2022 NFL mock draft: Jaguars take OL at 1, Falcons, Texans get QBs

The Jaguars get some much-needed protection for Trevor Lawrence with the top pick before the Falcons and Texans take QBs early in this 2022 NFL mock draft.

Four weeks of the 2021 NFL season have blown by, and some fan bases are already keeping one eye on the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are no less dysfunctional than they were a year ago at this time, but at least they now have Trevor Lawrence. How much longer will they put up with Urban Meyer, though?

Other teams that passed on quarterbacks early in the 2021 NFL Draft may be kicking themselves early in the season.

The Atlanta Falcons look like they will need a reset in the 2022 offseason and it’s less obvious by the week why the Detroit Lions didn’t use their first-round pick on a player like Justin Fields or Mac Jones.

Big trades for veteran players like Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, and Deshaun Watson could blow up 2022 NFL mock draft scenarios but we’re going to take a look at how things could play out after four weeks of the NFL season.

Note: The results of the Thursday Night Football game between the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams were not factored into the mock draft order.

2022 NFL mock draft: Evan Neal to protect Trevor Lawrence with Jaguars?

The Jacksonville Jaguars have to do whatever they can possibly do to support their investment in Trevor Lawrence.

Ultimately, I think that will mean moving on from Urban Meyer and going after a legitimate head coaching prospect with long-term potential who would work directly with Lawrence.

Kellen Moore, Brian Daboll, and Joe Brady are just a few names that come immediately to mind.

The Jaguars can’t mess around with an experiment like Urban Meyer, one that is already yielding ugly results.

The offensive line in Jacksonville also can’t be a reason why Lawrence’s career doesn’t take off.

Evan Neal is one of the most ridiculously talented and athletic players in the country regardless of position, and certainly pound-for-pound.

He’s been absolutely dominant in the early goings of the 2021 season, as advertised, and someone that could easily contend as a non-quarterback first overall pick, especially in this kind of circumstance.

2022 NFL mock draft: Kayvon Thibodeaux joins Penei Sewell with Lions

The Detroit Lions are coming for kneecaps.

In the 2021 NFL Draft, they went after Oregon’s Penei Sewell with their first-round pick.

Again, they passed on the chance to draft a player like Justin Fields or Mac Jones as they reset the roster, front office, and coaching staff. Although it was somewhat understandable, they passed on the chance to get one of the young QBs in this draft and they also didn’t get enough in return for Matthew Stafford in a trade with the Rams.

All of that aside, Dan Campbell’s team has shown some impressive toughness and fortitude in the early goings of the 2021 season, even without the great results.

They gave the Baltimore Ravens all they could handle and had them within a 66-yard field goal of defeat.

After adding Penei Sewell in 2021, they get a guy here in this 2022 NFL mock draft scenario who probably had a lot of fun battles in practice with him.

Kayvon Thibodeaux is a potential first overall pick candidate for a variety of teams, and he is an absolute menace off the edge.

He can win with a combination of length, speed, bend, and power.

When he gets to the quarterback, he comes with force.

I think he has the type of mentality a team like the Lions will want to invest in and he has the chance to be a real game wrecker at the next level.

2022 NFL mock draft: Derek Stingley a CB1 for Robert Saleh’s Jets

The New York Jets struck gold with the hiring of head coach Robert Saleh, who got his first win as a head coach in week four of the season against the Tennessee Titans.

Saleh has done a great job of getting his players to outplay their hype or draft status for a long time now, and it’s a big reason to believe in his ability to quickly change the culture with the Jets.

New York has a pretty makeshift group of cornerbacks right now, although they are also among the players who are outplaying their draft status. Specifically, rookie Michael Carter has been tremendous for Saleh.

Still, the cornerback position remains an area of need for this Jets team and even with a recent foot injury, Derek Stingley Jr. is probably the top player available at that position come time for the 2022 NFL Draft.

Stingley was as shut-down as it gets in the 2019 season for LSU, took a bit of a step back in 2020, and was looking back to form in 2021 prior to his injury.

Stingley would be a big-time addition for the Jets and is someone that could help them become a top-flight defense under Saleh in short order.

2022 NFL mock draft: Kyle Hamilton is one of three Eagles 1st round picks

The Philadelphia Eagles are going to be in a very interesting spot when it comes time for the 2022 NFL Draft.

It will be really intriguing to see what the team thinks of Jalen Hurts, who has been given the keys to the car in 2021 and appears to be getting a fair shot at proving he can be the team’s starting quarterback beyond this season.

If the Eagles finish with a bad record (they are currently 1-3), it stands to reason this team will be in the market for a quarterback.

We might even get to see them put Gardner Minshew in at some point.

In this 2022 NFL mock draft scenario, the Eagles have three selections, one of which is a conditional pick coming from the Indianapolis Colts. We’ll see how that situation plays out but it feels more likely the Eagles will only get a second-round pick from the Eagles if things continue to go this far south for the Colts.

For the time being, the pick coming from the Colts looks like a great one. With it, the Eagles take arguably the best player in the entire draft, Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton.

Hamilton has ridiculous range and instincts and is capable of playing all over the defensive formation. As a safety, he’s extremely valuable as he can play deep, he can play in the box, and he can create turnovers no matter where he’s lined up.

2022 NFL mock draft: Falcons make Malik Willis QB1

The Atlanta Falcons passed on quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft, which wasn’t altogether surprising considering Matt Ryan’s contract with the team.

Still, with a new head coach and general manager, why not reset?

At any rate, they didn’t.

Head coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot chose Kyle Pitts instead, a big-time playmaker on offense who should develop into a star in no time.

If the Falcons don’t start winning games, however, there will be some massive changes made in the 2022 offseason, perhaps starting with the quarterback position.

Malik Willis has been one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country over the last two seasons and he’s off to a hot start in 2021 as well.

Through five games, he’s completed 71 percent of his passes for over 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns, also adding six touchdowns and over 400 rushing yards on the ground.

Willis is as dynamic as it gets and with a creative offensive coordinator, he could have tremendous early success in the NFL.

2022 NFL mock draft: Matt Corral replaces Deshaun Watson for Texans

The Houston Texans are a flat-out mess.

What are the core building blocks for this team moving forward?

The Texans didn’t have a first- or second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and their top pick in round three was a dart throw on Stanford quarterback Davis Mills. It’s way too early to know what will come of his NFL career, but it’s impossible to think the Texans would pass on upgrades at the top of the 2022 NFL Draft if given the chance.

Shockingly, Houston went out and won a game in the first four weeks of the 2021 season.

The Deshaun Watson situation has handcuffed the organization in a big way, but at some point, it seems like they are going to be able to recoup some assets for the disgruntled QB.

At this point next year, Watson will be gone, and it’s likely someone else will be in his place as the Texans’ QB of the future.

That could wind up being Matt Corral, the Ole Miss standout who has been lighting it up in 2021.

Although Corral struggled some against Alabama, what he’s put on tape in 2020 and 2021 is very Zach Wilson-esque and his potential is through the roof.

As tough of an outing as the Rebels had against the Crimson Tide in general, Corral has proven his worth as an NFL prospect.

He’s legit.

There’s still plenty of time for him to contend as next year’s QB1 and Houston should lose enough games to be in a position to get him or whomever they would choose.

2022 NFL mock draft: Patriots beef up defensive front with Aidan Hutchinson

Aidan Hutchinson’s stock continues to soar week after week.

Hutchinson has been drawing some early comparisons to Nick Bosa when he was at Ohio State. The no. 97 jersey certainly helps with that comparison.

The primary reasons in terms of his on-field skill that the comparison is worthy, however, include his size and power along with his quickness off the ball.

He’s not only big and powerful but his quickness and agility make him almost impossible to stop.

The New England Patriots have used the Michigan program as a pipeline of sorts through the years and if they have the opportunity to draft Aidan Hutchinson, he seems to fit exactly what they need defensively.

This guy is a finisher, he has a wide array of ways to beat offensive linemen, and he is versatile.

2022 NFL mock draft: Eagles beef up trenches with Texas A&M stars

Imagine this kind of haul for the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2022 NFL Draft.

They get a top-five pick from the Indianapolis Colts and wind up with a top-10 pick of their own as well as a top-10 pick from the Miami Dolphins.

Philadelphia was savvy to make that trade with the Dolphins after last season given the uncertainty surrounding Tua Tagovailoa. We’ll see how much the Dolphins can improve over the course of the season, but for now, it’s looking really good for the Eagles.

To round out their three selections in this 2022 NFL mock draft scenario, the Eagles take a pair of Texas A&M star players in offensive tackle Kenyon Green and DeMarvin Leal.

Green has played three different positions this year already but he could settle at guard or tackle at the NFL level.

Leal can play all over the defensive front and looks like he’s going to be a big-time disruptive force at the next level.

Through five games this season, Leal already has 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

The Eagles beef up in the trenches here after taking Kyle Hamilton just a few selections prior. Of course, this doesn’t provide any clarity for them at the quarterback position, but it would substantially build up their core of players for new head coach Nick Sirianni on both sides of the ball.

2022 NFL mock draft: New York Giants move on from Daniel Jones

The New York Giants just got to enjoy a really solid performance from Daniel Jones, something they’ve been frankly waiting to see since he was drafted a couple of years ago.

If the Giants end up in this draft position, however, Jones’ time may be up.

As outstanding as Jones’ performance was in the Giants’ first victory of the 2021 season, they are going to need to see it much more consistently to avoid taking a shot on a player like Sam Howell here.

Howell has had a bit of a tough go of things this season compared to last year, and while the Heisman luster has worn off, there is still plenty to like about his NFL projection.

There may not be a better quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft class with better ball placement on downfield throws, and Howell has created a number of touchdowns with that trait alone.

He is underrated as a runner and has a bit of a similar profile coming out to that of Baker Mayfield coming out of Oklahoma.

One thing that many NFL executives are going to love about Howell?

His experience.

He’s already started 30 collegiate games and will have plenty more by the time the 2021 season is over.

After going with a Duke Blue Devil in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Giants replace him here with a Tar Heel.

The Minnesota Vikings will be a fun team to watch in the 2022 offseason as a whole.

Another year without the playoffs could result in some substantial changes for the Vikings after going 7-9 a year ago.

Kirk Cousins’ contract has the team a bit hamstrung, but it’s not impossible to think some team would trade for his $35 million base salary if the Vikings were willing to maybe eat a chunk of it.

How much does this team believe in Kellen Mond as a QB of the future with Klint Kubiak as the offensive coordinator?

We’re fixing to find out.

Even if major changes are made in Minnesota this offseason, the team probably wouldn’t be able to pass up on a value here at pick 11 overall like Garrett Wilson.

Wilson has a wide variety of ways he can beat you with route running, after-the-catch abilities, speed, strong hands, and aggressiveness at the catch point.

You can line him up in the slot or out wide and with Minnesota, he would take a ton of pressure off of Justin Jefferson.

Even with Adam Thielen still around, a player like Wilson would be a tremendous addition to a team like the Vikings.

Could 2021 be the final year of Ben Roethlisberger with the Pittsburgh Steelers?

Could the Steelers be a surprise team looming in the potential Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes?

Could the Steelers be in the market for a QB early in the 2021 NFL Draft?

Crazy enough, the answer to all three of those questions could be yes.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the NFL’s best teams since Ben Roethlisberger was drafted way back in 2004 and Mike Tomlin has been one of the league’s best coaches.

If it is the end of an era, Pittsburgh is going to do whatever it can to make sure they don’t spend much time “rebuilding” or “reloading” or whatever you would want to call it.

A player like Carson Strong in the Steelers’ offense would be really fun. Although Sam Howell takes the cake in this year’s draft for actual production on deep throws, Carson Strong may have the most impressive tape in that regard.

This guy can sling it.

https://twitter.com/NevadaFootball/status/1444394118138851329

Although he’s still not unanimously considered a top-10 prospect, it might not be much longer before the hype for Carson Strong gets out of control.

At 1-3, the Miami Dolphins appear to have taken a slight step back from the team they were last season when they contended for the playoffs in the AFC.

Through just four games, they have the 31st ranked scoring offense and the 25th-ranked scoring defense.

Although Miami spent a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on Jaelan Phillips, they could look to the defensive front again in the 2022 NFL Draft and go after Purdue’s George Karlaftis, who terrorizes quarterbacks on a weekly basis.

Teams have resorted to dedicating three blockers to Karlaftis at times, and that’s really the only way to slow him down.

Miami’s sack production has been pedestrian at best in the early goings of the 2021 NFL season with interior lineman Christian Wilkins leading the team with 2.0 sacks.

Karlaftis brings a unique type of game off the edge at 272 pounds with unreal athletic talent for his size.

Even with all of the attention he gets on a play-by-play basis, Karlaftis is finding ways to produce. He’s got four batted passes this season as well as two forced fumbles even though he only has 1.5 sacks.

A tandem off the edge of Karlaftis and Jaelan Phillips for the future would be very exciting for the Dolphins and head coach Brian Flores.

What does the future hold for the Seattle Seahawks?

After some smoke that Russell Wilson might demand a. trade in the 2021 offseason, the dust finally settled and Wilson stayed put.

Will the Seahawks be so lucky in 2022?

That could obviously change a lot of their plans.

For the time being, the Seahawks’ pass defense needs some attention.

They rank 29th against the pass so far in 2021 and through five games are averaging over 300 passing yards allowed per contest.

After letting Shaq Griffin go in free agency, the Seahawks didn’t exactly replace him and they’ve tried bringing in a number of players to fill the void he left behind. Not only did Seattle let go of Griffin, but they also let go of free agent acquisition Ahkello Witherspoon in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Needless to say, cornerback will almost undoubtedly be a need for this team come time for the 2022 NFL Draft.

Kaiir Elam has every physical tool you look for at the position at 6-foot-2, 196 pounds, and he’s got five interceptions to go along with 18 passes defended in 23 games as a Gator.

He knows how to get his hands on the ball and make plays, and with his physical profile and athleticism, he projects as a CB1 at the next level.

The New Orleans Saints have had some significantly mixed results to open the 2021 season without Drew Brees on the roster.

They kicked off the year with a blowout win over Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, only to follow it up with a blowout loss to the Carolina Panthers.

In week three, they went into New England and beat the Patriots, only to follow that up with an overtime loss to the Giants.

What in the world are the Saints?

We’re fixing to find out.

The wide receiver room in New Orleans, however, is very obviously an area the team could stand to upgrade.

When Michael Thomas comes back, how is the dynamic between him and Sean Payton going to play out? How will that play out over the long term?

Will Thomas eventually be traded?

Even if he’s not, adding another Ohio State star at receiver would not be a bad idea for the Saints.

Chris Olave is a smooth route runner who can win vertically with speed and make tough catches downfield. He’s been a reliable player for a really long time at Ohio State and looks like he’s going to make an easy transition to the pro game in 2022.

With the 10th overall pick the New York Giants brought in a new quarterback in Sam Howell.

Here at pick 16, which they acquired from the Bears in a very rare Dave Gettleman trade on draft night, they get him a battery mate.

Tyler Linderbaum has been one of the top linemen in the country over the past three seasons, but this year at Iowa he really looks like a professional among his peers.

Linderbaum is athletic, strong, smart, and he has a killer mentality when he gets his hands on defenders.

He plays with such sound technique and discipline. As much as you hate to consider any incoming NFL prospect a “sure” thing, Linderbaum is about as close as it gets.

The Giants have struggled to find stability on the offensive line for far too long now. They made a trade before the season to acquire former first-round pick Billy Price of the Cincinnati Bengals.

They just took an intriguing risk on former Titans first-round pick Isaiah Wilson.

As they piece the offensive line together, Linderbaum is the type of player that can be the “centerpiece” (pun fully intended).

The Kansas City Chiefs picking 17th overall?

We’ll believe that when we see it.

After four weeks, however, that’s where the Chiefs stand.

The cream will almost unquestionably rise to the top for the Chiefs, barring some kind of catastrophic injury, but you never know when they might try and trade up if the situation is right, so this is a situation to prepare for regardless.

Tyreek Hill is one of the most perfect fits for any receiver in any offense in the entire NFL.

Travis Kelce is a WR1 playing tight end.

Imagine if the Chiefs could add a dynamic weapon like Treylon Burks to the mix.

It would be catastrophic for opposing offensive coordinators.

Burks has a combination of size, speed, and YAC ability that would make him almost impossible to defend if given a healthy dose of one-on-one situations on a team like the Chiefs.

This could be a match made in heaven with the way Burks complements the rest of the Kansas City offensive weapons.

The Tennessee Titans don’t exactly seem to be turning a corner this season, but if this team can stay healthy — especially offensively, things could get interesting as they have in January the past couple of seasons.

There is no question that the Titans have been hot on the trail of some help off the edge in recent years. They signed Jadeveon Clowney last season and brought in former Pittsburgh Steeler Bud Dupree, who has just two tackles in two games played so far this season.

Need or not, the Titans probably wouldn’t scoff at the chance to take a player like Drake Jackson here in the middle of the first round, especially with how many stones they have turned over trying to find solutions off the edge.

Jackson has been tremendous in the early goings of the 2021 college football season with three sacks, four tackles for loss, an interception, and a forced fumble in the first five games of the season.

Jackson is a twitched up 6-foot-4, 250 pounds and is still evolving his repertoire of pass rush moves. The sky is the limit for him and he has the type of abilities and athleticism to go far higher than this.

The Washington Football Team simply did not put enough in place in 2021 to fortify the quarterback position for a team that made the playoffs just one year ago.

A 2-2 start to the season is reflective of the fact that Washington is a better sum of its parts than anything else. Taylor Heinicke hasn’t exactly come out of nowhere, but in three starts this season, Washington is 2-1 with Heinicke at the helm and he’s completing just under 70 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns and three interceptions.

He’s coming off of a three-touchdown performance against the Atlanta Falcons and as of right now, there’s obviously reason for optimism.

With that being said, this is a unique situation that, if it presented itself, might be too intriguing for the Washington Football Team to pass up on.

Going into the 2021 season, Spencer Rattler was considered a possible number one pick candidate, Heisman candidate, and everything in between. He’s the latest Lincoln Riley prodigy and he showed plenty last season to be worthy of those lofty projections.

However, to kick off the 2021 season, he’s been maddeningly inconsistent. It’s hard to remember at times how young Rattler is and how much time he still has to grow as a player.

If he leaves school for the NFL, at least in the state his stock is currently in, he might not even be picked in the first round.

For a team like Washington, the risk would be worthwhile unless Heinicke can continue the pace he’s currenntly on.

The Buffalo Bills are one of the league’s most impressive rosters from top to bottom.

The cornerback position is not exactly loaded with superstars, although the Bills won’t be complaining anytime soon about their number one overall defense and number one overall pass defense.

A player like Andrew Booth at this point of the first round would be a tremendous value given the potential Booth has shown at Clemson and given the amount of talent the Bills already have all over their roster.

Booth is a long, aggressive, physical cornerback who would fit in perfectly with the way the Bills play. He’s got plenty of room for growth and it would be awesome to see him make more plays on the ball, but this guy can click and close and react with the best of them.

At the time of this writing, Booth hasn’t even played 20 collegiate games yet, but he’s undoubtedly on the radar a sa potential top-10 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

How can you not love what the Carolina Panthers have been doing lately?

The first draft for this team in the Matt Rhule era was strictly spent on defensive players. One year later, the Panthers are certainly reaping the fruit of that investment.

They started the 2021 NFL Draft the same way they started and ended the 2020 NFL Draft — with defense. They made Jaycee Horn the highest selected defensive player in the class overall, but then they started spending some capital on the offensive side of the ball.

The Panthers traded for Sam Darnold, got him a weapon in Terrace Marshall, and brought in Notre Dame’s Tommy Tremble at tight end.

They have also recently struck trades to acquire CJ Henderson and former defensive MVP Stephon Gilmore.

We see you, Scott Fitterer.

Why would the Panthers open the 2022 NFL Draft any different than they have the last two? Jordan Davis has been an absolute stud for Georgia this year.

The hype on him had really cooled off before the season and he was being projected as a day two pick, but he’s unquestionably played his way back into the first round conversation.

Imagining Davis up front with the likes of Derrick Brown and Daviyon Nixon? The Panthers will have an outstanding rotation and it will free up the edge rushers to do their thing in one-on-one situations.

The Green Bay Packers will be in focus in the 2022 offseason, but probably not for the reasons they would otherwise want to be.

What does the future of Aaron Rodgers hold beyond this season?

For right now, things have been pushed to the side. Rodgers reported for duty, restructured his contract, and it seems like he and the Packers could be headed for a divorce at the end of the year, but we’ll see if winning can cure all.

From Rodgers’ perspective, this could be the Last Dance. Heck, it could be for Davante Adams as well.

The Packers drafted Rodgers’ replacement and Rodgers has been very outspoken about the Packers putting their money where their mouth is by playing Jordan Love. He wants to dictate his exit from the team, and frankly, Rodgers has earned the right to do that.

Again, there are too many moving parts here to speak definitively. The Packers, in this mock draft scenario, go after some offensive tackle help with North Carolina State’s Ikem Ekwonu.

Whether it’s in the running game or pass protection, Ekwonu has been getting the job done consistently for three seasons now.

He’s become a force.

The Cincinnati Bengals are at a crucial juncture of their 2021 season. Win and get to 4-1, and they’ve historically got nearly an 80 percent chance of reaching the postseason. Those odds might be even better with seven spots in each conference. Lose and move to 3-2, those odds dip under 50 percent.

How far can Joe Burrow take the Bengals this year, just his second season in the NFL?

It’s going to be fun to watch, that’s for sure.

Surprisingly enough, the Bengals’ defense has been carrying this team quite a bit this season. They rank 8th in the NFL in scoring defense so far and they have a number of key players making big plays for them.

One of those key players is a guy who came into the league with Burrow, former Wyoming star Logan Wilson.

Wilson has been one of the Bengals’ best players in general this season and he’s already picked off three passes this year in addition to leading the team in total tackles.

He’s a star in the making, no question about it.

With that said, Wilson can’t do everything and the Bengals might want another athletic playmaker by his side in Lou Anarumo’s defense.

A player like Christian Harris could be a big-time weapon for Cincinnati.

Harris is capable of playing all three downs and the plays with instincts and speed. He’s loaded up the stat sheet at Alabama with tackles for loss, sacks, and passes defended.

He plays all over the field and along with Wilson would give the Bengals two really athletic linebackers that don’t have to come off the field.

The rich get richer. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be competing in January and February again this season for another Super Bowl, but will their secondary be their downfall?

The Bucs have to be at least a little upset that the Patriots decided to trade Stephon Gilmore to their division rival Panthers instead of just cutting him loose.

Maybe Gilmore would have just joined the Panthers anyway, or maybe the Patriots knew he would go sign with the Bucs and decided not to do that favor for Tom Brady.

Either way, the Buccaneers are going to need to address their depth in the secondary in the 2021 NFL Draft.

The Buccaneers already have a number of big-time playmakers in the secondary, but they haven’t been healthy this season and they can’t always rely on that. The Bucs are one of a number of teams in a position to be able to draft for need in case of emergency right now, and McDuffie is a great addition regardless.

He’s got outstanding speed and plays aggressively. That’s a great combo for Todd Bowles’ defense.

Piece by piece, brick by brick, kneecap by kneecap. The Detroit Lions are going to go about their rebuild at their own pace, and this mock draft selection reflects that.

The Lions passed on a quarterback with their top pick in 2021.

They passed on QBs with their top pick in this mock draft scenario (Kayvon Thibodeaux).

And now, they are passing on QBs with their first pick that is coming back in the Matthew Stafford trade.

The Lions are probably kicking themselves trying to determine why they couldn’t put the right pieces around Stafford, whose change of scenery seems to have been exactly what the doctor ordered for him.

As such, they will want to make sure all of the right pieces are in place before they make any ultimate determinations about the quarterback of the future.

Drake London is a big-bodied receiver who has been making plays like this:

And this:

So far this season.

He’s 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, and he’s played his way into the first-round conversation with a career-high 670 receiving yards in just five games this season.

With 48 receptions in those. five games, London is showing how ball dominant he can be and what he can do with more opportunities.

He’s been thriving and showing off his ridiculous catch radius, sure hands, and body control. This guy has some big-time upside and would effectively replace Kenny Golladay as the big receiver in this Detroit offense.

The Denver Broncos could have some interesting needs in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Depending on what happens with the Aaron Rodgers situation, they may not have any first round picks at all…

Regardless, the Broncos could be looking at another offseason wondering who the quarterback is. Heck, we’ll all be wondering who the owner is and who the head coach might be. If they are picking this late in the first-round without a trade down into this spot, however, Vic Fangio will almost undoubtedly be safe.

Can Teddy Bridgewater play his way to a new contract?

Not if he keeps taking big hits like he did against the Ravens when he left the game with a concussion.

Bridgewater likes to hold onto the ball and go through his progressions, which has become problematic rather quickly for the Denver Broncos. Their QB got hurt because the protection is not holding up.

The Broncos have to resolve their longstanding issue at the right tackle position.

Can Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning be a day one starter?

He certainly looks the part.

The Denver Broncos need that kind of nasty on their offensive line and someone that can step in to bookend Garett Bolles from day one. With some progression from their young interior linemen, the Broncos might have something cooking in 2022 if they can find that long-term guy on the right side.

What do the Cleveland Browns need?

That is a great question right now.

Baker Mayfield’s future with the team remains at least somewhat up in the air. The fact that he’s playing through an injury these days also muddies the waters a bit there.

Cleveland’s offensive line is outstanding. They could perhaps use some reinforcements at wide receiver and the future of Odell Beckham Jr. is murky at best.

Defensively, there are so many pieces to love at each level on this roster.

How did the Browns manage to get Greg Newsome and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, again?

At any rate, when you don’t have many needs, go after positions of great value.

The Browns have attempted to make some significant additions on a rental basis off the edge opposite Myles Garrett, so a player like Zach Harrison — if he enters the 2022 NFL Draft — could make plenty of sense here.

Harrison has not had the type of start to the 2021 season that people thought he would and I’m sure he’s been disappointed as well. We’ll see what happens as time progresses here, but for the time being, his stock has fallen pretty substantially.

The Dallas Cowboys got what they needed defensively, by the looks of things.

Micah Parsons has been exactly as advertised coming out of Penn State, and Dan Quinn is wisely utilizing the team’s first-round pick as a pass rusher early and often.

Trevon Diggs has emerged as a legitimate defensive MVP candidate in 2021 with an interception in each of the Cowboys’ first four games of the season.

Dallas’ formula is working.

So let’s make it better.

This team has invested so much on offense, the defensive side probably needs a little bit more work. Myjai Sanders may not get the most headlines but he makes plays week in and week out.

He’s still looking for his first sack of the 2021 season but Cincinnati plays tremendous team defense and Sanders is a key piece of that.

He has outstanding athleticism and plays hard every single snap. His relentless style of play could lead to even more opportunities for this revamped Cowboys secondary to make plays.

Even with a ton of injuries on both sides of the ball and the trade of Orlando Brown Jr. in the offseason, the Baltimore Ravens are humming along towards another playoff berth in 2021.

Lamar Jackson is still playing at an exceptionally high level and has been beating teams with whatever phase of his game they attempt to take away.

If teams key in on Jackson’s ability to run, he’s more than happy to sit back and pick defenses apart with his arm.

Jackson is simply one of the best in the NFL at putting a team on his back, and with the makeshift offensive line the Ravens have right now, he’s kind of had to do that.

Charles Cross can help with that.

In addition to the Orlando Brown Jr. trade, the Ravens have had a variety of injuries on the offensive line to deal with including left tackle Ronnie Stanley and free agent pickup Alejandro Villanueva.

The Ravens have to invest high in the offensive line in next year’s draft and Cross has done an excellent job in the running game for Mississippi State.

He will fit right in for the Ravens.

Ahmad Gardner is a player you simply don’t mess around with.

Gardner, whose nickname is “Sauce”, brings it every single week.

In addition to being flat-out dominant in coverage, Gardner has proven he can make plenty of plays on the ball. He’s got eight interceptions and 14 pass breakups in his first 24 college games.

The Chargers have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now in Justin Herbert. With Brandon Staley as their head coach, they will have one of the best schemed and coordinated defenses.

Asante Samuel Jr. has already been one of the best rookies in the NFL in the early goings of the 2021 season and there are brighter days ahead.

How much longer will Chris Harris Jr. be around, though? Michael Davis?

There will be opportunities to upgrade at the cornerback position going forward and Gardner is a guy who is way better than this particular draft slot.

We’ll see what happens over the next few months with Gardner’s draft stock. Maybe the 30th spot will be laughable even in just a few weeks.

For now, he might be a dream pickup for the Chargers.

The Las Vegas Raiders had a bit of a gut check on Monday Night Football against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chargers have been one of the league’s most promising teams so far this season so the Raiders shouldn’t take that loss too hard, but they have undoubtedly considered some significant reshuffling on the offensive line.

Although many thought this would be his primary NFL position anyway, the Raiders moved first-round pick Alex Leatherwood from the tackle position inside to guard.

Could another first round tackle be on the near horizon?

The Raiders struck gold a couple of years ago with a first-round tackle out of UCLA in Kolten Miller, could they go back to the well at UCLA again in the 2022 offseason?

As of right now, Sean Rhyan is a guy who could be in the top 20-25 players in this class and if he continues to dominate as he has early on in the 2021 season, his stock could rise substantially.

The Arizona Cardinals are the NFL’s last remaining undefeated team. Kyler Murray looks like an MVP candidate, the AJ Green signing is working out incredibly well, Vance Joseph’s defense is playing exceptional ball, and they currently hold the title of first place in the very tough NFC West.

As good as this team is, there could be some major question marks on the roster beyond this season.

What is the offensive line going to look like after this year?

Right now, the Cardinals’ starting tackles are DJ Humphries and Kelvin Beachum. Kyler Murray can cover a multitude of sins on the offensive line but at some point, the Cardinals need that area of the team to develop into an all-around strength.

The tackle class in 2022 may not be quite to the level of what we saw in 2020 but getting a player like Darian Kinnard here with the final pick of round one is solid value.

Listed at 6-foot-5, 345 pounds, Kinnard is every bit as big on the field as his listed height and weight would indicate. He’s a massive people mover who has been outstanding the past few seasons, especially in the running game, but he’s pitched a lot of shutouts in pass protection as well.