2022 NFL Draft Grades: Falcons earn top NFC South mark

By Rob Rang
FOX Sports NFL Draft Analyst

My series of report cards for the 2022 NFL Draft continues today with an evaluation of the NFC North.

You can check out my grades for the other divisions here:

• AFC North: Ravens top division with elite class
• AFC West: Chiefs use extra picks to nab top class
• NFC West: Seahawks emerge with best 2022 crop
• AFC East: Jets leave rest of division in their wake
• NFC East: Eagles soar to top of the class
• NFC North: Packers reload with division's top class

Let's break down what the four NFC South teams did in the draft and in signing undrafted free agents.

Atlanta Falcons
Grade: A-

After trading away former NFL MVP and franchise icon, Matt Ryan, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot and coach Arthur Smith needed a strong 2022 draft class to reassure fans the club was headed in the right direction. 

I believe they accomplished precisely that with one of the better, more efficient hauls in all of the NFL. 

The selection of USC wide receiver Drake London at No. 8 overall certainly came as a surprise to some but given the bigger, stronger, tougher mentality Smith helped mold with the Tennessee Titans prior to taking over on Atlanta's sideline, pairing London with last year’s top pick, Kyle Pitts, makes a lot of sense. Both players are simply too big, strong and athletic to be handled one-on-one. 

And with the Falcons' starting quarterback expected to be Marcus Mariota (more on that later), snatching a receiver who is at his best turning contested passes into easy wins is basically a cheat code. The Falcons waited until the fifth round to add a running back, but former BYU star Tyler Allgeier might prove to be one of this year’s biggest steals.

Just like how London should complement the Falcons’ current pass-catchers and quarterbacks, you have to love the double-dipping Atlanta turned in at edge rusher, nabbing arguably the two speediest of this year’s stellar class in Penn State’s Arnold Ebiketie (No. 38) and Western Kentucky’s DeAngelo Malone (No. 82). The pass rushers are essentially doppelgangers, each possessing a lightning-quick first step and the cornering speed of street bike racers. 

Given that Atlanta finished dead last in the NFL a year ago with 18 sacks — the Eagles were the next-worst with 29 — this was a glaring need for the Falcons, and they addressed it with this pair, which combined for a staggering 87.5 tackles for loss and 48 sacks over their respective college careers. Better yet, the duo showed at the Senior Bowl that their production translated against top competition. 

Even those football-loving Falcons fans who viewed Western Kentucky’s Malone as a potential fit were likely surprised with the club heading across the country to Montana State later in the second frame for Troy Andersen. Like Ebiketie and Malone, Andersen was stellar at the Senior Bowl and even better in workouts, earning a spot among my favorite "Mock-Busters,"  one of two Falcons to make this list. 

Those in Atlanta might already know it, but few others across the nation might yet realize that the Falcons have quietly swooped in and developed one of the speediest linebacker corps in the league, sandwiching incumbent star Deion Jones with free-agent additions Rashaan Evans (Tennessee) and Lorenzo Carter (New York Giants) in the offseason, and now Andersen. 

Of course, given the importance of the position, the selection everyone in and out of Atlanta is talking about is the Falcons' addition of quarterback Desmond Ridder. He offers just about everything a team could be looking for at the position — size, athleticism, intangibles — except for the pinpoint accuracy normally required for success at this level. 

Again, however, when complemented by a powerful run game, receivers who catch everything in their zip code and a speedy defense, it is possible for quarterbacks to overcome average ball-placement. Smith, frankly, helped it happen in Tennessee with Ryan Tannehill. 

While perhaps not as flashy as some of this year’s other top classes, Fontenot and Smith deserve a lot of credit for their draft haul, including a UDFA class with a couple of players I think could make the roster (Cal LB Kuony Deng, Colorado LB Nate Landman, Michigan S Brad Hawkins). 

The Falcons will soar further in 2022 due to this crop. 

New Orleans Saints
Grade: B

The Saints’ five-man draft class was the smallest in the NFL, and given that two of those picks were spent on prospects hailing from Appalachian State and the Air Force Academy, one can hardly expect massive impacts from them as rookies. 

But, given how rarely multiple rookies make an impact on most playoff-caliber teams in any given year, the double-down trades engineered by New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis and new coach Dennis Allen (promoted from defensive coordinator) might very well pay off. They certainly looked good on paper — prompting me to correctly predict both of the Saints’ first-round picks of Ohio State wideout Chris Olave and Northern Iowa offensive tackle Trevor Penning in my final mock draft.

As it turned out, the Saints didn’t make their selections in the order that I projected. In fact, less than a month after a massive trade with Philadelphia, which netted them the No. 16 and No. 19 overall selections, Loomis and the Saints probably correctly anticipated that given the run developing at receiver, they’d have to jump again if they wanted Olave. They moved to No. 11 overall to nab the perfect deep threat to take advantage of Jameis Winston’s terrific downfield accuracy. 

Olave is very smooth, setting up defenders with subtle shoulder fakes before turning on the jets to beat them over the top. As his 6-foot, 187-pound frame suggests, Olave is not the most physically imposing target, but that is where the Saints "other" former Ohio State star, Michael Thomas is expected to deliver after missing all of last season with an ankle injury. 

The Saints stuck it out and let Penning "fall" to them at No. 19 overall; he’ll be an ideal replacement for free-agent defection Terron Armstead. Massive, mean and more athletic than any other offensive lineman in this draft, Penning might be the perfect blocker to practice against the defense Loomis and Allen have cultivated — one of the fiercest in the NFL. 

The practice brawls between Penning and veterans Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport (among others) on that New Orleans defensive front should be fun to watch.

The first-round duo of Olave and Penning will understandably dominate the talk about New Orleans’ draft class. But don’t sleep on Tennessee defensive back Alontae Taylor, whose speed, physicality and ideal frame are a perfect complement to an already stellar Saints secondary boasting two very talented young cornerbacks in Marshon Lattimore and last year’s stud rookie Paulson Adebo. 

Similarly, Appalachian State linebacker D’Marco Jackson, the reigning Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year, possesses the speed to take full advantage of New Orleans’ big, physical defensive line and wreak havoc as a classic chase linebacker. 

The Saints have consistently gambled on traits with their defensive linemen and Air Force's Jordan Jackson has those, including light feet and quick, active hands given his 6-4, 294-pound frame. 

With such a small class, the Saints signed quite a UDFA class, including one of my favorite sleepers at tight end in Pittsburgh's Lucas Krull and a pair of quality defensive backs in Michigan cornerback Vincent Gray and Auburn safety Smoke Monday. 

The Saints already boast one of the league’s most versatile players, of course, in quarterback/tight end Taysom Hill, and added another quality all-around athlete in former Baylor linebacker-turned-running back Abram Smith, as well.

Carolina Panthers
Grade: C+

Given that the Panthers entered the draft with a massive gap between their first-round selection (No. 6 overall) and their next pick in the fourth round (No. 137), it was generally presumed the club might be in the middle of the trade market. General manager Scott Fitterer did pull off a trade — moving up to get Mississippi quarterback Matt Corral — but he managed to do so while keeping the Panthers at No. 6, where they landed one of the blue-chip prospects in this draft with the local product, offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu from North Carolina State. 

At 6-4 and 328 pounds Ekwonu has the frame typically associated with a guard and that might be where he winds up. He certainly possesses the power and tenacity to star inside, if coach Matt Rhule and his staff want him there. But Ekwonu’s quickness, balance and extraordinary large wingspan — it is literally that of a seven-footer — could allow the Panthers to keep him outside, where he starred for the Wolfpack. 

Regardless, his presence helps solidify an offensive line in desperate need of it, allowing incumbent starting quarterback Sam Darnold — or perhaps Corral, in time — a fair opportunity to compete, especially with star running back Christian McCaffrey presumably back healthy this fall. 

The Panthers further supplemented their offensive line on Day 3, bringing in Tennessee’s Cade Mays, a classic brawler who stood out at Georgia prior to transferring to the Vols. 

In between, the Panthers got faster and more physical at linebacker and edge rusher as well with Brandon Smith and Amare Barno, two explosive athletes still smoothing out the edges of their respective games. They continued their pursuit of straight-line speed with the Kalon Barnes, whose 4.24-second 40-yard dash at the combine was the fastest clocked this year. 

Of course, the selection most will focus on is Corral. It is appropriate that Carolina added so much speed to its defense as it’ll be practicing against the quarterback with the quickest trigger in the draft. Corral gets the ball out in a blink and has terrific accuracy on the short-to-intermediate-range passes that are all the rage in today’s NFL, especially the quick-hitting screens to the outside and in-cutting staples like slants and posts. Corral is also cat-quick and competitive as a runner, offering real dual-threat potential. He was certainly aided by a relatively simple offense at Mississippi, but Rhule, as a former college coach himself, might be in better position to help young players acclimate to the NFL than most.  

The Panthers boosted their small draft class with a strong crop of undrafted prospects, including Miami receiver Charleston Rambo, Boston College linebacker Isaiah Graham-Mobley, Kentucky defensive tackle Marquan McCall, and the speediest player tested this year, Penn State safety Drew Hartlaub, a special teams ace who was clocked at 4.22 seconds at his pro day. 

By bulking up along the of scrimmage and adding speed everywhere else, the Panthers competed effectively despite a weak hand after last year’s bold trades for Darnold and cornerback C.J. Henderson. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Grade: C+

After an offseason in which no one knew what Tom Brady would decide, the Bucs’ draft class was surprisingly and perhaps satisfyingly bland, with general manager Jason Licht and coach Todd Bowles mostly filling holes in the roster with quality (but not necessarily splashy) players. 

Like they did last year with Joe Tryon-Shoyinka at No. 32 overall, the Bucs used their top pick this year on the defensive front. At 6-foot-6, 283 pounds, former Houston defensive lineman Logan Hall has the bulk and quickness to shuffle up and down the line of scrimmage. That would be a need for a club seemingly moving on from Jason Pierre-Paul and Ndamukong Suh. 

The Bucs then went shopping for help on the offensive line, needing to replace retiring guard Ali Marpet. He became a quality starter following a successful jump from Division II Hobart, and the Bucs went back to the small-school route (relatively speaking) with Central Michigan’s Luke Goedeke, a similarly physical phone-booth fighter with good lateral agility. 

It almost seemed Tampa Bay was shopping in the same store for replacement parts at other positions, in the middle rounds, returning to the Pac-12 to replace running back Ronald Jones (who played at USC) to nab another slasher in Arizona State’s Rachaad White, and potentially at tight end (with Rob Gronkowski once again mulling retirement), making Washington’s sure-handed Cade Otton the first pick of Day 3. 

After the Post-it note style checklist used by Tampa Bay throughout much of this draft, the Bucs then made their biggest surprise selection later in the fourth round, tabbing punter Jake Camarda from Georgia at No. 133 overall. Of course, Camarda was one of an NFL-record 15 Bulldogs selected in the 2022 draft, so this was a case of flipping the field as much as it was flipping the script. 

One of my favorite picks for the Bucs was their fifth-round selection of Sam Houston State cornerback Zyon McCollum, whose statistics (13 interceptions, six forced fumbles) and workout numbers (4.33-second 40-yard dash and even better shuttle times) likely appealed to Morris, who began his career as a defensive backs coach. Of the Bucs’ undrafted free agents, I most like Western Kentucky wideout Jerreth Sterns, Montana offensive tackle Dylan Cook and Clemson safety Nolan Turner. 

One of the most recognized names in the industry, Rob Rang has been covering the NFL Draft for more than 20 years, with work at FOX, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Yahoo, NFL.com and NFLDraftScout.com, among others.