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Breaking Down the AFC East First Round ... And What It Means for the Dolphins

The New York Jets were generally lauded after the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, but how soon could they realistically become competitive?
Alain Poupart|
Breaking Down the AFC East First Round ... And What It Means for the Dolphins
Breaking Down the AFC East First Round ... And What It Means for the Dolphins

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Miami Dolphins

The AFC East was in the spotlight during the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, for  both good and bad reasons.

What it'll mean in the long run remains to be seen, the first reflex reaction is to stop looking at the home-and-home series against the New York Jets as the gimme it's been the past two seasons and to start wondering whether the New England Patriots will be much of a factor in the AFC playoff race in 2022.

But the AFC East will start with the Buffalo Bills, and their first-round pick was used on cornerback Kaiir Elam.

Of course, the Bills had a need for a cornerback after losing starter Levi Wallace in free agency and because Tre'Davious White will be looking to come back from a torn ACL, but one has to think that Buffalo saw the Dolphins add Tyreek Hill to join Jaylen Waddle and figured more secondary help wouldn't hurt.

Jets First Round Jumps Out

The Bills weren't the only AFC East team to draft a cornerback in the first round, but with the Jets that was just the first of their three first-round picks.

And the Jets' three picks were pretty much universally applauded, as they followed the selection of Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner at number 4, with wide receiver Garrett Wilson at number 10 and edge defender Jermaine Johnson II at number 26 after trading with Tennessee.

The cost to get that third first-round pick was very reasonable as well, with the Jets just swapping picks in the second and third rounds and giving the Titans a fifth-round selection.

While Gardner wasn't the first cornerback selected Thursday, some draft analysts considered not only the best prospect at the position but the best prospect overall.

Wilson was the second of six wide receivers selected in the first round and that choice was made after the Jets made an offer to the San Francisco 49ers for Deebo Samuel for that 10th overall pick along with a swap of later selections.

Wilson will join 2021 second-round pick Elijah Moore in the Jets wide receiver corps and provide more help for second-year quarterback Zach Wilson.

Johnson fills a massive need for a pass rusher after the Jets had only player (John Franklin-Myers) in 2021 with more than three sacks.

The Patriots' Unpopular Pick

If you haven't seen the clip by now, Rams coach Sean McVay's reaction to the Patriots' first-round selection of Cole Strange was hysterical — but also a really bad look for New England.

The Patriots took Strange, ironically, with the 29th pick, the one that once belonged to the Dolphins before they sent it to Kansas City as part of the Hill trade. The Chiefs then sent it to New England when they moved up to 21st in the first round to take cornerback Trent McDuffie.

Among the many layers of that bizarre mode, the Patriots clearly need a cornerback after losing J.C. Jackson in free agency and could have taken McDuffie themselves at number 21.

Worst, while Strange has been regarded as a good prospect despite playing at Tennessee-Chattanooga, the consensus was that he was a second-round pick at best, if not a third-rounder.

What made McVay's reaction was so incredible is that he said, in front of reporters, the Rams had evaluated Strange in case he remained on the board at the time of their first pick — the 104th overall.

The Strange move — in more ways than one — has come during an offseason where the Patriots have lost a lot more than they've gained in terms of proven veterans.

Along with Jackson, the Patriots have lost Dont'a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, Ted Karras, Shaq Mason and Jamie Collins, with the one veteran of note arriving being defensive back Jabrill Peppers.

It does seem like a strange approach for a team that went 1-3 at the end of the regular season before getting blown out by Buffalo in the playoffs.

It's probably a stretch to say the Patriots might have a hard time beating out the Jets in the standings, but it sure does look like the difference between the teams is smaller.

For the Dolphins, though, the target in the AFC East obviously remains the Bills.

Published
Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI and host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website. In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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