Hold up, wait a minute. Y’all thought I was finished?
The Athletic’s NFL style rankings are back with the draft edition. The newest members of the NFL fraternity graced the red carpet in Las Vegas on Thursday night, giving onlookers a taste of who they are as they showed off their respective styles. Let’s just say these first-round picks put the rest of the league on notice with their fits, shoes, jewelry and other accessories.
Who stood out the most among the players who heard their names called by Commissioner Roger Goodell? We take you through it below.
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5. Garrett Wilson, 10th overall, WR, New York Jets
.@GarrettWilson_V in green 👀
How you feeling @nyjets fans?!
See AlsoPhiladelphia Eagles NFL Draft picks 2022: Grades, fits and scouting reportsChargers NFL Draft 2022 guide: Picks, predictions and key needs2022 NFL Draft: Predicting picks, trades and surprises in the first roundLocal Insider Hints at Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth Jr. Both Being Done in Minnesota📺: 2022#NFLDrafton NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/t7JZwvE2la
— NFL (@NFL) April 29, 2022
This double-breasted suit screams Two-Face vibes. For those unfamiliar — somehow in 2022? — the D.C. Comic villain from Batman almost always is featured in a two-toned suit. Wilson’s color pattern alternates in a similar fashion, although the suit is cut differently in the cartoon. I love how Wilson’s suit does just enough to grab your attention, but it doesn’t go over the top. I appreciate Wilson’s tailor for understanding that more is truly less in this situation. Speaking of something grabbing one’s attention, holy mother of pearl, did everyone see what he was wearing around his neck? Wow! We’ve seen many accessories around these parts, but pearls are a new touch. Now, for me, Wilson would’ve ranked higher had his shirt followed a similar path, instead of something super casual like the black shirt he wore underneath. In a previous style ranking, a player carried the pattern throughout the outfit, and that’s a much harder concept to nail. However, when done correctly, it’s impressive.
4. Ikem Ekwonu, sixth overall, OL, Carolina Panthers
"Wow." –@BigIck79
📺: 2022 #NFLDraft on NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/Y6q1HVKzib
— NFL (@NFL) April 29, 2022
.@BigIck79 is representing his Nigerian heritage with his suit tonight. 🇳🇬🤍@NFLAfrica | @PackFootball
📺: 2022 #NFLDraft — 8pm ET on NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/LhkoC2kMdk
— NFL (@NFL) April 28, 2022
I love how the Nigerian flag is halfway around Ekwonu’s lapels. Having both lapels match is easy and has been done before, but finding that sweet spot and just the right place to know where to stop the design takes a little courage. At first glance, it appears the flag on the sleeves and lapel are the only thing differentiating this white jacket, but a closer inspection shows it is far more nuanced. As rapper Future said in “Mask Off,” “Rep ya set. Go on rep ya set.” Seeing a player on the precipice of his career and using his first major spotlight to proudly display his heritage and the influence it had on him will always be a strong contender around these parts.
3. Jermaine Johnson, 26th overall, DE, New York Jets
.@ii_jermaine looking like a million bucks out here 😎💰
📺: 2022 #NFLDraft — 8pm ET on NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/7vPvFsI9xl
— NFL (@NFL) April 28, 2022
In a way, this jacket looks like the cards that TV show therapists hold up and ask their clients what they see. At first glance, I thought I saw a butterfly at the bottom of this jacket. Then I talked myself out of that and determined that I was seeing a couple of flowers on Johnson’s coat. What I do know is that I love this unique design. I’m genuinely putting a good deal of thought into what I’m seeing, and it most certainly would stop me if I were passing him on the street. The color choice feels a little more yellow than, say, mustard. And because the jacket has a lot going on, applause to the designer for keeping it simple elsewhere so I don’t lose focus.
2. Kayvon Thibodeaux, fifth overall, Edge, New York Giants
Does @kayvont have the suit of the night? 👀🔥
📺: 2022 #NFLDraft — 8pm ET on NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/EiPeKgDxUs
— NFL (@NFL) April 28, 2022
Kayvon Thibodeaux will be wearing a SNICKERCHIEF tonight, a pocket square that conceals a mini Snickers.
Snickers is the official chocolate bar sponsor of the draft. pic.twitter.com/qfGnJDAZlE
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 28, 2022
Apparently, Snickers lives up to the billing of satisfying those who eat them. It went to the extreme for Thibodeaux, who walked onto the stage to shake the commissioner’s hand with a “Snickerchief” pin over his breast pocket. Everyone wanted to talk about the jewels lining the defensive end’s jacket, but let’s keep our focus on the things that matter. Jewels can’t satiate you when you’re hungry the way Snickers can. Obviously, this was done in partnership with the Mars candy bar, and it did the job it needed to do to get people to talk about it. Well played, Snickers.
1. Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, fourth overall, CB, New York Jets
Sauce Gardner rocking a sauce bottle chain on draft day 🥶
(@GoBEARCATS) pic.twitter.com/2owZkSNLKF
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 28, 2022
“They let me know before I was famous, I had too much sauce,” Future said in his song “Too Much Sauce,” featuring Lil Uzi Vert. It’s an absolute shame that Gardner couldn’t walk onto the stage to this song, because if this doesn’t nail his aesthetic, I truly don’t know what song would. It’s bravado. It’s the cornerback knowing he’s got it like that. It’s giving Deion Sanders, “If you look good, you play good” vibes. The amount of confidence and swag dripping off the former Cincinnati Bearcat is out of this world. He trumped the Snickerchief with a simple but pleasant-looking baby-blue suit that did not distract from the chains that proudly proclaim Gardner has the juice and the sauce. But if someone were to somehow miss the chain with “Sauce” clearly displayed, maybe they would see the bottle of sauce above it. When a player leans into anything that hard, they’re getting bonus points and, in this case, the No. 1 spot.
(Top photo of Kayvon Thibodeaux: Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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