2022 NFL Mock Draft: Final Edition

   Here is the final edition of my 2022 NFL Mock Draft.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars- Travon Walker, Defensive End, Georgia: It's seeming likelier and likelier that Walker will be the selection here for the Jaguars tonight. The team is banking on upside here rather than the "safe bet", but it could pay off if Walker reaches his upside.

2. Detroit Lions- Aidan Hutchinson, Defensive End, Michigan: The guy who should go first is who the Lions will gladly take. Hutchinson will be the best defensive player the Lions will have since Ndamukong Suh.

3. Houston Texans- Ickey Ekwonu, Offensive Tackle/Guard, NC State: Here's a little bit of a curveball of a selection for the Texans, who can go anywhere with this pick considering the needs on this roster.  Ekwonu's versatility is what could get him drafted this high and the Texans have a major need on the offensive line.

4. New York Jets- Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, Cornerback, Cincinnati: Gardner would be a tremendous pick for Gang Green, despite the teams need for a pass rusher. Gardner would be a great foundation piece that the Jets would be more than thrilled with to build their secondary around.

5. New York Giants- Charles Cross, Offensive Tackle, Mississippi State: The hot rumor in Giant land is that Cross will be the guy here for Big Blue. Cross is the best of the pass protectors of the tackles in the draft and people feel his run-blocking game is sneaky good.

6. Carolina Panthers- Evan Neal, Offensive Tackle, Alabama: Whomever the Giants don't take at five, the Panthers will take at six. I'm not buying the quarterback buzz for this spot and Neal is someone that's had success against the best SEC pass rushers.

7. New York Giants (from Chicago Bears)- Derek Stigley Jr, Cornerback, LSU: The Giants have some choices here for their second first rounder and you can't go wrong with Stigley. If they trade or cut James Bradberry, then an opening comes up in the secondary and Stigley would be a great fit and he has the upside to be a CB1.

8. Atlanta Falcons- Kavon Thibodeaux, Defensive End, Oregon: The hot word here is that they are looking at pass rush here. Thibodeaux will be a great selection here and a perhaps a steal here as the Falcons get someone here with so much potential.

9. Seattle Seahawks (from Denver Broncos)- Jermaine Johnson, Defensive End, Florida State: The Seahawks have a ton of needs, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Johnson won the ACC Player of the Year and was great against the run.

10. New York Jets (from Seattle Seahawks)- Drake London, WR, USC: Here feels like pass rush or wideout depending on how the board falls. With their second first rounder, the Jets take a wideout to help Zach Wilson and London has the upside to be a WR1.

11. Washington Commanders- Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State: There is a lot of talk that Wilson will not end up being the first wideout taken and I have him falling here to the Commanders. This would be a steal and Carrson Wentz has another competent weapon other than Terry McLaurin.

12. Minnesota Vikings- Trent McDuffie, Cornerback, Washington: The hot pick as of now for this spot is McDuffie, who is a good prospect, but could be a reach here. The Vikings need some help in their secondary and McDuffie can play from anywhere and will learn from Patrick Petertson, which can't be unnoticed.

13. Houston Texans (from Cleveland Browns)- Kyle Hamilton, Safety, Notre Dame: What a steal this would be for the Texans with snagging someone that was thought out to go top ten or even top five. Hamilton is someone that can have a day one impact wherever he goes.

14. Baltimore Ravens-  Jordan Davis, Defensive Tackle, Georgia: This would be a nice selection for the Ravens considering the free agent losses the Ravens had at the position. Davis was apart of the dominant front seven the Bulldogs had and he brings needed youth to the Ravens pass rush.

15. Philadelphia Eagles (from Miami Dolphins)- Jameson Williams, Wide Receiver, Alabama: The Eagles goal for this upcoming season is to make Jalen Hurts succeed. Williams would have been selected higher than this if not for a torn ACL and he will certainly put Hurts in a good spot.

16. New Orleans Saints (from Philadelphia Eagles via Indianapolis Colts)- Trevor Penning, Offensive Tackle, Northern Iowa: The Saints offensive line is solid, but needs to replace Terron Armstead. Penning didn't get that much attention due to playing in the FCS, but has the tools to be a successful player in the league.

17. Los Angeles Chargers- Kenyon Green, Guard, Texas A&M: The Chargers have a roster that's absolutely loaded and here I have them improving what is arguably the teams biggest weakness. Green is someone that can come in and play right away alongside Rashawn Slater.

18. Philadelphia Eagles (from New Orleans Saints)- Andrew Booth Jr, Cornerback, Clemson: This would be a nice pick for the Eagles, who needs more youth at the position. Booth is someone who's stock is rising with a little over a week to go until the draft.

19. New Orleans Saints (from Philadelphia Eagles)- Chris Olave, Wide Receiver, Ohio State: The Saints grab a steal here taking Olave here all the way at 19. Olave and Michael Thomas would be a dynamic duo at receiver for whomever is at quarterback.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers- Malik Willis, Quarterback, Liberty: This pick feels more likely to be a quarterback than not. The Steelers are said to love Willis, who has the most upside among the quarterbacks, but I do not feel is the safest bet.

21. New England Patriots- Quay Walker, Linebacker, Georgia: This pick would be a surprise to many people, but Patriots do have a need at the position. Walker is a versatile player and will play all over the field.

22. Green Bay Packers (from Las Vegas Raiders)- Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas: The Packers need a wide receiver in this first round in the worst way possible and they land a good one in Burks. DaVante Adams's production won't be easy to replace, but Burks would become a favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year if he were to be the pick here.

23. Arizona Cardinals- George Karlaftis, Defensive End, Purdue: Karlaftis is someone who's stock completely dropped from where it was six months ago. The Cardinals need to replace Chandler Jones's production so Karlaftis makes a ton of sense here.

24. Dallas Cowboys- Zion Johnson, Guard, Boston College: It feels likely that the Cowboys will go offensive line here with this selection. Johnson's stock is rising high here in draft week and he'd be a nice fit as the team is revamping the line with some of their key guys aging.

25. Buffalo Bills- Breece Hall, Running Back, Iowa State: There is a lot of buzz that Hall could be the guy here for the Bills. Hall comes into a great situation on a Super Bowl contender and could also contend for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

26. Tennessee Titans- Tyler Smith, Offensive Tackle, Tulsa: The Titans have some interesting options here with this selection. Defense probably should be where they go, but Smith isn't a bad choice here considering Taylor Lewan is getting older and they can use depth at the position.

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Lewis Cine, Safety, Georgia: Cine is the player that is getting the most momentum to become a first round pick, which folks didn't see coming a week ago. Cine is a favorite among scouts and was a big part of the dominant Bulldogs championship defense.

28. Green Bay Packers- Devin Lloyd, Linebacker, Utah: This would be a steal for the Packers grabbing Lloyd at the end of the first round. They need some youth and athleticism in their pass rush and will be a Day 1 contributor.

29. Kansas City Chiefs (from San Francisco 49ers via Miami Dolphins)- Kaiir Elam, Cornerback, Florida: The Chiefs need to come away with a wideout and a defensive player with their two first round picks. Elam is getting a lot of buzz to go in the first round and could go higher than this.

30. Kansas City Chiefs- Jahan Dotson, Wide Receiver, Penn State: Getting Dotson here is a solid choice considering they badly need to help replace the production that they lose with Tyreek Hill. Dotson could go earlier in this round or even at some point in the second round.

31. Cincinnati Bengals- Kyler Gordon, Cornerback, Washington: Here I have the second Huskies corner going off the board. The Bengals corners overachieved a year ago and you can argue that they should  take a corner here considering regression could be coming for those current Bengals cornerbacks.

32. Detroit Lions- Kenny Pickett, Quarterback, Pittsburgh: The Lions are likely to take a signal caller here and in the final mock, I have Pickett slotted here. He was a finalist for the Heismann Trophy a year ago and could be a steady player.