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NFL Draft

2022 NFL Draft Day 3 Steals

  • Jack McKessy
  • April 30, 2022
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Another NFL Draft is in the books after the 2022 edition concluded Saturday afternoon.

Day 3 always provides the most picks with four rounds packed into a single day. Even after two full days and three full rounds, plenty of super talented players remained on the board in rounds 4-7. That left plenty of opportunities for each team to get a steal on some premier talent on the final day of the draft.

These were the five biggest steals on Day 3 of the 2022 NFL Draft.

  1. Los Angeles Chargers: Isaiah Spiller – RB, Texas A&M (Round 4, Pick 123)

Isaiah Spiller was the consensus ‘RB1’ in the 2022 draft class among every member of our scouting team. He was also someone whose scouting grades pegged him as a top-32 overall player.

Spiller has excellent vision and pairing it with the explosiveness and decisiveness he shows off with his jump-cuts out of the backfield made him incredibly successful in college. There are some concerns about his ball security because of a high number of fumbles with the Aggies and that’s likely the reason for his fall down draft boards.

Even so, Spiller brings another running back with three-down talent to their backfield alongside Austin Ekeler. The decision takes some of the load off of Ekeler and sets the Chargers’ offense up for a potential future without him.

  1. Baltimore Ravens: Isaiah Likely – TE, Coastal Carolina (Round 4, Pick 139)

Man oh man. They did it again.

After taking tight end Charlie Kolar earlier in the fourth round, it appeared as if the Ravens had filled their need at the position. But Baltimore’s wealth of fourth-round picks allowed them to double up at the position and take Isaiah Likely, one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the class.

Likely has fantastic hands that, along with his length, will give him a wide catch radius for quarterback Lamar Jackson over the middle of the field. He’s also a versatile player that can line up in a variety of different spots, whether that’s the traditional ‘Y’ spot, as a flex tight end or even as an H-back.

Combine all of that with his strength and speed that make him a run after catch threat and you’ve got a high-end tight end prospect that’s got plenty of big-play ability. To be able to snag him in the fourth round is incredible value and the Ravens just continued to impress with a couple of extra steals on Day 3.

  1. Washington Commanders: Sam Howell – QB, North Carolina (Round 5, Pick 144)

Quarterback Sam Howell was a player that had some buzz around sneaking into the back end of the first round. Though in a draft that saw so many quarterbacks fall, he fell out of Day 1, then out of Day 2 and even past the fourth round.

Howell has good mobility both inside and out of the pocket, something he showcased especially during the 2021 season. He can make throws on the run or rip off some chunk yardage when he takes off. The North Carolina product is also an accurate passer the places the ball well for his receivers, giving them good chances to create extra yardage.

Now that he’s a fourth-round pick to a team that doesn’t have a pressing need for a quarterback, Howell won’t come into the NFL with huge expectations to be the franchise’s savior. That pressure is off. Now, his focus should just be on playing well in camp, learning an NFL system and developing as a player.

Getting one of the top five quarterbacks in the class this late in the draft is quite a nice steal for the Commanders.

  1. Seattle Seahawks: Tariq Woolen – CB, UTSA (Round 5, Pick 153)

Cornerback Tariq Woolen’s fall down draft boards was shocking to many of us here at The Draft Network. He may be a raw prospect but the tools he’s got—the functional athleticism and exceptional length—give him a super-high ceiling at the position.

Woolen is a converted receiver that has only played two years on the other side of the ball, but he’s flashed some great qualities in that time. He often succeeded in press coverage, where he could play up on the line and throw off opposing receivers’ releases. With his experience as a receiver, he’s obviously got some good ball skills and can make plays on the ball.

The former Roadrunner will need some time to develop, which is likely what led to his slip down draft boards, but his ceiling is sky-high. There are several teams that will regret passing on him so many times when he’s locking down the NFC West with the Seahawks.

  1. Dallas Cowboys: Damone Clark – LB, LSU (Round 5, Pick 176)

For the fifth steal on Day 3, the best choices were a tie between two Cowboys selections within a couple of picks. Linebacker Damone Clark and interior defensive lineman John Ridgeway were both great value picks in the fifth round.

Clark gets the edge here because he felt like a lock to be a Day 2 pick before he required spinal surgery that will keep him off the field until 2023 at the earliest.

When he returns, the Cowboys will be able to put Clark to good use. Our own Keith Sanchez called him a “Micah Parsons lite” because of his versatility. The LSU product has experience as an inside linebacker as well as an edge rusher. When asked to blitz, his high motor is apparent in his relentless pursuit of quarterbacks.

That’s all without mentioning the fact that Clark was a great tackler and strong, vocal leader on the field with the Tigers.

Clark may not be set to play for another year, but Dallas is surely ecstatic to get a player of his caliber so late in the draft.

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Jack McKessy