2022 NFL Draft: Mel Kiper reveals his top prospects available entering second round

The 2022 NFL Draft officially got underway on Thursday night in Las Vegas, with the top-32 prospects being selected. From Georgia defensive end Travon Walker going No. 1 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars and another Bulldogs’ defender – safety Lewis Cine – landing at No. 32 overall to the Minnesota Vikings, there were plenty of college football stars taken off the board on Thursday.

With the first round in the books, there are still plenty of highly-touted players available. Heading into the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday evening, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has revealed his top prospects available from his big board.

Sitting at the top of Kiper’s list is Liberty quarterback Malik Willis, who totaled 6,939 all-purpose yards and 74 total touchdowns in two seasons leading the Flames’ squad. While Willis had been projected to be taken in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers, the organization ultimately decided to go with Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett instead. Willis is listed at No. 17 on Kiper’s big board going into Friday night.

Kiper’s second top prospect is Penn State‘s Arnold Ebiketie – a standout defensive end that made 62 tackles and 9.5 sacks in one season with the Nittany Lions. The ESPN analyst has Ebiketie sitting at No. 20 on his NFL Draft big board at this point.

A surprising name that wasn’t taken in the first round on Thursday night was Georgia inside linebacker Nakobe Dean. Projected to be a first-round pick coming into the draft, Dean has slipped down the board and should be a steal for a team in the second round. Listed as Kiper’s 25th-best prospect in the class, Dean made 72 total tackles for the Bulldogs in 2021.

Just after Dean on Kiper’s board is Michigan outside linebacker David Ojabo at No. 26. Ojabo, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound defender, tallied 35 tackles for the Wolverines last season, in addition to 11 sacks and five forced fumbles.

North Dakota State wide receiver Christian Watson wraps up Kiper’s list. A 6-foot-5 wideout, Watson caught 43 passes for 800 yards and seven touchdowns in 2021 and is Kiper’s 28th-best overall prospect, according to the analyst’s big board.

The second round of the 2022 NFL Draft begins at 7 p.m. ET on Friday.