2022 NFL Draft | Louisville Preview

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - At long last, the 2022 NFL Draft is finally here. Mock draft and big board season is now behind us, and soon we will find out where the top talents in college football will be heading to start their professional careers.

For the Louisville football program, eight players declared for this year's iteration of the draft in hopes of hearing their name called:

MLB C.J. Avery
OC Cole Bentley
RB Maurice Burkley
S Qwynnterrio Cole
OLB/S Jack Fagot
LS Mitch Hall
DE Tabarius Peterson
NT Jacques Turner

But for Cardinals fans following the draft over the next three days, it will be a slightly different experience than what they have been typically accustomed to. Unlike in previous years where there are one, two, or sometimes more Louisville players projected to go high in the draft, none of the eight have generated much pre-draft buzz at all - at least, if NFL Draft analysts and experts are to be believed.

In several seven-round mock drafts released over the past few days in advance of the draft, including ones from ESPN, The Athletic, CBS Sports, Sporting News and Walter Football, not a single Louisville player is projected to be taken in this year's draft.

That being said, a few Cardinals have a better chance at being drafted over the others. In his annual NFL Draft Guide, The Athletic's Dane Brugler ranked Cole as the No. 28 safety in the draft class, Bentley as the No. 30 center, Burkley as the No. 56 running back and Avery as the No. 65 linebacker.

But even if there are no Louisville players taken in this year's draft, they still have a chance to make an NFL roster. Following the draft's conclusion, they will have the opportunity to sign with any team they choose as an undrafted free agent following the end of the draft if they go unselected.

"(Going undrafted) doesn't mean they can't make it into the NFL," former ESPN analyst Jim Mora told Louisville Report last offseason. "If their agents do a good job, and their agents place them in a spot where there's a need for their position, and they go out and perform in OTA's, minicamp, training camp and get into preseason games, and show that they have some qualities that can help that team win, they're going to make a roster."

The 2022 NFL Draft will begin with round one on Thursday, Apr. 28 at 8:00 p.m. EST. Rounds 2-3 will start on Friday, Apr. 29 at 7:00 p.m. EST, and rounds 4-7 on Saturday, Apr. 30 starting at 12:00 p.m. EST. The entire draft will be on ESPN, ABC and the NFL Network.

(Photo of Qwynnterrio Cole: Reinhold Matay - USA TODAY Sports)

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