NFL Draft 2022: New Pro Footballers Don Hublot Watches, Designer Footwear

Obi Anyanwu

April 29, 2022 at 5:47 PM·4 min read

The NFL’s new young stars stood out in designer gear at the start of the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas on Thursday night.

After two years of hybrid formal dressing at home and at the draft venue, this year’s crop of talent went all out in custom tailoring, including suits by Dolce & Gabbana, and a number of luxury designer footwear labels, such as Louis Vuitton and Alexander McQueen.

More from WWD

More notable than the labels is how each top pick created their own style moment with deep back-stories and nods to culture, family and alma maters.

BJ Gray of Grayscale and Ian Pierno designed New York Jets draft pick Garrett Wilson’s two-toned suit that the athlete paired with Prada boots. Designer Adonis Jennings put together meaningful bespoke suits for Ikem Ekwonu, the North Carolina State offensive tackle who was picked sixth in the draft by the Carolina Panthers, and Michigan defensive end Aiden Hutchinson, who was drafted by the Detroit Lions.

Ekwonu wore a white double-breasted tuxedo with subtle monochrome pattern and green and white striped cuffs and lapel nodding to his Nigerian roots, and Hutchinson wore a black tuxedo, also with a subtle pattern and an interior lining that had manifestations he journaled over the past five years. The two players also sported Hublot watches.

Hutchinson’s fellow Detroit Lions draft pick Jameson Williams stepped out in Louis Vuitton trainers to match his Alabama crimson suit; Kayvon Thibodeaux, the New York Giants-drafted defensive end from the Oregon Ducks, sported a black Dolce & Gabbana suit with ruby crystals, and New York Jets pick Jermaine Johnson 2nd wore a gold, patterned tuxedo jacket.

This year, the players stood out mostly with their accessories. Washington Huskies player Kyler Gordon wore McQueen sneakers, and University of Cincinnati corner Ahmad Garner, who also joined the Jets, went double duty with his viral sauce chain and jewelry and spiked Christian Louboutin sneakers.

Courtesy Photo

Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle from Mississippi State Charles Cross went for hype in Travis Scott x Fragment Air Jordan 1 sneakers and, according to stylist and creative director Kesha McLeod, Cross’ suit by athletes’ favorite designer Waraire Boswell came together in 72 hours.

“I met Charles by a chance meeting a few weeks ago and he showed me the suit he was wearing” to the draft, McLeod said. “Days later, he found out the suit he had was going to fall through and he needed another suit.”

McLeod, who has clients such as Serena Williams and P.J. Tucker, called Boswell and tailor Soyoung Shin to work on the new suit that Cross wore on the red carpet, a black and white gingham plaid style with blue accents to match his sneakers. He also wore a black mamba pin from Jason of Beverly Hills, Chanel pearls and a Rolex Presidential watch.

“It’s important to have an amazing tailor who understands suit construction,” McLeod said. “We had three-hour fittings on FaceTime and went over every detail. Charles is a great kid and he understood men’s suiting. Sometimes you have to educate guys, but he practiced getting up, putting the hat on. It helped with the fitting and we adjusted the armhole or the biceps because we knew how he was moving on the stage.”

McLeod believes the draft was very tailored, but draftees played it safe this year, opting for details inside of the suits. But all in all, the next generation of players knows what they want even at a relatively young age.

“With designer sneakers ranging in sizes now, sometimes as high as 13 and 17, the styles are readily available to this generation,” she said. “They’re able to get what they want and social media is influencing everyone. They know what they want.”

And the media is giving more attention to the draft as well, according to McLeod.

“I met with a style editor who doesn’t cover sports at all but said she has the Met Gala, the Billboard Awards and the NFL Draft and for her to mention the draft as a style pivotal moment means the world is watching.”

Launch Gallery: NFL Draft 2022: New Pro Footballers Don Hublot Watches, Designer Footwear

Click here to read the full article.

Associated Press
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database. Russian officials did not immediately clarify the allegations against Zelenskyy and Poroshenko, and independent Russian news outlet Mediazona claimed on Saturday that the two had been on the list for months. In an online statement published that same day, Ukraine’s foreign ministry dismissed the reports of Zelenskyy’s inclusion as evidence of “the desperation of the Russian state machine and propaganda.”
USA TODAY
It's tick season: What types live in your area and how to keep them under control
Ticks come out this time of year but you can control them and keep ticks off you and your pets with some simple steps.
Associated Press
London, meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Mayor Sadiq Khan wins historic third term
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has a lot of cleaning up to do. Khan, who made history Saturday by becoming the city's first mayor elected to a third term, has pledged to make the River Thames swimmable. It wasn't a top campaign issue but it's an audacious goal considering the waterway was declared biologically dead not long before his birth in the city in 1970 and flows as an open sewer of sorts when heavy rains overwhelm London's ancient plumbing system.
Associated Press
Cheers and flames as Orthodox worshipers greet the ancient ceremony of the 'Holy Fire'
One of the most chaotic gatherings in the Christian calendar is the ancient ceremony of the “Holy Fire,” with worshipers thronging the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Saturday. Cheers and prayers rang out as candles one by one were lit after reaching through a small opening into Jesus’ tomb.
AFP
History maker Sadiq Khan: a mayor with global renown
Sadiq Khan, who was Saturday re-elected for a record third term as London mayor, rose from humble roots to spar with world leaders and bring consequential change to the British capital. Victory continues a remarkable journey for the Pakistani immigrant bus driver's son, who became the first Muslim mayor of a Western capital when initially elected in 2016.
AFP
Russia adds Zelensky to criminal 'wanted' list
Russia has added Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to its list of wanted criminals, a move Kyiv dismissed as a sign of Moscow's "desperation".There was no immediate comment from Russian officials as to why Zelensky had been added to the list.
NBC News
Biden to sign new bipartisan law targeting child 'sextortion' online
On March 25, 2022, Jennifer Buta learned that her son, Jordan DeMay, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
USA TODAY
'We are serious': Houthis offer to educate US students suspended in campus protests
The Houthis join Hamas and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ai Khamenei in publicly supporting the campus protest movement in the U.S.
Associated Press
Senate races are roiled by campus protests over the war in Gaza as campaign rhetoric sharpens
The student protest movement disrupting university campuses, classes and graduation ceremonies over the war in Gaza is also roiling Senate contests across the nation as Democrats tread cautiously over an internal divide and Republicans play up their rivals' disagreements. The political impact of the protests on the White House campaign has drawn considerable attention, with opposition to President Joe Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war reverberating from Columbia to UCLA. The fast-evolving landscape of the demonstrations is shaping pivotal Senate races, too.
AFP
Cyclone bears down on flood-hit Kenya, Tanzania
Beaches were deserted and many shops closed on Saturday as heavy rains and winds from a tropical cyclone buffeted coastal areas of Tanzania and Kenya. But there were no reports of casualties or damage as of Saturday afternoon as the cyclone rolled in from the Indian Ocean and made landfall in Tanzania.
Associated Press
It's Cinco de Mayo time, and festivities are planned across the US. But in Mexico, not so much
The United States is gearing up for Cinco de Mayo. Music, all-day happy hours and deals on tacos are planned at venues across the country on Sunday — May 5 — in a celebration with widely misunderstood origins that is barely recognized south of the border. In the U.S., the date is largely seen as a celebration of Mexican American culture stretching back to the 1800s in California.
Associated Press
A British Palestinian doctor was denied entry to France for a Senate meeting about the war in Gaza
A well-known British Palestinian surgeon who volunteered in Gaza hospitals said he was denied entry to France on Saturday to speak at a French Senate meeting about the Israel-Hamas war. Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta was placed in a holding zone in the Charles de Gaulle airport and will be expelled, according to French Sen. Raymonde Poncet Monge, who had invited him to speak at the Senate. Abu Sitta posted on social networks that he was denied entry in France because of a one-year ban by Germany on his entry to Europe.
CNN
US and Israeli officials say finalizing any ceasefire deal could take days
As negotiators meet in Cairo on Saturday, US and Israeli officials say any potential agreement on a framework that would pair a temporary ceasefire with a release of hostages in Gaza would likely be followed by continued negotiations over the finer details of the deal.
Yahoo Finance
Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting: Warren Buffett takes stage without Charlie Munger for first time
Warren Buffett will take hours of questions from shareholders on Saturday without his right-hand man, Charlie Munger, for the first time in decades.
NBC News
Indigenous doulas lead the fight for reproductive care access gap in Gaum.
After the closure of the island’s only standalone birth center in December 2022, medical professionals have been sounding the alarm for what they consider a “maternal care crisis” on Guam.
CNN
I love Quarter Pounders. But I don’t get why people enjoy chicken
In the latest in our occasional series, “I Just Don’t Get It,” CNN’s Saira Mueller explains why she has never liked eating chicken — and how many people seem baffled by this.
NBC News
Speaker Mike Johnson could look to another GOP speaker who took on rebels in his own party
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is facing a threat a few of his Republican predecessors can relate to: members of his own party vowing to oust him from power.
Politico
An AI-controlled fighter jet took the Air Force leader for a historic ride. What that means for war
Artificial intelligence marks one of the biggest advances in military aviation since the introduction of stealth in the early 1990s. "We have to have it," Secretary Frank Kendall says.
CNN
Sadiq Khan wins third term as London mayor, Labour sources say, capping strong showing for opposition in English elections
Sadiq Khan won a third term as London’s mayor on Saturday, capping a round of local elections across England that confirmed the political supremacy of the Labour party and caused misery for Rishi Sunak’s government.
AFP
Death toll in southern Brazil flood rises to 56
The death toll from floods and mudslides triggered by torrential storms in southern Brazil has climbed to 56 people, with 74 injured and another 67 missing, the country's civil defense agency said Saturday.And heavy rains of "very high severity" are expected to continue into Sunday, Civil Defense authorities said.

Latest Stories