The Scouting Combine is three days away and now we have my latest 2022 NFL Mock Draft.
This time I go one round but with trades. Oooh, the intrigue! There are three trades littered in the first round.
So, let’s do some mock drafting!
2022 NFL MOCK DRAFT 14.0
| Pick | Team | Player | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Aiden Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan | At this point, I have no idea what Jacksonville will do with the top pick. Neal, Ekwonu, Hutchinson, Thibodeaux...it could be any of them and it wouldn't surprise me. This time, I go with the Wolverine as he is expected to obliterate the Combine. |
| 2 | Detroit Lions | Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame | Safety is a huge need for the Lions. I expect that they will sign a free agent to fill their needs. However, if they do not, then we need to make peace with the idea that Detroit may take one of the most talented players in this draft class. |
| 3 | Houston Texans | Evan Neal, OT, Alabama | Based on what you will get to later, the Texans have a huge hole to fill at left tackle. Enter Evan Neal. He is my highest rated prospect at OT. |
| 4 | NY Jets | Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State | The Jets have tons of cap space and four picks in the top 38. Their staff will also be coaching at the Senior Bowl. They have a chance to better in a hurry. Ekwonu is the type of nasty demeanor OT that they can pair with Mekhi Becton to continue to protect Zach Wilson. |
| 5 | NY Giants | Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon | The new Giants regime sits pat and has two offensive tackles and the my top-rated prospect on the board. Thibodeaux is the type of pass rusher that can transform their defense. |
| 6 | Washington (F. CAR) | Malik Willis, QB, Liberty | ***TRADE ALERT*** Washington moves up five spots to secure their QB of the future. Carolina gets a few extra picks back that have lost from various trades. The Commanders are pressing the reset button on everything but ownership and they shoot for the moon with this trade. Trade compensation: WSH (pick 6 overall) CAR (pick 11 overall, 2022 2nd, 2023 2nd) |
| 7 | NY Giants (F. CHI) | Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State | Andrew Thomas was a great addition in the 2020 draft but the offensive line still needs help. If they are going to a more pass heavy offense with Brian Daboll then they need a pass blocking stud like Charles Cross. |
| 8 | Atlanta Falcons | George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue | Had Willis fallen here, I would have considered it. Instead they add an athletic pass rusher that they seemingly are always searching for. |
| 9 | Denver Broncos | Matt Corral, QB, Mississippi | One has to believe that QB is on the table unless they somehow acquire a veteran like Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson. If they keep the 9th pick, they will have a choice between Corral and Pickett. This time I go with the Ole Miss product. |
| 10 | New Orleans (F. NYJ/SEA) | Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh | ***TRADE ALERT*** New Orleans is never afraid to move up for what they want and/or need. And they need nothing more than a new QB. The Saints always live in a state of cap hell but getting a franchise passer on a rookie deal will help immensely. The Jets continue to stack draft picks that the desperately need. Trade compensation: NO (pick 10 overall) NYJ (pick 11 overall, 2022 2nd, 2023 2nd) |
| 11 | Carolina (F. WSH) | Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M | The Panthers move back and take a guard?! Kenyon Green is a plug and play starter for Carolina. |
| 12 | Minnesota Vikings | Jermaine Johnson II, EDGE, Florida State | I love DJ Wonnum but he is more of a rotational piece. They can upgrade opposite of Danielle Hunter with Jermaine Johnson II. |
| 13 | Cleveland Browns | Drake London, WR, Southern Cal | I feel confident that Cleveland will select a wide receiver. At this stage of this mock they have their choice. Drake London was on pace for a historic season before an injury. Is the Southern Cal product the one? |
| 14 | Baltimore Ravens | Travon Walker, DL, Georgia | The Ravens have a lot of free agency decisions on their defensive front. Walker is a scheme versatile lineman with pass rush upside. |
| 15 | Philadelphia Eagles (F. MIA) | Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati | Philly needs a corner and low and behold none are off the board. They take Sauce to be their CB1. |
| 16 | Philadelphia Eagles (F. IND) | Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa | Linderbaum is a top-ten talent in this class. If/when the Eagles move on from Jason Kelce, Linderbaum can do that. Either at guard or center, he is an upgrade. |
| 17 | Los Angeles Chargers | Travis Jones, DL, UConn | I thought Travis Jones was a two-down run plugger. Then I saw him at the Senior Bowl. Jones is likely to dominate at the Combine the way he dominated in Mobile. |
| 18 | NY Jets (F. NO) | Derek Stingley Jr, CB, LSU | Stingley seems to be the forgotten prospect here. If he was able to enter the NFL after the 2019 season, he would have been a sure fire Top 5 pick. Now, after injuries and questionable play, DSJ is falling a bit. The Jets won't care and will get a stud player. |
| 19 | Philadelphia Eagles | David Ojabo, EDGE, Michigan | The Eagles take the athletic upside rusher with Ojabo. |
| 20 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa | Pittsburgh is going to have to upgrade at QB eventually. Mason Rudolph ain't it. But they need a new tackle as well. Penning and his nasty demeanor would seem to be a match made in heaven. |
| 21 | New England Patriots | Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah | Who will be LB1? Lloyd, Nakobe Dean, or someone else? Lloyd is the better in pass coverage, so he gets the duke here. |
| 22 | Las Vegas Raiders | Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas | The Raiders have always loved them the flashy WRs. I think Burks is going to run sub 4.4 at the Combine. |
| 23 | Arizona Cardinals | Trent McDuffie,CB, Washington | The league seems to be higher on McDuffie that I am right now. Arizona needs a new corner, so here we are. |
| 24 | Dallas Cowboys | Daxton Hill, S, Michigan | It is expected that Daxton Hill will see his stock skyrocket after Indy this week. Dallas needs a starter there so i go with Hill over Lewis Cine. |
| 25 | Buffalo Bills | Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida | I have no idea what Buffalo has in store at this pick. They have a deep roster with few holes. I love Elam as a prospect and feel that he can help in Buffalo. |
| 26 | Tennessee Titans | Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota | Another player who had a great Senior Bowl and is expected to annihilate the Combine. Mafe has great pass rush upside. |
| 27 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State | The Buccaneers are going to be repalcing several players it seems. Replacing Chris Godwin is the first spot here with the former Ohio State pass catcher. |
| 28 | Green Bay Packers | Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State | Back-to-back Buckeye wide receivers. The bigegst question is who will Olave be catching passes from, Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love, or someone else? |
| 29 | Miami Dolphins (F. SF) | Zion Johnson, G, Boston College | Zion Johnson was one of my favorite players to watch at the Senior Bowl. Miami has spent a lot of draft capital on their offensive line but can't seem to get it right. Johnson can play any of the three interior positions and do it at all at a high level. |
| 30 | Kansas City Chiefs | Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama | KC can afford to wait on Jameson Williams to recover from his ACL injury. If he fully recovers, it may not be fair what their offense might look like with Williams pairing with Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. |
| 31 | Houston (F. CIN) | Demarvin Leal, DL, Texas A&M | ***TRADE ALERT*** The Bengals will not find a better player to help their offensive line at this pick than Laremy Tunsil. The Texans are rumored to be shopping him and Cincinnati should rush to the phone. Although this flies against anything they usually do. With the acquisition, Tunsil starts at left tackle on a reasonable deal and Jonah Williams moves to the right side. The Texans grab the best player available after replacing Tunsil with Evan Neal. Trade compensation: HOU (pick 31 overall, 2022 4th, 2023 3rd) CIN (OT Laremy Tunsil) |
| 32 | Detroit Lions (F. LAR) | Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina | Sam Howell had a down year in 2022 compared to his previous years in Chapel Hill. perhaps this was due to most of the skill players in 2020 being drafted last year. Be that as it may, Howell was arguably the most consistent of the six quarterbacks during Senior Bowl week. The Detroit Lions acquired this pick in the Stafford to LA trade last offseason. How fitting that they may draft his permanent replacement with it. |
| Pick | Team | Player | Explanation |