I have never done a mock draft this early in the year but you have to give the folks what they want. NFL preseason has wrapped and we are heading into week one of the college football season. So, let’s get to mocking!
The draft order is set by the great people over at Tankathon!
Brian 1-Round Mock Draft 1.0
| Pick | Team | Player | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston Texans | Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina | With Watson out the door Houston will have to move on. I currently prefer the known commodity in Howell than the potential of Rattler. |
| 2 | Detroit Lions | Spencer Rattler, QB, Oklahoma | If Detroit is picking 2nd then Jared Goff didn't work out. The Lions will have to be in on whichever of the top two QBs are here. |
| 3 | NY Jets | Derek Stingley, CB, LSU | The Jets still have a lot of glaring holes and CB is one of them. Stingley is one the best corner prospects to come out in sometime. |
| 4 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame | I considered an offensive tackle here but the Jags can also use a playmaker in the secondary. Hamilton is a special player. |
| 5 | Philadelphia Eagles | Evan Neal, OT, Alabama | Andre Dillard hasn't worked out. Lane Johnson is getting older and more oft-injured. Evan Neal has played both tackle spots and is a heck of an athlete. |
| 6 | Cincinnati Bengals | Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon | If the Bengals are picking this high I assume Zac Taylor has been fired. Evan Neal would likely be the pick but they can't pass on potentially the best prospect in this class. |
| 7 | Las Vegas Raiders | Henry To'o To'o, LB, Alabama | The Raiders brass love them some Bama players. To'o To'o is only a one-year Bama player (transfer from Tennessee) but he is a playmaking LB that the Raiders need. |
| 8 | NY Giants | Demarvin Leal, DL, Texas A&M | The Giants are taking the WFT approach and saying you can't have enough quality defensive linemen. |
| 9 | Atlanta Falcons | Drake Jackson, EDGE, Southern Cal | It seems like Atlanta is always being mocked edge rushers. Jackson can get after it every play. |
| 10 | Carolina Panthers | Jalen Wydermyer, TE, Texas A&M | Sam Darnold needs a security blanket and Wydermyer may be the only TE worth drafting in round one. |
| 11 | NY Giants (F. CHI) | Josh Jobe, CB, Alabama | I really thought Jobe could have been a first round pick in 2021. He was tested a lot last season as teams ducked Patrick Surtain. jobe can be an upgrade for the Giants. |
| 12 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Thayer Munford, OT, Ohio State | Pittsburgh has to upgrade their tackle spots. I have thought Munford could have been a top round pick after the last two seasons. He is an immediate upgrade. |
| 13 | Arizona Cardinals | Jordan Battle, S, Alabama | The Cardinals have one of the best free safties in the league with Budda Baker. They can accelerate their secondary growth with Jordan Battle. |
| 14 | Washington FT | Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M | This feels like a luxury pick for the future but Kenyon Green is a mauler and the best guard prospect in this class. |
| 15 | Denver Broncos | Zach Harrison, EDGE, Ohio State | Von Miller is entering his 11th season in the league. Theya re eventually going to have to replace him. Harrison has tremendous upside. |
| 16 | Philadelphia Eagles (F. IND) | Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State | The Eagles contiue to add weapons for whomever the QB is, pairing deep threat Chris Olave with Devonta Smith. |
| 17 | Minnesota Vikings | Kedon Slovis, QB, Southern Cal | I really had no idea what to give Minnesota here. You have to feel like they have to move on from Kirk Cousins at some point. |
| 18 | Los Angeles Chargers | Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati | The Chargers are a team on the rise. CB is one of the few spots they can add significant talent upgrades, Gardner is one of the best non Power 5 players in this class. |
| 19 | New Orleans Saints | Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas | I am one of the few that still believes Jameis Winston can be a long term NFL starter. Michael Thomas is on the outs and Treylon Burks should be a fast riser on boards this year. |
| 20 | New England Patriots | John Metchie III, WR, Alabama | One has to assume Mac Jones will be taking over full time next season the Pats give him one of his playmakers from Alabama. |
| 21 | Philadelphia Eagles (F. MIA) | Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan | This is the third of three first rounders for Philly. Hutchinson is a great athlete coming off of an injury for Michigan. |
| 22 | Dallas Cowboys | Andrew Booth Jr, CB, Clemson | Dallas wanted either Horn or Surtain in the 2021 draft. Booth made a ton of plays last season and should find himself in the first round of 2022. |
| 23 | NY Jets (F. SEA) | Myron Cunningham, OT, Arkansas | The Jets could use another tackle to pair with Mekhi Becton. I think Cunningham has tremndous upside to work with. |
| 24 | Tennessee Titans | Jordan Davis, DL, Georgia | Tennessee could use a tradirional nose. I usually wouldn't advocate one in the first round but here we are. |
| 25 | Cleveland Browns | Kingsley Enagbare, EDGE, South Carolina | The Browns signed Jadeveon Clowney to a one-year deal. They now look to replace him with the best Gamecocks' edge rusher since he left. |
| 26 | Miami Dolphins (F. SF) | Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State | I am firmly on team no RB in the first. However, I couldn't think of anywhere else to go for Miami. Hall and Isaiah Spiller are two top rated backs thus far in the 2022 class. |
| 27 | Baltimore Ravens | Zion Nelson, OT, Miami (FL) | Baltimore will need to upgrade from Alejandro Villanueva on the right side. Zion Nelson can be that upgrade. |
| 28 | Green Bay Packers | George Karlaftis, DL, Purdue | The Packers afford to go best player available and still upgrade their defense. Karlaftis is very scheme diverse. |
| 29 | Detroit Lions (F. LAR) | Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State | The Lions WR group is poor to say the least. After acquiring Spencer Rattler earlier they pair him with the other Buckeye WR Garrett Wilson. |
| 30 | Buffalo Bills | Josh Whyle, TE, Cincinnati | I think this is a little early for another TE but I really like the upside of the former Bearcat Whyle. |
| 31 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida | Tampa Bay has invested a lot of draft capital in their CB room. However, Elam has a ton of talent and can be an asset for a team with few holes. |
| 32 | Kansas City Chiefs | Christian Harris, LB, Alabama | Another team with few weaknesses, Harris can add a steadiness to the Chiefs LB group. |
| Pick | Team | Player | Explanation |