2022 NFL Mock Draft #7

After the blowout loss to Cincinnati, the Lions are now the only winless team in the NFL and as such, for the first time in our mocks, they're slotted in as having the #1 overall draft pick in 2022.

Now, while I've made the argument to let the season play itself out before making too many judgements on team needs, it's clear the Lions need help everywhere, but they shouldn't overthink this one. Kayvon Thibodeaux is the player they need at #1. Forget about a flashy QB or a pricey DB (Derek Stingley Jr. & Kyle Hamilton), the Lions in their current defensive state just cannot stop the bleeding as they rank in the middle of the league in total sacks (14) but 5th in points allowed (172).


We could have a healthy debate on whether or not Detroit should shore up the defensive backfield with a corner or a safety, or even could trade down and acquire multiple defensive pieces to truly fix this defense up and to be honest, I wouldn't be totally opposed to the latter idea. We saw how this defense was in literal shambles under Matt Patricia and it continues to be under Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn, but do you truly pass up on the idea of nabbing the consensus #1 prospect in the draft in Thibodeaux and build on their strength on d-line? I don't think you can. This team absolutely needs to continue to hurry opposing QBs and apply pressure. In my mind, there is no way 1 or 2 young DBs can fix their bleeding secondary. Not even Jeff Okudah could do that.

Thibodeaux has been highly ranked and well decorated as they come since high school. The 6'5" 200 pound rusher was rated as the 2nd best high school recruit in 2019 behind now Georgia Bulldog, LBer Nolan Smith; but still wound up winning the 2018 High School Football Defensive Player of the Year, he's continued that caliber of play with Oregon, winning PAC-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2019, first-team All Pac-12 as a Sophomore, and MVP honors of the 2020 Pac-12 Championship Game.

Granted, awards are all relative to the competition, but let's face it, with Thibodeaux's combination of athletic gifts, leadership, mentality, work ethic, these are things these Detroit Lions cannot pass up on. Thibodeaux has to be the guy here, make no bones about it.

- Doug Hyde, Lions Analyst

It's a brand-new day in Houston, but it's certainly not a bright one.

Not only are the Texans one of the worst teams in football, but everyone in this organization seems to be painfully in over their heads. Through 6 weeks, Texans' HC Dave Culley seems to be more of a motivational speaker than an actual X's an O's type of guy with fans already starting to question his football knowledge. Davis Mills likes to throw the football to opposing teams more than his own, and Lovie Smith's defensive scheme is woefully outdated and picked apart by any QB who isn't a rookie. A lackluster group of DB's don't help any. Need an example of how undisciplined this Houston Texans football team is? Allow Texans' WR Brandin Cooks to explain in further detail!


To top it all off, Houston has parted ways with veteran pass rusher, Whitney Mercilus in an effort to continue to get younger on the defensive side of the football. Whitney had long been the Texans' best sack artist especially in the waning years of JJ Watt's injury-ridden tenure in Houston. We can say it out loud finally. This team is REBUILDING and there is no better way to pull Texans fans back from the brink of despair then by drafting another young franchise QB!

Enter Malik Willis, QB from Liberty!

Willis is a dual-threat QB with a BAZOOKA for an arm! His talent is plain to see on film and will certainly give a boost to a team that seems to have no real direction.

- Cody Lachney, Texans Analyst

The Jets get CB Derek Stingley again with the 3rd overall pick. Still the consensus #1 CB in the draft, Stingley's star has lost some luster since his epic 2019 freshman year. Stingley took a COVID gap year for 2020, and now is "out indefinitely" with a foot injury after playing just 3 games in 2021. ESPN's Scott Van Pelt questions Stingley's injury - due to the turmoil at LSU they wonder if Stingley will just shut it down and prepare for the draft.

3rd overall is mightly high and flighty for any CB, and just might have been justified if Stingley would have just reduxed his 2019 performance here in 2021 (let alone improve). But the Jets would be stuck between a rock and a hard place if they ultimately will be picking here at the 2022 Draft. Any need player that GM Joe Douglas might pick would be considered reachy; the best outcome would be a trade down where Stingley would be more palatable, as would the like of Aidan Hutchinson, Kyle Hamilton or whatever WR that QB Zach Wilson would most covet (Olave, Wilson, London).

The schedule favors picking up some more wins with games against weakling's Houston, Jacksonville, Philly and Miami (x2) on the slate, but if the Jet's were to ultimately land at 3, and no trade could be engineered? If BPA were the preferred criteria then OT Evan Neal would also come into play.

It took software engineer Matthew Wright to break the code on the Jags' 20-game losing streak, evidently aware that when in London, "bend it like Beckham" kicks get style points. Here's that crazy hook (or "draw" for golfers) one more time:

Matthew Wright appealing to the English football crowd with a bending 54 yard field goal to tie the game 20-20.
Jacksonville gets their first win of the season with another kick by Wright at the end of regulation to win 23-20 #MIAvsJAX #JacksonvilleJaguars pic.twitter.com/oQS6SceZau

— Sports Talk From The Quad (@SportsTalkFTQ) October 17, 2021

Threvor Lawrence continues to improve as an NFL QB. In Lawrence's first three games, his NFL Passer Rating stood at 58.4, with 7 interceptions. In the most recent 3 games, that's improved to 94.0, and just 1 pick! Ever since we trotted out our first 2022 mock back in June, our RD1 pick tilted heavily to OT, given the poor performances of Jawaan Taylor and Cam Robinson in the 2020 season. Fast forward to now, and would you believe that the Jags OL has paved the way to a 5.2 yards/carry, (tied for) 1st in the NFL?! Further, Lawrence has been pressured on just 17.7% of his dropbacks, 5th best in the NFL.

This being said, LOT Robinson is collecting $13.7M as the Jags' franchise tagee, yet, per OvertheCap.com, is only valued at $5.7M. Taylor OTOH is valued at $12M on just a $2.1M cap hit. Taylor's contract is up following the 2023 season, though. As such, a premier tackle prospect continues to make a lot of sense to protect the "The Asset".

This being said, the other elephant in the room is the weakness at CB, where the Jags keep drafting top prospects and then giving them away. Could they do it again in the 2022 draft?

After the apathetic performance against the Rams, it's beginning to look like the Giants are in for a complete purge to usher in the 2022 season. Ed Valentine of Big Blue View points out that GM Dave Gettleman's tenure is likely coming to an end. He's compiled a woeful 16-38 record in his tenure with the G-men. Maybe Joe Judge gets to stay, probably not.

The Giants possess gobs of draft picks for 2022, currently projecting a total of 11, with 5 picks in the first 70 spots. And they could land some more as Gettleman may be looking to jettison high-priced components prior to the Nov 2 trade deadline.

After the New Orleans game, there was talk that Daniel Jones just might be deserved of, well at least a 5th-year option. However that talk has died down following his worst two performances of the season, perhaps unfairly due to the concussion suffered in the Dallas' game. Just maybe if Jones can finally get all his WRs on the field at the same time, he can regain the trust of Bob Lurie, but for now we're going with a QB with their top pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Although this year's QB crop is perceived to all possess flaws, here the Giants get Matt Corral, a prospect who fits the dual-threat mold that has seen success in recent NFL seasons, personified by Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray and Josh Allen.

Corral doesn't get the buzz that Liberty's Malik Willis receives for his running acumen, but in fact all of Drafttek's top-3 QB prospects (Willis, Corral and Sam Howell) fit into the dual-threat category. Matt Corral has rushed (thru 6 games) for 545 yards on 45 carries for a 7.3 ypc and 8 TD, with 338 of those yards coming off designed run plays (versus scramble). This being said, isn't Daniel Jones a dual-threat?

The Eagle's Zach Ertz era is officially over as the team has agreed to trade the Philly legend to the Arizona Cardinals for a RD 5 pick and rookie CB Tay Gowan. Given what Ertz meant to Philadelphia, it's hard to watch him go, but after a tumultuous offseason, where it seemed Ertz had already taken his last snap as an Eagle, it was clear that it was a matter of when, not if the former Pro Bowl TE would don another jersey.

As for the player coming to Philly, Tay Gowan gives the Eagles another intriguing young option at CB. Gowan only played one season as a starter in college, so he's still adjusting to life in the NFL, but he's got good size and speed, with an aggressive play style that should fit nicely in Philly and hopefully bring a spark to the secondary.

Closer to the line of scrimmage however the Eagles pass rush is missing Brandon Graham badly as the Eagles are tied for the 7th fewest sacks in the league through 6 weeks. While Graham should return in 2022 fellow pass rusher Derek Barnett is slated to be a free agent making replenishing the pass rusher an important goal for the off season. Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson is a relentless pass rusher who is less of a sack artist and more of a disrupter, getting his hands into passing lanes and affecting plays even when he doesn't get home to the QB. He'd be a welcome addition to any locker room, but would be especially welcome in the city of brotherly love.

Early Bye weeks can lead to exhaustion later in the season, but for a team integrating a new offense and defense, it could be helpful in applying early lessons. Arthur Smith is endeavoring to create a more positionless offense at the skill positions, and that was clearly in evidence against the Jets with Kyle Pitts and Cordarelle Patterson being lined up all over the place. Atlanta is the only team to run more than 50 plays out of four different personnel groupings, although counting Pitts as a Tight End is almost cheating. The Falcons' offense is starting to become what observers hoped it would be with Smith calling plays, and Matt Ryan throwing for 342 yards against a reasonably good Jets' defense without his top two WRs is a promising sign.


With both Patterson and Russell Gage headed to free agency and Atlanta still in "cap hell," finding more interchangeable weapons like Pitts will be important via the draft. There are still questions about Kaleb McGary's long term prospects at right tackle and every level of the defense could use an infusion of young talent.

But at least there are signs of improvement in Flowery Branch, and while a playoff berth is currently a pipedream, a .500 or better season could happen. After the first two games of Smith's tenure, that would almost qualify as a miracle.

Philadelphia's 2-4 start may be disappointing, but it isn't all that surprising given that three of those loses have come against the three participants of the last two Super Bowls (TB, KC, SF) and the fourth was to a Dallas team that has played like one of the best in the league through six weeks. What is surprising is that, also of the writing, the Eagles have the 5th fewest rushing attempts (132) while being tied for the most yards per carry (5.2). The high scoring nature of the Dallas and Kansas City games definitely play a factor here, but it's worth pointing out that play calling may be just as much if not more of an issue than personnel on offense.

Not to mention, the defensive side of the feature's a few freak athlete's that should have front offices salivating. The Eagles already grabbed one earlier in this mock with EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, and they grab another here with Notre Dame Safety Kyle Hamilton. Hamilton is a must have swiss army knife safety that can bring the thunder coming down hill as a run defender, with the size and speed to line up with opposing TE's and neutralize any matchup nightmares.

Do you like time-travel movies? I'm not a huge fan. Why? I think they're often predictable, retreads of a tired genre that no one was really interested in the first place. The progression of the story is often convoluted and disjointed, and usually ends in similar fashion to the way it began, once again teaching us all the lesson that trusting in finally being treated to the excitement, grandeur, and most importantly, significant transformation that we've longed for in a film was, well...stupid...again. If you're wondering how this ties into your favorite NFL team, then you're either too young or haven't been paying attention.

The past 25 years of the Washington Football Team are a case-study of predictable, retreads of a tired genre that no one was really interested in the first place. What's more? The progression of the story with this organization is often convoluted and disjointed, and usually ends in similar fashion to the way it began, once again teaching us all the lesson that trusting in finally be treated to the excitement, grandeur, and most importantly, significant transformation that we've longed for in our team was, well...stupid...again.

This owner stinks. This organization stinks. This team stinks. Maybe you're still holding onto hope that this movie will end differently than it began, and has begun every year for a quarter century, but I prefer to keep that itchy wool far from my eyes.

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

The Patriots have been playing at the level of their opponents too often this season. They played the Cowboys and the Bucs competitively, but came up on short side in both games. Noble efforts yes, but the the Pats just barely escaped a game to a Texans team that's sitting in the nadir of a rebuild. At 2-4, the schedule has a handful of tough opponents in the Browns, Chargers, Titans and Bills (x2). To make the playoffs, they'll need to sweep the other 6 foes, and grab one or two from those elites.

Mac Jones faces the same problems that annoyed his predecessor, that's not having quality targets to throw the ball to. As the team sinks nearer the bottom-10, wouldn't it be great if BB were to select a WR from among the avaialble studs in this mock: Garrett Wilson, Drake London and Treylon Burks. It's improbable that Belichick will retain RFA Jakobi Meyers - who's a steal on a $588K salary, but is valued at $10.5M. As an RFA, Belichick has the right to match any offer tendered to Meyers by another team, but has Belichick ever been so generous with offensive playmakers?? The answer is no - though Gronk, in 2018, eked over the $10M - not all salary, but total compensation.

So yeah, back to reality. The Patriots need help in the secondary, and we think that's where they'll go unless a versatile defensive front-7 value were to plunge to their pick - I'm thinking Aidan Hutchinson. With Stephon Gilmore gone and JC Jackson a Free Agent to be, the CB inventory needs re-stocking. Here it's Cincinnati's Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner who fits the mold.

The Giants are one of the top blitzing teams in the NFL, doing so on 29.8% of plays. All that blitzing, though, is not turning into pressures. A "pressure", BTW, is the combination of sacks plus QB hits plus QB hurries. The Giants are generating pressure on just 17.8% of QB dropbacks, 30th in the league. Their pressure total (40) also ranks 30th.

The Giants once again can get no production from their dedicated crew of pass-rushers - Zo Carter, Oshane Ximines and Azeez Ojulari. Rookie Ojulari started the season well enough with 8 pressures and 3 sacks (in 3 games), but has totaled just 2 pressures (and 0 sacks) in games 4-6.

Maybe it's time for a full-size EDGE/DE who can be deployed more creatively. South Carolina's Kingsley Enagbare (6'4", 265) is quietly working his way up draft boards with plays like this:

Kingsley Enagbare: 93.6 pass rush grade

Highest in the Power 5 ??pic.twitter.com/Rv0U8lsvw3

— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 18, 2021

Steady improvement has kept the Colts in the hunt - that and being in one of the worst divisions in the league. Standing at a 2-4 record, Indianapolis has limped out of the gates with disappointing performances against teams that were thought to be their equals just a month ago. Still, all is not lost yet. They still stand at second in the AFC South, ahead of two 1-5 teams and trailing the 4-2 Titans after their win on Monday night.

Coming off their most complete win of the year - a 31-3 drubbing of the Houston Texans - Colts fans do have some areas to point to as a reason to be optimistic. In the 2020 season, Carson Wentz threw 15 interceptions in just 12 games, tied for most of any other quarterback. But in his first season in Indianapolis, Wentz has dramatically turned that around and has thrown the fewest interceptions of any QB that has played every game for his team this season, with just one against the Rams in Week 2.

PFF's Offensive Player of the Week

?? Carson Wentz ?? pic.twitter.com/L0Wz65j6uS

— PFF (@PFF) October 19, 2021

The Colts get Zion Nelson with this mock, and they should count themselves lucky with how the offensive line has looked. The front line has given up 14 sacks in six games to start the season while star guard Quenton Nelson resides on the IR and offseason acquisition Eric Fischer has noticeably lost a step since his Chiefs days. The Colts getting a young athletic tackle from Nelson who can play both sides of the line should be a big boost to a struggling offensive line. But hopefully, that unit can hold on better this week as the Colts have a chance to crawl a little bit closer to .500 this Sunday night against a 49ers team much in the same situation.

- 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.

Left Tackle Mekhi Becton's return cannot happen soon enough for QB Zach Wilson, possibly around the time we release our next mock draft two weeks hence (or Nov 3). The Jets' two current OTs aren't playing gawdawful - both given middling rankings by PFF - but Morgan Moses becomes a free agent after this season and fill-in LOT George Fant after 2022.

Zach Wilson is the most sacked QB in the league with 19 thru 5 games (technical point - Tanehill has 20 in 6), but the dirty secret is that it's not entirely the fault of the OL. Zach Wilson is 2nd in the league in Time-to-Throw at 3.11 seconds, but has only taken to scrambling 4 times - heck 44 year-old Tom Brady has scrambled more. Wilson is taking his sweet time to look for targets, but he's not finding them.

Another OT will be necessary, though WR will be on the radar here too. The team loses Jamison Crowder and Braxton Berrios to Free Agency. More worrying is that the guys drafted to dance into the future with Zach Wilson aren't being played - looking at Denzel Mims (3 catches in 3 games) and Elijah Moore (8 catches for 66 yards on 20 targets).

The Steelers most glaring needs next season will likely be on the O-Line, QB, and WR (assuming Ju Ju moves on). Just to cover our bases in case Aaron Rodgers gets hit by a bus or something, we'll be looking at the top prospects in this draft. Desmond Ridder is continuing to light up opposing defenses with an average (NCAA) passer rating of 159.6 this season. He's thrown 13 TDs to only 2 INTs with an additional 3 TDs on the ground. A graduated Senior with ample starting experience, he meets all the Bill Parcells quarterback criteria.

For the Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada, getting an intelligent, mobile QB that can run his full offense will be critical. The team usually drafts in a way to support new positional coaches. After the 2021 haul of Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth, adding a QB will give Canada the moldable pieces he needs to put together a dynamic offense before his seat starts to heat up.

I was in London for the Jags' game raring to see my Dolphins kick start their season against a winless team. What I saw was a team throwing away another campaign and putting an abrupt end to their latest attempt at a rebuild. The Fins are unaccomplished and incohesive, and the blame can be shared around the organization. The chief culprit is Chris Grier; he has wasted the draft capital that he was lauded for accumulating. Grier's draft picks and free agent signings have failed in equal measure.

Offensively, and now defensively, the coaching falls way below the minimum requirements for the NFL and is distinctly lacking in creativity. I don't see any in-game adjustments that have a positive effect on the on-field performance. Recruiting coordinators from the positional ranks has not worked. Brian Flores is a motivational coach who has tried to bring about a change of culture. I desperately want Flores to succeed, but his team now lack the intensity they had in his first two seasons. I suspect Flores is losing the locker room and that rarely ends well for a coach.


There is talent on the roster, but the players are not playing to that potential. Whether it's attitude or application is unclear. Bad drafting, poor coaching, and player apathy is the disastrous recipe Dolphins' fans are all too familiar with. I'm not sure what to expect now from the next 12 weeks, but I'd be very tempted to give Houston another call. I'd also listen to offers for veteran players that spend most of their careers on the treatment table. There's no point tanking again as the Eagles would be the only beneficiary of that.

- David Payne, Dolphins Analyst

Please visit our Dolphins 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.

After starting the season 3-0, the Broncos have hit a rough patch, and some have even speculated that Vic Fangio may be losing the locker room. Still, this team has some favorable matchups before they get to their bye week, and that could help them get back on track. However, if Denver continues to falter, there is a good chance we see a coaching change, which could also lead to talks of a change at quarterback. Teddy Bridgewater has been far from the problem, but a new regime may not be willing to settle for the efficient, unspectacular type. The problem is this crop of draft-eligible quarterbacks is getting shakier by the week, and teams will likely turn their attention to acquiring veterans like Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson.

With that in mind, I decided to look elsewhere in this mock draft. This defense has a lot of players in contract years, and I landed on Booth. The Clemson corner has moved up draft boards over the last two months with a terrific combination of size and athleticism. Pairing him with Patrick Surtain would be ideal considering the AFC West will include Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert for the foreseeable future.

~Austin Smith, DraftTek Senior Analyst