- Several future star
NFL defenders found their new homes on Thursday in the first round of the NFL Draft. - While these defensive players vary in shape, size, and style of play, they all share one goal: taking down
Tom Brady .
The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft was dominated by defense.
Defensive players made up the first five picks of the draft, and the national championship Georgia Bulldogs defense sent five defenders to the big leagues on their own, setting an all-time NFL record for most defensive players from one school to be selected in the first round.
The defenders that made up the first round of the 2022 draft class vary in shape, size, and style of play, but no matter which team they landed with, they all shared one goal: Destroy Tom Brady while they still can.
"When he retired I thought the dream was dead," Detroit Lions No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson told Insider earlier in the week of his desire to tackle Tom Brady. "I thought it was over. I would no longer be able to get to sack him. Now, maybe one or two more years, max. So, if we play the Bucs, wherever I'm at, I've gotta get a sack."
"When he un-retired it was a smile on my face for sure."
Hutchinson was far from alone in his desire to take down Brady.
Devin Lloyd, who was drafted by the Jaguars with the No. 27 pick on Thursday night, also felt a bit of joy when he found out Brady was returning to the league.
"He had retired, I was like, 'Damn, I'm not going to get to play against him. Won't even have an opportunity.' When he came out I was like, let's go," Lloyd told Insider of Brady's return. "There's a bit of that feeling of, Oh, the league's in trouble again, but I'm excited to play against him just because you want to have that memory of going against one of the greatest of all time. Hopefully I can make it a positive one."
Lloyd's new teammate in Jacksonville, first overall pick Travon Walker, expressed a similar sentiment.
Asked by "Good Morning Football" which quarterback he's most looking forward to sacking, Walker did not hesitate.
"It almost definitely would have to be Tom Brady," Walker said. "He's the GOAT. He's somebody I've watched since I grew up, so it'd be a very special moment just to get that sack on Tom Brady."
It's worth noting that every player that spoke of his desire to sack Brady did so from a place of admiration and respect.
It's not often you hear kids just out of college speak with dreamlike wonder of their desire to hit a 44-year-old man, but professional football is a funny business.
Jordan Davis, who was selected by Philadelphia Eagles with pick No. 13, went as far as to say he would thank Brady for the opportunity if he ever got the Buccaneers quarterback to the ground.
"If I get a chance to get to him, I'll be like, thank you so much for letting me sack you," Davis told Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday. "And he'd probably be like, what is this guy talking about? But regardless, man, that's one of the — that'll be a highlight of my life.
"I feel like to be able to do that on the GOAT, man — he's the GOAT. Like him or hate him, you got to respect him. And he's been in the league since I've been probably born."
Cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, taken by the New York Jets as the No. 4 pick on Thursday night, also spoke of looking forward to the challenge of potentially facing Tom Brady.
"He's just different. I watch him on TV, and I see the defense doing certain stunts, and he's not buying those stunts because he's seen everything that you could possibly do in the NFL," Gardner told Sports Illustrated ahead of the draft. "He's a great quarterback."
For now, though, Brady is safe.
Hutchinson, Lloyd, Walker, Davis, and Gardner will still all have to wait a bit longer for their shot at taking on Brady, as none of their teams have the Buccaneers on their schedule for the 2022 season.
Hutchinson and Davis could conceivably face Brady in the playoffs, while Walker, Lloyd, and Gardner would all need a Super Bowl matchup against Tampa Bay to make their dreams of taking down Brady come true.
Still, there's always hope for next year. Brady already pushed back retirement one year — who is to say he won't do it one more time?
If Brady does come back for yet another year, there will be a brand new crop of defensive stars in the 2023 draft class just as eager to bring him down.