2022 NFL mock draft: Spencer Rattler leads fascinating QB class

The paint has yet to dry on the 2021 NFL Draft class, but it’s not too soon for 2022 NFL mock draft season and at least getting to know some of the top prospects for the upcoming class. The 2022 NFL Draft class may not have a Trevor Lawrence type of no-brainer prospect, but there will be a ton of intrigue at the quarterback position once again.

There are already five teams with multiple first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft:

• Detroit Lions (from Rams)
• New York Giants (from Bears)
• Philadelphia Eagles (from Dolphins)
• Miami Dolphins (from 49ers)
• New York Jets (from Seahawks)

Given the way the rosters for each of those teams trading away 2022 first-round picks looks right now, the Giants and Eagles seem to be the early favorites to possibly have a shot at cashing in big. If the San Francisco 49ers start Trey Lance and struggle with injuries again in 2021 like they did in 2020, that pick is another to watch for.

As of right now, the Houston Texans appear to be the team to watch to land the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft based on their coaching changes, Deshaun Watson’s trade demand, and overall poor roster construction.

The Philadelphia Eagles could be a sleeper in contention right there as well.

This 2022 NFL mock draft scenario will look at a scenario with the draft order determined by the NFL Mock Draft Database simulator.

2022 NFL mock draft: 1st pick

Does anyone actually know who plays for the Houston Texans these days?

Deshaun Watson has demanded a trade, but he is facing 22 lawsuits alleging sexual assault and nobody at this point knows if he’s going to be on the team, on the Commissioner’s exempt list, suspended, or whatever.

The Texans are obviously planning on at least the possibility of Watson not being there this season or possibly ever again as they went out and signed Tyrod Taylor in free agency then used their top pick (a third-rounder) in the 2021 NFL Draft on Stanford quarterback Davis Mills.

Houston has said goodbye to JJ Watt this offseason after saying goodbye to De’Andre Hopkins last offseason. The times have definitely changed and this franchise presently looks like one of the most dysfunctional in the entire league right now.

Head coach David Culley and general manager Nick Caserio are being given a baptism by fire in their new roles with the team, and by the time the 2022 NFL Draft rolls around, absolutely no one is going to be surprised if Houston owns the top overall pick.

At this point, it’s hard to argue against Spencer Rattler being the latest Oklahoma Sooners and Lincoln Riley prodigy to be the number one selection in the draft.

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Oklahoma had Baker Mayfield in 2018, Kyler Murray in 2019, and Jalen Hurts became a 2nd-round pick under Riley’s watch in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Rattler was not entirely consistent in 2020, but even making his way as a first-year starter with the Sooners, he had 28 passing touchdowns, six rushing touchdowns, and over 3,000 yards in just 11 games.

2022 NFL mock draft: 2nd pick

As excited as the Detroit Lions were to get Oregon left tackle Penei Sewell in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, they might go absolutely bananas if they are able to get his Duck teammate Kayvon Thibodeaux in the 2022 NFL Draft.

A five-star recruit, Thibodeaux was an instant superstar on campus at Oregon in the 2019 season, which featured other top prospects like obviously Sewell and Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.

As a side note, maybe that’s the reason Herbert went back for the 2019 season…

With so many talented Ducks prospects coming about in recent years, it’s possible that Thibodeaux is the best one to come along.

As a true freshman, he dominated to the tune of 35 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, nine sacks, a forced fumble, and three passes broken up. This guy went out there in 2020 and put some of his best stuff on tape against USC and first-round tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker, who was the 14th pick to the Jets in April.

This guy is tough, physical, he has rare length at the defensive end position, he closes on the quarterback, and leaving him one-on-one is going to get your quarterback destroyed. He hits with a purpose.

The Lions will love this dude and if this situation presents itself, it would be surprising if they passed on him.

2022 NFL mock draft: 3rd pick

Even considering the severity of Joe Burrow’s injury last year, it’s hard to believe the Bengals will be this bad again in 2021.

Cincinnati has made some really strong moves on both sides of the ball to get better in the last 2-3 years, including really overhauling their defensive line.

The offensive line has gotten some upgrades in the form of free agent Riley Reiff and second-round pick Jackson Carman, but is the Bengals’ work there on the offensive line finished?

Not likely.

Protecting Joe Burrow has to be an offseason priority yet again with the short-term nature of Reiff’s presence on the line.

If the Bengals are picking this high in the 2022 NFL Draft, they might be thrilled about the opportunity to take Alabama’s 2019 freshman All-American and multi-position starter Evan Neal, a mountain of an offensive line prospect.

Neal was a Freshman All-American in 2019 playing the left guard position and then wound up starting for the Crimson Tide at right tackle in 2020. By the time he gets to the 2022 NFL Draft process, he will have some valuable experience at both spots and some of what he’s already done is incredibly impressive.

Imagining this guy with another year under his belt is pretty scary.

2022 NFL mock draft: 4th pick

Everyone had a great 2019 season for the LSU Tigers, it seems, but Derek Stingley Jr. really was a star among stars on that legendary squad.

With six interceptions as a freshman along with 15 passes broken up, Stingley established himself as one of the elite players in all of college football in 2019 and came back with a somewhat up-and-down 2020 season with no interceptions and five passes broken up in seven games.

If Stingley can get back to his 2019 form, he’s got a chance to be this high of a selection in the 2022 NFL Draft.

The New York Jets obviously have needs all over the roster even after a really strong 2021 NFL Draft class led by quarterback Zach Wilson and left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker.

New head coach Robert Saleh has done a tremendous job as a defensive assistant in his coaching career to this point, not only maximizing the talent of the guys he’s working with on the field but getting the best out of young players.

Stingley is of the blue-chip variety as a prospect and has all of the physical tools, savvy, ball skills, and everything in between to be a success in the NFL.

2022 NFL mock draft: 5th pick

Watching Notre Dame’s star linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah over the past two seasons, it’s been impossible to ignore number 14 out there on the field for the Irish.

Number 14, of course, is Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton, a 6-foot-4, 219-pound safety with big-time range, physicality, and production.

In two seasons (24 games), he’s racked up 104 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions, and 12 pass breakups.

With the instincts and range to play the position as well as rare size out there, Hamilton could be a really fun fit with the rest of this young Jacksonville Jaguars secondary.

Obviously Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne are the headliners for this team in the 2021 offseason, but the Jaguars have added, in the last two offseasons, some really intriguing talents like 2020 first-round pick CJ Henderson, 2021 second-round pick Tyson Campbell, and 2021 free agent acquisition Shaquill Griffin.

Hamilton could be the type of playmaker at the safety position to take this unit to another level in the 2022 season and beyond.

2022 NFL mock draft: 6th pick

If the Philadelphia Eagles are picking this high in the 2022 NFL Draft (and that’s a distinct possibility at this point), there’s a chance they go with a quarterback.

I’m not sure how many Eagles fans really want to hear that, but it’s the reality of their situation.

The Eagles have Jalen Hurts penciled in as the 2021 starter and it would be a real shame if he didn’t beat grizzled veteran Joe Flacco for the job. The Eagles would be much less exciting, anyway.

If Philadelphia plays poorly to land one of the top five or six picks in the 2022 Draft, quarterback will be squarely on the radar.

Sam Howell is a guy who many believe could wind up being the top overall prospect taken in this year’s class.

At 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, Howell resembles Baker Mayfield physically and sometimes in terms of his playing style as well.

Howell has already thrown for over 7,200 yards with 68 touchdown passes compared to just 14 interceptions. He’s also run for six touchdowns and should be considered a top Heisman Trophy candidate for the 2021 season.

Nobody pushes the ball downfield quite like Howell can, and with some of the players the Eagles have added the last couple of offseasons (Jalen Reagor, DeVonta Smith), this is a team that’s going to want to get the ball downfield with regularity.

Howell has that “gamer” mentality to him and while other prospects may be more impressive physically, he’s got everything else you want in a quarterback prospect.

2022 NFL mock draft: 7th pick

Up to this point, this 2022 NFL mock draft scenario has been slightly “chalk” up to this point depending on what your thoughts are between Spencer Rattler and Sam Howell as prospects.

This selection could be considered the first big “surprise” of the scenario with Desmond Ridder going to the Las Vegas Raiders.

This guy is as impressive as you will see running the football from the quarterback position.

Through three seasons at Cincinnati, Ridder has 57 touchdown passes compared to 20 interceptions. He’s added 22 rushing touchdowns and has established himself as one of the more underrated dual-threat quarterbacks in the country.

Although his completion percentage rose last season to over 66 percent, Ridder has had some accuracy issues and will need to prove he can consistently make big-time throws to all levels of the field before this draft prophecy comes to pass.

Still, the raw talent is undoubtedly there for Ridder and while his accuracy has not been consistent in three seasons on the whole, he has shown the ability to put perfect touch and velocity on his throws as well as excellent ball placement on many big-time throws.

By the time he gets to the 2022 NFL Draft circuit, Ridder will have been a four-year starter as well, which a team like the Raiders might really value.

2022 NFL mock draft: 8th pick

The New York Giants have done some pretty significant work over the past few seasons assembling an offense that, at least on paper, looks pretty darn good.

Quarterback Daniel Jones will certainly not have many excuses in 2021 with a healthy Saquon Barkley at running back, a tight end duo of Evan Engram and Kyle Rudolph, and a wide receiver group featuring Sterling Shepard, Kenny Golladay, Darius Slayton, and first-round pick Kadarius Toney.

If the offensive line can take a step forward, the Giants should be able to take a step forward as a unit.

Defensively, this team has some really big-time pieces.

On the defensive line, the Giants boast one of the NFL’s top interior linemen in former Jets first-round pick Leonard Williams, a USC star not so long ago.

This mock draft has the Giants going after another former USC defensive star to pair with Williams coming off the edge.

In his first 17 games for the Trojans, Jackson has racked up 17 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks and looks like he’s about to break out in a big way in the 2021 season.

He’s trimmed down a bit since he first got to USC and playing at a lighter weight, Jackson is explosive off the edge and could wind up contending for EDGE1 in this class if he has a big enough year.

2022 NFL mock draft: 9th pick

The Carolina Panthers, in the Matt Rhule era, have opened up each of their first two draft classes with premier talents on the defensive side of the football in the SEC.

This selection of Christian Harris is just par for the course.

In 2020, the Panthers took Auburn defensive lineman Derrick Brown. In 2021, they used their top pick on South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn.

Here they get a stud to go right in the middle of the defense and a playmaker on Alabama’s defense who certainly knows how to fill out a stat sheet.

In his first two seasons with the Crimson Tide, Harris has 140 total tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, an interception, and three pass breakups.

The Panthers’ current depth chart at linebacker actually includes fellow Crimson Tide linebacker Christian Miller, but the starting three with Denzel Perryman on the inside could be upgraded after this season.

Harris is a fluid athlete with the ability to play in space as well as attack the line of scrimmage, as evidenced by a ridiculous number of TFLs.

2022 NFL mock draft: 10th pick

The Atlanta Falcons overhauled their brain trust within the last year, firing general manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Dan Quinn, replacing them with rookie GM Terry Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith.

Fontenot (coming over from the division rival Saints) and Smith are having to make some difficult decisions in their first offseason on the job together, none more so than the decision to trade away wide receiver Julio Jones.

Jones has been a superstar since he was drafted by the Falcons back in 2011, and especially with Matt Ryan in the later years of his career, trading Jones really doesn’t make much sense.

With that being said, it’s a trade that could really cripple this team which had some bright moments in 2020 offensively but some really bad defense, especially against the pass.

Atlanta could use help at all three levels but DeMarvin Leal is a fun prospect to watch with big-time upside as an interior defensive lineman.

Leal has proven himself as a run defender in his first two seasons at Texas A&M with 12.5 tackles for loss but he’s got untapped potential yet as a pass rusher.

Leal can play a number of positions on the defensive line working outside in, and as a former five-star prospect, he’s got a ton of talent and could be one of college football’s top breakout players this season.

2022 NFL mock draft: 11th pick

With two picks in the top 11, the New York Giants stick with what has typically been Dave Gettleman’s bread and butter — the trenches.

We’ll have to wait and see how the Giants’ 2020 rookie duo of Andrew Thomas and Matt Peart do in 2021, but it’s not out of the question that the Giants could consider Thomas moving back to the right tackle position — a position he played in college — if they can get their hands on Zion Nelson out of Miami.

Nelson has primarily played left tackle for the Hurricanes and didn’t give up a sack at all in the 2020 season.

He needs work as a run blocker, but if he shows improvement in that area along with improved core and functional strength when setting his base in pass protection, this projecting might be a bit low for him.

The Giants obviously felt like throwing that high draft pick at the former All-American Andrew Thomas was going to work out for them, but of the first-round tackles taken in the first half of the 2020 NFL Draft (Thomas, Jedrick Wills, Mekhi Becton, Tristan Wirfs, Austin Jackson), Thomas was probably the worst as a rookie despite being the highest pick.

The pressure is on.

2022 NFL mock draft: 12th pick

The Arizona Cardinals have been building a contender out in the NFC West one brick at a time. They brought in Kliff Kingsbury in the 2019 offseason when they had the top overall pick in the draft and drafted Heisman winner Kyler Murray to join him.

Since then, the Cardinals have followed what is really becoming an NFC West trend and traded for a big-name veteran when they acquired De’Andre Hopkins in the 2020 offseason.

The acquisition of Hopkins was one of the best moves any team made all of last year, and will go down as one of the worst trades in Houston Texans history.

Hopkins’ arrival undoubtedly helped with the acquisition of JJ Watt in the 2021 offseason.

The Cardinals have a fun roster and mix of veterans and young stars, but one area where this team is really lacking is at the cornerback position.

Patrick Peterson is off to the Minnesota Vikings, and the Cardinals did not use a first-round pick on a corner like many expected in the 2021 NFL Draft.

That could pave the way for them to draft someone like Kaiir Elam, the next in line at Florida.

Elam has shown tremendous ball production early on with four interceptions and 15 pass breakups in his first 20 games as a Gator.

At 6-foot-2, 193 pounds, he has outstanding size and length and could be a big riser throughout the 2022 NFL Draft process.

2022 NFL mock draft: 13th pick

The plot thickens as another quarterback enters the early first-round fray.

Malik Willis is an outstanding talent and may be the better dual-threat quarterback in this draft class between he and Desmond Ridder of Cincinnati.

A former Auburn transfer, Willis had a breakout season in 2020 at Liberty with 2,250 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, 944 rushing yards, and 14 rushing touchdowns in just 10 games.

Willis’ emergence last year put him firmly on the 2022 NFL Draft map at the quarterback position and he looks like he could very well be in the conversation for the top three quarterbacks in the class.

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The Washington Football Team is an obvious contender for quarterbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft at this point as they signed Ryan Fitzpatrick to a one-year deal in free agency before passing on the entire 2021 NFL Draft class.

They did a lot to help the quarterback, signing free agent wide receiver Curtis Samuel, drafting Samuel Cosmi, trading for Ereck Flowers, and signing free agent left tackle Charles Leno Jr. The pieces are slowly being put in place for whatever quarterback Washington drafts to come in and have some early success.

With Willis’ ability to take games over as a runner, he’s one of the more exciting guys in the draft and there are obviously only going to be questions this season about whether he can really keep things going and even improve upon what he showed last year.

Regardless, NFL teams are going to be intrigued by Willis’ combination of arm talent, speed, and playmaking ability outside of the pocket.

2022 NFL mock draft: 14th pick

The Minnesota Vikings tried to make a bold trade in the 2020 offseason for pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue, and it wound up biting them in the butt pretty bad.

The Vikings sent a second-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for Ngakoue, but Minnesota traded him to the Ravens before the deadline for a third-rounder.

The Vikings still haven’t really gotten that defensive end position taken care of, though the jury is going to be out at least through the 2021 season.

They brought back Stephen Weatherly who left for a year to play in Carolina. He could be penciled in to start opposite Danielle Hunter, who has been the subject of some mild trade rumors.

Patrick Jones will try to entrench himself in the lineup as a rookie this season and recent fourth-round picks Janarius Robinson (2021) and DJ Wonnum (2020) will try to factor in as well.

With that being said, in this mock draft scenario, there’s probably no better value on the board than Purdue’s George Karlaftis, whose 55 QB pressures in his true freshman season of 2019 were among the best in recent history.

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Karlaftis only played two games in 2020, but he had two sacks and two tackles for loss, proving his pass rush ability is going to more likely than not lead to a sack per game unless offensive tackles can contain him.

For a frame of reference, Kayvon Thibodeaux — who is going 2nd overall in this mock draft — had 34 pressures as a true freshman compared to Karlaftis’ 55.

This guy is a stud and should be a hot name all throughout the circuit.

2022 NFL mock draft: 15th pick

Fire up the quarterback engine again!

As much as anything, I want to look in this 2022 NFL mock draft scenario at quarterbacks who could emerge as 1st-round players and JT Daniels is certainly a guy to keep an eye on.

The first time we heard about Daniels here at NFL Mocks, he was graduating high school a year early so he could enroll at USC. Unfortunately, things did not go for Daniels at USC the way he or the Trojans expected, and he wound up transferring to Georgia after just one game in the 2019 campaign at Southern Cal.

Daniels played just four games for Georgia in 2020, but threw for over 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns with just two interceptions.

The word on Daniels is that he’s a football junky and film room freak who puts in a ton of work off the field, breathes the game, and plays with sound mechanics.

He’s slightly limited athletically compared. to other guys in this class, but we saw Mac Jones go 15th overall to the Patriots in 2021 and Daniels could be similarly rated after the 2021 season.

Obviously, the sample size here is not huge, but if Daniels plays like he’s capable of in the 2021 season, he might be a target of a team like Pittsburgh, who would almost undoubtedly be in the QB market if they are picking this high.

Pittsburgh did bring in Dwayne Haskins, but that’s going to be a dart throw at this point.

2022 NFL mock draft: 16th pick

The Denver Broncos picked up Von Miller’s 2021 contract option and they hope to keep him a Bronco for life. We’ll see how that works out after this season, but the Broncos could be in the market for a pass rusher to pair up with Bradley Chubb, whom new general manager George Paton has called a core piece of the team.

The analytics people really love Oklahoma’s star pass rusher Nik Bonitto:

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Bonitto had 11.5 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks in 10 games last season along with two passes defensed. He is listed at nearly the exact same size as Von Miller at 6-foot-3, 238 pounds, and would obviously be selected here as an heir apparent to one of the greatest players in Denver Broncos franchise history.

The Broncos invested a lot in their secondary in the 2021 offseason, including free agent pickups Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller along with top draft pick Pat Surtain II.

The best way to make a secondary look good? Have guys who can get to the quarterback quickly.

Bonitto has a chance to really put himself on the map in 2021 as a pass rusher if he can build on his stellar 2020 numbers.

2022 NFL mock draft: 17th pick

The Los Angeles Chargers are in an enviable position when it comes to having some core foundation pieces of the roster.

The Chargers have Justin Herbert at the game’s most important position coming off of a record-setting year, his first on the job with the team. Herbert’s rookie-record 31 touchdown passes will be tough to follow up in 2021, but the Chargers have no shortage of studs on either side of the ball to help him out.

They used their top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on left tackle Rashawn Slater, an athletic freak who compares pretty favorably to Tristan Wirfs.

On defense, the Chargers’ top edge spot is occupied by Joey Bosa, who shockingly is still just 25 years of age.

At corner, the Chargers managed to steal Asante Samuel Jr. in the second round of the 2021 Draft.

The key spots are locked in with young star players, or at least potential stars.

The Chargers did lose tight end Hunter Henry (Patriots) in free agency this year, and replaced him with a stopgap in veteran Jared Cook.

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The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Jalen Wydermyer of Texas A&M has been fast-tracked to the NFL as part of a vaunted 2019 recruiting class for the Aggies, which is heavily featured throughout this mock draft.

Wydermyer’s size and ability to be a mismatch in the passing game have led to 12 touchdowns in his first two seasons on campus at Texas A&M.

He’s got an impressive catch radius and tremendous body control for a player his size. He would be an awesome TE1 and weapon for Herbert in this Chargers offense.

2022 NFL mock draft: 18th pick

The New England Patriots went on a rare spending spree in the 2021 offseason.

They splurged on tight ends, signing both Jonnu Smith from the Titans and Hunter Henry from the Los Angeles Chargers. Those two guys should get a ton of action in 2021 whether Cam Newton or first-round pick Mac Jones is the one throwing passes.

The Patriots also brought in former first-round pick Nelson Agholor at receiver, but their work at wide receiver is far from over.

In this mock draft scenario, the Patriots get one of the best route runners in the class and a detail-oriented, consistent player who will unquestionably be loved by Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels in Chris Olave.

Olave has outstanding route-running ability and foot quickness with the ability to create separation almost at will.

He doesn’t have the look of a typical WR1, but he’s got strong hands, very good long speed, and he can play inside as a slot or on the outside.

In his first three seasons at Ohio State, Olave has 110 catches and 22 touchdowns among them, averaging over 16 yards per catch.

2022 NFL mock draft: 19th pick

The New Orleans Saints lost Drew Brees to retirement in the 2021 offseason.

They hope they can replace Brees with a combination of Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill, but even with Brees struggling through injuries in 2020, the Saints didn’t use Winston hardly at all.

Hill is certainly not a long-term option at the quarterback position, so what happens if Winston doesn’t prove he’s the future in 2021?

The Saints could be stuck in the same position this coming year as teams like the Bears and Washington were.

Lucky for the Saints, there are a lot of intriguing quarterbacks who could be available in the 2022 NFL Draft class, not the least of which is Carson Strong of Nevada.

Strong can really sling it and proved that last year by completing over 70 percent of his passes for 2,858 yards, 27 touchdowns, and just four interceptions a season ago.

At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Strong certainly looks the part for a starting NFL quarterback and he’s got all kinds of arm talent to make it at the next level. If he can have another big year for Nevada in 2021 and prove that he’s on an ascending trajectory, he could be this year’s version of a Zach Wilson type of player.

Don’t be surprised when all is said and done if he is one of the top three QBs in this class.

2022 NFL mock draft: 20th pick

After taking Sam Howell with their first pick in this mock draft, the Eagles turn their attention to the defensive side of the ball.

Obviously, the draft order predicts the Indianapolis Colts to make the playoffs with Carson Wentz, which would give the Eagles three first-round selections in the 2022 NFL Draft and a chance to really replenish their roster.

There’s no better way to do that than by attacking the premium positions, and defensively, a good edge is extremely valuable.

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At the NFL talent factory that is Ohio State, Zach Harrison appears to be the next great edge to come out of the Buckeyes’ program.

He’s not receiving the same kind of preseason hype that the Bosa brothers or other Chase Young received, but there’s no doubt that the former five-star is ready to carry the first-round mantle.

He has played 17 games for the Buckeyes and up to this point has tallied 10 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks but he’s brimming with potential.

Not many 6-foot-6, 265-pound defensive ends can bend around the edge like Harison.

2022 NFL mock draft: 21st pick

There was some thought prior to the 2021 NFL Draft that the Dallas Cowboys could wind up taking an offensive tackle like Rashawn Slater or Penei Sewell with the 10th overall pick if they were available.

Jerry Jones loves a good value on the offensive side of the ball in the NFL Draft and, to his credit, he stuck primarily to the defensive side of the ball when that was always the wise move.

In the 2022 NFL Draft, however, I don’t think Jones would pass on the chance to get a guy like Mississippi State’s Charles Cross if presented with the opportunity.

We’ll have to see how much Cross improves in the 2021 season, but he is one of the nastiest finishers at left tackle in college football right now, and as a former five-star prospect is absolutely loaded with ability.

Tyron Smith is not getting any younger out there and even if you can rely on him as a bookend, the Cowboys had to deal without La’El Collins all of the 2020 season.

We’ll see what happens in 2021 with both of those guys expected back, but Cross would probably be too good to pass on if this scenario comes up a year from now.

2022 NFL mock draft: 22nd pick

Death, taxes, and the Kirk Ferentz NFL offensive line factory.

There are a few guarantees in life, the Iowa Hawkeyes putting NFL-quality linemen out in every single NFL Draft class being one of them.

The Hawkeyes don’t churn out first-round players every single year, but Tyler Linderbaum is a rare guy who turned down likely being a first-round pick in 2021 for a shot to come back to the Hawkeyes program for one more season and compete for a Big Ten title.

Linderbaum has looked like a pro from the first day he started snapping the ball for the Hawkeyes and interior defensive linemen hate going up against him.

An All-American in 2020, Linderbaum is such a natural mover at the position and a punisher when he gets his hands on defensive players.

The New York Jets have prioritized the offensive line in the last two draft classes, going after the nasty Mekhi Becton in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft before taking Alijah Vera-Tucker at left guard with the 14th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Adding Linderbaum would give the Jets three legitimate future All-Pro candidates on the offensive line.

2022 NFL mock draft: 23rd pick

The Tennessee Titans may be the team that trades for Julio Jones when that is all said and done, but for the time being, they have a pretty gaping hole at the wide receiver position.

AJ Brown is one of the best and exciting young players at receiver in the NFL today, but he’s been paired — for the time being — with Josh Reynolds after the departure of Corey Davis in free agency.

The Titans did move up in round four for Louisville receiver Dez Fitzpatrick, but help is still needed.

Enter Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks, one of the best-kept secrets in the country (if you can still call him that).

Burks caught 51 passes last season for 821 yards (16.1 yards per catch) and seven touchdowns. He showed outstanding body control, catch radius, and after-the-catch dominance.

Burks, like AJ Brown, shows tremendous strength in his lower half and slips through arm tackles like defenders are barely there.

His mentality after the catch is what’s more exciting than anything else. This guy craves YAC, it’s not just that he’s good at it.

Arkansas used him on the outside, as a big slot, out of the backfield, and any way they could in order to get him the ball.

2022 NFL mock draft: 24th pick

The next player in line at the cornerback position from Ohio State will always be of intrigue to NFL Draft fanatics.

With their third of three selections in the first round of this 2022 NFL mock draft scenario, the Eagles take their second Buckeye and a player to help the secondary in Sevyn Banks.

In his last 18 games, Banks has just one interception but nine passes broken up. With his size and length (6-foot-1, 200 pounds), you want to see Banks turn more of those opportunities on the ball into turnovers.

That should come with time.

The Eagles made a trade for Darius Slay last offseason but the cornerback position as a whole still needs some work.

With their three first-round picks in this mock draft scenario, the Eagles have taken guys at some of the most important positions on the field at quarterback (Sam Howell), edge (Zach Harrison), and now cornerback.

Banks has all of the tools and traits you look for in a first-round player at the position, he just needs to put those tools into production in 2021.

2022 NFL mock draft: 25th pick

It’s going to be fascinating to see what happens with the Cleveland Browns’ wide receiver position after the 2021 season.

Will Odell Beckham Jr. still be around? Will Anthony Schwartz prove himself to be a capable WR2 type and vertical threat as a rookie?

I thought there was a decent chance the Browns would be players for a wide receiver in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but they couldn’t pass on the value of Greg Newsome II with their top pick.

In 2022, we’ll see what happens. A player like Georgia’s George Pickens would be fascinating as a potential future WR1.

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Pickens has made these incredible plays part of his weekly routine. He is working his way back to full health after a torn ACL on a non-contact play in the Spring. He’s not ruled out potentially coming back to give the Bulldogs a boost late in the 2021 season and to me, that indicates he’s on a three-year plan and ready for the NFL.

It’s hard to blame him.

Pickens has 14 touchdowns in his first 20 college games and not only does he have an outstanding ability to make plays downfield, he does tremendous work after the catch.

2022 NFL mock draft: 26th pick

This 2022 NFL mock draft scenario is obviously assuming the Green Bay Packers keep Aaron Rodgers, because they probably aren’t going to be picking 26th with Jordan Love or someone else as the starting quarterback next season.

It’s hard to believe the Aaron Rodgers era in Green Bay could be coming to an end. I can still remember listening to a fantasy football sports radio show early on in Rodgers’ career touting his red zone passing as a reason he was a sleeper fantasy pick back in the 2009 offseason.

Rodgers has dug his heels in with the Packers and has stated he has no beef with the coaching staff, Jordan Love, his other teammates, or the city of Green Bay. His beef is obviously with general manager Brian Gutekunst, who has kept the league MVP in the dark on important decisions that obviously have an effect on Rodgers’ ability to win another title late in his career.

The Packers have used one first-round pick on offense in the last 10 draft classes, and that was quarterback Jordan Love.

If the Packers do find a way to work it out with Rodgers they are going to probably need to do some more reloading on the offensive line in 2022 and Walker has made 22 starts at the left tackle position for Penn State and has quietly done some tremendous work out there.

He’s 6-foot-6, 312 pounds, and has plenty of room to keep getting better. He could wind up starting out his NFL career at right tackle if he lands with the Packers.

2022 NFL mock draft: 27th pick

The Miami Dolphins had two first-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, two second-round picks, and a third-round pick.

Shockingly, none of those selections were spent on a running back.

It was almost put in Sharpie for the Dolphins to take Najee Harris with their second of two first-round picks in mock drafts, but the Dolphins didn’t take anyone until they selected Gerrid Doaks in the seventh round.

This Isaiah Spiller out of Texas A&M is a special back.

He’s got some of the quickest feet you will see, even seeing a ton of elite athletes at the running back position, and his acceleration is outstanding.

Spiller has already proven himself to be a dynamic pass-catching threat with 49 receptions in his first two seasons with the Aggies and he’s undoubtedly proven himself to be a stud as the bell cow back with 1,982 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns.

In the end, this could wind up being a hilariously low prediction for where Spiller will land in the 2022 NFL Draft.

2022 NFL mock draft: 28th pick

The Baltimore Ravens have a few aging veteran players on the defensive line in Derek Wolfe and Calais Campbell.

If the Ravens can keep those guys around for another year or two each, or even one of them, the 2022 NFL Draft will be the perfect time for them to bring another guy along who could really benefit from learning from those guys and playing alongside them.

Hutchinson was a hot mock draft pick a year ago in the 2021 circuit but wound up playing only two games.

In the 2019 season, Hutchinson was outstanding with 69 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and six pass breakups along with three forced fumbles.

Hutchinson has size, strength, length, and huge upside with his finishing ability.

We just need to see it more frequently.

I think as a base defensive end in the Ravens’ defense, he would be a tremendous fit and a nice value this late in the first round should he prove in 2021 that he can return to his 2019 form and stay healthy.

2022 NFL mock draft: 29th pick

I was all but certain the Buffalo Bills were going to take advantage of the drop of one of the top three running backs in the 2021 class — Najee Harris, Travis Etienne, or Javonte Williams — but they went to the trenches defensively instead.

The Bills have an outstanding roster and some good running backs in Devin Singletary and Zack Moss out there already, both players who combined for over 1,500 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns a season ago.

We’ll see what transpires in 2021, but the fact that the Bills do not have a “star” at the running back position among that duo leads me to believe that they might upgrade if given the opportunity to do so. They passed on Javonte Williams (Harris and Etienne were off the board) but they might not pass on Iowa State’s Breece Hall.

Hall has blossomed into one of the secret superstars of college football under Matt Campbell at Iowa State. As a side note, the Cyclones may have something special brewing in 2021…

https://twitter.com/CFBONFOX/status/1330276673695207427

Hall went absolutely bonkers to start the 2020 season with eight straight 100-yard games to open the year followed by games of 91 and 97 yards. He helped Iowa State to an upset win over the Oklahoma Sooners early on with 139 yards and two touchdowns.

At 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, Hall has impressive size and is an outstanding runner in terms of his vision, strength, contact balance, and burst.

2022 NFL mock draft: 30th pick

After going with Penei Sewell’s former teammate near the top of this 2022 NFL mock draft, the Detroit Lions look to the future a bit with Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec.

If the Lions are bad enough to finish with the second-worst record in the NFL this season (and that’s certainly possible), then there’s very little doubt that Jared Goff will have had at least something to do with it, whether it’s because he was hurt or didn’t play well enough.

While the Lion could always go quarterback at the top of their class, I think Goff gives them the flexibility to be patient.

Not overly patient, but in a quarterback class that has the potential this one does? Maybe.

Jurkovec is a guy that one of the top QB experts in the Country — Tim Jenkins — encouraged us to keep a closer eye on. He noted that Jurkovec runs a lot of pro-style concepts at Boston College, and with his top receiver Zay Flowers (another first-round candidate) coming back next season, there are bound to be some fireworks at BC between those two this season.

Jurkovec is a player with all of the tools you look for in terms of size, solid arm strength, and mobility. If he can put it all together for a big 2021 campaign, we might be laughing at some point that he was picked 30th overall in a 2022 mock draft scenario.

As another disclaimer, it’s very possible that not all of these quarterbacks go in the first round, but they all have a shot to get there over the course of the next year if they can show that growth on tape.

Jurkovec has as favorable of a situation as anyone going back to BC with a legitimate NFL wide receiver to get the ball to.

2022 NFL mock draft: 31st pick

Would any mock draft made these days be complete without a wide receiver from Alabama in it?

The Crimson Tide have produced four first-round receivers in the last two draft classes alone, and John Metchie is the obvious next in line.

In relief of the injured Jaylen Waddle last season, Metchie caught 55 passes for 916 yards, an average of 16.7 yards per reception and six touchdowns.

Although by comparison to DeVonta Smith those numbers seem rather pedestrian, Metchie’s impact on the field is anything but.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers obviously have a very good wide receiver corps at the moment with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, and rookie Jaelon Darden.

Godwin is playing the 2021 season on the franchise tag so he could potentially walk in free agency barring a long-term deal. The Bucs did a great job of covering some future bases in the 2021 NFL Draft with Joe Tryon off the edge and Kyle Trask at quarterback.

It makes sense that they might look to the draft for receiver help, especially if one or both of Godwin/Brown are no longer on the team beyond this season.

2022 NFL mock draft: 32nd pick

Even considering the Kansas City Chiefs are one of the best teams in the NFL and one of the most impressive rosters overall, I’d be willing to bet that most casual fans couldn’t name their entire starting secondary, or maybe even anyone beyond Tyrann Mathieu.

The Chiefs’ secondary is certainly not just a band of misfits. They have some real talent in addition to Mathieu with the likes of former second-round safety Juan Thornhill as well as a stud from the class of 2020 in L’Jarius Sneed, who became a foundation piece for the secondary after picking off three passes in just nine games last season, also adding two sacks and seven pass breakups.

The Chiefs also traded for former first-round pick Mike Hughes with the Vikings, and Hughes will have a shot to rehabilitate his career after struggling in Minnesota with injuries the past three seasons.

All of this to say, the Chiefs would probably jump at the opportunity to continue upgrading their defense with young talent like Alabama’s Josh Jobe, provided he doesn’t play himself way out of this slot over the course of the 2021 season.

That’s part of the beauty of these way-too-early mock draft scenarios — guys will pretty consistently play their way out of some of the slots we’re predicting, but for the time being, a player like Jobe if available to the Chiefs could make a lot of sense.

At 6-foot-1, 192 pounds, Jobe has tremendous size for the position and he was extremely productive for the Crimson Tide last season, racking up 55 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, and 11 passes broken up.