The Five Best Available Free Agents Following The NFL Draft
A lot of fish in the sea.
The bulk of the NFL offseason has come to an end, but there are still a lot of great players looking to land on rosters for the 2022-2023 season. Here are the five best available free agents following the NFL Draft.
Defensive Tackle Akiem Hicks
Even at the age of 32, Hicks is still one of the leagues top run stuffers. Very few nose tackles can create pressure in the pass game like Hicks as he tallied 3.5 sacks in 8 games in 2021; 2 coming against the Vikings. Hicks is a proven leader and a very efficient player that will elevate a teams defensive line on a one to two year contract; watch out for Jacksonville or Dallas to sign the beefy run stopper.
Wide Receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
It's not super surprising that Odell is still on the market because he tore his ACL, but he can still be a teams top receiving option. Before his injury in the Super Bowl, Odell was having a productive playoffs; he recorded 21 catches for 288 yards and 2 touchdowns. Over the whole 2021 season, Beckham reeled in 44 passes for 537 yards and 5 touchdowns. I think Green Bay or Baltimore should make a run at the LSU alum to make him their top option.
Center J.C. Tretter
It still shocks me that a player of Tretters caliber is still available. The 31 year old center posted a PFF grade of 78.7% only allowing 1 sack on 1,039 snaps in 2021 for Cleveland. He moves very well in pass protection and shows off great power in the run game to go with his high football IQ. I don't think the Cornell alum will be available much longer. I think Minnesota or Miami is the best overall fit for the ninth year center.
Offensive Tackle Duane Brown
Duane Brown being available is very interesting. On the one hand he's a 36 year old tackle that allowed 8 sacks last season which isn't a positive; but on the other hand, he's extremely experienced and could lock down the left tackle position on a team for a season. His 71.5% PFF grade over 969 snaps is pretty solid. If I had to guess, Chicago or Indianapolis could sign the aging pass protector.
Defensive End Jadeveon Clowney
Clowney is another interesting player that's still on the market. I'd say he's still available mostly because he's inconsistent, but this past season he was legit; he made 37 tackles, 9 sacks, and forced 2 fumbles. While a player with a year like that still being on the market is shocking, you have to consider that in 2020 and 2021 he only made 3 sacks. Clowney is still a good athlete, but it is a high risk, high reward type signing. The top spots for the former Gamecock would be either back in Cleveland or Baltimore.
