2022 NFL Mock Draft: Aidan Hutchinson Goes First, Four QBs In Round 1

3. Houston Texans: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama

I have had the Texans taking a quarterback in previous mock drafts, however at this point I don’t think any of the quarterbacks are viewed as good enough prospects to warrant a top five pick, so I think they’ll choose to address other needs.

There’s a lot to like about Evan Neal as he has massive size at 6-foot-7, 350 pounds, and possesses outstanding athletic ability and movement skills. Just check out this video of him doing a box jump, there simply aren’t many guys of his size that are capable of doing that.

A good tackle can be very valuable to an offense and Neal certainly has the makings of someone who can step in and be a consistent player for a long time to bookend with Laremy Tunsil. On top of that, he also has a very high ceiling. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if five years from now he’s one of the best tackles in the league.

Neal has been very good as both a run blocker and a pass protector this season for a Crimson Tide offense that is second in college football in points per game at 44.4 and he’s really solidified himself as a top five pick.

4. New York Jets: Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU

The Jets are a roster with a lot of needs on both sides of the ball, so there’s multiple directions they could go I think they’ll ultimately just go with whoever they view as the best player on the board. Luckily for them there’s multiple blue-chip caliber prospects in this class.

Derek Stingley Jr. certainly qualifies as a blue-chip caliber prospect as he is easily one the best players in the draft and on top of that he plays corner, which is a position that is very valuable in today’s NFL.

He possesses all the physical tools you could possibly want in a corner as he’s got great size (6-foot-2), he’s very athletic, and he moves quite fluidly. What makes him truly special as a corner however are his rare ball skills, and as a freshman at LSU he picked off six passes and broke up a total of 15, which are numbers you almost never see, especially from a freshman playing in the SEC.

Stingley Jr. had a medical procedure on his foot earlier in the season which he hasn’t returned from. While it’s unfortunate that he got injured obviously, the good news for him is that it won’t really affect his draft stock as he’s already proved himself as a high-level player.