Insane free agency and trade movement has altered the 2022 NFL Draft.
Where do we even begin with the new-look NFL? Multiple trades have included significant draft considerations, and there are now eight teams — one quarter of the league — without a first-round selection.
The teams that have early draft capital are also involved in conversations about moving up and down. And significant moves at skill positions — Devante Adams to Vegas and Tyreek Hill to Miami — have two top-tier franchises looking to replace household names.
So let’s jump into our updated mock draft.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars
Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan
The Jags put the franchise tag on their “best” tackle, so they’re probably going elsewhere here and Hutchinson is the top prospect in this draft class. Detroit would love to have him but it’s looking less likely he makes it past No. 1.
2. Detroit Lions
Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
We love the fit of Hamilton with the Jets, but the Lions need a safety and, if Hutchinson is gone, this is a great value pick for them. Hamilton is a star.
3. Houston Texans
Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
Houston added picks from Cleveland in the Deshaun Watson trade so they have options here now. Protecting their quarterback has been an issue so fixing that here with the top tackle in the class makes a lot of sense.
4. New York Jets
Drake London, WR, USC
We’ve had the Jets on London for a while, but with their second pick in the first round. He’s an alpha, and would immediately brings size to their receiver room.
5. New York Giants
Ikem Ekwomu, OT, North Carolina State
The Giants having two picks in the top seven means they’ll be in the middle of a lot of trade talks with teams desperate for a quarterback. But they have plenty of needs, and a rock at tackle is one of the biggest.
6. Carolina Panthers
Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
They didn’t get Watson, so they’ll pivot to Willis — who has drawn some comparisons to the guy in Baltimore who’s going to get paid soon. He blew people away at his pro day and likely grabbed the QB1 spot in this class.
7. New York Giants (from CHI)
Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon
The Giants haven’t drafted a dominant DE in a long time. So we think they’ll do it here. Linebacker is also a consideration, however.
8. Atlanta Falcons
Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
Matt Ryan is now officially in the past, but Atlanta’s two-year deal with Marcus Mariota shouldn’t keep them from considering a future franchise quarterback here.
9. Seattle Seahawks (from DEN)
Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
The Seahawks got this pick in the trade that sent Russell Wilson to Denver — before their stadium caught on fire on Thursday. They need a lot, but protecting whomever is their quarterback should be paramount.
10. New York Jets (from SEA)
Travon Walker, DE, Georgia
The Jets could go corner here. They could add an offensive lineman here, too. But if the top three tackles are off the board, we think they’ll take the best player available and Walker looks like a dominant edge rusher.
11. Washington Commanders
Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
Wilson is now drawing comparisons to Julio Jones, and Washington desperately needs a second receiver for… Carson Wentz. Wilson’s a tremendous pick.
12. Minnesota Vikings
Jermaine Johnson II, DE, Florida State
Minnesota needs to overhaul their defense and we have them starting that process with a talented edge rusher. Johnson had great workouts and could go higher than this.
13. Houston Texans (from CLE)
George Karlaftis, DE, Purdue
This pick is from the trade that sent Deshaun Watson to Cleveland, giving the Texans the ability to potentially address both their offensive and defensive lines in the first round. If they have doubts that Thibodeaux will become an elite rusher, they could take a top tackle first and grab a pass rusher here.
14. Baltimore Ravens
Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
Somehow, it always seems like Baltimore picks great players. And “Sauce” has emerged as the top corner in this draft. He’s elite, tall and fast.
15. Philadelphia Eagles (from MIA)
Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
16. Philadelphia Eagles (from IND)
Derek Stingley, Jr., CB, LSU
Philly will likely look to add to their defense with their depth of picks in this draft, and having two picks in a row here gives them an opportunity to add two impact players to that unit.
17. Los Angeles Chargers
Trevor Penning, OT, Norther Iowa
They have a star at left tackle. Here, we have them taking another bookend to keep their star quarterback on his feet as long as possible. They were active in free agency and helped their defense a lot, including Khalil Mack.
18. New Orleans Saints
Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
The Saints re-signed Jameis Winston for two more years, so giving him a deep threat here makes sense in a really good receiver class.
19. Philadelphia Eagles
Kenyon Green, OG, Texas A&M
They need to replace a long-term fixture at guard, and Green is a stud. This pick makes perfect sense.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers
Matt Corral, QB, Mississippi
The Steelers signed Mitchell Trubisky to be their stopgap starter, so drafting a quarterback of the future here — which would potentially given them five years of control — is a viable option.
21. New England Patriots
Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia
The Patriots need a corner and could use help at receiver, but Dean looks like the kind of inside linebacker that helps the Patriots’ defense dominate again.
22. Green Bay Packers
Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
This pick is from the trade that sent Adams to Vegas, so the Packers using it to potentially replace him makes sense.
23. Arizona Cardinals
Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota
With reports that David Ojabo blew his Achilles at Michigan’s pro day, the beneficiary will likely be Mafe, who has had tremendous workouts. He’s a tremendous rusher.
24. Dallas Cowboys
DeMarvin Leal, DL, Texas A&M
The Cowboys need help on their offensive line and receiver depth, but a stud defensive lineman with some versatility here is good value for what they have on their roster.
25. Buffalo Bills
Tyler Linderbaum, OC, Iowa
The Bills helped their defensive front in free agency so we think they’ll look to protect their franchise quarterback here. And Linderbaum is arguably the best overall offensive lineman in this draft class.
26. Tennessee Titans
Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan
Tennessee needs help up front and, at this point in the draft, there is decent value at tackle. Raimann likely comes in and starts at tackle to start the season.
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
Tom Brady is back, as is Leonard Fournette. And they have a lot of skill at receiver. They’ve also added offensive linemen. So an anchor in their defensive front is a smart play and Davis is dominant. Think Warren Sapp.
28. Green Bay Packers
Abraham Lucas, OT, Washington State
Green Bay’s second pick helps protect their investment in Aaron Rodgers.
29. Kansas City Chiefs (from MIA)
Zion Johnson, OG, Boston College
30. Kansas City Chiefs
Daxton Hill, DB, Michigan
KC got the 29th pick in the Hill trade; it originally belonged to the Niners. They need to protect Patrick Mahomes better and their secondary needs to be improved. They might go receiver here to replace both Hill and Pringle (who signed with the Bears) but in a deep class they might wait to do that and fix two other significant needs here.
31. Cincinnati Bengals
Christian Harris, LB, Alabama
In previous mocks we’ve had the Bengals going heavy on their offensive line. But they’ve done a great job addressing those needs in free agency, so taking the best player at another area of need makes sense here. Harris would be a leader for their defense.
32. Detroit Lions (from LAR)
Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia
The Lions could go quarterback here, but they’re back on the clock at No. 34 overall. So we think they’ll take an incredibly talented defensive tackle to bolster their defensive front.
33. Jacksonville Jaguars — Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida
34. Detroit Lions — Carson Strong, QB, Nevada
35. New York Jets — Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa
36. New York Giants — Quay Walker, LB, Georgia
37. Houston Texans — Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
38. New York Jets (from CAR) — Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
39. Chicago Bears — Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State
40. Seattle Seahawks (from DEN) — Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
41. Seattle Seahawks — Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn
42. Indianapolis Colts (from WSH) — George Pickens, WR, Georgia
43. Atlanta Falcons — Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
44. Cleveland Browns — David Ojabo, EDGE, Michigan
45. Baltimore Ravens — Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota
46. Minnesota Vikings — Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State
47. Washington Commanders (from IND) — Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State
48. Chicago Bears (from LAC) — Travis Jones, DT, UConn
49. New Orleans Saints — Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson
50. Kansas City Chiefs (from MIA) — Calvin Austin III, WR, Memphis
51. Philadelphia Eagles — Nik Bonnito, EDGE, Oklahoma
52. Pittsburgh Steelers — Bryan Cook, S, Cincinnati
53. Green Bay Packers (from LV) — JJ Enagbare, EDGE, South Carolina
54. New England Patriots — Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State
55. Arizona Cardinals — Jaxson Kirkland, OL, Washington
56. Dallas Cowboys — Nicholas Petit-Frere, OT, Ohio State
57. Buffalo Bills — Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State
58. Atlanta Falcons (from TEN) — Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M
59. Green Bay Packers — Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan
60. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Sean Rhyan, OG, UCLA
61. San Francisco 49ers — Cam Taylor-Britt, CB, Nebraska
62. Kansas City Chiefs — David Bell, WR, Purdue
63. Cincinnati Bengals — Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma
64. Denver Broncos (from LAR) — Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State
65. Jacksonville Jaguars — Darian Kinnard, OL, Kentucky
66. Detroit Lions — Amare Barno, EDGE, Virginia Tech
67. New York Giants — Greg Dulich, TE, UCLA
68. Houston Texans — Khalil Shakir, WR, Boise State
69. New York Jets — Charlie Kolar, TE, Iowa State
70. Jacksonville Jaguars (from CAR) — Chad Muma, LB, Wyoming
71. Chicago Bears — Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington
72. Seattle Seahawks — Logan Hall, DL, Houston
73. Indianapolis Colts (from WSH) — Braxton Jones, OT, Southern Utah
74. Atlanta Falcons — John Metchie III, WR, Alabama
75. Denver Broncos — Leo Chenal, LB, Wisconsin
76. Baltimore Ravens — Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinnati
77. Minnesota Vikings — Damone Clark, LB, LSU
78. Cleveland Browns — Phidarian Mathis, DT, Alabama
79. Los Angeles Chargers — Jalen Wynermyer, TE, Texas A&M
80. Houston Texans (from NO) — Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan State
81. New York Giants (from MIA) — Derion Kendrick, CB, Georgia
82. Atlanta Falcons (from IND) — Brandon Smith, EDGE, Penn State
83. Philadelphia Eagles — Lewis Cine, S, Georgia
84. Pittsburgh Steelers — Rasheed Walker, OT, Penn State
85. New England Patriots — Coby Bryant, CB, Cincinnati
86. Las Vegas Raiders — Troy Andersen, LB, Montana State
87. Arizona Cardinals — Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA
88. Dallas Cowboys — Darien Butler, LB, Arizona State
89. Buffalo Bills — Drake Jackson, DE, USC
90. Atlanta Falcons (from TEN) — Cameron Thomas, DE, San Diego State
91. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Jeremy Ruckert, TE, Ohio State
92. Green Bay Packers — Nick Cross, S, Maryland
93. San Francisco 49ers — Jamaree Salyer, OL, Georgia
94. Kansas City Chiefs — Haskell Garrett, DT, Ohio State
95. Cincinnati Bengals — Cameron Jurgens, OL, Nebraska
96. Denver Broncos (from LAR) — Tariq Castro-Fields, CB, Penn State
97. Detroit Lions (comp) — Kevin Austin Jr., WR, Notre Dame
98. New Orleans Saints (comp) — Sam Williams, DE, Mississippi
99. Cleveland Browns (comp) — Tyquan Thornton, WR, Baylor
100. Baltimore Ravens (comp) — Myjai Sanders, DE, Cincinnati
101. New Orleans Saints (comp) — Isaiah Likely, TE, Coastal Carolina
102. Miami Dolphins (comp from SF) — Marcus Jones, CB, Houston
103. Kansas City Chiefs (comp) — Kellen Diesch, OT, Arizona State
104. Los Angeles Rams (comp) — Thayer Munford, OL, Ohio State
105. San Francisco 49ers (comp) — Brian Robinson, RB, Alabama
