Star rankings matter, and the 2022 NFL Draft proved it once again during an action-packed first round Thursday evening in Las Vegas. Former 5-star prospect Travon Walker of Georgia was selected No. 1 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars after a successful career at Georgia that culminated with a national championship. He was one of six former 5-stars -- as defined by the 247Sports Composite rankings -- who were selected in the top 10.
There were some sleepers, though. Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad Gardner was picked No. 4 by the New York Jets after coming into college ranked No. 1,672 overall in the 2019 rankings. The biggest underdog of the night was former Boston College offensive lineman Zion Johnson, who was an unranked guard out of Riverdale Baptist High School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, before heading to Davidson for two years.
In total, nearly two-thirds (62.5%) of first-round picks in this draft were rated as 4-star prospects or better, while an astounding 90.1% (29 of 32 picks) were rated as 3-star prospects or better.
Here's a look at the star rankings for every player selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
2022 NFL Draft by recruiting ranking
- 5-stars: 8
- 4-stars: 12
- 3-stars: 9
- 2-stars: 1
- 1-star: 0
- Unranked: 2
| NFL Team | Player | School | Stars | Rank (year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travon Walker | Georgia | 5 | 22 (2019) | |
| Aiden Hutchinson | Michigan | 4 | 112 (2018) | |
| Derek Stingley Jr. | LSU | 5 | 3 (2019) | |
| Ahmad Gardner | Cincinnati | 3 | 1,672 (2019) | |
| Kayvon Thibodeaux | Oregon | 5 | 2 (2019) | |
| Ikem Ekwonu | NC State | 3 | 612 (2019) | |
| Evan Neal | Alabama | 5 | 7 (2019) | |
| Drake London | USC | 4 | 247 (2019) | |
| Charles Cross | Mississippi State | 5 | 27 (2019) | |
| Garrett Wilson | Ohio State | 5 | 20 (2019) | |
| Chris Olave | Ohio State | 3 | 399 (2018) | |
| Jameson Williams | Alabama | 4 | 82 (2019) | |
| Jordan Davis | Georgia | 3 | 424 (2018) | |
| Kyle Hamilton | Notre Dame | 4 | 60 (2019) | |
| Kenyon Green | Texas A&M | 5 | 15 (2019) | |
| Jahan Dotson | Penn State | 4 | 192 (2018) | |
| Zion Johnson | Boston College | n/a | n/a (2016) | |
| Treylon Burks | Arkansas | 4 | 103 (2019) | |
| Trevor Penning | Northern Iowa | n/a | n/a (2017) | |
| Kenny Pickett | Pittsburgh | 3 | 738 (2016) | |
| Trent McDuffie | Washington | 4 | 126 (2019) | |
| Quay Walker | Georgia | 4 | 31 (2018) | |
| Kaiir Elam | Florida | 4 | 48 (2019) | |
| Tyler Smith | Tulsa | 3 | 2,417 (2019) | |
| Tyler Linderbaum | Iowa | 3 | 409 (2018) | |
| Jermaine Johnson | Florida State | 3 | 2,089 (2017) | |
| Devin Lloyd | Utah | 3 | 1,631 (2017) | |
| Devonte Wyatt | Georgia | 4 | 278 (2017) | |
| Cole Strange | Chattanooga | 2 | 3,084 (2016) | |
| George Karlaftis | Purdue | 4 | 59 (2019) | |
| Daxton Hill | Michigan | 5 | 14 (2019) | |
| Lewis Cine | Georgia | 4 | 45 (2019) |
