2022 NFL Mock Draft: Aidan Hutchinson Goes First, Four QBs In Round 1
By Evan Bachman
11. Philadelphia Eagles: Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa
Jason Kelce has been a very good center for a long time for the Eagles. However, with him recently turning 34 and being a free agent at the end of the season it’s likely that they’ll need to find his replacement this offseason.
It’s not often that you see centers drafted early in the first round. However, Tyler Linderbaum is good enough to warrant a top 10 selection. Linderbaum is a unique prospect as he was actually originally recruited as a defensive tackle at Iowa before moving to center where he has been phenomenal.
As a run blocker, he is powerful and is capable of driving defenders backward with force. As a pass protector, he is very athletic, and he has the movement skills necessary to stay with quick defensive linemen. To put into perspective just how dominant Linderbaum has been for the Hawkeyes this season, he has a grade of 95.2 on PFF. This is not just the highest grade for a center, but is the highest in the FBS for any position.
12. Minnesota Vikings: Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida
The Vikings are already pretty weak at corner, and on top of that Patrick Peterson’s only on a one year deal, so it’d be smart of them to capitalize on a cornerback class that is very strong. They do so in this 2022 NFL Mock Draft.
Kaiir Elam has ideal traits for a corner as he’s got good movement skills to go along with good size (6-foot-2, 193 pounds). He’s also shown he can cover well against high-level SEC competition, which makes it very encouraging that he can translate in the NFL.
He has had his troubles as a tackler, but at the end of the day for corners, the important thing is how well they can cover, so some bad tackling shouldn’t cause his draft stock to go down.