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The NFL Draft is pretty much upon us, so here it is – Craig’s final 2022 mock draft.

Let’s get straight into it shall we.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars – Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia

I can barely believe I’m writing this but it sure does seem as though Travon Walker is going to be the pick for the Jaguars. This is a huge gamble for Jacksonville. Walker is my #16 overall prospect and doesn’t have the production on tape that others at his position do.

Having agreed a 3-year contract with Cam Robinson and drafting Walker Little in the second round last year, I can’t see this being an offensive tackle. That leaves the premier edge rushers as the potential choices for the Jags.

Trent Baalke and Doug Pederson clearly believe they’ll be given time and that means they’re going rogue. Travon Walker is going to have to live up to his athletic upside.

2. Detroit Lions – Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan

The Detroit Lions must be rubbing their hands with glee. The local Michigan guy with the personality to fit exactly what Dan Campbell wants from his team is going to land right in their lap.

This is a team that wants to get tougher and play with a chip on its shoulder. Aidan Hutchinson brings that and a whole lot more. He’s incredibly athletic and arguably the most polished pass rusher in this draft.

3. Houston Texans – Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State

Quite how the Texans aren’t picking first overall is beyond me – this franchise is clearly the most dysfunctional in the NFL and it isn’t even close. Possibly the only redeeming feature Houston now has to offer us is Lovie Smith’s beard.

Though they’ve brought back Laremy Tunsil, the Texans could still stand to improve their offensive line. Adding Ikem Ekwonu here would give them the best run blocking left tackle in this draft.

With a young QB in Davis Mills under center, being able to run the ball is crucial. So this pick makes a lot more sense than I’d usually expect the Texans to use!

4. New York Jets – Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon

After spending their first four draft picks on the offensive side of the ball last year it will come as no surprise to anyone if the Jets focus heavily on retooling their 32^nd-ranked defense in the early rounds of this draft.

With that in mind I thought about going with Kyle Hamilton here – the Falcons showed last year that if you believe in an elite talent then drafting them as high as number 4 overall is no bad thing.

But with one of the elite edge rushers still on the board here in the form of Kayvon Thibodeaux, he surely has to be the pick. Robert Saleh’s defense is all about using the front four to get pressure and then playing solid if unspectacular coverage. Thibodeaux projects as a perennial double digit sack guy in this defense.

5. New York Giants – Evan Neal, OT, Alabama

The Giants would be delighted to see Evan Neal still available when it’s their turn to pick. They’d run the card up to the podium faster than Daniel Jones was getting sacked last season.

If the Giants are serious about their belief in Daniel Jones then new Head Coach Brian Daboll is going to have to find ways to improve the supporting cast around their quarterback as well as looking to get Saquan Barkley back to something close to his best running the football.

One common denominator between the two is the offensive line – a group that underperformed in 2021 and will need to be improved if this franchise is going to start taking steps in the right direction.

Neal gives them the flexibility of being experienced on both sides on the offensive line and would help put their best five out there.

6. Carolina Panthers – Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh

If there’s one thing the Panthers absolutely have to do it is to get better at quarterback. Sam Darnold is clearly not the answer they were looking for when they traded for him last year.

The newly-nicknamed Kenny Pickle (if you don’t listen to our Podcasts then you really should!) makes the most sense in terms of readiness to play. But he’s not in my top three QBs in this draft and I really do feel this would be one heck of a reach.

However, Matt Rhule simply has to hit on a QB or he’ll be out of a job soon. So the Panthers have almost found themselves forced into a corner with a need to win now and that means making a potentially bad decision here.

7. New York Giants – Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati

I spent a long time trying to settle on this pick. The Giants would surely love to address their pass rush and create a defense more like the one they had during their recent Super Bowl wins.

But Wink Martindale’s defense requires his secondary to be able to cover well and that means having some good cornerbacks. Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner has played a huge amount of press man coverage and famously hasn’t given up a touchdown in the last couple of years.

His skill set would suit this defense perfectly and he brings a toughness to his game too. Evan Neal and Sauce Gardner would be a great pair of draft choices for the Giants.

8. Atlanta Falcons – Jermaine Johnson, EDGE, Florida State

The Falcons demonstrated their commitment to adding talented players regardless of position when they drafted Kyle Pitts as high as they did last year. That approach to roster building worked for Terry Fontenot’s Saints and so he’s likely to stick to what he knows when it comes to making this pick.

Atlanta needs to improve its defense and has been a poor pass rushing team for the last few years. So with Jermaine Johnson continuing to receive a lot of buzz off the back of an excellent 2021 season, it is easy to join the dots here.

9. Seattle Seahawks – Derek Stingley, CB, LSU

This is the first of the picks the Seahawks have obtained from Denver in the Russell Wilson trade.

They could well have their choice of quarterback but they seem committed enough to Drew Lock to not reach for a guy here. Instead they choose to address another need and this pick comes down to Derek Stingley or Charles Cross.

Stingley is who I think they’d go for with this pick. His 2019 tape demonstrates what he is capable of when fully healthy, so there is no doubting his talent.

This is going to be a multi-year rebuild for the Seahawks so adding the best player available here makes an awful lot of sense.

10. New York Jets – Drake London, WR, USC

After getting their pass rusher at 4 overall, the Jets need to start building their offense around Zach Wilson. Last year’s second overall selection would love to have a guy like Drake London in his offense.

London would give them a big, physical target – the kind of guy opposing corners hate playing against. His length would also give them a major red zone presence.

11. Washington Commanders – Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame

I said a long time ago that the newly named Commanders had shown a propensity for going with veterans at the quarterback position in recent years and that I wasn’t convinced that would change this year. So it came as no surprise that they made a move from Carson Wentz rather than consider a QB here in the draft.

So why not take one of the only blue chip players in this draft?

Kyle Hamilton is my #1 overall player but falls here due to positional value. This picks screams Ron Riveria all over.

12. Minnesota Vikings – Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia

I’ve had the Vikings going cornerback in pretty much every other mock I’ve done this year. But with Stingley and Gardner both off the board, Minnesota chooses to look in a different direction with this pick.

In this final mock draft I’ve got them addressing their defensive line and taking Devonte Wyatt from Georgia. They’ve already invested some money in improving their pass rush, but why not add a guy who can add to that from the interior of the defensive line?

13. Houston Texans – Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson

The Texans have been linked with a whole bunch of cornerbacks in recent times, particularly during the DeShaun Watson trade talks. This pick comes to them from the Browns as part of the package put together for the former Clemson star.

And having taken Ickey Ekwonu earlier on, adding Andrew Booth here would give them a great addition to their secondary.

People seem to forget Booth when talking about this CB class. There really isn’t much of a gap at all between Stingley, Gardner and Booth, so this is a great spot for him.

14. Baltimore Ravens – Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia

The chance for the Ravens to add the most athletic nose tackle ever known to have existed may well be too much to pass up. Davis scored a perfect 10 on the RAS scoring system, which is frankly ridiculous for a man of his size.

Jordan Davis just screams Baltimore Ravens, doesn’t he?

15. Philadelphia Eagles – Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State

With two of the next four picks, the Eagles need to play this smart and go with the guy they think the Saints and Chargers might have most interest in.

That would surely be a wide receiver and with only Drake London off the board, the Eagles find almost themselves with the pick of the wide receiver group here.

Garrett Wilson has all the right traits to be an elite WR1 and could quickly become Jalen Hurts favourite target.

16. New Orleans Saints – Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State

With Terron Armstead heading to Miami in free agency, the need at offensive tackle for the Saints is pretty obvious. Armstead was elite when it came to pass protection so why not replace him with a guy who has shown the same skill set in college.

Charles Cross’ stats when it comes to pass protection are just insane. His footwork, hands and all-round skill set are incredibly polished and while he’ll need some work in the run game, he’d be an excellent fit here.

17. Los Angeles Chargers – Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State

“Herbert looks…throws downfield for Olave…Touchdown Chargers.” Be ready to hear that call over and over again after the Chargers draft themselves the cleanest route runner with the deep speed to boot in this draft.

Chris Olave is my WR1 for precisely those reasons. And with no offensive linemen worth taking at this point, adding an extra weapon for Justin Herbert makes a whole lot of sense.

18. Philadelphia Eagles – Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington

Trent McDuffie is all over the place on people’s boards but I get the impression that he appeals to the Eagles. Whilst his arm length is below what is generally needed to be a successful cornerback in the NFL, his intangibles are off the charts.

He’s one of the smartest prospects out there and uses his brain to more than make up for his smaller stature. Corner is such a position of need for the Eagles that I can see them taking a chance on the upside here.

19. New Orleans Saints – Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama

With their second pick of the night, the Saints look to address another need on their roster and build around Jameis Winston.

Jameson Williams picked up an ACL injury late in the 2021 season but otherwise could very easily have been the first wide receiver off the board. His deep speed would be a nice complement to what New Orleans already have with Michael Thomas (aka. slant boy).

20. Pittsburgh Steelers – Malik Wills, QB, Liberty

The Steelers tend to be terrible at hiding their love for certain prospects and they went as far as taking Malik Willis and his entire family out for dinner this year.

They’re also dealing with the retirement of Big Ben Roethlisberger and have an uncertain future at the quarterback position.

Malik Willis is not going to be ready to start in week one, and maybe barely at all in year one. But his arm talent and huge upside mean he’s the second QB off the board. The Steelers are known for their patience too, so this is a great landing spot for Willis.

21. New England Patriots – Zion Johnson, IOL, Boston College

Bill Belichick loves nothing more than drafting players who make their money in the trenches.

And with Zion Johnson still on the board and offering a host of versatility across the offensive line, this pick just makes so much sense.

22. Green Bay Packers – George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue

Green Bay tends to draft for value rather than need, and that’s why I’m not convinced they will find themselves taking a receiver in round one this year. Even with the Devante Adams trade meaning they have a clear need, I’m not expecting them to move away from their usual draft rules.

And with Purdue edge rusher George Karlaftis having slid down the board slightly, the Packers would surely pick him here. With Zadarius Smith having left in free agency, Karlaftis would be a great replacement and arguably add more versatility to this defense.

23. Arizona Cardinals – Tyler Linderbaum, IOL, Iowa

There’s been some weird posturing going on in the desert between the Cardinals and Kyler Murray over the last few months – presumably as both sides dwell on the disappointment of not meeting the lofty goals they’d set for themselves in 2021.

One area the Cardinals need to improve in order to make Murray happier is surely their offensive line.

Tyler Linderbaum doesn’t fit every NFL team’s scheme, but with a smaller QB under center someone like Linderbaum would likely be a help. He’s also within my top 5 when you take positional value out of the equation, so this is a great addition of talent by Arizona.

24. Dallas Cowboys – Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you yet another Jerry Jones pick.

Burks would give Dak Prescott something very different to work with. He’s a bit of a gadget receiver who you want to get the ball in the hands of. His YAC abilities are second to none in this draft class and his wingspan means he catches basically everyone.

I wrote in the season that Treylon Burks is a cheat code. With a high level QB throwing to him, his ceiling is incredibly high.

25. Buffalo Bills – Daxton Hill, S, Michigan

The Bills have got one of the strongest rosters in the entire NFL at the moment and don’t have a huge number of pending free agents to worry about losing either, giving them a huge amount of flexibility around how they approach the draft.

But if you saw the Chiefs beat the Bills in the playoffs, you know how much Buffalo needs to improve in its secondary.

Dax Hill can play safety and nickel corner equally as effectively and would give the Bills an interesting piece to weave into their defense.

26. Tennessee Titans – Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah

If any linebacker is going to be drafted in round one it will be Utah’s Devin Lloyd.

The Titans are a good team who have been able to bring back pretty much everyone and so can afford to make a bit of a luxury pick here.

Lloyd is a natural defensive leader, will play all three downs and offers great versatility. Plus he’d be playing for a former elite level linebacker – what better place for him to land?

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Travis Jones, DT, Connecticut

This pick might come as a bit of a surprise for some, but Travis Jones has elite level athleticism and a huge amount of upside for teams to tap into.

Lined up alongside Vita Vea, Travis Jones is likely to pose major problems for opposing offenses. There will be no way that teams will be able to block both guys effectively.

28. Green Bay Packers – Kenyon Green, IOL, Texas A&M

The rich continue to get richer, and though the Packers still don’t find themselves taking a receiver they do end up with another talented player falling into their laps.

Kenyon Green would give Green Bay a number of options on the offensive line. He’ll be best at either guard spot but could get you out of a game at tackle in an emergency.

29. Kansas City Chiefs – Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa

I’m not as high on Trevor Penning as some, but he makes a lot of sense at this point.

The Chiefs invested heavily in their offensive line last year but right tackle is the one spot that they still don’t really have nailed down.

Trevor Penning is a proper old-school, aggressive, mauling type of right tackle. Adding him to an already much-improved group would be the final piece to the puzzle.

30. Kansas City Chiefs – George Pickens, WR, Georgia

After seeing the Packers trade away their star wide receiver and not replace him in the first round, the Chiefs elect not to follow that same strategy.

George Pickens would have been talked about in with the top five receivers in this draft had he not been injured for most of 2021. His upside is such that he could be a team’s WR1 and if he ends up in Kansas City he surely couldn’t ask for a better landed spot.

31. Cincinnati Bengals – Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota

The Bengals continue to have needs along their offensive line. But with the lack of value here and other needs that they can also address, they look to another high value position here.

That leads them to taking Boye Mafe, the Minnesota edge rusher. Aside from Trey Hendrickson the Bengals pass rush group doesn’t really stand out so the chance to add a guy with significant amounts of athletic upside will surely appeal.

32. Detroit Lions – Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina

The Lions have the final pick of the first round courtesy of the Matt Stafford trade and this may well be the spot at which they look to find their QB of the future.

I firmly believe that the Lions asked for Sam Howell and Malik Willis to be on their squad in the Senior Bowl because they had their eyes set on drafting one of them.

Howell is my QB1 and with the chance to sit behind Jared Goff for a while, I think this is a great landing spot for him.

Round Two

#	Team	Player	College	Position
33	Jacksonville Jaguars	Lewis Cine	Georgia	S
34	Detroit Lions	Nakobe Dean	Georgia	LB
35	New York Jets	Kaiir Elam	Florida	CB
36	New York Giants	Arnold Ebiketie	Penn State	EDGE
37	Houston Texans	David Ojabo	Michigan	EDGE
38	New York Jets from Carolina	Brandon Smith	Penn State	LB
39	Chicago Bears	Jahan Dotson	Penn State	WR
40	Seattle Seahawks from Denver	Tyler Smith	Tulsa	OT
41	Seattle Seahawks	Matt Corral	Ole Miss	QB
42	Indianapolis Colts from Washington	Skyy Moore	Western Michigan	WR
43	Atlanta Falcons	Kyler Gordon	Washington	CB
44	Cleveland Browns	Logan Hall	Houston	DT
45	Baltimore Ravens	Nicholas Petit-Frere	Ohio State	OT
46	Minnesota Vikings	Roger McCreary	Auburn	CB
47	Washington Commanders from Indianapolis	Christian Watson	North Dakota State	WR
48	Chicago Bears from Los Angeles Chargers	Martin Emerson	Mississippi State	CB
49	New Orleans Saints	Chad Muma	Wyoming	LB
50	Kansas City Chiefs from Miami	Perrion Winfrey	Oklahoma	DT
51	Philadelphia Eagles	Christian Harris	Alabama	LB
52	Pittsburgh Steelers	Sean Rhyan	UCLA	OT
53	Green Bay Packers from Las Vegas	Khalil Shakir	Boise State	WR
54	New England Patriots	Darrian Beavers	Cincinnati	LB
55	Arizona Cardinals	Nik Bonitto	Oklahoma	EDGE
56	Dallas Cowboys	Bernhard Raimann	Central Michigan	OT
57	Buffalo Bills	Breece Hall	Iowa State	RB
58	Atlanta Falcons from Tennessee	Kenneth Walker	Michigan State	RB
59	Green Bay Packers	Channing Tindall	Georgia	LB
60	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Trey McBride	Colorado State	TE
61	San Francisco 49ers	Tariq Woolen	UTSA	CB
62	Kansas City Chiefs	Jaquan Brisker	Penn State	S
63	Cincinnati Bengals	Cole Strange	Chattanooga	IOL
64	Denver Broncos from LA Rams	Leo Chenal	Wisconsin	LB

Round Three

#	Team	Player	College	Position
65	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jamaree Salyer	Georgia	IOL
66	Detroit Lions	Jalen Pitre	Baylor	S
67	New York Giants	John Metchie III	Alabama	WR
68	Houston Texans	Troy Andersen	Montana State	LB
69	New York Jets	Nick Cross	Maryland	S
70	Jacksonville Jaguars from Carolina	Jalen Tolbert	South Alabama	WR
71	Chicago Bears	Drake Jackson	USC	EDGE
72	Seattle Seahawks	Haskell Garrett	Ohio State	DT
73	Indianapolis Colts from Washington	Desmond Ridder	Cincinnati	QB
74	Atlanta Falcons	Alec Pierce	Cincinnati	WR
75	Denver Broncos	Darian Kinnard	Kentucky	OT
76	Baltimore Ravens	Kingsley Enagbare	South Carolina	EDGE
77	Minnesota Vikings	Isaiah Likely	Coastal Carolina	TE
78	Cleveland Browns	Quay Walker	Georgia	LB
79	Los Angeles Chargers	Abraham Lucas	Washington State	OT
80	Houston Texans from New Orleans	Calvin Austin III	Memphis	WR
81	New York Giants from Miami	Isaiah Spiller	Texas A&M	RB
82	Atlanta Falcons from Indianapolis	Carson Strong	Nevada	QB
83	Philadelphia Eagles	Kerby Joseph	Illinois	S
84	Pittsburgh Steelers	David Bell	Purdue	WR
85	New England Patriots	Cameron Thomas	San Diego State	EDGE
86	Las Vegas Raiders	Coby Bryant	Cincinnati	CB
87	Arizona Cardinals	Cam Taylor-Britt	Nebraska	CB
88	Dallas Cowboys	Myjai Sanders	Cincinnati	EDGE
89	Buffalo Bills	Phidarian Mathis	Alabama	DT
90	Tennessee Titans	Jeremy Ruckert	Ohio State	TE
91	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Sam Williams	Ole Miss	EDGE
92	Green Bay Packers	Bryan Cook	Cincinnati	S
93	Kansas City Chiefs	Amare Barno	Virginia Tech	EDGE
94	San Francisco 49ers	Dylan Parham	Memphis	IOL
95	Cincinnati Bengals	Marcus Jones	Houston	CB
96	Denver Broncos from LA Rams	Rasheed Walker	Penn State	OT
97	Detroit Lions	Ed Ingram	LSU	IOL
98	New Orleans Saints	Josh Paschal	Kentucky	EDGE
99	Cleveland Browns	Max Mitchell	Louisiana-Lafayette	OT
100	Baltimore Ravens	Brian Asamoah	Oklahoma	LB
101	Philadelphia Eagles from New Orleans	DeMarvin Leal	Texas A&M	DT
102	Miami Dolphins from San Francisco	Damone Clark	LSU	LB
103	Kansas City Chiefs	Romeo Doubs	Nevada	WR
104	Los Angeles Rams	Akayleb Evans	Missouri	CB
105	San Francisco 49ers	Kyren Williams	Notre Dame	RB

So there you have it. Let us know what you think on twitter – either @ninetynineyards or @UK_draft

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