2022 NFL Mock Draft #5

The Jets faced two formidable defenses to test their prized rookie QB Zach Wilson and gets another in Week 3 in Denver. Lest you are not accustomed to the Carolina Panthers and "formidable defense" in the same sentence, well they're #1 in the NFL with just 287 yards allowed in two games. The Patriots rank #6 and the upcoming Broncos #5. The following two games against the weak defenses of Tennessee and Atlanta may give us an opportunity to see more entertaining offensive activity from Wilson and the gang.


If the Jets do pick #1 in the draft, the pick could veer to OT if one worthy of the #1 overall were available (Evan Neal?). 2019 RD1 pick Mekhi Becton cannot stay healthy. He's expected back from IR in November and he's dearly needed: Wilson has been sacked 10 times in just two games, a 12.5% chance of a sack on every dropback. A worse stat yet? Wilson has been pressured 41 times on 82 dropbacks. Honestly I would consider sending Wilson to clipboard duty until Becton returns.

We're going BPA with Kayvon Thibodeaux here to boost the the pass rush though. His name at this point is lightly penciled in while we evaluate Mekhi Becton, upon Becton's return, and also the OT crop - Evan Neal in particular. Wilson simply cannot continue to endure these weekly beatings.

The Jags' game plan has fans puzzled. They've got a great running back in James Robinson, they rank top-10 in Yards/Carry at 4.7, but 26th in total rushing yards. However the Jaguars are running the ball on just 27.6% of plays, lowest in the league. The other teams in the bottom-10 in this category (percent running plays to total) can be excused, the Steelers average just 3.3 ypc, the Raiders 2.9 and the Bucs 3.8, as examples.

The passing game is struggling with Trevor Lawrence completing just 50% of his passes, by far the lowest in the league. Contrary to recent years, the OL play has been, well, adequate. We'll take adequate, let's hope it continues. Lawrence has been sacked just twice on the season (2nd best). He's been pressured 24 times which is mid-pack, but take that news along with the rushing success, and we are left wondering what the issue are.

Well. Lawrence is suffering growing pains - he leads the NFL in interceptions with 5 (tied with Zach Wilson); in "turnover worthy plays" with 6; and he's not been helped by his pass-catchers who have dropped 7 balls (also leading the NFL, also tied with Wilson).

Or is the issues more with HC Urban Meyer?

2022 draft: the Jags tackles' Cam Robinson and Jawaan Taylor have (thus far) progressed from last year's bottom dwellers to this season dull normal (based upon PFF grading). This play doesn't justify paying Robinson top-5 money (franchise tag salary) into future years, so we'll continue with OT Evan Neal as the Jags' pick for the 2022 draft.

With Kayvon Thibodeaux selected as the number one overall player in this mock, Detroit selects the next best pass rusher with J.J Watt-like comparisons in Aidan Hutchinson. According to Pro Football Focus, through the first 3 weeks of the college football season, he has a 92.6 grade, first among all defensive players in NCAA football.


As a Michigan native, I realize how this can come off as a "homer pick", but the Lions came into Week 2 as the highest blitzing team in the NFL and I think it goes without saying after watching Monday Night's drubbing from the Packers, this team doesn't have much strength in the defensive backfield, hence the need to bring pressure. Further, secondary is something this team is not likely to address in a top 3 to 5 position in next year's draft, but perhaps through free agency or trade. Given how the Jeff Okudah pick is turning out, I doubt they go DB in the top 5 despite the elite talent of Darryl Stingley.

The next best move, other than eyeing a QB in this instance, would be to build on that defensive line. Players like Hutchinson or Thibodeaux don't grow on trees. Jared Goff hasn't been the problem for this team's 0-2 start and I still believe it's too early to make him the scapegoat and call for a QB here.

- Doug Hyde, Lions Analyst

Let's get one thing straight, the Houston Texans are NOT the worst team in the league like many expected them to be. Myself included!

Tyrod Taylor has arguably had his best start to an NFL season. In two games Taylor has completed 70.5% of his passes, is averaging 9.5 yards an attempt, has thrown 3 touchdowns, and run for another, and has only taken 1 sack. That's what makes it all the more devastating that both he and WR rookie standout Nico Collins have been placed on IR. Thus, leaving starting duty for this Thursday night prime time matchup solely in the hands of rookie QB Davis Mills, who is set to make his NFL debut as a starter.

That's no easy task especially when considering that the opposing Carolina Panthers defense is statistically the best in the NFL through two weeks. Thankfully, the Texans OL has been a breath of fresh air, especially in pass protection in recent weeks. This is partly due to OC Tim Kelly having done a good job helping his line by keeping in extra blockers.

The Texans' defense has battled admirably through 2 weeks seeing rookie QB Trevor Lawrence throw 3 INT's in their week 1 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Safety Justin Reid had an interception and forced fumble in Week 2 and is one of two players with an interception in each of the first two weeks of the season. The Panthers offensive line has been a weak point for their team thus far, so it's essential that the Texans game plan a way to get in the face of QB Sam Darnold. Ultimately, the true test will be whether the Texans can protect their rookie QB against an aggressive Panthers pass rush looking to make a name for themselves in primetime!

- Cody Lachney, Texans Analyst

Granted the Giants have faced a couple of the NFL's most fearsome defensive lines in the season's first two games (WSH, DEN), but the 2022 OT draft needle is beginning to bleed into the red zone. Where Andrew Thomas is showing evidence of improvement over his disastrous rookie campaign, it's the ROT Nate Solder who may be ready for the porch at Shady Acres. The fact that 2020 RD3 pick Matt Peart cannot supplant Solder is problematic in and of itself. This particular Solder fail has Giants' fans enraged:

This Nate Solder take was ?????? pic.twitter.com/jcQcxJaizz

— Mike (@Mike_NYY) September 13, 2021

In rookie news, Azeez Ojulari (RD2-50) leads the team with 2 sacks though 2 games. He's been awarded 79 snaps, splitting EDGE snaps with Oshane Ximines opposite Lorenzo Carter. Problems are oozing up with RD1-20 pick Kadarius Toney. He's unhappy with his playing time after just 16 snaps (2 catches for -2 yards) in 2 games. It's wayyyyyy to early to even suggest that Toney is a bust, but he's not behaving like a professional. No other Giants' rookies are playing meaningful snaps, with EDGE Elerson Smith and CB Aaron Robinson out with injury.

The Bengals surprised a lot of people Week 1 by securing an overtime victory over the Minnesota Vikings. They fell, however, in Week 2 to the Chicago Bears. First-round rookie receiver Ja'Marr Chase has impressed so far and currently leads the team in receving yards. Young offensive lineman Jackson Carman is also slated to be a big part of this offense moving forward. The offensive line woes continue as Quarterback Joe Burrow has already been sacked nine times in 2021. Taking an Offensive Tackle could very well be the pick here but DeMarvin Leal provides elite talent along the defensive trenches. Larry Ogunjobi, BJ Hill, and Josh Tupou are all a part of the DL rotation but all three are also set to become free agents in 2022.

Leal is a 6'4, 290-pound junior Defensive Tackle for Texas A&M and has been earning significan playing time since hi 2019 freshman season. He has the ability to get to the quarterback but relies more so on his run-stopping prowess to make impacts. A&M utilize Leal's rare attribtutes all along the defensive line. Leal could stand to add some bulk if he is to become a true interior defensive lineman but if he lands in Cincy he could be given the Chris Jones treatment.

Talon Graff, Bengals Analyst

Meet the New Boss, same as the Old Boss. (And no, I don't mean Tom Brady, although he has owned the Falcons for as long as Arthur Blank has.) No, it's new head coach Arthur Smith who has launched the Falcons into the same sort of start that got Dan Quinn fired last year. In Smith's defense, they showed real improvement from Week One to Week Two, but given they got blown out in Week Two, that's more an indictment of Week One.

Philadelphia exposed the ineptitude of the offensive line, with first year starting C Matt Hennessy (PFF score of 52.7), RT Kaleb McGary (PFF score 46.9), and rookie LG Jalen Mayfield (PFF score of 28.8, and a pass blocking score of 1.4 yikes) getting abused in the first game. Tampa continued the pressure, collapsing the pocket and forcing at least one interception. There is also not enough pass rush to make up for a young secondary, and that has been true for years. The last consistently good pass rusher in Atlanta was John Abraham who hung up his cleats in 2012.

Major work remains to be done in the trenches for Atlanta to return to relevance. Certainly, Atlanta will want to fix its porous offensive line before drafting Matt Ryan's successor. Poor kid could get killed back there.

Through the first two weeks the Eagles defense has looked promising, especially against the pass, holding their opponents to a combined 325 passing yards and 1 passing TD. Against San Francisco in week 2 they successfully limited star TE George Kittle's impact in the pass game (4 catches for 17 yards), but did show some cracks in the secondary, allowing 3 completions to go for 15+ yards, including a 40 yard catch and run by Deebo Samuel. The true test for Philadelphia's secondary will come over the next two weeks against Dallas and Kansas City's high powered pass attacks.

With starter Steven Nelson on a one year contract and Darius Slay playing in his age 30 season the Eagles will likely be looking for CB help at some point in the 2022 draft regardless of how the season plays out. If Philly ends up in position to land one of the draft's top CBs like LSU's Derek Stingley Jr., it's hard to imagine them passing. For that matter it's hard to imagine future opponents completing passes against Stingley, who has been on the NFL radar since his freshman season.

Yes we know that, if a team plans to go hunting for a franchise QB in the draft, that team will not wait until the second of two RD1 picks. So we consider this pick representative of, first, the ambivalence of Giants' management to either commit or de-commit to Daniel Jones until they've seen more this season. Through two games the G-men are 0-2, though Jones is the 6th-rated QB by PFF. Look at his stats - 2 TDs versus 0 picks, 3.9% Big Time Throws (bottom 50%) and 2.3% "turnover worthy plays" (12th, not too shabby). This screams "game manager". That he's been pressured 28 times through those two games with 6 sacks - both top-10 (in a bad way) - perhaps just speaks to the defensive line quality of their two opponents (DEN, WFT).

The QB crop available in the 2022 are a shifting set of tectonic plates early on. Pre-season faves like Spencer Rattler and Kedon Slovis are slipping, while Malik Willis and Desmond Ridder are moving up. Sam Howell (our pick here) starting weak but looks to be righting the ship. Then there are emergents Matt Corral and Brennan Armstrong who are fast rising up boards. Could Corral be this year's Joe Burrow or Zach Wilson? At this point there are no "sure-thing" top-5 picks, but that could change as the NCAA season progresses.

The Vikings are off to a "slow" start after losing two very winnable games vs the Bengals and Cardinals. Since the NFL adopted the 12-team playoff format in 1990, 88% of teams that started 0-2 missed the postseason. But don't give up! Of all the teams that made it to the Super Bowl since 2007, 61% emerged from a 0-2 or 1-1 start. Further still, the expanded 14-team playoff field will improve the odds for the Vikings, as will expected weakness of divisional foes. So, yes, I am telling you there is still a chance.

The Vikings are currently sitting at negative 9.3M in cap space for 2022 according to Overthecap.com. Further, the team signed several players to one-year deals this past offseason. They just gave Harrison Smith a 4-year $64M extension through 2025 when he will be 36 years old. Smith has 26.379M guaranteed paid through the first two years.

Kyle Hamilton is 6'3" 219 and is a top-5 player in the rankings for the draft next year. He has already been very impressive early on this season:

Kyle Hamilton on 4th-and-1.

What a play. What a stud. More in this week’s film room. https://t.co/bnTWXReLhw pic.twitter.com/S30IEVlWLJ

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) September 21, 2021

Xavier Woods is playing very solid and will be a free agent next year. His price tag is going up. Considering Smith has two years guaranteed, the Vikings having negative cap space, and Woods likely seeking much more in his next deal, drafting the BPA at a position of probable need makes too much sense to this "analyst".

Mark P, Vikings Analyst - DrafttekVikings@Gmail.com

Please visit our Vikings team page where you can see all the team's picks in the 7-round mock and more.

Two weeks into the season, the supposed Washington defense has been more like a sieve and less like the insurmountable force we've been told they'd be for 6 months. Both Justin Herbert and Daniel Jones moved the ball with ease against Chase Young and Co, and while the two young quarterbacks might be on their way to being above-average starters, they are not in the same stratosphere as the quarterbacks the WFT will face over the next two months (Allen, Ryan, Mahomes, Rodgers, Brady).


Taylor Heinicke may continue to be an incredible story-he may even prove to be the future QB1 in Washington-but it won't matter if the Washington defense doesn't eliminate the blown assignments. Fans of the Burgundy & Gold have witnessed a broken defense for over a decade, but Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio were supposed to fix it. Sure, it's early in the season, but it ain't lookin' good for a team that was going to depend on its defense to reclaim the division title. The defense does seem to stiffen up inside the redzone, but the vaunted front four needs to get more pressure without needing to blitz. The good news? The unit has time to gel over the coming 15 regular-season games and needs to do so if the WFT is to be contending for a playoff spot come five-straight division games in December. Regardless, I couldn't be more excited to watch 'HeiniKEY' for at least the next 8 weeks!

-Kennedy Paynter, Senior Draft Analyst (@Kennedy_Paynter on Twitter)

After a long-awaited start to the season, the Colts have not gotten off to the dream start, to say the least. Carson Wentz has not been the savior fans hoped for, and the offensive line - thought to be a strength on this team - has not made it easier for him. Wentz has been sacked six times already and pressured on over 30% of his dropbacks. And to make matters worse, Wentz will be playing on two sprained ankles if he can play at all.

Now tied with the rebuilding Jaguars for last in the AFC South, Indianapolis faces division rival Tennessee Titans, also a team that started the season poorly with a lopsided loss to Arizona.. The stoppable force will meet the moveable object to see whose fanbase might be firing up the mock drafts early this year.

If the Colts do indeed pick a little earlier than anticipated, a physical CB like Kaiir Elam will be a nice boost to a team struggling to impose itself in the secondary, allowing a 100-yard receiver in both games to start the season.>- Dylan Rudolph, Colts Analyst

Please visit our Colts Team Page, where you can see all the team's picks in the 7-round mock and more. Please also visit our Facebook page for additional content.

The Carolina Panthers currently have the BEST DEFENSE IN THE NFL! No really, we actually do!

Panthers' DC Phil Snow, has quite simply done a masterful job at scheming up one of the most aggressive young defenses in the league! What else would you expect from a guy who must be told to leave the building at night. On Sunday, the Panthers held the division rival Saints to 128 yards, the fewest allowed in the 54-game all-time series with the Saints, and the fewest for New Orleans under head coach Sean Payton, who took over in 2006. This was quite literally an all-time performance for the Panthers defense!

The Panthers offense improved since Week 1, but still has flaws pass protecting from the offensive interior. The running game remains the lifeblood of this Joe Brady led offense and largely because Christian McCaffery continues to earn his reputation as one of the best offensive players in football. McCaffrey leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage this season at 324 and remains as crafty of a route runner as he ever has been. His very presence has opened up opportunities for both DJ Moore and Robbie Anderson downfield.

If history has taught Carolina Panthers fans anything, it's that a slept-on Panthers team, is a DANGEROUS Panthers team! That's exactly what's happening as NFL.com has the Panthers as the worst ranked 2-0 team in their updated power rankings. As a Thursday night matchup looms with an already hobbled Houston Texans offense, this defense looks poised to pin their ears back an rattle QB Davis Mills making his first NFL debut as a starting QB. Basically, there is blood in the water and these big cats know how to swim!

Don't forget to check out the C3 Carolina Cat Chronicles podcast Tuesday nights at 9 PM and 30 minutes after every game to hear us discuss all the latest in Panther Nation!

- Cody Lachney, Panthers Analyst

The Eagles recently signed starting LT Jordan Mailata and DE Josh Sweat to extensions, getting an early jump on locking down two key positions for 2022 and beyond. One question that could be a bit in flux however is LB where Alex Singleton and TJ Edwards are both slated to be restricted free agents. While that 'restricted' tag should make both players easy to maintain in 2022 the question will be how comfortable Philadelphia is extending them beyond. Singleton was named a captain for the 2021 season, but if the Eagles have reservations about committing to him beyond a one year tender, using their 2nd RD 1 pick on Alabama's Christian Harris could make a lot of sense.

Harris is a true three down linebacker who is as adept at snuffing out running plays in the back field as he is smothering pass catchers downfield.

Don't look now, but the Raiders look... impressive. Derek Carr "hot takes" abound, and the team has overcome a slate of injuries to emerge 2-0. At this stage, the roster looks improved across the boad and with few glaring holes. While those may emerge, the team does seem to lack a true WR1 (yes, despite the improvement of Ruggs and Edwards, I don't consider either to be quite that caliber) for an emergent Derek Carr.


Additionally, they will need some help at OG (with Incognito quite possibly playing his last season), DT (where they are unimpressive and lack anyone signed for next season), LB (where the team is currently leaning on late additions KJ Wright and Denzel Perryman), and possibly CB (if Casey Hayward is a one-year rental). For now, let's give the early MVP candidate a top notch pass catcher to make this offense absolutely unstoppable.

Denver turned an easy start to the schedule into early success, and give the Broncos credit. They've taken care of business like they are supposed to, and that includes Teddy Bridgewater. There is no doubt a quarterback will be in the conversation come next April, but Bridgewater's play is opening the door for who they should target. The 2022 class didn't enter the season with a Trevor Lawrence or Tua Tagovailoa. Those guys had so much early success in their careers, that their stock didn't need a major jump in development over their final year. However, this fall, every draft-eligible quarterback's stock will be heavily dependent on their continued development.

Still, with Bridgewater in place, the Broncos can take a riskier approach knowing that even if their guy didn't take that big step in 2021, they have a veteran that can help bridge the gap while they are patient with a rookie. It's similar to the situation in San Francisco with Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance. So, Bridgewater's presence can allow Denver to swing for the fences on a player with immense long-term upside. Corral has incredible upside, but consistency and decision-making are areas his game needs to improve. Still, with a strong 2022, I won't be shocked if his name is being mentioned as the top signal-caller in the class.

~Austin Smith, DraftTek Senior Analyst