By now, as you know, the NFL Draft is a massive spectacle.
A red carpet walk. Flashing lights on a massive stage being aired across multiple TV networks. Incredible suits. There’s nothing like it.
But it’s the green room — where top prospects gather with their families– that tops the football extravaganza.
Usually, players invited to the green room are those expected to come off the board early. This can get awkward when a player doesn’t get drafted as early as they expected. When they’re the last man standing — as the camera keeps panning over to them talking to someone on the phone — you can’t help but feel bad for them.
Remember what happened with this guy?
Here are the 21 confirmed green room prospects of this year’s draft:
Complete list of the 21 prospects that will be attending the draft tonight. pic.twitter.com/wIrEGX9kwO
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) April 28, 2022
Let’s run through a few prospects we might be feeling unbearable second-hand embarrassment for by the end of the night.
5
Zion Johnson, OG — Boston College
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Johnson’s actually one of the best players in this draft and will probably have a remarkable career. But offensive linemen, especially guards, usually don’t get drafted as high as their peers. He might have a long wait in store.
4
Nakobe Dean, LB — Georgia
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Dean has a similar problem to Johnson. Teams don’t value inside linebackers as much as they used to. He’s one of the best players in the draft, but his table in the back could be one of the last with people sitting at it.
3
Kyler Gordon, CB — Washington
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A disappointing pre-draft process, a loaded corner class, headlined by Derek Stingley Jr., and a general bad luck of the draw don’t play into Gordon’s favor.
Gordon’s a good player, and he’ll make one team very happy, very soon. His last night as a non-NFL player might be painful back in the green room, though.
2
George Karlaftis, EDGE — Purdue
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In sticking with the theme, Karlaftis is well behind his EDGE-mates Aidan Hutchinson, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Travon Walker, and Jermaine Johnson II.
Karlaftis is probably going to be a solid pro, but he picked a bad time to get drafted if he didn’t want an awkward spotlight on him.
1
Matt Corral, QB — Ole Miss
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This is one of the poorer quarterback classes in recent memory. A class that Corral doesn’t even top.
So it might be a while.
