2022 NFL Mock Draft Final by Mark Morales-Smith

2022 NFL Mock Draft Final by Mark Morales-Smith

Following up on my previous mock draft, there have been a ton of updates and rumors as the 2022 NFL Draft draws closer.

The 2022 NFL Draft has been one of the most difficult ever to handicap and analyze, but I’m feeling pretty good about this updated and final version.

We’ll see how it all plays out soon enough.

Mark Morales-Smith – Fulltime Fantasy
PICK	TEAM	PLAYER
1	JAGUARS	Travon Walker Georgia
2	LIONS	Aidan Hutchinson Michigan
3	TEXANS	Ahmad Gardner Cincinnati
4	JETS	Kayvon Thibodeaux Oregon
5	GIANTS	Evan Neal Alabama
6	PANTHERS	Malik Willis Liberty
7	GIANTS	Derek Stingley LSU
8	FALCONS	Kenny Pickett Pittsburgh
9	SEAHAWKS	Ikem Ekwonu North Carolina St
10	JETS	Trent McDuffie Washington
11	COMMANDERS	Jameson Williams Alabama
12	VIKINGS	Kyle Hamilton Notre Dame
13	TEXANS	Charles Cross Mississippi St
14	RAVENS	Drake London USC
15	EAGLES	Jermaine Johnson Florida St
16	SAINTS	Garrett Wilson Ohio St
17	CHARGERS	Jordan Davis Georgia
18	EAGLES	Andrew Booth Clemson
19	SAINTS	Trevor Penning Northern Iowa
20	STEELERS	Desmond Ridder Cincinnati
21	PATRIOTS	Nakobe Dean Georgia
22	PACKERS	Chris Olave Ohio St
23	CARDINALS	Breece Hall Iowa St
24	COWBOYS	Treylon Burks Arkansas
25	BILLS	David Ojabo Michigan
26	TITANS	Roger McCreary Auburn
27	BUCCANEERS	Tyler Linderbaum Iowa
28	PACKERS	George Karlaftis Purdue
29	CHIEFS	Jahan Dotson Penn St
30	CHIEFS	Daxton Hill Michigan
31	BENGALS	Kaiir Elam Florida
32	LIONS	Matt Corral Mississippi

1. Jacksonville Jaguars – Travon Walker (DE) – Walker is now the betting favorite to go first overall to the Jags. I don’t like the pick. Then again, I don’t like much of anything they’ve done since drafting Jalen Ramsey.

2. Detroit Lions – Aiden Hutchinson (DE) –This is a steal for the Lions. He should have been the first edge rusher off the board.

3. Houston Texans – Ahmad Gardner (CB) – The Texans need everything, and Sauce is the best player in this draft. They need to go the 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. They could go offensive line, but I doubt it after how much they’ve invested into the line in recent years.

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.

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) –Ickey Ekwonu (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. Ekwonu is a versatile lineman who can be moved around the line with franchise LT potential.

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 – Jameson Williams (WR) – I’ve gone back and forth where I think Williams will go. At the end of the day, his speed is too great not to land him as the top wideout off the board.

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) –– Charles Cross (OT) – The Texans need to rebuild their entire team from the ground up. They seem to want to give Davis Mills a chance and giving him a line is the only fair way to start that process. Cross 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. Both to complement Brown and give a big outside target to an inaccurate quarterback.

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) – Garrett Wilson (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 Wilson falling this far is a dream pick.

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 Marquez Valdes-Scantling

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 at 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.