2022 NFL Mock Draft: Four OTs climb into top six
By Jason McIntyre
FOX Sports Betting Analyst
The NFL Scouting Combine is over, and draft boards have been shaken up. Next comes free agency, starting next week, followed by pro days.
As we get deeper into the process, new faces emerge, with a handful of first-timers in this mock draft. The Broncos-Seahawks trade pushes a QB up the board and might leave another team desperate in free agency.
Let’s dive in to the post-combine mock draft.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Aidan Hutchinson, Edge, Michigan
Josh Allen and Hutchinson would form an edge-rushing tandem for Jacksonville to build around. Placing the franchise tag on offensive tackle Cam Robinson might be a sign that the Jaguars are doing defense first at the top of the draft.
2. Detroit Lions: Kayvon Thibodeaux, Edge, Oregon
Lions GM Brad Holmes came from a team that just won the Super Bowl and prioritized defensive line dominance. Detroit coach Dan Campbell needs his team to get tougher. Enter Thibodeaux, who will instantly help Detroit’s woeful 29th-rated pressure rate. The Lions blitzed ninth-most in the NFL last season and still couldn’t sniff the QB.
3. Houston Texans: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
The QB situation is up in the air, but the Texans could put the hulking Neal opposite Laremy Tunsil to form a strong foundation up front.
4. New York Jets: Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State
If 2020 first-round pick Mekhi Becton can stay healthy and get in shape, the Jets have the makings of a top-15 offensive line next season. Okwonu could start at right tackle or right guard, making Zach Wilson a happy QB.
5. New York Giants: Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
The Giants will remake the offense under new coach Brian Daboll, and the top priority is to rebuild the offensive line, which was dreadful once again in 2021. I don’t love Cross this high, as there is some drop-off after the top two pass-blockers.
6. Carolina Panthers: Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
The Panthers would love to trade down and acquire more picks, and I wouldn’t rule out quarterback Kenny Pickett here. However, Carolina's offensive line was a disaster and is a top draft priority.
7. New York Giants (via Chicago): Travon Walker, Edge, Georgia
Despite modest stats (six sacks, 7.5 TFL) at Georgia, Walker had measurables that were off the charts at the combine. He has longer arms and a larger wingspan than Hutchinson or Thibodeaux. Walker had seven pressures against Alabama in the national title game. Nobody has surged more in the first round since the combine.
8. Atlanta Falcons: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
Hamilton is a Day 1 starter and an impact player, but safety is not a premium position, especially for all these bad teams at the top of the draft. He’s great value in the 10-20 range, but taking him in the top five carries some risk.
9. Seattle Seahawks (via Denver): Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
The Russell Wilson era netted two Super Bowl trips and one title. Now, Pete Carroll tries to reboot with Willis, who might not play initially. He’ll be 23 in May, but it’s a quantum leap from Liberty to the NFC West.
10. New York Jets (via Seattle): Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
Gardner is the best cornerback in the class, and the Jets desperately need him to fall here.
11. Washington Commanders: Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
Washington reportedly made a deal for Carson Wentz on Wednesday but could also add the most NFL-ready QB in this draft. Pickett will be 24 this summer, and in a mediocre-at-best QB class, he should be able to beat Taylor Heinicke for the starting job.
12. Minnesota Vikings: Jermaine Johnson, Edge, Florida State
Johnson blew up at the Senior Bowl and wowed the combine with some eye-popping numbers. With Mike Zimmer gone and many stars from his once-formidable defense on their way out, too, it’s time to rebuild the unit.
13. Cleveland Browns: George Karlaftis, Edge, Purdue
Cleveland was just league average in pressure rate, which seems hard to do when you have one of the best edge rushers in the sport in Myles Garrett. It is logical to peg Karlaftis to Philly because his friend and former Purdue standout, Ryan Kerrigan, plays there. I’m not sure the converted water polo star will be on the board at 15.
14. Baltimore Ravens: Boye Mafe, Edge, Minnesota
The Ravens have needs on the offensive line, but the defense was not up to the usual John Harbaugh standards last season, partially due to injuries. Mafe makes his debut in my mocks, soaring up the board after dominating the combine in the broad jump and vertical leap.
15. Philadelphia Eagles (via Miami Dolphins): Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa
No, it’s not a reach to grab an elite prospect, even at a position such as center. Starter Jason Kelce will be 35 in November.
16. Philadelphia Eagles (via Indianapolis Colts): Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
The Deebo Samuel hype is a bit much, but Burks adds a big receiver element to an offense that couldn’t move the football in the playoffs against Tampa.
17. Los Angeles Chargers: Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
Davis feels like the most obvious fit in the second half of the first round. The Chargers can’t stop the run. Davis had an impressive combine — the longest broad jump of any defensive tackle in more than a decade — and would immediately help a porous run defense.
18. New Orleans Saints: Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
New coach Dennis Allen will surely push for a defensive player, as the Saints might lose a handful of starters in free agency. But Wilson is a much-needed weapon for whoever the QB is, given the uncertainty surrounding Michael Thomas.
19 Philadelphia Eagles: Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
The perception was that his combine wasn’t overly impressive, but Lloyd checks the "football player" box and would instantly be the best linebacker on an aging defense.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss
Pittsburgh can’t go into the season with Mason Rudolph at quarterback. Jimmy Garoppolo had shoulder surgery and can’t throw for 16 weeks. The Steelers must draft a QB.
21. New England Patriots: Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
With the Patriots set to lose J.C. Jackson in free agency, they will be in desperate need at cornerback, and it’s a good thing there are several options here. McDuffie is good enough to start Week 1.
22. Las Vegas Raiders: Drake London, WR, USC
The Raiders are set in the slot with Hunter Renfrow and at tight end with Darren Waller. They still lack a big-body receiver on the outside for contested catches, and London is the best receiver for that job in this draft.
23. Arizona Cardinals: Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
Stingley was great two years ago, but then injuries set him back the previous two seasons. If Arizona gets the freshman version of Stingley, this is a massive home run.
24. Dallas Cowboys: David Ojabo, Edge, Michigan
If the Cowboys lose DeMarcus Lawrence in free agency (he declined a pay cut last week), they’ll need a replacement on the outside. Ojabo is raw, but the upside is there.
25. Buffalo Bills: Kenyon Green, OG, Texas A&M
The Bills will return a healthy Tre'Davious White to the defense, and Buffalo will again be an elite team in the AFC. There is no glaring need, but Green provides offensive line depth. The forward-thinking Bills are surely planning for when two of their offensive linemen are free agents in 2023.
26. Tennessee Titans: Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson
Titans fans surely remember getting torched by Joe Burrow in the playoff loss — despite sacking him nine times. Tennessee could use some help opposite A.J. Brown at receiver, but the secondary is a bigger priority, playing a first-place schedule that includes Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers.
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington
Let’s see how free agency shakes out on the offensive line, but the Bucs' secondary was a liability in the second half of the season. The defensive line is aging, too. If any edge rushers slide here, the Bucs could grab one.
28. Green Bay Packers: Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State
Aaron Rodgers finally gets his wish, with the Packers taking a receiver in the first round. Watson is a fast-rising, 6-foot-4 receiver who tested off the charts at the combine after a solid season for the Bison (18.6 yards per catch, seven TDs).
29. Miami Dolphins (via San Francisco): Nakobe Dean, ILB, Georgia
His size and unimpressive combine led to some questions, but if you watch his performances for the national champions, you'll wonder how he could slide this far.
30. Kansas City Chiefs: Tariq Woolen, UTSA, CB
The Chiefs are expected to lose Charvarius Ward and Tyrann Mathieu from the secondary. They’ll have to rebuilt it, just like they quickly rebuilt the offensive line. Woolen might be a bit high here, but the converted receiver blew away the combine at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds. Will his track speed (4.26 in the 40) and 42-inch vertical (best at his position) offset the fact that he has played cornerback for only two seasons?
31. Cincinnati Bengals: Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan
The Bengals are going to spend on the offensive line in free agency, and then they'll grab a couple in the draft, too.
32. Detroit Lions: Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
The Lions have needs all over the place, and they get to lock Howell up for five years if they choose by grabbing him here. Howell had a fantastic 2020 campaign, but he wasn’t as dominant in 2021.
Jason McIntyre is a FOX Sports betting analyst, and he also writes about the NFL and NBA Draft. He joined FS1 in 2016 and has appeared on every show on the network. In 2017, McIntyre began producing gambling content on the NFL, college football and NBA for FOX Sports. He had a gambling podcast for FOX, "Coming Up Winners," in 2018 and 2019. Before arriving at FOX, he created the website The Big Lead, which he sold in 2010.