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Your trivia answer is Quay Walker.
The Green Bay Packers took the Georgia linebacker with the No. 22 pick that was the centerpiece of the massive St. Patrick’s Day trade that sent superstar wide receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders, of course, sent their second-round pick (No. 53) to the Packers in the Adams’ deal as well.
It was expected that the Packers would take a receiver at No. 22. The problem, though, was all the top wide receivers were off the board. Six of the top 18 picks in the draft (starting at No. 8) went in the top 18 picks.
6 WRs in the top 20 for the time in Common Draft history.
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) April 29, 2022
Vikings have decent depth at WR, but Adam Thielen turns 32 in August.
So, this is another reason why to love the Adams trade. The Raiders would have likely been targeting a receiver had they not finished the Adams trade. But all the top names were gone.
Who would have the Raiders taken in this draft at No. 22? Maybe Tulsa tackle Tyler Smith, who went to Dallas at No. 24. He would have helped the offensive line, but the receiver hole would still be there. But Adams is a Raider, so that’s not an issue. The Raiders may look at tackle at No. 86 (or whenever their top pick is).
The big run at the position, of course, wasn’t the only big receiver news of the first round. Baltimore traded “Hollywood” Brown to Arizona and Tennessee flipped A.J. Brown to Philadelphia. The Eagles quickly gave him a huge deal.
Eagles are giving AJ Brown a 4-year, $100 million extension that includes $57 million guaranteed, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 29, 2022
Brown is the latest standout receiver to be traded and to get a new deal, joining the likes of Adams and Tyreek Hill. of course, the receiver market has exploded and at some point, the Raiders are going to have to address slot star Hunter Renfrow, who can be a free agent next year.
Meanwhile, I thoughts both the AFC West teams with first-round picks (of course, Denver, like the Raiders, didn’t have a pick in the round because of the Russell Wilson trade) did well.
The Chargers gave Justin Herbert more help with Boston College guard Zion Johnson at No. 18. The Chiefs moved up to get Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie at No. 21, which was a great value pick. Then, at No. 30, the Chiefs picked Purdue pass-rusher George Karlaftis at No. 30. So, their defense got a big boost.
But, don’t fret, Raiders fans. You got Adams and if you kept No. 22, you wouldn’t have gotten much better at receiver.
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