Five late-round rookies who could make some noise in 2022

It’s been two months since the 2022 NFL Draft and teams have been integrating their new picks into their rosters

Rookies taken on day one and even day two of the draft come with expectations of having some degree of success in their rookie season. But day three draft picks are a lot more uncertain.

Here we will take a look at five rookies, in no particular order, drafted on day three who could find their feet earlier than anticipated.

Akayleb Evans, CB – Minnesota Vikings

Akayleb Evans was taken in the fourth round by the Vikings out of Mizzou, yet his name may not be recognised by many.

The reason he has potential to flourish in 2022 is due to two things. One, his current situation. And two, how badly the Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wanted him.

The Vikings are desperate for solid play at corner back. In fact, even average play would be an improvement from last season. Whilst there will be a lot of hopefuls competing for the CB spots, the competition is not necessarily strong. Akayleb has the chance to shine.

Kwesi had a prospect crush in this draft, and that crush just so happened to be on Akayleb Evans. He even moved up in the draft to get his man.

With the commitment to go and grab Evans in the fourth round it is likely that the front office has faith in their new young CB to provide some much needed improvement to the secondary. 

Watch this space.

Kingsley Enagbare, EDGE – Green Bay Packers

Staying in the NFC North, Packers EDGE Kingsley Enagbare was a fifth round pick out of South Carolina.

The Packers newest EDGE is a pass rush specialist out of the SEC, causing havoc to any offensive tackles he faced. Enagbare even recorded the highest pass rush grade in his conference since 2018. 

Opportunities to hunt opposing QBs should be plentiful on the Packers defence. Whilst Preston Smith and Rashan Gary are an established rushing duo, they can’t be expected to play every snap.

Whilst the rookie in Green Bay has all the talent to become a force in the NFL, he may also have a chip on his shoulder. Many people had Enagbare as a top 70 player. And they would have laughed off any person saying he would be available at the 179^th pick.

Kingsley Enagbare will show everyone why he should have been selected 100 spots sooner.

Tariq Woolen, CB – Seattle Seahawks

Heading over to the West Coast, Seattle picked up Tariq Woolen in the fifth round out of UTSA. 

Woolen is 6’4 and runs a 4.26 40-yard dash. He is a freakish athlete to have in the secondary. These metrics are enough to pay attention to any prospect, but Woolen still has to prove his ability on the field. 

Luckily for him, he has a full season to prove his worth. The Seahawks are rebuilding after being a top team for a decade. This will take the pressure off players and give rookies, like Woolen, more opportunities to showcase their skills.

Opposing receivers would not be too happy to be facing up against a player the size of Tariq Woolen. 

Just look at his reach in this clip below…

The young CB has an ideal skillset to be an impactful player in year one. He just needs to put it all together.

Curtis Brooks, DT – Indianapolis Colts

Next up is the sixth round pick out of Cincinnati, DT Curtis Brooks.

Brooks is a player who showed remarkable athleticism during testing. He was even in the top 5% of fastest interior defensive linemen ever tested.

He is not just another athletic DT; he shows up on the field too. Check out these stats to see for yourself:

Brooks shows up everywhere on the field. He is a disruptor. Apart from being slightly undersized for his position, Curtis Brooks seems to have the skillset required to be a solid NFL player.

He has no reason not to shine in his rookie season. Behind All-Pro teammate DeForest Buckner there is not much competition for Brooks. I believe he will make the most of his opportunity.

Chasing down your favourite QB soon? Stay tuned to find out.

Daniel Bellinger, TE – New York Giants

The final player on this list is tight end Daniel Bellinger from San Diego State who was drafted in the fourth round.

It is not often day three draft picks get the opportunity to immediately start for their new team, but this is where Bellinger finds himself. 

With the loss of former pro bowler Evan Engram in free agency the Giants have no star names at TE. Bellinger can challenge the veterans on the team for the TE1 role for the Giants and play a big role on offense. 

With Big Blue in dire need of playmaking it would be perfect timing for Daniel Bellinger to step up.

Whilst Bellinger has some work to do on his route running and more technical aspects of the game, the TE is surprisingly athletic and has strong, secure hands – Something Giants fans did not associate Engram with. Daniel Jones could rely on him as a safety blanket in his do or die season as the QB in New York.