In reading through all of the post-NFL Draft news that continues to come out daily, I ran across a good article today on the NFL.com site in which one of their top draft analysts Chad Reuter ranks his top 3 selections from every round of the 2022 draft. Interestingly, both Hawkeye draftees Linderbaum and Belton make his list as in the top 3 picks of round 1 and 4, respectively. He ranks Linderbaum as the 2nd best pick of the first round, and Belton as the third best pick of the fourth round. Here's what he says:
Round 1
Tyler Linderbaum
Iowa · C
Baltimore Ravens
Drafted: No. 25 overall
After acquiring Arizona's first-round pick (No. 23 overall) for Marquise Brown, the Ravens moved down to 25 in a swap with the Bills, then grabbed Linderbaum to take over for departed starter Bradley Bozeman. Some teams might not have selected the former Iowa star because of his lack of size (6-foot-2, 296 pounds) and length. Linderbaum's mobility, toughness and intelligence were first-round worthy, however, and the team's success picking another Hawkeye lineman, Marshal Yanda (who made eight Pro Bowls over 15 seasons in Baltimore), made this a natural fit.
Round 4
Dane Belton
Iowa · S
New York Giants
Drafted: No. 114 overall
Like the Commanders with Butler above, the Giants also found a perfect fit for their secondary in this round, on the very next pick. Belton is very much a Jabrill Peppers-type hybrid defender who can work in the box yet still make quarterbacks pay for mistakes in the intermediate passing game. The team frankly needed any warm body at safety, but Belton was the best fit on Day 3.
Round 1
Tyler Linderbaum
Iowa · C
Baltimore Ravens
Drafted: No. 25 overall
After acquiring Arizona's first-round pick (No. 23 overall) for Marquise Brown, the Ravens moved down to 25 in a swap with the Bills, then grabbed Linderbaum to take over for departed starter Bradley Bozeman. Some teams might not have selected the former Iowa star because of his lack of size (6-foot-2, 296 pounds) and length. Linderbaum's mobility, toughness and intelligence were first-round worthy, however, and the team's success picking another Hawkeye lineman, Marshal Yanda (who made eight Pro Bowls over 15 seasons in Baltimore), made this a natural fit.
Round 4
Dane Belton
Iowa · S
New York Giants
Drafted: No. 114 overall
Like the Commanders with Butler above, the Giants also found a perfect fit for their secondary in this round, on the very next pick. Belton is very much a Jabrill Peppers-type hybrid defender who can work in the box yet still make quarterbacks pay for mistakes in the intermediate passing game. The team frankly needed any warm body at safety, but Belton was the best fit on Day 3.
