2022 1st Round NFL Mock Draft (No Trades)
After 5 QBs were taken in the top 15 picks of last years draft, the NFL is going to be faced with one of the worst QB classes in recent memory. Although this draft class is very deep, there isn’t a lot of talent at the top of the draft, and I would expect a lot of these teams to try and trade back on draft night, as well as a lot of movement amongst NFL quarterbacks this offseason. With that being said, here is my first NFL mock draft for the 2022 NFL Draft:
1. Jacksonville Jaguars — Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
This 6'7, 350-pound tank will be a key part of protecting second-year prospect Trevor Lawrence. He can play anywhere on the offensive line and has the agility of someone 100 pounds lighter.
2. Detroit Lions — Aiden Hutchinson, Edge, Michigan
Michigan native Aidan Hutchinson would surely be elated to be drafted by his hometown team, and the Lions would be lucky to have him. In 2021, Hutchinson had 36 tackles, 14 sacks, and was double teamed more than any player in college football.
3. Houston Texans — Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State
A lot of people think the Texans should take a quarterback, but there is no quarterbacks worthy of a top-15 selection in this draft, and Davis Mills progressed into a starting level quarterback toward the end of last season and is certainly a better option than any of the QBs available. Ekwonu needs to polish his pass blocking technique once he gets to the NFL, however he is a freak athlete and one of the best run blockers the NFL has seen in a long time.
4. New York Jets — Kyle Hamilton, Safety, Notre Dame
Hamilton is an athletic freak of nature and has no real flaws to his game. Not only could be one of the best players in this class and an upgrade over Jamal Adams, I see Hall of Fame potential in Hamilton. The only thing causing Hamilton to fall to pick 4 is the fact that he plays safety which is losing its importance to a good defense. Still, the Jets get a stud in Hamilton.
5. New York Giants — George Karlaftis, Edge, Purdue
Karlaftis is an elite speed rusher and will be a cornerstone piece of the Giants defense. His endurance, speed, and ability to stop the run might not generate 10+ sacks a year, but will still make enough of an impact to the help the Giants win games.
6. Carolina Panthers — Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia
The Panthers have invested heavily in their defense in past years, and I expect to continue that trend by investing the 6th pick in Nakobe Dean who can fill the void of Luke Keuchly’s retirement. He is a great tackler with a high football IQ, and locked up ever tight end he faced in college.
7. New York Giants (via Chicago) — Ahmad “Sauce” Garder, CB, Cincinnati
Sauce Gardner proved in 2021 that he is CB1 material. In addition to his 9 picks, 18 pass deflections, and 3.5 sacks during his 3 collegiate seasons, he is also one of the best tackling corners I have ever seen coming out of college. He is almost never out of position and never gets burned, and has more than ideal size at 6'3, 200 lbs.
8. Atlanta Falcons — Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
While I would like to see the Falcons take a QB to eventually replace Matt Ryan, they would be wise to wait until the second round to get a QB and draft Jordan Davis in this spot. At 6'6, 340 lbs, Davis still moves like a linebacker yet is immovable on the inside. Teams may pass on him because of his unpolished pass rush moves, but he proved against Michigan that he can stop the best rushing attack in the nation with ease.
9. Denver Broncos — Derek Stingley, CB, LSU
I’m really picking for the Packers with this pick because as of now I am 100% sure Aaron Rodgers is either playing for the Broncos in 2022 or retiring. Regardless, if the Broncos/Packers can get Stingley back to his freshman year at LSU form, he could be the next Stephon Gilmore. However, that is an enormous if, since Stingley has been inconsistent at best over the last 2 seasons.
10. New York Jets (via Seattle) — Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
Garrett Wilson may not be the fastest receiver in the class, and he may not make the flashiest catches, but his route running and ability to be a threat after the catch make him the top receiver in this class. Zach Wilson now has a deep ball receiver in Elijah Moore and an underneath option in Garrett Wilson.
11. Washington Commanders — Kenny Pickett, QB, Pitt
If for some reason the Commanders can’t find a QB to trade for this offseason, they will have to draft a QB. Pickett is a project and has hands smaller than Daniel Jones (who has led the league in fumbles every year since he entered the NFL), but he has improved each year at Pitt, and is an elusive player who can throw from different arm angles both on the run and in the pocket.
12. Minnesota Vikings — Kayvon Thibodeaux, Edge, Oregon
Thibodeax was at one point a lock to be the first overall pick, but has since made comments that have made teams question his ‘fire’, as well as if he truly wants to play football in the NFL. Although his stats are great and he has been a consistent player, there are a lot of flaws in his character that make me think he won’t go in the top 10.
13. Cleveland Browns — Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
Like Garrett Wilson, Treylon Burks YAC ability is off the charts. With Jarvis Landry starting to age and Baker Mayfield’s arm getting progressively worse every year, Burks is a great fit for this offense, since he specializes in slant routes and bubble screens. He has several downsides; he can’t run the full route tree, he cradle catches passes which lead to drops, and struggled to beat press coverages, so Burks will certainly be a project, however, his upside is too good for the Browns to miss out on.
14. Baltimore Ravens — Tyler Lindenbaum, IOL, Iowa
The Ravens need to protect their franchise quarterback after his season-altering ankle injury in 2021, and recent history has shown us that teams whose franchise quarterbacks’ health look to be in danger tend to overcompensate by doing a complete overhaul of their O-line in the offseason. The Ravens don’t need to change too much, but it couldn’t hurt to draft the best pass blocking interior lineman.
15. Philadelphia Eagles (via Miami) — Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
The Eagles are lucky enough to have 3 out of the next 5 picks after fleecing both the Eagles and Dolphins in trades last season, and start off by taking the best player available while also filling a need on their team.
16. Philadelphia Eagles (via Indianapolis) — Kenyon Green, IOL, Texas A&M
Green is living proof that pass blocking is not passive. He consistently is delivering pancakes in pass protection while at the same time is a ferocious run blocker who can run over multiple people at a time. He needs to play with more technique instead of trying to bulldoze people every play which may not work against guys like Micah Parsons or Chase Young, but is still an NFL ready prospect who will probably allow a few sacks his rookie season.
17. LA Chargers —Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State
I’m not sold on Brandon Staley as a head coach and think he just wasted Justin Herbert’s sophomore season, but Herbert can transcend into an MVP caliber QB with Dotson as a receiver alongside Keenan Allen. Dotson is everything Keenan Allen is not: he is short, undersized, and struggles to make people miss after the catch, but he is also fast and makes up for his flaws with consistently catching contested balls and making toe tap catches.
18. New Orleans Saints — Dax Hill, Safety, Michigan
With Marcus Williams like departing in free agency, Daxton Hill can step in an make an immediate impact to the Saints defense. Hill is a versatile safety who can cover and make tackles in the run game, and is even better when he needs to make tackles in the open field.
19. Philadelphia Eagles — Drake London, WR, USC
The Eagles have taken a WR in the first round the last two years, but neither of them are a good fit for Jalen Hurts, who has one of the weaker arms in the league. However, London is an exceptional short route runner who may fall in the draft because of his ankle fracture that caused him the miss the remainder of the college season. The Eagles lack a receiver who is a lock to catch 50/50 balls on third down or near the endzone, and London adds that versatility to the offense.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers —Trevor Penning — OT, Northern Iowa
The Steelers offensive line was one the worst units in the league last year, and they need to prioritize fixing that unit before drafting a quarterback who won’t have any time to throw regardless. Penning is one the few lineman in this draft who has excellent awareness verses stunts and twists, and is generally a reliable run blocker. He struggles with getting to the second level to block linebackers, but he will be a key player on this O-line for years to come.
21. New England Patriots — David Ojabo — Edge, Michigan
David Ojabo may not be as good as his counterpart, Aidan Hutchinson, but his signature dip and rip move helped him get 11 sacks in the 2021 NFL season. He will need to add more moves to his arsenal in order to have that kind of production in the NFL, and struggles against the run, but it is well worth the risk at pick 21.
22. Las Vegas Raiders — Chris Olave, WR, Ohio
Chris Olave will be a great replacement for Henry Ruggs as he is one of the best vertical receivers in this years draft class because of his speed and ability to beat press coverage. He will need to add muscle at the NFL level, but assuming he doesn't get arrested, he can be the new WR1 for the Raiders.
23. Arizona Cardinals — Travon Walker, Edge, Georgia
With Chandler Jones and JJ Watt both aging and consistently missing games each year, the Cardinals should have no problem selecting the best player on the board in Walker, who will be a 8+ sack a year player for the Cardinals if he can improve on his tackling.
24. Dallas Cowboys — Quay Walker, LB, Georgia
Walker is an unpolished off-ball linebacker with physicality and an unrelenting love for the game of football. He is one of the best run stopping linebackers in college football, and should work well alongside Leighton Vander-Esch and Micah Parsons.
25. Buffalo Bills — Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida
Kaiir Elam has the ideal size and speed for an NFL corner but struggles to flip his hips and change directions. He excels in press coverage or while playing zone, but definitely is not among the best when it comes to predicting routes or tackling. Luckily for the Bills, all they need in Elam is a productive corner who can play alongside Tre’Davious White.
26. Tennessee Titans — Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan
Raimann is an athletic freak for an offensive lineman. He was originally a foreign exchange student from Austria who got recruited to play in college as a tight end, and in his junior year he made the switch to left tackle. He is new to the position so he is definitely still a raw prospect, however, he has great footwork and can block a speed rusher as well as anyone I have seen coming out of college, and consistently pancakes people during pass protection because of his strength.
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
I’m no quarterback expert, but Howell seems like a consistent QB who is tough in the pocket and isn’t afraid to take a hit (he has been sacked at least 33 times all 3 college seasons). He is also more than just a pocket passer, and executed several designed QB runs while he was in college and clearly has some speed. Although he is pretty awful while throwing on the run and almost never sets his feet outside the pocket, the Bucs O-line is good enough that he shouldn’t need to leave the pocket too much in the NFL.
28. Green Bay Packers — Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
I personally don’t see how the packers can move off of Aaron Rodgers this offseason without at least giving Jordan Love the chance to start a full season. Additonally, with the Packers likely to lose Davante Adams this offseason to free agency, they can get a stud WR at pick 28 who fell in the draft because of a torn ACL in January.
29. Miami Dolphins (via San Francisco) — Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State
Although Jaylen Waddle had a great rookie season, the Dolphins have to show they are all in on Tua by getting him a wide receiver who matches his play style of short throws over the middle. Although Dotson also has a ton of potential as a downfield threat, he is at his best when he is making guys miss after the catch.
30. Kansas City Chiefs — Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington
Kyler Gordon is a physical corner who enjoys stopping the run and isn’t afraid to get low and tackle somebody, which is exactly what the Chiefs defense needs. Even more importantly for the Chiefs defense that has no good safety’s, Gordon is elite in downfield coverage and will never get burned deep.
31. Cincinnati Bengals — Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
The Bengals would be insane if they draft anything other than an offensive lineman with their first-round pick. It was amazing that they even made it to the Super Bowl with such an incompetent offensive line and an average at best head coach, but in order to get back, they need a guy like Cross, who faced NFL talent at Mississippi State and proved he could hang with the big boys.
32. Detroit Lions (via LA Rams) — Jalen Tolbert, WR, South Alabama
Jalen Tolbert is an exceptional route runner and is by far the fastest player on the field every time he played in college, but didn’t face any NFL worthy talent. He also struggled with drops on concentration catches in college, but if the Lions are able to coach him up he will be the clear WR1 for the Lions when week 1 rolls around.
