2022 NFL Mock Draft: Aidan Hutchinson Goes First, Four QBs In Round 1
By Evan Bachman
Aidan Hutchinson surges up to number one overall, four QBs come off the board, and offensive linemen fly off in round one of this 2022 NFL mock draft.
With the college football regular season all wrapped up and the NFL through 14 weeks, we have a lot of entertaining football to look forward to. It seems like football season always flies by, and the draft process will be upon us soon, so now is a good time for a 2022 NFL mock draft.
There’s a lot of interesting storylines for this draft: Which star edge rusher will go number one? When does the first quarterback come off the board? What will the teams with multiple first rounders come away with?
I’ll answer all of these in this 2022 NFL mock draft. So without further ado, let’s get started with the Detroit Lions at number one overall.
1. Detroit Lions: Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan
I have had Kayvon Thibodeaux as the number one overall pick in my last two previous mock drafts, however after Hutchinson’s incredible performance against Ohio State and his dominance all season long I think I’d consider him to be a slight favorite to go number one overall at this point.
The Lions are in need of a quarterback. However, with this quarterback class lacking a top tier, can’t-miss type of prospect, I think they’ll go with the best player available with this selection. They really can’t go wrong with either Aidan Hutchinson or Thibodeaux, both are incredible talents who have proven themselves at the college level.
Hutchinson is simply a freak athletically, standing at 6-foot-6, 265 pounds he moves very well and he can win with quickness or power. He certainly has all the physical tools to develop into an elite edge rusher in the NFL.
He has always been very good against the run however this season he has been dominant rushing the passer as well as he’s recorded 73 pressures and 14 sacks in 13 games. This type of high level play rushing the passer this season has really cemented him as one of the best prospects in this 2022 NFL Mock Draft.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars: Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
The Jaguars have needs at almost every position so they just need to focus on adding the best player available to their roster. In this scenario that is Kayvon Thibodeaux in this 2022 NFL mock draft scenario.
As a former highly-rated five-star recruit, Kayvon Thibodeaux has looked like a top-five pick since his high school days and that’s been apparent since he set foot in Eugene and registered 10 sacks as a freshman.
He possesses eye-popping talent, right when you flip on the tape you can easily tell why he was such a highly sought-after recruit. The ceiling for him is sky-high as he has an elite blend of speed, quickness, power, and size.
This season he has further cemented his case to hear his name called very early on draft night as he has pressured the quarterback consistently all season.