The 2022 NFL Draft is over, and it was full of trades and surprising picks.
Perhaps no selection was more unexpected than the New England Patriots taking Chattanooga guard Cole Strange with the No. 29 overall pick in the first round. Strange was projected to go in the late second round or somewhere in the third round in most mock drafts, but the Patriots liked him enough to take him near the end of Round 1.
Several teams in the AFC made multiple selections in the first round, including the New York Jets, who had three. In fact, many of the best picks in this draft were made by AFC teams, which should lead to a very competitive race for the conference title during the 2022 season.
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Let's hand out grades for every AFC team with the draft now complete.
Baltimore Ravens
Grade: A-
The Ravens got a playmaking safety in Notre Dame star Kyle Hamilton at No. 14 in the first round. They also acquired a potential longtime starting center in Iowa's Tyler Linderbaum at No. 25. After adding a couple defensive lineman on Day 2, the Ravens bolstered their offensive line depth even further with Minnesota offensive tackle Daniel Faalele (fourth round), who stands at 6-foot-8 and 384 pounds.
New England Patriots
Baltimore satisfied a lot of their needs in this draft. If Lamar Jackson can stay healthy, the Ravens should again be a top AFC contender next season.
Buffalo Bills
Grade: A-
The Bills traded up to take Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam with the No. 23 pick in the first round. Elam adds much-needed depth at cornerback after Buffalo lost Levi Wallace in free agency and could be without Tre'Davious White in Week 1 as he recovers from a torn ACL.
The Bills also did well selecting Georgia running back James Cook in the second round. He can be a solid pass-catcher out of the backfield for Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen. The Bills added another intriguing offensive player in Round 3 by taking Boise State wide receiver Khalil Shakir, who's an excellent route runner with good speed.
The Bills even got the best punter in this draft class, Matt Araiza out of San Diego State.
Buffalo is the best AFC team on paper entering training camp.
Cincinnati Bengals
Grade B+
The Bengals upgraded their weak offensive line in free agency, and they spent plenty of draft capital bolstering their defense. Michigan defensive back Daxton Hill (Round 1), Nebraska cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (Round 2), Florida defensive tackle Zachary Carter (Round 3) and Toldeo safety Tycen Anderson (Round 5) all fill serious needs on Cincy's defense.
Cleveland Browns
Grade: B
The Browns did not have a first-round pick because their 2022 selection was one of several sent to the Texans to acquire star quarterback Deshaun Watson via trade earlier in the offseason. They were active in the third round with three picks, the most notable being Purdue wide receiver David Bell, who tallied 93 catches for 1,286 yards and six touchdowns against Big Ten competition in 2021.
Cleveland's best pick might end up being Oklahoma defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey, who has the potential to be a solid pass rusher with his size and athleticism. The Browns took him in the fourth round, and it's safe to say he's fired up to be in the NFL.
Denver Broncos
Grade: B+
The Broncos did not have a first-round pick because it was part of the Russell Wilson trade with the Seattle Seahawks.
They did a nice job bolstering an already impressive pass rush by taking Oklahoma defensive end Nik Bonitto in the second round (64th overall).
Pittsburgh cornerback Damarri Mathis and Iowa State defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike were two other quality picks in the fourth round.
Denver's defense is going to be fantastic in 2022.
Houston Texans
Grade: A-
The Texans had a strong draft, headlined by a potential generational talent at cornerback in LSU star Derek Stingley Jr., who Houston selected at No. 3 overall in the first round. Texas A&M offensive lineman Kenyon Green was taken at 15th overall and gives the Texans much-needed pass protection. Jalen Pitre from Baylor was Houston's first second-round pick at 37th overall and should be a Week 1 starter with his athleticism and playmaking ability.
The Texans also traded back into the second round to select Alabama wide receiver John Metchie III, who should be a dependable target for starting quarterback Davis Mills.
Houston drafted a ton of players who could make an immediate impact next season, which is exactly what this franchise needs in the post-Deshaun Watson era.
Indianapolis Colts
Grade: B
The Colts were another team without a first-round pick. They dealt it to the Philadelphia Eagles as part of the trade for quarterback Carsen Wentz last year (Ouch!).
Indy added much-needed speed at wide receiver by selecting Cincinnati's Alec Pierce in the second round (53rd overall). Pierce also has good size at 6-foot-3 and 211 pounds. Third-round pick Jelani Woods out of Virginia is a tight end listed at 6-foot-7 and 253 pounds. He tallied eight touchdown receptions last season and could be a quality redzone target for new Colts quarterback Matt Ryan.
Missouri State defensive lineman Eric Johnson could be a sneaky good find from the fifth round given his run stopping ability and quickness.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Grade: B+
After a long debate over which pass rusher should go No. 1 overall -- Georgia's Travon Walker or Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson -- the Jaguars took the Bulldogs star. Walker has the potential to be an elite defensive end for a long time. Jacksonville also significantly upgraded at linebacker by taking Utah star Devin Lloyd with the No. 27 overall pick in the first round.
The Jaguars found a starting-caliber center in Kentucky's Luke Fortner (No. 65 overall in Round 3), who received the second-highest pass-blocking grade among SEC centers from Pro Football Focus last season.
It's going to take some time for the Jaguars to be a playoff team again, but they've built a strong foundation of young talent over the last two drafts.
Kansas City Chiefs
Grade: A
The Chiefs really needed to upgrade at cornerback and made a bold move in the first round, trading with the Patriots to move up from No. 29 to No. 21 to select Washington defensive back Trent McDuffie. Kansas City addressed another need at linebacker with Wisconsin star Leo Chenal in the third round. He had eight sacks last season and plays a physical style of football that Chiefs fans will love.
One underrated pick was Fayetteville State cornerback Joshua Williams in the fourth round (135th overall), who has the size (6-foot-3 and 195 pounds) to match up well with physical wide receivers.
Overall, the Chiefs tried to rebuild their defense -- a unit that let them down in the playoffs -- and, at least on paper, they succeeded.
Las Vegas Raiders
Grade: B+
The Raiders didn't have a first-round pick, but it's hard to blame them since they used it in a trade to acquire the league's best wide receiver, Davante Adams, from the Packers.
Memphis guard Dylan Parham was a solid pickup in the third round (92nd overall) with his versatility. Las Vegas also found tremendous value late in the fifth round with Tennessee defensive lineman Matthew Butler.
The AFC West is going to be incredible this year, and the Raiders did a nice job plugging roster holes in this draft.
Los Angeles Chargers
Grade: A-
The No. 1 goal for the Chargers should be building around franchise quarterback Justin Herbert. They found a tremendous interior offensive lineman in Boston College standout Zion Johnson with the No. 17 overall pick in the first round.
Los Angeles found another likely starter at guard in the sixth round by selecting Georgia's Jamaree Salyer, who allowed only one sack over the last two years.
Second-round pick J.T. Woods had a tremendous 2021 season for Baylor and excelled in pass coverage as a safety with six interceptions.
It's hard not to be excited about this class if you're a Chargers fan. The future is quite bright.
Miami Dolphins
Grade: B-
The Dolphins didn't have a ton of picks. They dealt a first-rounder, second-rounder and fourth-rounder from this draft to the Chiefs as part of the Tyreek Hill trade earlier this month.
They did find solid value in Georgia linebacker Channing Tindal in the third round, but overall this Miami draft class is nothing to be too excited about.
New England Patriots
Grade: C+
The Patriots had a weird draft.
They took Chattanooga guard Cole Strange with the 29th overall pick in the first round, which was far higher than the late second round or third-round projections from most mock drafts. The Patriots also took a quarterback in Western Kentucky star Bailey Zappe in Round 4. He had a record-setting 2021 season and could be a nice long-term backup, but the pick does nothing to address serious weaknesses on the team's defense.
New England selected two running backs -- South Dakota State's Pierre Strong Jr. in Round 4 and South Carolina's Kevin Harris in Round 6 -- even though the team already had plenty of depth at the position.
The Patriots did add much-needed speed. Baylor's Tyquan Thornton was the fastest wide receiver in this class and the Pats took him in the second round (50th overall). Strong also was among the fastest running backs in the draft.
The Patriots did not do enough to upgrade their defense, especially at linebacker. This class has the potential to be a pretty lackluster one for head coach Bill Belichick.
New York Jets
Grade: A
The Jets had a fantastic draft, especially in the first round.
No. 4 overall pick Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner has elite cornerback potential and brings much-needed playmaking ability to New York's secondary. The Jets took the best wide receiver in this class, Ohio State's Garrett Wilson, with the No. 10 overall pick. He gives franchise quarterback Zach Wilson an explosive and speedy target in the passing attack. The Jets traded back into the first round at No. 27 overall to select Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson, who fell further than many people anticipated.
New York took Wilson's Ohio State teammate, tight end Jeremy Ruckert, in the third round. Ruckert is a quality blocker with pass-catching upside.
After taking North Carolina standout Michael Carter in last year's draft, the Jets added more running back depth by selecting Iowa State's Breece Hall, who tallied 41 rushing touchdowns over the last two seasons, in the second round (36th overall).
Overall, it was important for the Jets to significantly upgrade a defense that gave up the most points and yards in the league last season. They addressed that need in a major way with Gardner and Johnson.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Grade: B
The Steelers took a shot with hometown quarterback Kenny Pickett, who they selected at No. 20 overall in the first round after his fantastic 2021 season for the University of Pittsburgh. Pickett doesn't have elite upside and is unlikely to be a franchise quarterback, but he should get a chance to compete for the starting job against Mitch Trubisky.
The Steelers took another gamble in Round 2 that could pay massive dividends. Georgia wide receiver George Pickens has great size (6-foot-3 and 200 pounds) and tremendous athleticism and route running ability. He played just four games for the Bulldogs last season because of a torn ACL.
Pittsburgh has a history of developing excellent wide receivers taken after the first round -- Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, etc. -- so it's natural to feel confident Pickens will reach his potential with the Steelers.
Tennessee Titans
Grade: A-
The Titans weren't willing to pay star wide receiver A.J. Brown the contract he wanted, so they traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles for the No. 18 overall pick in the first round and selected his replacement in Arkansas' Treylon Burks.
Burks is a strong, physical wideout with good speed and impressive route running ability. He dominated the Alabama defense in November with eight receptions for 179 yards and two touchdowns.
The Titans have done well developing tight ends, and that bodes well for fifth-round pick Chigoziem Okonkwo out of Maryland.
The Titans disappointed in the 2021 playoffs, losing to the Bengals in the AFC Divisional Round at home. They addressed several roster needs with a strong 2022 draft class.