2022 NFL mock draft: Texans pass on QB in QB-heavy predictions

The paint has yet to completely dry with the 2021 NFL Draft, so why not throw another way-too-early 2022 NFL mock draft into the mix? NFL teams are in the true “off” season at this point with training camp only weeks away.

Although things are not 100 percent back to the “normal” we knew as of the 2019 NFL season, fans will be back at training camps across the country and filling up stadiums again in the 2021 season.

The 2022 NFL Draft is going to be a fascinating one, especially at the quarterback position. What ends up happening with star NFL players like Aaron Rodgers and Deshaun Watson could obviously have a direct impact on how the 2022 Draft ends up going.

No matter what happens with those guys, this class is shaping up to be a fun one at the quarterback position, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to see a run of QBs with the top three picks as we did in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Using the NFL Mock Draft Database simulator and draft order here’s an early look at the 2022 NFL Draft and, if nothing else, a look into some team needs and prospects to be keeping tabs on.

2022 NFL mock draft: 1st round predictions

It’s been quite the offseason for the Houston Texans. Really, looking back at the last 16-18 months, it’s just been a downright sad time to be a Houston Texans fan.

Houston has traded De’Andre Hopkins, let JJ Watt walk in free agency, fired head coach/GM Bill O’Brien, replaced him with Nick Caserio and David Culley, and their starting quarterback has both demanded a trade and found himself in potentially huge trouble with the law and league.

Houston has revamped its roster almost to the degree of an expansion franchise in the 2021 offseason.

Who knows what the direction of this team is, at this point?

Houston spent its top pick (a high third-round choice) in the 2021 NFL Draft on Stanford quarterback Davis Mills. Who knows how high they are on him as a QB of the future type, but they obviously liked Mills plenty to make him their top pick in this past draft.

If Houston doesn’t see a top overall pick at QB in this class, which they may not, they could go with a guy who is slowly gaining ‘consensus’ top overall player status in Kayvon Thibodeaux.

In his first 20 college games, Thibodeaux has 23.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks, and he’s getting after the QB.

Taking a shot on the QB position is a possibility here, for sure, but Thibodeaux might end up being too good to pass up on.

The Detroit Lions are looking for guys who will go after kneecaps if they need to do so.

At 6-foot-4, Hamilton is a long safety prospect with speed, instincts, range, versatility, and explosiveness to his game. All of those traits are coveted in today’s NFL, but none more so than versatility.

This is a guy who can play the high safety position for your defense and then come down into the box and deliver a game-changing hit.

It’s been tough sledding for the safety position in recent draft classes. The top safety off the board in the 2021 NFL Draft was Miami Dolphins second-round pick Jevon Holland.

Hamilton, when all is said and done, may be too freaky athletically and with his overall upside to pass up on for the Detroit Lions.

Safety is not exactly a position you put atop your priority list if you hold the second pick in the draft. I think Detroit would love to have Kayvon Thibodeaux sitting here if they are not taking a quarterback prospect with the second overall pick (which they could, of course).

The reality is, Detroit is not likely to move off of Jared Goff after one season, though finishing with the second-worst record in the league might make them a little more willing to eat the big dead money hit if they simply have no other choice.

There’s also the reality of Detroit being stuck between a rock and a hard place if they finish with this kind of record — the financial impact of cutting Goff weighed against the likelihood that he had at least something to do with the team playing this poorly.

At any rate, Detroit has a decent amount of picks, and they don’t have to be backed into the proverbial corner here at the QB position.

2022 NFL mock draft: 3rd pick

The Cincinnati Bengals put a bandage over the offensive line for the 2021 season.

They signed veteran offensive tackle Riley Reiff to bookend former first-round pick Jonah Williams. They also used a second-round pick on Clemson’s left tackle Jackson Carman, who is projected to kick inside to guard at the next level.

How things will all shake out remains to be seen, but there is no question that the Cincinnati Bengals have to do whatever it takes to protect Joe Burrow.

They were obviously not overly worried about Burrow getting hurt last year as they didn’t simply throw their top draft asset at the offensive line just for the sake of it. The Bengals went with a weapon in Ja’Marr Chase, and you can understand why they did it.

With that being said, the Bengals’ last two top picks Burrow and Chase will have to swallow their LSU pride and join forces with Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal here.

He has been a starter at guard and tackle for the Crimson Tide, and at 6-foot-7, 360 pounds, he’s a mountain of a man.

Whether the Bengals would be taking Neal here to play left tackle and kick Jonah Williams over to the right, or have him as the replacement for Riley Reiff in 2022 — it doesn’t matter.

I don’t think the Bengals will be bad enough to get this kind of pick, but they would probably love to add Neal.

2022 NFL mock draft: 4th pick

All told, the 2021 offseason has been pretty fantastic for the New York Jets.

The Adam Gase era is officially in the rearview, and new head coach Robert Saleh was arguably the top head coaching prospect in the 2021 circuit.

With his fiery personality and ability to get the best out of seemingly any crew of defenders put on the field for him, Saleh inherited a pretty poor roster when he first arrived with the Jets.

It would be inaccurate to say, roughly six months later, that the Jets now have a great-looking roster, but it looks a lot better than it did and should be actually quite exciting to watch if all of their young pieces can stay healthy.

The Jets’ roster rebuild in the 2021 offseason did not include much of an overhaul of the secondary, at least in terms of adding impact players with their prime free agency and draft assets.

That’s why, in this mock draft, they would undoubtedly be thrilled to land the top CB in the 2022 NFL Draft class — at least right now — in LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr.

Stingley had a bit of a down year in 2020 but was outstanding in 2019, arguably the best cornerback in the entire country as a true freshman for the Tigers.

He was a consensus All-American in 2019 after picking off six passes with 15 more passes broken up.

The Jacksonville Jaguars made one of the boldest moves in the NFL in the 2021 offseason, bringing longtime college football head coach Urban Meyer out of retirement to see if he could turn around their program.

The big draw for Urban Meyer?

Trevor Lawrence.

Meyer had the opportunity to make the number one overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and in addition to bringing in Lawrence, Meyer got to pair him up with his old college backfield mate Travis Etienne.

The additions of Lawrence and Etienne at the top of the Jaguars’ 2021 NFL Draft class were merely foundation pieces for this team’s continuing rebuild.

General manager Trent Baalke has a number of intriguing pieces already to work with on both sides of the ball, but where the Jacksonville Jaguars could be truly lacking going into the 2021 season is in the trenches.

DeMarvin Leal may just be the best prospect on an absolutely loaded Texas A&M roster heading into the 2021 college football season.

Leal’s run-stuffing ability is clearly there, but there’s room for growth as a pass rusher. If he can show big improvements in that area then the top five is definitely not out of the question.

With his combination of size, quickness, and versatility on the defensive line, a breakout season would have Leal firmly in the conversation to be one of the top defensive players off the board.

2022 NFL mock draft: 6th pick

The shocking wait for a quarterback to finally come off the board is over.

The Philadelphia Eagles are heading into the 2021 season with Jalen Hurts and Joe Flacco as their top options at the quarterback position.

Hurts is going to have to do a lot to prove himself worthy of getting another season as the starter in Philly without a replacement option coming in.

Spencer Rattler is considered the potential QB1 of this 2022 NFL Draft class, right there along with North Carolina’s Sam Howell.

Rattler may not be as proven just yet in terms of his on-field production, but the proof of him being a QB1 caliber player is all in the tape.

Rattler is a playmaker at the quarterback position with a big arm, athleticism, and natural instincts.

In his first season as a starter for Oklahoma, Rattler completed nearly 68 percent of his passes with over 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns in 11 games. He also added six rushing touchdowns.

There will be a lot of attention on Rattler this year, and rightfully so. He could be the third Oklahoma quarterback since 2018 (Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray) to go first overall in the Draft.

If the Eagles are picking 6th overall in the 2022 Draft, there’s no doubt that Jalen Hurts would have had something to do with that. If this opportunity presented itself, I don’t think the Eagles would pass on Rattler — or at least, QB — here.

2022 NFL mock draft: 7th pick

Give Atlanta Falcons rookie general manager Terry Fontenot credit — he has had to make some brutally tough decisions in the 2021 offseason.

Fontenot made the decision to push a bunch of Matt Ryan’s money into the future, almost tying his hands when it comes to keeping the veteran quarterback right where he is at.

This move undoubtedly caused Atlanta to be “out” on the 2021 quarterback class despite the fact that they were picking fourth overall. Atlanta could have taken a hometown player in Justin Fields, but they passed.

Fontenot also made the tough decision to trade Julio Jones after making Kyle Pitts the highest-selected tight end in the history of the draft.

Those difficult decisions for Fontenot have all led to a very odd offseason in general where the Falcons made a puzzling combination of rebuilding moves and win-now moves.

Although it remains uncertain whether the Falcons are rebuilding or not, this is a team that has some serious needs off the edge and in the pass rush department.

George Karlaftis is a relentless pass rusher for Purdue who, in 14 collegiate games, has 58 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, and had a whopping 55 QB pressures in his freshman season in 2019.

2022 NFL mock draft: 8th pick

Ever since the Las Vegas Raiders hired Jon Gruden as their head coach in 2018, people have been looking for reasons to replace Derek Carr at the quarterback position.

Although Carr may not be in the “elite” tier at the quarterback position, he’s a really solid player and the Raiders have simply failed to hit on free agent, trade, and draft acquisitions to assemble the roster around him.

With that being said, finishing with the 8th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft — if that were to happen — would almost certainly spell doom for Carr with the Raiders. You can only give a guy so many chances to lead you to the promised land, and the Raiders have stuck with Carr for quite some time.

If the Raiders finish with this high of a pick, a major change could be coming not only at quarterback, but we might see some changes from the top down including GM Mike Mayock.

Malik Willis would represent a pretty drastic stylistic difference from Derek Carr, a pure pocket passer. Willis is an outstanding dual-threat, arguably the best in all of college football.

The former Auburn transfer had 20 passing TDs and 14 rushing TDs in his first year as the full-time starter at Liberty.

The tools are all there for him to be a successful starter at the next level, including a rocket launcher for a right arm.

The Raiders have to deal with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert twice a year now, so getting a playmaker like this could really keep them in contention in the AFC West.

2022 NFL mock draft: 9th pick

The New York Giants have been understandably bullish on Daniel Jones. He was the 6th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft which hasn’t exactly turned out to be the greatest QB class in recent memory.

General manager Dave Gettleman acquired some valuable 2022 NFL Draft assets and if the Giants are picking in the top 10 again next year?

Well, you would have to think — as stated with other QB selections early on in this mock draft — that the QB would have something significant to do with that.

If that’s the case, the Giants would probably be thrilled here to get Sam Howell as the QB3 of this draft class.

Could that actually happen?

Far crazier things happened, there’s no doubt about that.

Howell is a fine quarterback prospect who brings back memories of Baker Mayfield at Oklahoma.

Howell has 68 passing touchdowns compared to just 14 interceptions in his first two seasons with the Tar Heels and he’s understandably considered a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy in the 2021 college football campaign.

Especially under pressure, Howell has been a stud.

It’s not hard to see Howell’s potential path to being the QB1 of this draft class. For this exercise, he lands with the New York Giants, picking in the top 10 (again) and moving on from Daniel Jones.

2022 NFL mock draft: 10th pick

The Carolina Panthers have gone defense with each of their top picks in the first two seasons with Matt Rhule as the head coach.

Although Rhule is not the general manager, it’s clear that this team is trying to build a tough, smart, physical identity defensively.

Derrick Brown was the top selection for the Panthers in the 2020 NFL Draft and the Panthers spent their entire 2020 draft class on that side of the ball.

In 2021, Carolina went with Jaycee Horn, a local product out of South Carolina who brings size, speed, and attitude to the cornerback position.

Between Brown, Horn, and budding star Jeremy Chinn, there are some interesting pieces in place in Carolina. Why not add another?

Christian Harris is the next man up for the Alabama Crimson Tide at the linebacker position and has already proven, in two short seasons, that he can load up the stat sheet.

In 2020, Harris had 79 total tackles with 7.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and an interception.

He would add a presence to the middle of Carolina’s revamped defense on all three downs. Although there may be an opportunity here to further support Sam Darnold (should the Panthers stick with him for another year), continuing to build on what they started in 2019 makes sense given the value Harris presents.

2022 NFL mock draft: 11th pick

With two picks in the top 11, the New York Giants could be slated to do some significant damage.

The Chicago Bears owe the Giants a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft thanks to their trade to move up in the 2021 NFL Draft for Justin Fields.

The Giants already replaced Daniel Jones in this mock draft, so here, they get a potential star off the edge to pair with Azeez Ojulari.

The Giants’ pass rush off the edge has not been where you want it to be, to put that as nicely as possible.

They lost their top edge rusher in free agency in 2021. That top edge rusher was Kyler Fackrell, who had just 4.0 sacks in 2020.

The addition of Azeez Ojulari will undoubtedly be a big help for the Giants at edge, but they are going to need more reinforcements in short order.

Drake Jackson has played 17 games at USC and has 17 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, and a load of pressures on top of those numbers.

He’s got an uncanny ability to create pressure and disrupt the passing game whether he’s sacking the quarterback, pressuring the quarterback, or batting the ball down at the line of scrimmage.

In this scenario, he pairs as a bookend to Azeez Ojulari.

2022 NFL mock draft: 12th pick

Of all of the potential team/pick slots in this projection, it’s extremely difficult to see the Arizona Cardinals being bad enough to pick 12th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Arizona has done quite a bit over the last few years to get the roster to a point where they could legitimately contend for a title. No roster is perfect, including Arizona’s but there are some big-time pieces in place for this team to make a run.

With that being said, it’s hard to see them picking this high so if they are, you would have to think some kind of injury contributed to it.

If they are picking this high, the Cardinals’ roster needs to be revamped in the secondary pretty substantially.

They have been bringing in veteran players to at least have a competent starting unit out there, but there is no question that they need to add an infusion of youth and talent.

Isaiah Simmons can play all over the defensive formation, sure. Zaven Collins is also a model of versatility at the linebacker spot and both Budda Baker and Byron Murphy give you weapons that can move around spots.

Kaiir Elam would be a solid CB1 type of prospect for the Cardinals here at this spot. The 6-foot-2 corner has four interceptions and 15 passes broken up in his first two seasons with the Gators, and he looks like he will be the next in a long line of stellar DBs to come from this program.

2022 NFL mock draft: 13th pick

In my last mock draft scenario, I played around with a scenario where maybe Slovis didn’t take that next step that NFL teams would like to see.

After Mac Jones went 15th overall to New England, though, you have to wonder what Slovis’ floor might actually be.

Washington made no other substantial moves at the quarterback position in 2021 besides adding grizzled veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. They cut former first-round pick Dwayne Haskins last year and took a massive “L” like a painful pill going down the gullet.

Even without Haskins in the future plans, Washington’s future seems bright. Fitzpatrick would have to prove to be really reckless with the football for them to finish 13th overall in next year’s draft. The defense is simply going to be too good.

With that said, if they finish here, they are within range for a couple of intriguing quarterback prospects and Slovis is one of them.

Watching Slovis late in his true freshman season in a bowl game against a tough Iowa defense, you couldn’t help but think about his NFL potential early on.

In 18 games for the Trojans, he’s got 47 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions. He’s got to cut down on some bad decisions with the football, but Slovis has the talent to be a top-tier QB prospect in the class of 2022 and Washington gets him here as QB4.

2022 NFL mock draft: 14th pick

I guess time really flies when you’re having fun. It feels like it was just yesterday we were talking about Adam Thielen being a breakout player for the Vikings, and projecting toward the 2022 NFL Draft, he will already be entering his age 32 season.

The Minnesota Vikings seemingly have bigger fish to fry at the moment than at the wide receiver position where Justin Jefferson just made a really strong case for a rookie of the year award in 2020.

With that said, Chris Olave would both be too good of a value to pass up on at this point and probably just too enticing to pair up with Justin Jefferson to pass, either.

Olave may not be on this same level exactly, but you get a hint of Jerry Jeudy when you watch him run routes.

Olave is pretty much always open.

I don’t know what the future holds for the Minnesota Vikings at the quarterback position, but the possibility of a receiver duo for the foreseeable future of Jefferson and Olave is very exciting.

Add in the other weapons Minnesota has in Dalvin Cook and Irv Smith Jr., and this would be one of the more dynamic young offensive core skill groups in the league if this selection comes to pass.

2022 NFL mock draft: 15th pick

The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line group is probably not helping Ben Roethlisberger sleep at night for the time being.

The only starter returning from last season is injury replacement Chuks Okorafor. Other than that, it’s a completely overhauled and revamped line for the Steelers in 2021, which means a year of evaluation.

That also means that the offensive line should be firmly on Pittsburgh’s radar for the 2022 NFL Draft, and there are some people who would say Zion Nelson at pick number 15 overall is a highway robbery.

At 6-foot-5, 316 pounds, Nelson has an NFL-ready frame and the only question at this point is if he can improve his core strength and set a strong enough base to really keep pass rushers at bay consistently.

Nelson’s sacks allowed stats may be impressive, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have some whiffs against pass rushers. He’s got to work on getting his hands on guys inside the shoulder pads and using that length to its fullest potential.

He projects at the next level to right or left tackle, so whatever the Steelers would envision here would work.

If Pittsburgh finishes this bad, by the way? We may not see Ben Roethlisberger beyond the 2021 season.

2022 NFL mock draft: 16th pick

I recently did a piece on Matt Corral and it seems like a little bit of preseason steam is building for him.

Let’s start, though, by talking about this from the Denver Broncos‘ perspective.

Drew Lock did not perform to the level the Denver Broncos need him to in 2020. He turned the ball over way too much, his completion percentage was way too low, and his decision-making was generally suspect. With that being said, Lock’s season was a true rollercoaster ride.

The hype for the Denver Broncos going into last season was pretty huge considering all of the weapons they added to the offense. With no real offseason to speak of, chemistry in new offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur’s offense was virtually non-existent.

Lock was injured early in the season, as was wide receiver Courtland Sutton. Even though Lock returned shortly after his injury, Sutton missed the entire year and the Broncos struggled offensively.

Over the final five or six games of the season, it seemed the offense had hit somewhat of a stride. Lock showed improvements from what we’d seen early in the season, but will those carry over into 2021?

With Aaron Rodgers rumors still swirling, Teddy Bridgewater is in Denver to compete for Drew Lock’s job.

Picking 16th overall would mean that the Broncos missed the playoffs, and that either Lock or Bridgewater or both had something to do with it.

Missing the playoffs will likely result in people losing jobs in Denver, possibly head coach Vic Fangio and more likely than not the quarterback position would be overhauled.

Enter Matt Corral, who could be the 2022 NFL Draft version of Zach Wilson.

Corral made one big play after another last season for Ole Miss, an offense that loves to push the ball vertical, but he — like Drew Lock, maybe not to the same degree — needs to work on decision-making at times.

There’s huge upside there and just like with Zach Wilson, Corral could really break out this season and show that he’s ready for the NFL. That’s certainly a hefty if, but it’s definitely not impossible.

Even if this is projecting some, you can see how the Broncos would arrive at this decision if new GM George Paton does not acquire Aaron Rodgers.

2022 NFL mock draft: 17th pick

Although the Los Angeles Chargers were able to replace Hunter Henry in free agency with another veteran in Jared Cook, the tight end position is one they are going to want to address after filling some gaps on the offensive line in the 2021 offseason.

The Chargers did pick up Tre’ McKitty in the 2021 NFL Draft, and they are high on the 6-foot-8 weapon Donald Parham who averaged nearly 16 yards per catch last season.

Even considering the players already on the roster, the Chargers feel like a good landing spot for Texas A&M star tight end Jalen Wydermyer.

Wydermyer has 12 touchdowns in his first 22 games at Texas A&M and is just a special all-around talent at the position.

He will have a tough time holding onto the TE1 title with Jeremy Ruckert of Ohio State and Trey McBride of Colorado State close behind, but Wydermyer is really the total package at the position and an absolute load when he gets a full head of steam.

The Chargers need to do everything possible to continue surrounding 2020 rookie of the year Justin Herbert with talent all around him.

If they can get a playmaker like this at tight end, Herbert will have a dynamic group of skill players to get the ball to.

2022 NFL mock draft: 18th pick

Bill Belichick did not take kindly to his team missing the playoffs in 2020.

A 7-9 finish was made worse by the fact that Tom Brady, whom the Patriots let walk in free agency, went to Tampa Bay and won a Super Bowl in his first season with the team.

As a result of that, the Patriots did things they have literally never done in the Bill Belichick era.

They backed up the Brinks truck and spent more money in free agency than any other single offseason in franchise history.

They used a first-round pick on quarterback Mac Jones, a player many felt was a lock to go on day two or even later because of an apparent lack of athleticism compared to his peers in the 2021 class.

The Patriots are moving forward from the 2020 season, which was essentially a trial year in the post-Tom Brady era. New England saved cash for the 2021 free agency period. They sat in the weeds ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft and stayed in their 15th overall slot to get Mac Jones.

In the 2022 NFL Draft, they get him a familiar weapon.

The Patriots-Alabama connection is a strong one and John Metchie is the next receiver at Alabama who is going to make some big waves.

Like Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, Jaylen Waddle, and Heisman winner DeVonta Smith before him, Metchie is a first-round talent who had an awesome season in relief of the injured Waddle last season.

Metchie caught 55 passes for 916 yards and six touchdowns and will enter the 2021 season as Alabama’s WR1 with talented sophomore QB Bryce Young throwing him passes.

2022 NFL mock draft: 19th pick

Anytime you have a first-round quarterback, you’ve got to look at the guys he was throwing to.

When you watch Justin Fields play, as impressive as he is, it’s impossible not to notice wide receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson.

Olave is certainly the more heavily hyped player at this point, and deservedly so. But Wilson is an outstanding prospect in his own right and would give the New Orleans Saints a much-needed secondary option opposite Michael Thomas.

Right now, who is playing receiver for the Saints besides Thomas? Tre’Quan Smith is a free agent after this season, and the depth is rather thin.

The Saints already don’t have a ton of weapons for Jameis Winston to get the ball to, but that wide receiver unit may need to be revamped a bit in 2022.

Garrett Wilson has outstanding quickness and leaping ability, and despite being barely 6-foot-1, he’s often the winner at the catch point in 50-50 situations.

It wasn’t like Justin Fields was out there heaving up Hail Mary’s all the time, by any stretch, but Wilson and Olave made some outstanding plays on the ball downfield with their combination of concentration and body control.

2022 NFL mock draft: 20th pick

Make no mistake about it — although the Philadelphia Eagles won a Super Bowl in recent years with a seemingly young and promising core, this team is rebuilding.

The departure in the 2021 offseason of former franchise QB Carson Wentz along with head coach Doug Pederson was a clear signal-fire that this team is throwing in the towel on trying to keep the Super Bowl band together.

The Eagles ripped off the Band-Aid and now have to reset.

With Spencer Rattler coming in this mock draft scenario, along with another pick coming up from the Colts in the Carson Wentz trade, the Eagles continue emphasizing positional value.

Zach Harrison may not last to the 20th pick when the actual 2022 NFL Draft rolls around. The Ohio State program has pretty consistently churned out really good pass rush prospects, and Harrison should just be the next in line.

The former five-star prospect (who isn’t these days at Ohio State?) is listed at 6-foot-6, 265 pounds. Physically, he’s as impressive as it gets and he can bend the law of gravity with the way he bends around the edge.

At this point, he’s only got 5.5 sacks in 20 college games. That’s a deep rotation there at Ohio State, though, and Odafe Oweh was just a first-round pick with 7.0 sacks in 19 games at Penn State.

2022 NFL mock draft: 21st pick

The Dallas Cowboys made it a point to upgrade the defensive side of the ball in the 2021 offseason.

Primarily utilizing the NFL Draft after investing heavily on offense with players like Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, and Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys brought in Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons and Kentucky cornerback Kelvin Joseph to boost one of the league’s worst defenses a season ago.

Bubba Bolden is a big-bodied safety prospect who would fit the Dan Quinn mold pretty perfectly.

At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Bolden is not exactly a “clone” of Kam Chancellor but you get the idea.

Dan Quinn earned his first head coaching gig by calling plays for the Seattle Seahawks during the prime Legion of Boom years. It’s going to take some time for this Dallas unit to even think about catching up to that, but one piece at a time.

Bolden had a big season for Miami in 2020 with 74 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, a sack, an interception, three passes defensed, and four forced fumbles.

Bolden is a read and diagnose safety who plays instinctively and aggressively. He would be a nice fit with the other young pieces in the Cowboys’ secondary.

2022 NFL mock draft: 22nd pick

Just to reiterate, it’s been a good offseason for the New York Jets.

Hiring Robert Saleh was a huge coup for New York especially following the Adam Gase era. We’ll let Saleh coach a game first but that hire has really great potential.

The hire of Saleh would have meant absolutely nothing had the Jets not gone out and improved the roster. They got one of the hottest players in all of college football last season, BYU quarterback Zach Wilson. They also landed former USC guard/tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker to pair on the left side of their line with Mekhi Becton.

Between Becton, Vera-Tucker, and center Connor McGovern the Jets have some of the strongest guys in the NFL anchoring their offensive line.

The addition of Morgan Moses at the right tackle position gives New York a tremendously improved offensive line in general, so getting a player like Charles Cross to come in and bookend Becton for the future would be a wise investment, even if they end up keeping Moses beyond just this year.

Cross has the foot quickness to match speed and set his base, and he has a ton of upside in general thanks to his athleticism.

If Cross is going to declare for the 2022 NFL Draft, he will have to do it with just two years under his belt in college. This is a huge projection for him right now because he’s only played 10 college games, but the traits are all there, to be certain.

2022 NFL mock draft: 23rd pick

The Tennessee Titans used their top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley, so would they really go back-to-back cornerbacks?

That’s very much a possibility.

Even if you assume that Farley stays healthy and becomes a CB1 type like he certainly can, the Titans said goodbye in 2021 to Malcolm Butler and former first-round pick Adoree Jackson at the cornerback position.

They obviously are hoping that Kristian Fulton can develop into something here, but Fulton only played six games last season.

It seems like Ohio State has at least one guy every year who looks like a possible CB1 or CB2 at the next level and Sevyn Banks has that kind of potential.

There is some projecting being done here, of course. Ohio State has certainly been a DB factory for the NFL but pundits and analysts were burned a year ago for putting Shaun Wade in similar spots in their mock drafts.

Banks is going to have to go out there and prove that he is worthy of a top-25 selection with some inconsistency in his first season as a starter, but at a rocked up 6-1, 200 pounds, Banks can be a weapon inside or outside.

2022 NFL mock draft: 24th pick

With six interceptions in his first 20 college games, many are wanting more “Sauce”.

Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner has the potential to be one of the top defensive backs off the board in the 2022 NFL Draft if he continues to show the type of playmaking abilities we’ve seen from him in two seasons for the Cincinnati Bearcats.

A first-team All-American pick in 2019, Gardner has the type of size and length that NFL teams covet at the cornerback position.

The Philadelphia Eagles cap off their big first round — including three picks total — by adding the talented defensive back to a class that also includes Spencer Rattler and Zach Harrison.

Right now, the Eagles are legitimately looking at fourth-round pick Zech McPhearson potentially starting for them opposite Darius Slay in 2021.

McPhearson could turn out to be an absolute stud and mainstay at that CB2 spot, or he might not.

Even if he is, the Eagles might like the option of someone like Gardner here late in the first round with Darius Slay going into his age 31 season in 2022.

The future at the cornerback position has to be addressed by the Eagles sooner rather than later, and Gardner would be a fun option here.

2022 NFL mock draft: 25th pick

The Cleveland Browns already have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, and they have assembled it in a pretty unique way.

Jedrick Wills was the team’s first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and he moved from his position of right tackle at Alabama to left tackle in the pros.

It’s safe to say he’s going to be just fine there.

At left guard, Joel Bitonio has proven to be a mainstay.

At right guard, the Browns made a shrewd trade to buy low on Wyatt Teller, a fifth-round pick in 2018 by the Buffalo Bills who was obviously given up on a bit too soon.

At right tackle, big-money free agent Jack Conklin was exactly what the doctor ordered for the Browns to achieve balance on the line.

At center JC Tretter is no slouch, but the 2021 season could be his final one in Cleveland. Cleveland can free up a bunch of cap space by letting go of Tretter following this season, and if they were able to get Tyler Linderbaum?

They might do it excitedly.

Linderbaum may have been the top interior offensive lineman in the class of 2021 had he declared his intent, but he’s going back to Iowa for at least another season.

He plays smart, fast, and physical, and he would be able to step into the Browns’ offense with relative ease given how many NFL concepts Iowa utilizes.

2022 NFL mock draft: 26th pick

All eyes will be on the Green Bay Packers in the coming weeks as it relates to quarterback and league MVP Aaron Rodgers.

Whether or not the Packers decide they are going to trade Aaron Rodgers, they are going to be needing to add more at the wide receiver position.

Frankly, one of the most stunning statistics you will ever see is the fact that Rodgers has thrown a touchdown pass to just one first-round draft pick in his entire career, that player being reserve tight end Marcedes Lewis.

It’s not that the Packers have had bad play at the wide receiver position. Davante Adams has done pretty well for himself as a non-first-round pick.

Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb did pretty well for themselves. James Jones did pretty well for himself.

Other players have come into Green Bay and done well, but obviously, the fact that the Packers have never put a first-round receiver around Rodgers is a little shocking.

Treylon Burks would be effective no matter if he was joining the Rodgers-led Packers or the Jordan Love-led Packers. You can get him the ball just about any way and he’s going to make a play.

He had a major breakout season in 2020 with seven touchdowns and over 16 yards per reception. He also added 75 rushing yards but I’m not sure Arkansas is going to have him throwing too many passes in 2021 as he threw four in 2020 and two were picked off.

Still, this is a guy who could be Matt LaFleur’s version of a Deebo Samuel, a big YAC player NFL teams are eager to duplicate for their offenses.

2022 NFL mock draft: 27th pick

The Miami Dolphins were jumped by the Denver Broncos in the 2021 NFL Draft for North Carolina running back Javonte Williams.

Considering they were predicted in mock drafts all throughout the 2021 offseason to take a running back fairly high, it was surprising when the Dolphins decided they were going to pass on running backs almost altogether in this class and go different directions.

That’s just how the board fell, apparently.

In this mock draft, the Dolphins take the first running back off the board in Breece Hall, the guy who was stealing almost every carry from one of the freakiest athletes in all of college football, Vikings fourth-round pick Kene Nwangwu.

Hall runs with great patience and vision, but his burst and acceleration are tremendous.

In two seasons as the Cyclones’ featured back, Hall has 33 total touchdowns and 46 receptions, proving he’s not just a plodding, ball-dominant bell-cow. He’s a three-down stud and his game translates really well to the next level.

The Miami Dolphins’ depth chart at the running back position may not be the worst in the NFL, but there would be room for Breece Hall even like, literally, today.

2022 NFL mock draft: 28th pick

There’s no doubt that the Baltimore Ravens have an established identity as a running team.

Since Lamar Jackson took over as the team’s full-time starter at QB, the Ravens have been one of the NFL’s most dangerous teams running the football and have run for over 3,000 yards as a team in consecutive seasons.

That has, of course, ranked 1st in the NFL, but the Ravens were also 2nd in the NFL in rushing in Jackson’s rookie 2018 season.

Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins split carries last season and combined for 15 touchdowns on the ground as well as over 1,500 yards. Those guys are certainly productive but do they have the star power of a guy like Isaiah Spiller.

At 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, Spiller has the look of a featured back at the next level. He has the production to back it up, too.

He’s run for nearly 2,000 yards in his first two seasons at Texas A&M with 19 touchdowns and an average of 5.5 yards per carry.

Despite his size, Spiller is definitely a home run hitting type of running back and should be able to establish himself as a possible RB1 candidate in the class of 2022.

The Buffalo Bills have really emphasized the trenches the past couple of years, and that theme continues here.

In the 2019 NFL Draft, Buffalo’s top two picks were defensive tackle Ed Oliver and offensive lineman Cody Ford.

Atop the 2020 NFL Draft, the Bills took defensive end AJ Epenesa.

They really loaded up in the 2021 NFL Draft with defensive linemen Gregory Rousseau and Carlos Basham Jr. as their top picks as well as offensive tackles Spencer Brown and Tommy Doyle with their next two selections.

It’s clear that upgrading in the trenches and getting key foundation pieces there is important to Buffalo lately, and Kenyon Green is a continuation of that.

An All-American for the Aggies in 2020, Green is the final player from the Texas A&M program selected in this first-round mock draft, but what a class!

Green is listed at 6-foot-4, 325 pounds, and he looks every bit of it.

He would be able to slide in for the Buffalo Bills at the left guard position and help them solidify that line for the foreseeable future.

The Detroit Lions started off this mock draft scenario passing on the quarterback position, but this is a dart throw I don’t think GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell could pass on here.

Desmond Ridder is one of the most exciting players in college football at the quarterback position.

The true definition of dual-threat, Ridder has a big arm and was one of the nation’s leaders in 2020 with 12 rushing touchdowns at the quarterback position.

Ridder’s inconsistency with accuracy could lead to a slide down the draft board, though I’m personally prepared for him to go either way. He makes some throws where you wonder if he might be considered a top-10 pick when all is said and done.

Given his size at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, and combination of arm talent and flat-out speed at the QB position, this would be a great pick for Detroit which will have at least one more season of Jared Goff in this case.

If the Lions are so bad to get the 2nd overall pick in the draft, Goff will definitely have something to do with that.

Just to reiterate that.

If Ridder is available to Detroit with this pick acquired by the Rams, they would be silly not to consider that.

This scenario presents Detroit with a high-upside dual-threat option and a guy that NFL coaches and execs are probably going to fall in love with as a person.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are apparently not favored to repeat as Super Bowl champions again this season despite bringing back pretty much every player from last year’s team.

I’m not so sure they shouldn’t be 32nd on every mock draft until proven otherwise, but that’s an argument for another post. We didn’t pick the order.

The Bucs’ roster is an impressive combination of future Hall of Famers as well as young, up-and-coming stars in the league.

Where does this team lack for the future? They certainly don’t have many pressing areas of need right now, but wide receiver could be a need beyond this season.

Mike Evans, a model of consistency, is shockingly still just 27 years old at the time this is being written. Chris Godwin is a free agent after the season but you have to think the Bucs will find a way to bring him back.

Even so, this team is going to utilize a lot of 3WR sets, and a player like George Pickens is a fun dart throw here. It will be interesting to see if he actually comes back to play this season after getting hurt in the offseason, but there’s no doubt about what this guy can do when he is healthy.

In two seasons, he has 85 receptions and 14 of those have gone for touchdowns. His combination of size, length, long speed, and playmaking ability at the catch point all scream WR1 to me.

The Kansas City Chiefs have proven to be more than willing to take on character risks. Is that really what Derion Kendrick is?

He was dismissed from the Clemson program, which is certainly a red flag. With that being said, Kendrick has stated that he was preoccupied with his son who was in the hospital, preventing him from getting the football work in that he needed to.

Whether it was something deeper or not, Kendrick’s dismissal from the Clemson football team and his explanation as to exactly why that happened was good enough for Kirby Smart and the Georgia football program.

Smart is a defensive backs guy, and he just put a few really good ones into the NFL in first-round pick Eric Stokes (Packers), second-round pick Tyson Campbell (Jaguars), and fifth-round pick Richard LeCounte (Browns).

Kendrick has some issues he needs to get fixed on the field and he’s in a pretty great spot to do that.

He was considered one of the top wide receiver prospects in the country coming out of high school, and if Kendrick can figure out how to make everything click as a defensive back, he’s going to be scary good at the next level.