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4 first-round picks highlight Pac-12's 2022 NFL Draft class

Apr 30, 2022

SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 Conference had 25 players selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, highlighted by OREGON outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (fifth overall selection by the New York Giants), USC wide receiver Drake London (eighth overall selection by the Atlanta Falcons), WASHINGTON cornerback Trent McDuffie (21st overall selection by the Kansas City Chiefs) and UTAH linebacker Devin Lloyd (27th by the Jacksonville Jaguars).

The four first-round selections were the most by the Pac-12 since also having four in 2018 and was tied for the third-most among all conferences in the 2022 draft.

As the fifth overall pick, Thibodeaux gives Oregon a first-round pick in the third straight year for the first time in school history (Justin Herbert sixth overall to the Chargers in 2020 and Penei Sewell seventh overall to the Lions in 2021).  The last Pac-12 school to have a top seven pick in at least three straight years was USC, which did it in five straight from 1993 to 1997.

Thibodeaux is the highest Oregon draft pick since Marcus Mariota went second overall in 2015 and the highest Oregon defensive player selected since Dion Jordan was picked third in the 2013 Draft.

London also gave USC a first-round pick for the third straight year (Austin Jackson 18th overall to the Dolphins in 2020 and Alijah Vera-Tucker 14th overall to the Jets).  As the eighth overall pick, he was the first wide receiver selected and one of six selected in the Top 20 of the first round.

London becomes the highest drafted wide receiver for the Trojans since 1996 when Keyshawn Johnson went No. 1 overall, and the eighth to go in the first round all-time.  USC now has 84 all-time first round picks, second most behind Ohio State's 87. 

McDuffie gave Washington a first-round pick for the second straight year and fifth time in the last six drafts.  He's the third Huskies defensive back selected in the first round in the Pac-12 era, joining Desmond Trufant in 2013 and Marcus Peters in 2015. 

Along with teammate Kyler Gordon, who was selected in the second round this year, McDuffie gives UW 10 defensive backs drafted since 2017 and multiple DB's selected for the fourth time in the last six drafts.

As the 27th pick, Lloyd becomes the first ever Utah linebacker to be selected in the first round.  No Utah defensive players had been first round picks since Star Lotulelei in 2013.  

Pac-12/NFL Draft Notes:

  • UCLA led all Pac-12 schools with six selections, the same amount it had in the previous three years combined.  The Bruins had two players selected in the third round (TE Greg Dulcich and OT Sean Rhyan), two in the fifth round (DT Otito Ogbonnia and WR Kyle Philips) plus one each in the sixth (DB Quentin Lake) and the seventh (RB Brittain Brown).  It's the most UCLA players drafted since 2016 when eight former Bruins were taken.
  • Pac-12 was tied for third with the Big 12 among all conferences with 25 selections, trailing the 14-team SEC (65) and Big Ten (48) conferences and ahead of the 14-team ACC (21).
  • First time that the Pac-12 has had two players selected in the first eight picks since 2017, when a pair of Stanford players were drafted (Solomon Thomas third overall and Christian McCaffrey seventh)
  • USC has had at least one player picked in every draft since 1939, tied with Michigan for the longest active streak.  The Trojans have also had a player selected in the first three rounds in each of the last 21 years.
  • Six different NFL teams took multiple Pac-12 players in the draft: 
New York Giants
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (Oregon) 
1st round
DT D.J. Davidson (Arizona St)
5th round
Kansas City Chiefs
CB Trent McDuffie (Washington)
1st round
CB Jaylen Watson (Washington St)
7th round
Chicago Bears
CB Kyler Gordon (Washington)
2nd round
DB Elijah Hicks (California)
7th round
Denver Broncos
TE Greg Dulcich (UCLA)
3rd round
OL Luke Wattenberg (Washington)
5th round
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
RB Rachaad White (Arizona St)
3rd round
TE Cade Otton (Washington)
4th round
Houston Texans
DT Thomas Booker (Stanford)
5th round
TE Teagan Quitoriano (Oregon St)
5th round

Selections by School - 2022 NFL Draft

  • UCLA - 6
  • Arizona State - 4
  • Washington - 4
  • USC - 3
  • California - 2
  • Washington State - 2
  • Oregon - 1
  • Oregon State - 1
  • Stanford - 1
  • Utah - 1
Player School Round / Pick NFL Team
Kayvon Thibodeaux, OLB  1 / 5
Drake London, WR 1 / 8
Trent McDuffie, CB 1 / 21
Devin Lloyd, LB 1 / 27
Kyler Gordon, CB 2 / 39
Drake Jackson, LB 2 / 61
Abraham Lucas, OT 3 / 72
Greg Dulcich, TE 3 / 80
Rachaad White, RB 3 / 91
Sean Rhyan, OL 3 / 92
Cade Otton, TE 4 / 106
Jack Jones, CB 4 / 121
D.J. Davidson, DT 5 / 147
Thomas Booker, DT 5 / 150
Otito Ogbonnia, DT 5 / 160
Kyle Philips, WR 5 / 163
Teagan Quitoriano, TE 5 / 170
Luke Wattenberg, OL 5 / 171
Keaontay Ingram, RB 6 / 201
Quentin Lake, DB 6 / 211
Cameron Goode, OLB 7 / 224
Chase Lucas, DB 7 / 237
Jaylen Watson, DB 7 / 243
Brittain Brown, RB 7 / 250
Elijah Hicks, S 7 / 254