The 2022 NFL Draft is now just days away and the anticipation is growing. Trying to project this draft might be a futile project but it is always fun to break down prospects and predict their landing spots. It also is a good way to help stay on top of fantasy and dynasty football news.
After posting Jody Smith’s 2022 NFL Mock Draft 1.0, here is my attempt at forecasting Round One.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars – Aiden Hutchinson (DE) – Many fell in love with Walker after the combine, but Hutchinson is simply the better player and needs to be the top guy off the board if the Jags go with a defensive end as I expect them to.
2. Detroit Lions – Travon Walker (DE) – I don’t love the pick her but the NFL loves upside. Walker is off the board at No. 2.
3. Houston Texans – Ahmad Gardner (CB) – The Texans need everything and Sauce is the best player in this draft. They need to go best available and they do here.
4. New York Jets – Kayvon Thibodeaux (EDGE) – With Gardner off the board to the Texans, Thibodeaux is the no-brainer choice here being that I can’t see them going O-line.
5. New York Giants – Evan Neal (OT) – The Giants offensive line has been a disaster for seemingly forever at this point. They’ll take another swing at it here.
6. Carolina Panthers – Malik Willis (QB) – The Panthers desperately need a quarterback and go after the one with the most upside here.
7. New York Giants (from Chicago Bears) – Derek Stingley (CB) – With a great Pro Day and positive news regarding his health, Stingley is on the rise and should land in the top 10 by draft day. I have the Giants snagging him at pick seven.
8. Atlanta Falcons – Kenny Pickett (QB) – The Falcons need a lot of help and here they address the most important position with the best quarterback in this year’s draft.
9. Seattle Seahawks (from Denver Broncos) – Charles Cross (OT) – Seattle is now in full rebuild mode. The offensive line has been putting Russell Wilson in danger for years and they need to protect whoever their future QB may be. That process starts with Cross.
10. New York Jets (from Seattle Seahawks) – Trent McDuffie (CB) – After missing out on Sauce Gardner with their first pick, the Jets grab McDuffie here to help in coverage.
11. Washington Commanders – Garrett Wilson (WR) – Like most teams who roster Carson Wentz, Washington believes they have their guy and need to surround him with talent. They don’t, but adding Wilson across from Scary Terry won’t hurt.
12. Minnesota Vikings – Kyle Hamilton (S) – If Hamilton wasn’t a safety he’d be a top-five pick. The Vikings just can’t let a player this good slip any further.
13. Houston Texans (from Cleveland Browns) – Ickey Ekwonu (OT) – Ekwonu is a versatile lineman who can potentially help at tackle or slide inside. He could even take over for Laremy Tunsil if the Texans move on from him.
14. Baltimore Ravens – Drake London (WR) – The Ravens add a big body to line up opposite the speedy Hollywood Brown.
15. Philadelphia Eagles (from Miami Dolphins) – Jermaine Johnson II (EDGE) – The Eagles will be thrilled if an edge rusher of this caliber falls to them at pick 15.
16. New Orleans Saints (from Indianapolis Colts through Philadelphia Eagles) – Jameson Williams (WR) – The Saints have been in desperate need of a WR to pair with Michael Thomas for years now and with Thomas’s health still very much in question Williams is a no-brainer.
17. Los Angeles Chargers – Jordan Davis (DT) – Davis is better than the 17th player in this draft and after slipping by a few teams he lands in the Chargers’ laps.
18. Philadelphia Eagles (from New Orleans Saints) – Andrew Booth Jr. (CB) – Booth is being severely undervalued by many analysts and I don’t see how he isn’t a first-round pick and even 18th may be too low. The Eagles snag him here.
19. New Orleans Saints (from Philadelphia Eagles) – Trevor Penning (OT) – After losing Terron Armstead to the Miami Dolphins, the Saints draft who they hope is his long-term replacement.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers – Desmond Ridder (QB) – The Steelers have one glaring need and Ridder could be the answer. It wouldn’t be a shock if he ended up being the best QB in this draft.
21. New England Patriots – Nakobe Dean (ILB) – Bill Belichick goes with the most talented player on the board.
22. Green Bay Packers (from Las Vegas Raiders) – Chris Olave (WR) – I’m not as high on Olave as many, but Green Bay needs a splashy pick to please their fans and diva quarterback after losing Davante Adams.
23. Arizona Cardinals – Breece Hall (RB) – This seems like a match made in heaven for Arizona. Hall will slowly surpass James Conner this year and become a perfect dual-threat weapon for Kyler Murray for years to come.
24. Dallas Cowboys – Treylon Burks (WR) – After losing Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson, Dallas will look to reload their WR corps and pretend that adding more weapons will solve their issues. Love the player, not the process.
25. Buffalo Bills – David Ojabo (EDGE) – The Bills are loaded on both sides of the ball. The one glaring flaw we saw in the playoffs is that when they needed to get to Patrick Mahomes they couldn’t. They have the luxury of picking any position and edge rusher is their biggest need if they want to win the AFC.
26. Tennessee Titans – Roger McCreary (CB) – The Titans could go with a WR2 here, but help in the secondary is a more pressing need.
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Tyler Linderbaum ( C ) – Tampa needs to bolster their interior offensive line. A true guard would be a better fit, however, they’ll grab the most talented interior lineman and figure the rest out in camp.
28. Green Bay Packers – George Karlaftis (EDGE) – The Packers have had some talented pass rushers leave the past few years because they couldn’t afford them. They need to reload at the position.
29. Kansas City Chiefs (from San Francisco 49ers through Miami Dolphins) – Jahan Dotson (WR) – The Chiefs lost Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins and need to get Mahomes a true WR1. Dotson is the guy they’ll look at to pair with Juju and MVS.
30. Kansas City Chiefs – Dax Hill (S) – Kansas City is also losing the Honey Badger this offseason and Hill is a versatile defender who can help fill that void. He’ll likely play safety but has corner-like skills as well.
31. Cincinnati Bengals – Kaiir Elam (CB) – Eli Apple was a big issue for them in the playoffs after a surprisingly strong regular season. Still, they need to improve at corner and Elam is a nice option with the penultimate pick.
32. Detroit Lions (from Los Angeles Rams) – Matt Corral (QB) – The Lions take a shot at QB here. Jared Goff is not the answer and quite frankly neither is Corral. That won’t stop them from trying.
Jump into a starter Dynasty league today for just $75 per season. Visit DynastyKing.com for more details.
(High-stakes options also available at $150, $500, and $1,000 per season, including our annual Dynasty Football World Championship ($299/season) with a $10,000 Grand Prize!