2022 NFL Mock Draft: Buccaneers go QB with lingering Brady retirement

If you look up a 2022 NFL Mock Draft, chances are you are going to see the Cleveland Browns selecting a wide receiver. While there are a couple very good options out there still, I had to go in a different direction. With Malik McDowell likely done at least with the Browns, and the future of Malik Jackson up in the air, Cleveland is left with a huge hole in the middle of their defense. Who better to fill it than a 6-foot-6, 340 lb Jordan Davis?

Davis is clearly a force on early downs, taking on multiple defenders and wreaking havoc in the run game. While he is still developing his pass rush, doing so alongside the likes of Myles Garrett and possibly Jadeveon Clowney should help a lot. It will be interesting to see what the Browns do at wide receiver, but Davis was too good of a player at a position that was needed too badly to pass up.

The Baltimore Ravens are another team that could be hard to predict in any 2022 NFL Mock Draft. There are many different directions that they could go, but here I have them taking the best player available. Charles Cross is a very well-rounded tackle who should pair well with Ronnie Stanley who will be returning from injury for the Ravens next season. Baltimore has to make sure that they can keep Lamar Jackson healthy if they want to be successful, so a player like Cross would be a very nice option.

Here we have the rare instance of a team scheduled to make back-to-back picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Eagles have three first-round selections that they are scheduled to make, and they are all within the next five picks of this 2022 NFL Mock Draft.

First we start with Texas A&M guard Kenyon Green, who will come in and immediately start, filling the shoes of the recently retired Brandon Brooks. The Eagles offensive line has been dominant, when healthy, over the past couple seasons and was a huge reason why the team was so successful running the ball on their way to the playoffs. With Brooks (and maybe even Jason Kelce) retiring this offseason, the Eagles need to continue to reload up front.

Next we have rangy, Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean. In big games down the stretch for the National Champion Bulldogs, Dean was all over the place making big plays when they mattered most. He is effective in coverage, can go sideline-to-sideline to make a tackle and darts through the line of scrimmage in an instant as a blitzer. Linebacker is something that I thought the Eagles should have addressed even two or three years ago. They have made it work so far with some lesser-known players, but adding a talent like Dean would be a smart move.