| 97 | Ed Ingram | IOL | LSU | No |
| 98 | Marcus Jones | CB | Houston | Yes |
| 99 | Josh Paschal | EDGE | Kentucky | Yes |
| 100 | Damone Clark | LB | LSU | Yes |
| 101 | Cade Otton | TE | Washington | No |
| 102 | Derion Kendrick | LB | Georgia | No |
| 103 | Dameon Pierce | RB | Florida | No |
| 104 | Bryan Cook | S | Cincinnati | Yes |
| 105 | Rachaad White | RB | Arizona State | No |
| 106 | Jelani Woods | TE | Virginia | No |
| 107 | Darrian Beavers | LB | Cincinnati | No |
| 108 | Nick Cross | S | Maryland | No |
| 109 | Jalyn Armour-Davis | CB | Alabama | No |
| 110 | Brian Asamoah II | LB | Oklahoma | No |
| 111 | Mario Goodrich | CB | Clemson | Yes |
| 112 | Max Mitchell | OT | Louisiana-Lafayette | No |
| 113 | Tyler Allgeier | RB | BYU | No |
| 114 | Cam Taylor-Britt | CB | Nebraska | Yes |
| 115 | Kyren Williams | RB | Notre Dame | Yes |
| 116 | Alontae Taylor | CB | Tennessee | No |
| 117 | Verone McKinley | S | Oregon | No |
| 118 | Cameron Jurgens | IOL | Nebraska | No |
| 119 | Kellen Diesch | OT | Arizona State | No |
| 120 | Zamir White | RB | Georgia | Yes |
| 121 | Luke Fortner | IOL | Kentucky | Yes |
| 122 | Josh Jobe | CB | Alabama | No |
| 123 | Zyon McCollum | CB | Sam Houston State | Yes |
| 124 | JoJo Domann | LB | Nebraska | No |
| 125 | Zachary Carter | DT | Florida | No |
| 126 | Velus Jones | CB | Tenenssee | No |
| 127 | Terrel Bernard | LB | Baylor | Yes |
| 128 | DeAngelo Malone | EDGE | Western Kentucky | No |
| 129 | Marquis Hayes | IOL | Oklahoma | No |
| 130 | Danny Gray | WR | SMU | No |
| 131 | Dominique Robinson | EDGE | Miami (OH) | No |
| 132 | Jerome Ford | RB | Cincinnati | No |
| 133 | Akayleb Evans | CB | Missouri | No |
| 134 | Romeo Doubs | WR | Nevada | No |
| 135 | Jalen Wydermyer | TE | Texas A&M | No |
| 136 | Charlie Kolar | TE | Iowa State | Yes |
| 137 | Micheal Clemons | EDGE | Texas A&M | Yes |
| 138 | Luke Goedeke | OT | Central Michigan | No |
| 139 | Alex Wright | EDGE | UAB | No |
| 140 | Neil Farrell Jr. | DT | LSU | No |
| 141 | Matthew Butler | DT | Tennessee | No |
| 142 | Pierre Strong Jr. | RB | South Dakota State | Yes |
| 143 | Zach Tom | OT | Wake Forest | No |
| 144 | Tariq Castro-Fields | CB | Penn State | No |
| 145 | Jake Ferguson | TE | Wisconsin | No |
| 146 | Tyquan Thornton | CB | Baylor | No |
| 147 | Haskell Garrett | DT | Ohio State | Yes |
| 148 | Tyreke Smith | EDGE | Ohio State | No |
| 149 | John Ridgeway | DT | Arkansas | No |
| 150 | Thayer Munford | IOL | Ohio State | Yes |
| 151 | Damarri Mathis | CB | Pittsburgh | No |
| 152 | Tyler Badie | RB | Missouri | No |
| 154 | Mykael Wright | CB | Oregon | No |
| 155 | Isaiah Thomas | EDGE | Oklahoma | No |
| 156 | Bo Melton | WR | Rutgers | Yes |
| 157 | Joshua Williams | WR | Fayetteville State | No |
| 158 | Kyle Philips | WR | UCLA | No |
| 159 | Dohnovan West | IOL | Arizona State | No |
| 160 | Hassan Haskins | RB | Michigan | No |
| 161 | Tycen Anderson | S | Toledo | Yes |
| 162 | Jesse Luketa | LB | Penn State | No |
| 163 | Braxton Jones | OT | Southern Utah | No |
| 164 | Alec Lindstrom | IOL | Boston College | Yes |
| 165 | J.T. Woods | S | Baylor | No |
| 167 | Lecitus Smith | IOL | Virginia Tech | No |
| 168 | Justin Shaffer | IOL | Georgia | No |
| 169 | Otito Ogbonnia | DT | UCLA | No |
| 170 | Chris Paul | IOL | Tulsa | Yes |
| 171 | Cole Turner | TE | Nevada | No |
| 172 | Amare Barno | EDGE | Virginia Tech | No |
| 173 | Dare Rosenthal | OT | Kentucky | No |
| 174 | Daniel Bellinger | TE | San Diego State | Yes |
| 175 | Thomas Booker | DT | Stanford | Yes |
| 176 | Kalon Barnes | CB | Baylor | No |
| 177 | Grant Calcaterra | TE | SMU | Yes |
| 178 | Chigoziem Okonkwo | TE | Maryland | No |
| 179 | Zakoby McClain | LB | Auburn | No |
| 180 | Leon O'Neal Jr. | S | Texas A&M | No |
| 181 | D'vonte Price | RB | Florida International | No |
| 182 | Erik Ezukanma | WR | Texas Tech | Yes |
| 183 | Matt Waletzko | OT | North Dakota | Yes |
| 184 | Markquese Bell | S | Florida A&M | No |
| 185 | Andrew Stueber | OT | Michigan | No |
| 186 | Cordale Flott | CB | LSU | No |
| 187 | Logan Bruss | IOL | Wisconsin | No |
| 188 | Jaylen Watson | CB | Washington State | No |
| 189 | Spencer Buford | OT | UTSA | No |
| 190 | Abram Smith | RB | Baylor | No |
| 191 | Jeffrey Gunter | EDGE | Coastal Carolina | No |
| 192 | Sterling Weatherford | S | Miami (OH) | No |
| 193 | Tyler Goodson | RB | Iowa | No |
| 194 | Yusuf Corker | S | Kentucky | Yes |
| 195 | Christopher Hinton | DT | Michigan | No |
| 196 | Chasen Hines | IOL | LSU | No |
| 197 | Cade Mays | IOL | Tennessee | No |
| 198 | Ty Chandler | RB | North Carolina | No |
| 199 | Sincere McCormick | RB | UTSA | No |
| 200 | Joshua Ezeudu | IOL | North Carolina | No |
Play: 👉 the Jet X Offseason Simulator
Of the 192 players in the table, only 50 were team captains, a 26.0% portion. That’s less than half of Douglas’ 52.6% rate of team captain selections. This makes it clear that Douglas’ affinity for captains is certainly much stronger than the league average.
Look for Douglas to snag at least a couple of the team captains listed above.
Audio Version available to members only: Learn more here
Thank you for compiling this, very helpful!!!! Breece Hall was a team captain last year
Several guys on this list I’d want. LBs Muma, Anderson and Clark. WRs Pierce, Shakir. RB Strong. TEs Kolar, Bellinger. Cs Z. Johnson, Lindstrom. DL T. Jones, T. Booker. S Brisker.