The 2022 NFL draft begins Thursday, with the final boards stacked and mock drafts being finished up before the clock starts ticking (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN App).
While there are many names on Mel Kiper Jr.'s big board that are familiar to recruiting fans, such as former No. 1 overall prospect Kayvon Thibodeaux, not all of his top projections had an accurate NFL forecast. We talk often about physical development and the unknown variables when evaluating high school prospects off pure film and combine results. That inexact science comes to fruition when looking back on this draft class.