FIRST ROUND
1. Jacksonville Jaguars — Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State
After numerous conversations with NFL scouts and league execs in preparation for this mock, there were two key takeaways that led me to Ekwonu here. First, there are several evaluators around the league who have Ekwonu ranked higher than Alabama’s Evan Neal and Mississippi State’s Charles Cross. Second, several evaluators agreed that in a draft class missing a no-brainer top prospect, they prefer the tackles over the pass rushers. I have no clue how the Jaguars feel, but Ekwonu at least belongs in this conversation.A three-year starter at NC State, Ekwonu has impressive movements for his size and generates extraordinary explosion at contact. He lacks refinement and is guilty of over-setting, but he is nimble, powerful and should get better and better as his technique and awareness mature. Ekwonu’s tape shows a tackle who can also play guard, not the other way around. For more on Ekwonu, this deep dive from Bruce Feldman is a great read.
2. Detroit Lions — Aidan Hutchinson, edge, Michigan
A Week 18 victory against the Packers meant the Lions lost the No. 1 overall pick, but there is a decent chance that the top-ranked player on Detroit’s draft board will still be available at No. 2.Hutchinson isn’t on the same level as the Bosa brothers — he doesn’t have the same bend or arc skills. However, there are similarities when you talk about their quickness, power and skilled hand play to defeat blockers and disrupt the pocket. Hutchinson can win in multiple ways and is wired in a way that will appeal to head coach Dan Campbell.
3. Houston Texans — Kayvon Thibodeaux, edge, Oregon
Is there a quarterback in this draft class who is a clear upgrade over Davis Mills? I don’t think so, and I doubt the Texans will either. Thibodeaux isn’t universally loved around the league, but he is one of the more talented players in this draft. He knows how to create leverage as a pass rusher due to his length and athleticism and is highly physical vs. the run.Fans expecting Myles Garrett or Chase Young will be disappointed, but that doesn’t mean Thibodeaux can’t make an immediate impact of his own.
4. New York Jets — Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
The Jets could go in a number of different directions here. Alabama’s Evan Neal could start at right guard as a rookie and be the long-term answer at right tackle (and provide Mekhi Becton insurance at left tackle). But Stingley would give the Jets a cover man with the talent to be a legitimate No. 1 cornerback, something the franchise has missed since Darrelle Revis.Stingley set the bar high after his All-American freshman season as part of LSU’s national championship team. And although the last two seasons haven’t gone according to plan, the talent is still there. Stingley’s draft stock is extremely volatile right now, and his interviews and medicals will ultimately determine whether he is drafted this high or falls out of the top 10.
5. New York Giants — Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
Slowly but surely, Andrew Thomas is progressing at left tackle, but the right tackle spot was a glaring weak spot for the Giants this past season. Nate Solder has likely played his last snap with the franchise, and Matt Peart hasn’t done enough to keep the Giants from finding an upgrade this offseason.Neal has functional experience at guard and both tackle spots and would be an immediate improvement on the Giants’ offensive line depth chart. His balance will fade as the play progresses, but he has a rare mix of size, athleticism and flexibility to make plays in pass protection and the run game.
6. Carolina Panthers — Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
If the Panthers strike out on their quarterback options in free agency and on the trade market, this could be the spot where we see the first quarterback drafted. This is Carolina’s only draft pick in the top 100, putting even more pressure on Matt Rhule and the organization to get this selection right.Cross is talented enough to be OT1 on some team’s draft boards. He has the athleticism and movement patterns to be comfortable pass-blocking on an island, and his hands are well-timed and precise. Cross should be able to start from day one as a rookie.
7. New York Giants (from Chicago) — Kyle Hamilton, DS,Notre Dame
Safety isn’t the most glaring need on the Giants’ depth chart, but with a new general manager and head coach, they will be looking to draft impact players, above everything else, in the top 10. And Hamilton might be the most talented player in the draft, regardless of position.At 6-3 and 218 pounds, Hamilton is a super-sized safety with the range and length to be a matchup weapon in the NFL. Though his physical traits stand out, it is his football IQ that is most impressive, sensing what is about to happen and being disruptive.
SECOND ROUND
33. Jacksonville Jaguars — Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida
34. Detroit Lions — Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn
35. New York Jets — Bernhard Raimann, OT/G, Central Michigan
36. New York Giants — Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
Two-round 2022 NFL Mock Draft: Dane Brugler’s mock 2.0 has a new No. 1 pick and more surprises - (
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With that second round pick, there's lots of players I'd pick before Ridder, who does not look like an NFL QB to me at all.
Same. But Neal is a great consolation prize.
Took OBJ instead of Zach Martin. Fail
Took SB instead of Q Nelson. Fail
First 4 picks have to be OL/DL with pick 5 being a real NFL RB.
Giants cannot compete at LOS. This is why scheme and skill position players do not matter. Until our OL/DL can start pushing people around we have nothing.
Took OBJ instead of Zach Martin. Fail
Took SB instead of Q Nelson. Fail
First 4 picks have to be OL/DL with pick 5 being a real NFL RB.
Giants cannot compete at LOS. This is why scheme and skill position players do not matter. Until our OL/DL can start pushing people around we have nothing.
BUT- OBJ had a great start to his career, we just never gave anything else around him and let Eli stick around too long.
Barkley was wrong for the very point that RB's that high are not worth the risk UNLESS you have the Oline..
You can't force Oline picks just to force Oline picks. We can add more guys rounds 2-4 on the Oline. We take the BEST player available to help rebuild a roster that is cap struck- unless we make major changes to contracts and then get a QB long term before the draft.. Overall I want to know when we finish 2022 that this team is LEGIT pointing up for 2023!
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22. Las Vegas Raiders — Drake London, WR, USC
Giants have one in McKinney. Hamilton would be more of a strong safety, playing closer to the line.
Hamilton has been talked about as a top 3 pick since the fall. This guy looks like a game changer. Teamed with McKinney the range between the two will be astonishing. The draft is not about this year, it is down the road and Logan Ryan is in his 30s.
I would love these 1st two picks, but I doubt Hamilton will be there, I think the Jets may take him at #4(or Neal).
Do not want Ridder at #6, think he is a 3rd or 4th rounder.
Good arm, good size, but had plenty of time to throw against weak schedule. In Championship Bowl Series he played against a real team and his game didn't look so great.
Took OBJ instead of Zach Martin. Fail
Took SB instead of Q Nelson. Fail
First 4 picks have to be OL/DL with pick 5 being a real NFL RB.
Giants cannot compete at LOS. This is why scheme and skill position players do not matter. Until our OL/DL can start pushing people around we have nothing.
Logan Ryan is 31, nothing special, and expensive and Peppers is gone. The Giants need talent at all levels. If he's special he's absolutely someone they should pick. You gonna thumb your nose if he's Ed Reed or Polamalu? All of a sudden the pick is good right?
Lower value positions like DS, TE, and RB become worthy of a top 5 or 10 selection when they bring something to the table that is more than typical of the position (safeties who can cover, tackle, and rush the QB; TE's with the size to block for the run and the speed and hands to catch the ball downfield; RB's with the speed and elusiveness to take it the house, the power to convert 3rd and one, the hands to be a threat in the passing game, and the smarts and will to pick up the blitz).
There was a time when WR was considered a lower value position, but that changed as the rules of the game changed to favor the QB and the passing game. If Kyle Hamilton and Xavier McKinney were to become this generation's Steve Atwater and Dennis Smith I could live with the selection.
But you never pass on guys where the consensus is they are elite talent. Never.
But you never pass on guys where the consensus is they are elite talent. Never.
A safety tandem of McKinney and Hamilton would be dynamic for the back end of this defense. I watched plenty of Kyle Hamilton at ND. Guy is a stud. Peppers likely won't be ready for the start of next season, and he is sort of approaching the same territory Landon Collins was when he was here.
But you never pass on guys where the consensus is they are elite talent. Never.
When a team is so low that it has to look up to see down, then you go with the best player regardless of need. But this guy from Notre Dame better have a red cape to pick him at 5, especially given the Giants secondary is the only above grade unit they currently field. And if you adhere to the theory of "positional value", then maybe Matt Corral could be the pick at #5.
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Giants actually have talent.
But you never pass on guys where the consensus is they are elite talent. Never.
When a team is so low that it has to look up to see down, then you go with the best player regardless of need. But this guy from Notre Dame better have a red cape to pick him at 5, especially given the Giants secondary is the only above grade unit they currently field. And if you adhere to the theory of "positional value", then maybe Matt Corral could be the pick at #5.
I will wait until Sy's previews come out, but I do not see Corral as a top 10 player. Hamilton definitely is.
My guess is they stick with their board year one. Does that mean a safety at pick 7? Very possible IMO
I'd be looking at CB at #36, there's high end talent to be had while other positions drop off.
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Yeah - Giants really need to take a safety at 7. I don't care if this guy wears a red cape with a big S on his chest he cannot be the pick at seven.
Took OBJ instead of Zach Martin. Fail
Took SB instead of Q Nelson. Fail
First 4 picks have to be OL/DL with pick 5 being a real NFL RB.
Giants cannot compete at LOS. This is why scheme and skill position players do not matter. Until our OL/DL can start pushing people around we have nothing.
Logan Ryan is 31, nothing special, and expensive and Peppers is gone. The Giants need talent at all levels. If he's special he's absolutely someone they should pick. You gonna thumb your nose if he's Ed Reed or Polamalu? All of a sudden the pick is good right?
Took OBJ instead of Zach Martin. Fail
Took SB instead of Q Nelson. Fail
First 4 picks have to be OL/DL with pick 5 being a real NFL RB.
Giants cannot compete at LOS. This is why scheme and skill position players do not matter. Until our OL/DL can start pushing people around we have nothing.
This is a terrible way to look at team building. Forcing 4 picks on two position groups would be insanely bad. You can win with an average (or even bad oline as we see with a couple of playoff teams), you don’t need an elite oline. How far has that gotten Dallas?
You need elite players to win a Super Bowl and the Giants need an influx of them. Hamilton has the potential to be an elite player.
He just looks like a QB and I just looked up is measurables and they match the profile of an ideal QB.
just find it funny, nothing to see here.
He just looks like a QB and I just looked up is measurables and they match the profile of an ideal QB.
just find it funny, nothing to see here.
Actually, you make a good point. Hamilton has the build of an NFL QB or big WR.
It's hard to find comparables for his build in elite NFL defenders. And he's usually reported as being 6'4" rather than 6'3".
When a similar point was raised about Isaiah Simmons, the response was: oh, don't worry, he's unique.
NFL secondary players are not as tall as tall WRs because shorter people change direction better than taller people. Offensive players know where they're going. Defensive players have to mirror.
Tall people can also have problems with the principle of low man wins.
Is Hamilton such a good athlete that he can stretch the parameters of an NFL safety? Maybe, but it's an issue.
Took OBJ instead of Zach Martin. Fail
Took SB instead of Q Nelson. Fail
First 4 picks have to be OL/DL with pick 5 being a real NFL RB.
Giants cannot compete at LOS. This is why scheme and skill position players do not matter. Until our OL/DL can start pushing people around we have nothing.
Only half right. OBJ was on a HOF trajectory before the Giants' Mickey Mouse organization caught up with him.
Hamilton is a game breaker, I think he’ll be like Minkah Fitzpatrick.
If it’s the 2nd , then you better hit on a C or G, hopefully both in the 3rd.
I know it’s a good draft for OL, but conversely I think many teams will go OL besides those in the top 5 or even 10 of the first round, reducing the pool by that much.
We definitely need 2 OL starters, if not 3 out of this draft.
If they think Neal and a C or G in the 3rd can start, ( not putting hopes in picking a 4th rd or > being a surprise starter),then Hamilton is ok, though I’d prefer a Lloyd or Dean , Leal or or other DL bolstering the front 7, especially the 2 LB.
Now if they can get a 3rd for SB maybe they marry it with the #70 and can slip into the late 2nd score a top 60 player.
If there's a guy with star potential at ER, go for it. I just don't know that this is a good draft for high end ER. They can use more 'good', but what they need to do is hit on a star to be someone offenses have to account for.
If there's a guy with star potential at ER, go for it. I just don't know that this is a good draft for high end ER. They can use more 'good', but what they need to do is hit on a star to be someone offenses have to account for.
The answer is there arent any - all of them at the top of the draft are overrated
That is why you need to take Dean. This defense needs speed badly