2022-04-28
By Chase Petersen
A lot of movement has happened with the draft order since the last time I wrote up a mock, so I figured it was time to get back on the horse and write up another one. I did no trades, because I just recently wrote up a 5 potential first round trade article, check that out. This is precisely based on what I would do, not what I think is going to happen.
There should be no real argument about this, but the Travon Walker hype seems to be real (you won’t see him in my top 10). While Hutch himself isn’t the athlete that Walker is, he is a damn good athlete in his own right. Hutch is the best blend of athleticism and production in this class, and it fits a position of need for the Jaguars.
Imagine an OL from left to right of Taylor Decker, Ickem Ekwonu, Frank Ragnow, Jonah Jackson, and Penei Sewell. Whichever QB they get in 2023 would be walking into an amazing situation. Sure, they have much bigger needs, and taking a guard at #2 overall is a terrible misuse of resources, but an OL like this one gives your offense a very high floor for a long time.
The Texans need help literally everywhere, and no one pick is going to fix what they have going on. I was thinking OL here, but the decision to keep Laremy Tunsil moved me away from it. Instead they start loading up the secondary for Coach Lovie.
Imagine an OL bookended by Mekhi Becton and Evan Neal. The Jets will win every game getting off the bus. This gives them 3 very good pieces along their offensive line, and it could lead to it being the league’s best in a few years.
Why has no one mentioned this as a landing spot? Brian Daboll sat front row to watch Josh Allen’s ascension to stardom, so why wouldn’t he try his hand with Willis too? Daniel Jones has proven time and time again that he is below average at his best, so they might as well move on when given the opportunity.
All the hype is QB here in this spot, but my QB1 is already off the board, and I don’t value another one this highly. Instead, I grab Stingley and pair him with last year’s 8th overall pick in Jaycee Horn, to form what could be the league’s best CB duo.
The OL needs help, and Giants’ fans know it. That’s why they beef it up with Cross and create a nice OT tandem to protect their new QB Malik Willis for the foreseeable future. Now they just need to throw late round resources at the interior and pray for a hit or two.
The Falcons are another roster that needs help just about everywhere, but nowhere as bad as their WR room. Right now Kyle Pitts is the only good-NFL caliber weapon on that team, and Williams could legitimately step in as Marcus Mariota’s WR1 when he returns from his injury.
The Seahawks need to take a swing at a valuable position, and I do that here and stop Thibodeaux’s slide. He has the potential to be a top 3 player overall from this class, and Seattle has been a team that’s needed pass rush help for awhile.
The Jets are a team in need of an alpha WR1, and they get London here who can be that guy. London, Elijah Moore, and Corey Davis doesn’t sound too bad as a 3 deep group of WRs. Hopefully, they can help Zach Wilson reach the levels we all thought he could during last year’s draft.
The addition of Wilson may scream that Terry McLaurin is on his way out the door. Or, it could mean that Washington wants to load up on WRs that can create consistent separation for Carson Wentz. Last time they went to the OSU well for a WR, it worked out great.
I promise I didn’t do this on purpose, the board just fell this way. I would be ecstatic on draft night if this happens, and here it does. The Vikings’ need secondary help in a bad way, here they get the long term Harrison Smith replacement, from the same school they got Harrison Smith.
I will not be surprised to see Jordan Davis go 10 picks higher than this, just being honest. However, The Texans take him here and pair him with Gardner, giving them two staples for their defense for the next half decade at least.
This would be the most wonderful landing spot for Walker. A team known for developing raw edge talent. Last year they drafted Jayson Oweh, and now the tandem of Walker and Oweh would be easily the most athletic EDGE duo in the history of any level of football.
Philly has solid edge rushers, but they’re getting up there in age. This is low for where most people have Johnson, but I just don’t see a top 10 player here. He’s good, but not amazing. A safe-ish pick, but I’m not sure on the upside.
After signing Jameis to a 2 year cheap deal, might as well stack the deck for him. Olave next to Michael Thomas makes for a mighty fine duo, and a WR2 is a desperate need for this team.
I wanted to load up with another WR, but they all came off the board quickly. Instead I grab Andrew Booth who could come in and be a great CB3 for the Chargers. Even though Tyreek Hill left the division, Devante Adams entered it, so they need to load up in the back end to shut these high end offenses down.
The Saints don’t necessarily need a CB, but the value here for McDuffie is too high. McDuffie is a guy that I am almost certain will be a good player in the NFL.
Daxton Hill is going to get drafted highly. He is an insanely versatile player, who will probably be mainly used in the slot. He is insanely athletic and can fill multiple roles on the defense. Philly fans would probably hate the pick, but would come to love the player.
Desmond Ridder is my QB2, and if the Steelers loved Malik Willis, I think they’d like Ridder, too. He isn’t the same type of runner as Willis, but he has the speed to be lethal on scrambles. He also has arguably the 2nd biggest arm in the class, so he can sling it around.
Karlaftis just seems like that quiet, come to work everyday type of Patriots guy. He has the ability to be a 10+ sack guy for multiple years, for what that’s worth. He has been pushed down some boards, but I see him as a high floor, fairly high ceiling prospect.
The Packers need a few repairs on their offensive line, and Linderbaum is arguably the best overall OL in the class. They selected Josh Meyers a few years ago, and that hasn’t worked out. Aaron Rodgers isn’t getting any younger, so you have to keep him clean.
I love Travis Jones. The Cardinals need a big nasty NT to clog up the middle, and he even showed more than a little ability rushing the passer. If Jones ends up having a better career than Jordan Davis, I will be the least surprised.
This just feels too easy. Jerry loves his Razorbacks, they just traded Amari Cooper, and an Arkansas player is the best WR on the board, chalk it up.
Right now Buffalo’s CB2 is Siran Neal. If they want to win the AFC they’ll have to be able to cover Ja’Marr Chase, AJ Brown, Devante Adams, Keenan Allen, Diontae Johnson, the list goes on and on. Elam has that press cover ability that teams tend to covet.
This feels like a Mike Vrabel pick. He could go 8ish picks higher, but here in lands in a situation that really needs his services. He has the game to be a punisher in the run game and open the lanes wide for Derrick Henry.
The Bucs need some WR depth until Chris Godwin is able to get back on the field. Skyy Moore has the ability to get off the line, and get open quickly, as the Tom Brady system needs. Tom only has 10-15 years of ball left to play, so the Bucs need to load up on the offense to make his life easier.
Christian Watson is a stud who falls because of playing at a small school. Pairing him with Aaron Rodgers allows Watson to have a bare minimum floor of Marquez Valdez-Scantling. I think Watson has more ability than that though.
Back to back picks for the Chiefs here and they start with Jalen Pitre. This allows them to keep La’Jarius Sneed on the outside, and let Pitre man the slot. This team just lost Tyrann Mathieu, who was the heart and soul of the defense. Jalen Pitre is a guy who can become that.
With the second pick they take the ultra-talented WR out of Georgia. If anyone can get the fullest potential out of a WR, it should be Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. And when it comes to potential, Pickens has a lot of it.
Cincy needs some pass rush from the interior, so they nab Wyatt. Age is a concern for him, but if he’s a great football player, who cares? Wyatt has the ability to come in and wreak some havoc on passing downs while he learns to play the run.
This feels like a slam dunk. Some people I’ve heard have Corral as their QB1, and at times through the season, he was mine as well. It’s a perfect situation because they have the beefed up OL, and Jared Goff can play while Corral gets back to a full 100%.
NFL DRaft ANALYST
From just outside Kansas City Missouri, Chase has been obsessed with the NFL Draft for as long as he can remember. An avid Minnesota Vikings and Texas Longhorns fan, connect with Chase on Twitter @SportsTalkCenter
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