ESNY’s 2022 NFL Mock Draft: 4-Round Conference Championship Edition

We’re down to the NFL’s final four!

This weekend we will find out which teams will play in the Super Bowl.

And this weekend may serve as an official passing of the torch; there is no Aaron Rodgers and no Tom Brady on a conference championship roster. Now, we’re looking at Patrick Mahomes, Jimmy G, Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford.

But the other reality is 28 of the 32 teams now know their place in the order of the 2022 NFL Draft. And we have a few front offices, including the New York Giants, that have hired a new general manager this week.

So let’s look ahead to how the first four rounds could play out when the 2022 NFL Draft arrives. Let us know what you think of your favorite team’s picks!

ROUND ONE

1. Jacksonville Jaguars
Evan Neal, OT, Alabama

Even with the two top defensive ends on the board, we’re in the camp that believes the Jags — and their new head coach — will look to take the smart, safe, necessary pick here and protect Trevor Lawrence. They need someone to be their LT for the next 5-10 years and that guy isn’t on their roster. So we’re going with Neal at No. 1.

2. Detroit Lions
Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan

If Hutchinson is on the board, it’s hard to imagine the Lions won’t pick him. He’s a local product who has shown leadership and played exceptionally well against legit NFL talent in the Big Ten. If he’s there, this feels like a lock.

3. Houston Texans
Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon

Is he Myles Garrett? Joey Bosa? Jadeveon Clowney? He’s going to blow people away at the combine if he’s healthy. He was dominant when he was on the field at Oregon — at times. He’ll be one of the more polarizing prospects to consider at the top of the draft. And, if he’s there, Houston will take him and sell the idea that he’s the new JJ Watt.

4. New York Jets
Drake London, WR, USC

Wide receiver might not be a glaring, desperate need for the Jets. But let’s consider this: London also played basketball at USC. At 6-5 and 205 pounds, he caught 88 balls for over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns last year — in eight games! This guy is an alpha receiver who would give Zach Wilson a bona fide No. 1 target for the next 5-10 years. This is about taking the best, most talented player available for the Jets. And London has the makings of a bona fide superstar. (Looks at the impact Ja’Marr Chase made in Cincy… )

5. New York Giants
Ikem Ekwonmu, OT, North Carolina State

The Giants have picks No. 5 and 7 this year and have plenty of needs to address. With what we heard from ownership about failing to develop Daniel Jones earlier this week, protecting him could become a priority. And it should be; the Giants’ line sucked in 2021. This is a future star pick with another selection in a few minutes.

6. Carolina Panthers
Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh

The Sam Darnold experiment failed. They need a quarterback. And the Panthers don’t have another pick until the fourth round (for now). So we’re looking at them to be the first team to pick a quarterback this year.

7. New York Giants (from CHI)
Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia

The Giants will have options here. Do they go edge? Quarterback? Trade back? Everything is on the table. But what we do know is they need a dominant inside linebacker like Dean, who was arguably the best player in the CFP games. The Giants can come back to look for a pass rusher and other issues later.

8. Atlanta Falcons
Travon Walker, DE, Georgia

We’re seeing Walker climbing lots of draft boards recently. Atlanta could look for a top receiver here, but with London gone we think they’ll help their defense. There’s a chance they consider a quarterback, too. Or trade back. The Falcons will be interesting to watch.

9. Denver Broncos
David Ojabo, EDGE, Michigan

We’re still on this pick for Denver, even though they just hired an offensive head coach. They need to replace Von Miller and Ojabo could be that guy for them. Pass rush is one of their bigger needs and Ojabo’s really good at getting after opposing quarterbacks.

10. New York Jets (from SEA)
Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame

If you’ve read any of our mock drafts this year, we’ve been on Hamilton to the Jets from the jump. And we’re still high on that being a good fit. But the idea of putting London into the offense is an exciting proposition, and he might not be there at 10. Hamilton, on the other hand, could easily slide this far.

11. Washington Football Team
Matt Corral, QB, Mississippi

Washington, whatever their name will be this season, needs a quarterback. So we’re watching the picks between Carolina and here for teams jumping in front of WFT to grab Corral, who most view as the No. 2 quarterback in this class. If he’s there, Washington could/should take him.

12. Minnesota Vikings
Derek Stingley, Jr, CB, LSU

Stingley is an interesting player. Based on talent alone, he’s probably a top-three pick candidate. But his production hasn’t lived up to the hype he created in an outstanding freshman campaign. Minnesota would be thrilled to have the top corner in the class be there for them to fill a need.

13. Cleveland Browns
Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia

The Browns will need to consider their receiver group, might be looking to upgrade at quarterback, and have linebacker and secondary concerns to think about here. But Davis is a dominant force on the defensive line and would be a great git in Cleveland.

14. Baltimore Ravens
Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State

The Ravens would love to get Davis or Dean from Georgia, but both are gone in this mock. They also desperately need to protect Lamar Jackson, their best player. Cross is a very good tackle who would start for them from Day One.

15. Philadelphia Eagles (from MIA)
Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State

16. Philadelphia Eagles (from IND)
Kenyon Green, OG, Texas A&M

We’ll dig into the Green pick first. When Brandon Brooks announced his retirement earlier this week, guard became a need. Green’s the best in this class. So that’s a no-brainer. Wilson is a legit No. 1 receiver who would compliment last year’s pick of the Heisman winner very well. The Eagles have a third pick in the first round coming up in a bit where we think they’ll start addressing their defensive issues.

17. Los Angeles Chargers
Christian Harris, LB, Alabama

The Chargers are another team where Davis would be a big help at defensive tackle. But he’s gone. They also need some help at linebacker, where they should have some options here. Harris was terrific at Alabama and the tape loves him; you don’t hear as much about him because Alabama. This would be a nice fit for the Chargers.

18. New Orleans Saints
Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama

Michael Thomas is leaving, so the Saints need a receiver. We don’t like any of the remaining quarterbacks this early; they should wait on that, or consider a free agent. Williams was dynamic at Alabama before tearing his ACL. This would be a solid add for New Orleans.

19. Philadelphia Eagles
George Karlaftis, DE, Purdue

We’ve mocked Karlaftis as high at the top-five and he could very easily go in the top ten picks. But in this mock we’ve got him sliding a bit, which is beautiful for the Eagles. He’s a nasty pass rusher who would help their defensive front a ton.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers
Tyler Linderbaum, OC, Iowa

Like Hamilton to the Jets, this is another pick that we’ve been on from the jump. The Steelers do need a new quarterback, but protecting whomever is under center is paramount. Linderbaum is a great center who would instantly make their line better.

21. New England Patriots
Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati

“Sauce” to New England is another pick that falls into the Patriots’ lap. He’s a great corner who might actually be the best in the class. The Patriots need to add depth to their secondary and picking an alpha to play against the offenses in the AFC makes sense.

22. Las Vegas Raiders
Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas

The Raiders need a receiver because one of their better options at the start of last year is in jail. Burks is a special talent who some have compared to Deebo Samuel of the Niners. If the Raiders want to continue competing in the AFC West, they need to put up points. He would help them do that.

23. Arizona Cardinals
Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn

The Cardinals need to address their secondary issues. There will be free agents to consider, but there could be a couple leaving Arizona at the position as well. McCreary is a nice prospects who would improve their depth on the back end.

24. Dallas Cowboys
DeMarvin Leal, DL, Texas A&M

Giants fans could come to hate this pick. Leal is an absolute beast who has the versatility to play inside or outside on the defensive line. Staying in the state of Texas could make this an easy move for Leal; blocking him isn’t nearly as simple.

25. Buffalo Bills
Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia

The Bills’ heartbreaking loss to the Chiefs showed they can score at will. They had issues stopping the run all year, however. And their defensive front will probably be an area that gets addressed more than once in this draft. Wyatt’s a mammoth prospect who played very well for the national champs.

26. Tennessee Titans
Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State

Tight end might not be their top priority, but the depth in this draft will give the Titans some options to consider. McBride is a very good tight end who would fill a gap in their offense. They can come back to look at fixing other issues later.

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jermaine Johnson III, DE, Florida State

If Suh or JPP leaves/retires, the Bucs need to add a defensive end who will make an impact. And there’s a good chance neither of those guys is back in Tampa next season. So they’ll take a guy to replace one of them in the first round.

28. Green Bay Packers
Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State

The Packers are looking at potentially replacing their offensive coordinator, quarterback and top receiver. One helluva predicament, eh? Olave isn’t Devante Adams but he would be the best receiver in Green Bay. And they aren’t replacing Aaron Rodgers in this draft class.

29. Cincinnati Bengals
Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa

Did you watch Joe Burrow spend what felt like half of last weekend on his butt? The poor guy got sacked nine times! So… drafting offensive line help kinda makes sense, yeah? Penning is a big tackle who would be a Day One starter in Cincy.

30. Miami Dolphins (from SF)
Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah

There’s a lot of conversation around who the top inside linebacker is in this class. Many feel it’s Lloyd, who could be long gone by this pick. But we do know linebacker is a need for the Dolphins and, if one of the top three is available, they may take one here.

31. Detroit Lions (from LAR)
Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State

The Lions have a really good receiver in Amon-Ra St. Brown. Dotson would give them a potentially dynamic pair of receivers for Jared Goff and the quarterback we think they’ll draft in the second round moving forward. He’s a really good receiver who played in some bad conditions with questionable quarterbacks at Penn State.

32. Kansas City Chiefs
Daxton Hill, DB, Michigan

The Chiefs’ secondary got torched by the Bills, and their roaming safety (the Honeybadger) not being on the field showed his value. Hill is a hybrid safety-nickel who would fit the scheme in KC very well. But, if the Chiefs are picking here, they picked up the hardware again.

33. Jacksonville Jaguars — Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson
34. Detroit Lions — Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
35. Houston Texans — Kaiir Elamn, CB, Florida
36. New York Jets — Jalen Wynermyer, TE, Texas A&M
37. New York Giants — Cameron Thomas, EDGE, San Diego State
38. New York Jets (from CAR) — Derion Kendrick, CB, Georgia
39. Chicago Bears — David Bell, WR, Purdue
40. Atlanta Falcons — Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan
41. Denver Broncos — Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
42. Seattle Seahawks — Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington
43. Washington Football Team — Nicholas Petit-Frere, OT, Ohio State
44. Minnesota Vikings — JJ Enagbare, EDGE, South Carolina
45. Cleveland Browns — Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State
46. Baltimore Ravens — Logan Hall, DL, Houston
47. Miami Dolphins — Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota
48. Indianapolis Colts — Zion Johnson, OG, Boston College
49. Los Angeles Chargers — Haskell Garrett, DT, Ohio State
50. New Orleans Saints — Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
51. Philadelphia Eagles — Lewis Cine, S, Georgia
52. Pittsburgh Steelers — Carson Strong, QB, Nevada
53. New England Patriots — Quay Walker, LB, Georgia
54. Las Vegas Raiders — Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
55. Arizona Cardinals — Myjai Sanders, DE, Cincinnati
56. Dallas Cowboys — Marcus Jones, CB, Houston
57. Buffalo Bills — John Metchie III, WR, Alabama
58. Atlanta Falcons (from TEN) — George Pickens, WR, Georgia
59. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State
60. Green Bay Packers — Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State
61. Cincinnati Bengals — Damone Clark, LB, LSU
62. San Francisco 49ers — Coby Bryant, CB, Cincinnati
63. Denver Broncos (from LAR) — Darien Butler, LB, Arizona State
64. Kansas City Chiefs — Thayer Munford, OT, Ohio State

65. Jacksonville Jaguars — Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson
66. Detroit Lions — Darian Kinnard, OL, Kentucky
67. Houston Texans — Jaxson Kirkland, OL, Washington
68. New York Jets — Sean Rhyan, OG, UCLA
69. New York Giants — Martin Emerson, CB, Mississippi State
70. Jacksonville Jaguars (from CAR) — Brandon Smith, EDGE, Penn State
71. Chicago Bears — Channing Tindall, LB, Georgia
72. Atlanta Falcons — Phidarian Mathis, DT, Alabama
73. Denver Broncos — Greg Dulcich, TE, UCLA
74. Seattle Seahawks — Braxton Jones, OT, Southern Utah
75. Washington Football Team — Dontay Demus Jr., WR, Maryland
76. Minnesota Vikings — Lecitus Smith, OG, Virginia Tech
77. Cleveland Browns — Chad Muma, LB, Wyoming
78. Baltimore Ravens — Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinnati
79. New York Giants (from MIA) — Jeremy Ruckert, TE, Ohio State
80. Indianapolis Colts — Josh Jobe, CB, Alabama
81. Los Angeles Chargers — Khalil Shakir, WR, Boise State
82. Houston Texans (from NO) — Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M
83. Philadelphia Eagles — Cam Taylor-Britt, DB, Nebraska
84. Pittsburgh Steelers — Andrew Steuber, OT, Michigan
85. New England Patriots — Jalen Tolbert, WR, South Alabama
86. Las Vegas Raiders — Travis Jones, DT, UConn
87. Arizona Cardinals — Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan State
88. Dallas Cowboys — Cade Otten, TE, Washington
89. Buffalo Bills — Drake Jackson, DE, USC
90. Atlanta Falcons (from TEN) — Tariq Castro-Fields, CB, Penn State
91. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Jamaree Salyer, OL, Georgia
92. Green Bay Packers — Rasheed Walker, OT, Penn State
93. Cincinnati Bengals — Jalen Pitre, S, Baylor
94. San Francisco 49ers — Abraham Lucas, OT, Washington State
95. Denver Broncos (from LAR) — Parrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma
96. Kansas City Chiefs — Calvin Austin III, WR, Memphis
97. Detroit Lions (comp) — Kevin Austin Jr., WR, Notre Dame
98. Baltimore Ravens (comp) — DeMarvion Overshown, LB, Texas
99. New Orleans Saints (comp) — Sam Williams, DE, Mississippi
100. Pittsburgh Steelers (comp) — Amare Barno, EDGE, Virginia Tech
101. Los Angeles Rams (comp) — Dohnavan West, OG, Arizona State

102. Jacksonville Jaguars — Verone McKinley, S, Oregon
103. Cleveland Browns (from DET) — Ty Fryfogle, WR, Indiana
104. Carolina Panthers (from HOU) — Kellen Diesch, OT, Arizona State
105. Seattle Seahawks (from NYJ) — James Mitchell, TE, Virginia Tech
106. Baltimore Ravens (from NYG) — Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota
107. New York Jets (from CAR) — Nik Bonnito, EDGE, Oklahoma
108. Baltimore Ravens (from CHI) — Charlie Kolar, TE, Iowa State
109. Atlanta Falcons — EJ Perry, QB, Brown
110. Denver Broncos — Obinna Eze, OT, TCU
111. Seattle Seahawks — Justin Eboigbe, EDGE, Alabama
112. Washington Football Team — Tre Sterling, S, Oklahoma State
113. New York Jets (from MIN) — Max Mitchell, OT, Louisiana
114. Cleveland Browns — Romeo Doubs, WR, Nevada
115. Baltimore Ravens — Jalen Catalon, S, Arkansas
116. Miami Dolphins — Zach Harrison, DE, Ohio State
117. Indianapolis Colts — Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
118. Los Angeles Chargers — Zion Nelson, OT, Miami
119. New Orleans Saints — Luke Goedeke, OT, Central Michigan
120. Philadelphia Eagles — James Cook, RB, Georgia
121. Miami Dolphins (from PIT) — Zachary Carter, DT, Florida
122. New England Patriots — Brian Robinson, RB, Alabama
123. Las Vegas Raiders — Justin Shaffer, OG, Georgia
124. Baltimore Ravens (from ARI) — John Ridgeway, DT, Arkansas
125. Dallas Cowboys — Brian Asamoah, LB, Oklahoma
126. Buffalo Bills — Logan Bruss, OL, Wisconsin
127. Tennessee Titans — Marquis Hayes, OG, Oklahoma
128. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Mykael Wright, CB, Oregon
129. Green Bay Packers — Jalyn Armour-Davis, CB, Alabama
130. Cincinnati Bengals — Jarrett Patterson, OC, Notre Dame
131. San Francisco 49ers — Kyren Williams, RB, Notre Dame
132. Carolina Panthers (from LAR) — Jermaine Waller, CB, Virginia Tech
133. Kansas City Chiefs — Joshua Ezeudu, OG, North Carolina
134. Baltimore Ravens (comp) — Cade Mays, OG, Tennessee
135. Baltimore Ravens (comp) — Isaiah Likely, TE, Coastal Carolina
136. Pittsburgh Steelers (comp) — JoJo Domann, S, Nebraska
137. Tennessee Titans (comp) — Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee
138. Green Bay Packers (comp) — PJ Mustipher, DT, Penn State
139. Cincinnati Bengals (comp) — Cole Rutner, TE, Nevada
140. Los Angeles Rams (comp) — Mike Rose, LB, Iowa State