National Football League

2022 NFL Draft: Top 10 teams with the most draft capital

Updated Apr. 28, 2022 2:45 p.m. ET

By Rob Rang
FOX Sports NFL Draft Analyst

It is no coincidence that the NFL has experienced one of the zaniest offseasons in league history on the heels of the Los Angeles Rams' powering their 2022 title run with several bold trades.

Rams general manager Les Snead and coach Sean McVay scoffed at the longstanding theory that trading away draft picks would mortgage a club’s future, opting to go all-in by swapping selections to land veterans Matthew Stafford, Sony Michel, Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr.

As if winning the Super Bowl in their own Sofi Stadium weren't enough, Snead took a bit of a victory lap during the celebration parade through L.A., wearing a T-shirt featuring a meme of himself with the words "F--- them picks."

Winning a championship, of course, is the goal of every general manager, but now a Super Bowl victory will have to sustain Snead and the Rams through the first 100 picks of the NFL Draft. With their first selection not coming until No. 104 overall, the Rams are scheduled to be the last team in the NFL to make a pick this year.

The Miami Dolphins — with a league-low four picks following the aggressive trade for Tyreek Hill — have even less draft capital. Their first selection comes just two picks earlier, at No. 102.

The Rams and Dolphins might be perfectly content with what their draft picks netted. However, the point of this article is to spotlight the "big fish" of the 2022 draft, those clubs eager to make their own splashy moves, whether that be on rookies or as part of a package for veterans such as Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield or Seattle wide receiver DK Metcalf.

With an unprecedented eight teams armed with multiple first-round picks in this month’s draft, some believe the trade frenzy has only just begun.

Which clubs are best positioned to make waves?

Using Rich Hill’s updated version of the famous "Draft Pick Trade Chart" popularized by FOX Sports’ own Jimmy Johnson when he helped the Dallas Cowboys build the roster that resulted in three Super Bowl champions in the 1990s, here is a numerical breakdown of the 10 teams with the most firepower in the 2022 NFL Draft.

1. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: 1,400 total points

At least mathematically, the Jaguars are the runaway winners when it comes to draft capital, in large part because the No. 1 overall selection is worth a staggering 1,000 points in Hill’s chart. According to these computations, the difference between this pick and the Detroit Lions’ selection at No. 2 is 287 points, the same value as the No. 18 overall choice (currently held by Philadelphia).

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In a class lacking a consensus No. 1 overall pick, some might argue that point total is a bit inflated. What is undeniable, however, is the power Jags GM Trent Baalke and new coach Doug Pederson have in this draft. The club owns a league-high 12 picks overall and the first selection in every round except the fifth. Boosted by an extra early third-round pick from Carolina for cornerback C.J. Henderson, the Jaguars boast four picks among the top 70.

2. NEW YORK JETS: 1,339 total points

With all due respect to the Jaguars and the No. 1 overall pick, no club is better positioned to take advantage of this year’s top-end talent than the Jets, who have a league-high five choices among the top 70 selections. The Jets own a pair of first-round selections: their own No. 4 overall pick and the 10th selection from Seattle as part of the 2020 Jamal Adams deal.

New York has even less time between its two second-round picks, selecting 35th and 38th overall, with the latter coming from trading QB Sam Darnold to Carolina. All nine of the Jets' selections are within the first 163 picks, so the final 99 picks of the 2022 draft will go by without coach Robert Saleh getting more help for the roster — unless GM Joe Douglas pulls off another deal.

3. NEW YORK GIANTS: 1,249 total points

Checking in right behind their crosstown rivals, the Giants boast two top-10 selections (No. 5 and 7) and nine picks overall, including two in the third round. Only the Jets and Houston Texans top the Giants’ five picks within the top 81. GM Joe Schoen's remaining four selections are well-distributed in the fourth (112), fifth (147, 173) and sixth rounds (182). Not having a selection in the seventh round can actually be a tactical advantage, as the club’s scouts can use that time to contact potential UDFAs to set up deals following the draft.

This Giants' class is boosted by that second first-round pick, acquired last year from the Chicago Bears, who moved up to nab quarterback Justin Fields. New York's picks will be particularly interesting because new head coach Brian Daboll and Schoen have no previous ties to quarterback Daniel Jones or running back Saquon Barkley — a pair of former top-six picks who have yet to justify their lofty selections.

4. HOUSTON TEXANS: 1,223 total points

Six of the Texans' 11 current draft picks were acquired via trade, including the 13th and 107th overall selections from Cleveland as part of the Deshaun Watson deal. While GM Nick Caserio and new coach Lovie Smith have publicly praised incumbent starting quarterback Davis Mills, with five selections among the top 80, the club will have plenty of opportunities to add to the QB depth chart should it want to do so.

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The Texans’ picks are well-distributed. Other than the second and fifth rounds, Houston owns multiple picks in every round of the draft, including three in the sixth. Given the unique depth of the 2022 class due to players being granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA, those mid-to-late Day 3 picks are worth more than in most years.

5. DETROIT LIONS: 1,209 total points

While the Lions check in just behind the Texans in terms of total points, the way they acquired their selections was very different — only two of Detroit’s nine overall selections came via trade. Far and away the most significant of those is the 32nd overall selection, which the Rams sent as part of the Stafford-Jared Goff swap.

As savvy draft fans know, the final pick of the first round is arguably more valuable than the 184 points in the chart, as the rookie contract given to the player selected there will be the cheapest one with a fifth-year option. Given how desperate some clubs are for help at quarterback, Detroit GM Brad Holmes could have plenty of suitors for this pick. The Lions already have five selections among the first 97 picks.

6. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: 859 total points

GM Howie Roseman has put his club in a winning position both this year and next. Despite trading away two first-round picks to the New Orleans Saints, the Eagles remain one of the power players in this class. Philadelphia received two first-round picks back in the deal: the 18th overall selection this year (along with third and seventh-round picks) and New Orleans’ top choice in 2023.

Roseman is an old hand at paying himself forward, trading down with Miami a year ago and still getting the reigning Heisman Trophy winner in DeVonta Smith at No. 12 overall. Smith wound up leading the Eagles in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown grabs, helping push them into the playoffs. Philadelphia is the first of just two 2021 playoff teams to make this list.

7. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: 810 total points

Given that Seattle traded away the best quarterback in franchise history, some Seahawks fans understandably will be disappointed that their club doesn’t rank higher on this list. But as with Philadelphia, Seattle’s acquisition of Denver’s first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft (as well as veteran players Drew Lock, Noah Fant and Shelby Harris) to send Russell Wilson to the Broncos is not accounted for in this projection.

General manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll certainly have their work cut out for them in replacing Wilson, but the club has the draft commodities to do so, with three of the first 41 picks and five among the top 109. Chief among those is the primary draft pick added from Denver, at No. 9 overall. If the Seahawks remain there, it would mark the only time Schneider and Carroll have held a pick inside the top 10 since their first selection together: OT Russell Okung at No. 6 overall in 2010.

8. ATLANTA FALCONS: 806 total points

Although the Falcons check in seventh on this list, only the Jets, Texans and Giants are better positioned in the first three rounds. That's because Atlanta owns five of the first 82 selections of the draft. To put that in perspective, the Rams, Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders will not have made any picks thought that point.

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This early firepower puts general manager Terry Fontenot in excellent position to either stand pat or move up, should he and coach Arthur Smith immediately follow owner Arthur Blank’s public calls to find a new franchise quarterback. Atlanta is well-positioned on Day 3 as well, with selections in the fourth (114) and fifth rounds (151) and two in the sixth (190, 213). As with Houston, the Falcons' not owning a seventh-round pick could be more of an advantage than one might think.

9. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: 780 total points

It might pale in comparison to the bold moves of signing Drew Brees in free agency and the onside kick called by Sean Payton to open the second half of Super Bowl XLIV 12 years ago, but New Orleans’ aggressive trade with Philadelphia to acquire two first-round picks in the 2022 draft might one day be remembered with similar revelry on Canal Street. Pulling off the deal (which we broke down in greater detail here) gives Saints GM Mickey Loomis the opportunity to add firepower to an offense desperately in need of it if it is to match the talent on the other side of the ball in New Orleans.

The Saints have "only" seven draft picks, but the sole round in which the club has two selections is the first and most important one, powering this lofty placement. Like Houston and Atlanta, New Orleans does not currently possess a seventh-round pick.

10. GREEN BAY PACKERS: 753 total points

There is no denying that it will be difficult to replace Davante Adams, but with the 2022 draft loaded at receiver, general manager Brian Gutekunst is in position to do so. Gutekunst doubled Green Bay’s selections in the first and second rounds by shipping the five-time Pro Bowler to Las Vegas. Along with the 22nd pick of the first round, the Packers received No. 53 — the selection Green Bay used to draft Adams in 2014.

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The haul gives Green Bay five selections among the top 92 and 11 picks total. It will be interesting to see how the Packers choose to invest their six Day 3 selections (including three seventh-rounders), as the perennial Super Bowl contenders have a stacked roster that will make it difficult for rookies to make the club.

Honorable mention: Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens

Like the Packers, the Chiefs are one of the power players of the 2022 NFL Draft because of the bold decision to trade one of the league’s most dynamic and productive receivers in Tyreek Hill. It's pretty difficult to argue with Andy Reid’s success building and maintaining Kansas City’s roster, given the six straight AFC West crowns and never finishing worse than second since he took over prior to the 2013 season.

The haul of picks received from Miami gives Kansas City a total of 12, tying the Chiefs with Jacksonville for the league high. And those selections are distributed beautifully throughout the draft. Kansas City is currently scheduled to select eight times through the first 135 picks (nearly double Jacksonville’s five in that span), with four seventh-round picks that essentially give GM Brett Veach the ability to steal falling stars. He did exactly that a year ago with guard Trey Smith, who started every game as a rookie after being drafted 226th overall.

Finally, while the Ravens finished a fairly distant 12th in draft points, GM Eric DeCosta still has quite the arsenal. The Ravens currently boast 10 draft picks, including four among the top 100 selections and five others in the fourth round. Given that many think this year’s deep draft class is set up for clubs to win on Day 3, the Ravens have a lot of flexibility in the opening frame Saturday morning.

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.