Defense was certainly prioritized at the beginning of the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft on Thursday night.
Starting with Georgia defensive end Travon Walker, who was selected No. 1 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars, the first five players picked all play on the defensive side of the ball. That made a little bit of history as it was the first time since 1991 that the first four picks had been used on defensive players, according to The Athletic’s Greg Auman.
Along with Walker, Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson (Detroit Lions), LSU’s Derek Stingley, Jr. (Houston Texans), Cincinnati’s Ahmad Gardner (New York Jets) and Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux (New York Giants) were taken with picks No. 2 through No. 5, respectively.
Former Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty seemed thrilled to see so many defensive players go first as teams throughout the NFL try to find a way to slow down the litany of high-powered offenses.
“Defense wins championships!” McCourty tweeted. “First four picks all on the defensive side of the ball. Edge and CBs…gotta find ways to get to the quarterback!!”
The Carolina Panthers broke the run of defensive players coming off the board with their sixth overall selection as they chose NC State offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu.
