Jack’s 2022 NFL Mock Draft
1 | Jacksonville Jaguars
PICK: Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
Hutchinson or Ekwonu make a bit more sense here, but Walker is the current betting favorite (at the time this is being written) and his talent would be a welcome addition to the Jags defense.
TOOK: Trayvon Walker
2 | Detroit Lions
PICK: Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan
A player that actually wants to play for Detroit is an extreme rarity, and if he’s available, this is a no-brainer for an often-brainless franchise.
TOOK: Aidan Hutchinson
3 | Houston Texans
PICK: Ickey Ekwonu, OL, NC State
Davis Mills played surprisingly well last season and the Texans seem satisfied to lend him the reigns for at least a season. Ekwonu is a force on the offensive line and his versatility should enable him to be an immediate impact player. Whether he grows with Mills or a new rookie next season remains to be seen.
TOOK: Derek Stingley Jr.
4 | New York Jets
PICK: Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
The Jets were hungry to add more targets for Zach Wilson this offseason and are likely to feed that hunger in the draft, but they lack depth on the edge and Thibodeaux’s talent would be tough to pass up here, especially at a position of need.
TOOK: Sauce Gardner
5 | New York Giants
PICK: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
See a need, fill a need. Hard to say if any of the rookie quarterbacks would be an immediate upgrade over Daniel Jones or not, but Neal would be an immediate upgrade for their offensive line.
TOOK: Kayvon Thibodeaux
6 | Carolina Panthers
PICK: Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
Same as above. The Panthers could be the first team to take a quarterback, but the offensive line play has been so bad, that it wouldn’t be fair for Willis or Pickett. Cross should be a big help to both the oft-injured McCaffrey and whoever ends up starting under center.
TOOK: Ickey Ekwonu
7 | New York Giants (via Chicago Bears)
PICK: Sauce Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
The Giants have been trying to move on from the overpaid and underperforming James Bradberry and Gardner gives the giants a player who didn’t surrender a single touchdown in coverage as a three-year starter.
TOOK: Evan Neal
8 | Atlanta Falcons
PICK: Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
If the Panthers don’t take Willis, the Falcons should be the ones to grab him here (barring trades). Willis has a high ceiling but needs time to develop. Marcus Mariota is a solid starter that can hopefully buy him the time he needs.
TOOK: Drake London
9 | Seattle Seahawks (via Denver Broncos)
PICK: Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
With the top offensive line prospects off the board, the Seahawks can afford to take the best available player and that could very well be Stingley at this spot in the draft.
TOOK: Charles Cross
10 | New York Jets (via Seattle Seahawks)
PICK: Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
The Jets got a top-tier pass rusher with their first pick and could still manage to draft a top receiver too.
TOOK: Garrett Wilson
11 | Washington Commanders
PICK: Drake London, WR, USC
New quarterback Carson Wentz favors tall targets and at 6’5”, they don’t get much taller or more talented than London.
12 | Minnesota Vikings
PICK: Kyle Hamilton, DB, Notre Dame
The Vikings lost Anthony Harris to the Eagles last offseason, and lost Xavier Woods to the Panthers this offseason, so Hamilton would give the Vikings a young and talented player to pair with aging veteran Harrison Smith.
13 | Houston Texans (via Cleveland Browns)
PICK: Jermaine Johnson II, EDGE, FSU
The Texans suffer from a severe lack of talent on the edge, but they could still land a talented pass rusher like Johnson with this pick, if they choose to pass on one early.
14 | Baltimore Ravens
PICK: Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
Davis is a massive, athletic menace that could give the Ravens a solid rotational player and could serve as the eventual replacement for Calais Campbell.
15 | Philadelphia Eagles (via Miami Dolphins)
PICK: Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
Philadelphia desperately needs to improve their defense and could end up using both first round picks to solidify their front seven, starting with a player to boost their lackluster linebacker corps.
16 | New Orleans Saints (via Indianapolis Colts)
PICK: Kenny Pickett, QB, PITT
The Saints traded quite a bit to the Eagles to land this pick, so it’s hard to see them giving up so much for anything less than a quarterback. Pickett’s notoriously small hands shouldn’t prevent the Saints from drafting the Heisman finalist.
17 | Los Angeles Chargers
PICK: Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia
Hard to find a hole on this Chargers team without seeing them play first. The only obvious spot that could use help would be at linebacker, but they could be in a spot to land one of the best available players at the position in Dean.
18 | Philadelphia Eagles
PICK: Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia
An aging defensive line leads the Eagles to drafting the top defensive tackle in the draft in Wyatt.
19 | Saints (via Philadelphia Eagles)
PICK: Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
Williams is progressing well from his ACL injury and should be available sooner rather than later. Michael Thomas has struggled to stay healthy, and the Saints lack depth behind him.
20 | Pittsburgh Steelers
PICK: Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
The Steelers could get a quarterback here, but the top two are gone and the Steelers lack the protection for a rookie quarterback anyway. Better to improve the offensive line here and wait until next year when the quarterback crop is expected to be a bit better, while giving their second-year star running back some much-needed blocking as well.
21 | New England Patriots
PICK: Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
The Patriots want to add a wideout for Mac Jones but seem to be heavily interested in Romeo Doubs who could be added in a later round, meanwhile, there’s still talent available at cornerback for this spot at a position the Patriots should be desperate to improve given recent departures.
22 | Green Bay Packers (via Las Vegas Raiders)
PICK: Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
After trading away Adams, the Packers must give Aaron Rodgers a new receiver, and they must do it early.
23 | Arizona Cardinals
PICK: Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
With Kirk gone, and Isabella seeking a trade, the Cardinals suddenly need another wide receiver. Burks is a big target and a tough runner after the catch. He should be able to find a role somewhere on this offense.
24 | Dallas Cowboys
PICK: Kenyon Green, OL, Texas A&M
If Jerry Jones wants a strong, young, offensive lineman, he may not have to look very far. Green is one of the top interior offensive line prospects in this draft but his experience at tackle could give him the versatility to play wherever they need him.
25 | Buffalo Bills
PICK: Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State
After moving on from Cole Beasley, the Bills could still have an opportunity to add one of the top slot receivers in the draft this late in the first round to replace him.
26 | Tennessee Titans
PICK: Zion Johnson, OG, Boston College
With King Henry coming back from his injury, the Titans should reward the big man with some better blocking up front.
27 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
PICK: George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue
The Buccaneers desperately need to improve their options at guard, but the value isn’t there. Instead, the Bucs could end up with a talented defensive end who could be an immediate starter on a line with Pat O’Connor currently penciled in at left end.
28 | Green Bay Packers
PICK: Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan
Bakhtiari and Jenkins are both very good tackles for the Packers, but they also have both struggled to stay healthy and Raimann can help provide insurance in the event that one becomes unavailable next season.
29 | Kansas City Chiefs (via San Francisco)
PICK: Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson
Fenton and Sneed could use a lot more help with so many talented quarterbacks in the division and now Davante Adams is there too.
30 | Kansas City Chiefs
PICK: Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State
Ebiketie should help the Chiefs provide some much-needed pressure off the edge and enable Chris Jones to become even more dominant on the interior.
31 | Cincinnati Bengals
PICK: Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa
The Bengals improved their offensive line a lot this offseason, but the center position can still use an improvement. Cornerback is a need too, and the Bengals may head there first.
32 | Detroit Lions
PICK: Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
Ridder isn’t the perfect quarterback prospect, but he has great size, athleticism, and arm strength, but most importantly, the ability to take his time to learn and develop behind Jared Goff. Drafting a quarterback here would also give the Lions the opportunity to keep a fifth-year option on him.
