After a horrendous start to the 2021 season and another benching, Spencer Rattler is out of round one. Kenny Pickett to Steelers in this 2022 NFL Mock Draft
It’s been a brutal start to the 2021 college football season for Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler. At one point, Rattler was considered a potential number one overall pick candidate in the 2022 NFL Draft and that was reflected in many 2022 NFL mock draft scenarios.
At this point, he’s more likely to transfer to a new school in 2022 than be starting for an NFL team.
Heading into Week 6 of the young NFL season, team needs are becoming more and more apparent. You can always project based on free agents and bad contract situations, but teams are giving us inklings of their current and possibly future weaknesses as well.
Let’s take a look at how teams may address areas of need and capitalize on the value of some top prospects in this 2022 NFL Mock Draft.
2022 NFL Mock Draft at Week 6 of the season
1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
The Jacksonville Jaguars made the bold (let’s just call it that) move last offseason to hire Urban Meyer out of retirement from the college ranks to come and coach their NFL team.
It’s not going well.
Meyer was gifted the number one overall pick and had the obvious choice of Trevor Lawrence staring him right in the face, but with all that has transpired in Jacksonville (and Ohio) in recent weeks, are you not a little surprised Meyer didn’t mess that up as well?
I don’t think Meyer will be the Jaguars’ head coach helping make this pick.
I do think that the Jaguars have to do everything in their power to protect the investment made in Trevor Lawrence.
Alabama’s Evan Neal is one of the freakiest athletes you will probably ever see at the college level. He has proven himself to be not just a great athlete, but a dominant left tackle as well. If Jacksonville winds up with the number one pick, you can probably take a position other than QB to the bank and Neal might be the best non-QB in this class.
2. Detroit Lions: Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
The Detroit Lions traded away Matthew Stafford in the 2021 offseason and based on the way he’s played for the Rams so far, they didn’t get nearly enough in return.
Oh well.
This Detroit team has played relatively well given the expectations pretty much everyone had for them going into the 2021 season. With that being said, their future QB is probably not in place.
Jared Goff will probably float around the league until he lands on a really strong roster to rehab his career, but he has a great opportunity right now in Detroit to prove that he can be the tide to raise all boats.
So far, not so great.
Malik Willis has superstar potential with his big-time arm talent and elite abilities as a runner. He’s a very instinctive player and when he takes off to run, he’s hard to bring down.
Detroit’s rebuilding process gets a major foundation piece here early in round one.
3. Houston Texans: Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss
How much longer will the Deshaun Watson situation linger?
Regardless of how that turns out and affects the 2022 NFL Draft with whatever the Texans get in a trade for him (if they get anything at all), quarterback is probably going to be on the priority list again in 2022.
I say “probably” because Davis Mills has shown a few things early on. We’ll call that one “TBD”.
Matt Corral is this year’s version of Zach Wilson, having such a phenomenal season that NFL teams have no choice but to move him up their draft boards.
He has been extremely sharp this season after some bouts with inconsistent decision-making in 2020. Corral looks like he’d be a perfect fit for Texans head coach David Culley.
4. New York Jets: Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
The New York Jets and Robert Saleh somehow manage to get the best defensive player in the 2022 NFL Draft class despite picking fourth overall in this mock draft.
They lost their top pass rusher — Carl Lawson — before the 2021 season and that side of the ball, maybe even the pass rush in particular, needs to be fortified.
Getting Lawson back will be great, but having both he and Kayvon Thibodeaux?
That would be a recipe for a massive jump in 2022.
The Jets are going to be well-coached and disciplined under Saleh no matter what. They are already showing signs of that with some overachieving defensively in 2021.
Adding star players to Saleh’s defense has a proven track record in this league. He gets the best out of guys and that would be great news with Kayvon Thibodeaux on the roster.
5. Philadelphia Eagles: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
The Philadelphia Eagles are fixing to have a bunch of top-10 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft.
They currently own the Miami Dolphins’ selection, the Indianapolis Colts’ selection, and their own selection. If the season ended today, they would actually have three picks in the top eight overall.
This mock draft doesn’t reflect the results of the Eagles’ Thursday Night loss against the Bucs, but it does reflect their desperate need for an influx of talent on defense, especially in the secondary.
Kyle Hamilton is arguably the top player in the entire 2022 NFL Draft class and would bring star power to the Eagles immediately.
Having Hamilton almost makes it feel like you’re playing with 12 guys on defense because of his incredible instincts, range, and play speed.
6. Philadelphia Eagles: Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
Although he just got put on the shelf with a foot injury, Derek Stingley Jr. out of LSU is probably still the premier cornerback in this year’s draft.
The Eagles have been making a number of moves to try and add depth to their secondary and specifically at cornerback, poaching Mac McCain from the Denver Broncos at final roster cuts and then requiring rookie Tay Gowan to be added in the Zach Ertz trade.
Philadelphia has a chance in a deep draft at cornerback to get some studs and that’s exactly what they get here in Stingley, who has all of the physical and athletic tools along with the production at the cornerback position NFL teams covet.
7. New York Giants: Aidan Hutchinson, DL/EDGE, Michigan
The New York Giants have a variety of needs on both sides of the ball looking ahead to the 2022 offseason.
If they are picking this high, quarterback will probably be up there.
With that said, it feels like David Gettleman is going to give Daniel Jones the entirety of his rookie contract to figure things out.
This team just needs to stay healthy more than anything else.
A player like Aidan Hutchinson would instantly revitalize the Giants’ defense, especially in the pass rush department.
Hutchinson is built like a 3-4 defensive end but he plays with the speed of a light outside linebacker. He’s got such an overwhelming combination of power and speed off the edge.
8. Atlanta Falcons: DeMarvin Leal, DL, Texas A&M
The Atlanta Falcons curiously passed on quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft, including a local product in Justin Fields.
Passing on Fields made some sense based on Matt Ryan’s contract, but not exactly based on Ryan’s play and future projection.
Will they pass on QBs again in 2022?
It’s possible.
DeMarvin Leal would be a fun pickup for the Falcons’ defense and, at least for a bit, would give them a tremendous “Robin” to Grady Jarrett’s “Batman”.
9. New England Patriots: George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue
The New England Patriots did something in 2021 that they had never done in the Bill Belichick era — they used a first-round pick on the quarterback position.
Mac Jones looks like he has a bright future in the NFL with the Patriots, and as he progresses, this team has pieces on both sides of the ball to be competitive in January.
If they finish with a top-10 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, a player like George Karlaftis might be too good to pass up on.
Karlaftis has done nothing but terrorize quarterbacks since he came to Purdue and has been one of the most consistently productive players in college football regardless of position.
Adding this kind of player who can play with his hand in the dirt or standing up off the edge would give the Patriots a fun weapon to go along with big-money free agent Matt Judon.
10. Philadelphia Eagles: Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson
If one defensive back is good, two is better.
If two defensive backs are better, three is…well, really great for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Andrew Booth Jr. would complete the Eagles’ trio of first-round picks in this mock draft if everything stays the same over the course of the 2021 season.
Adding Kyle Hamilton, Derek Stingley Jr., and Andrew Booth Jr. would instantly give the Eagles an enviable foundation of youth in the secondary, and frankly, all of those players could be major difference makers for Nick Sirianni’s team immediately.
Booth is a freak of an athlete who plays with a nasty streak and knows how to make plays on the ball.
11. Miami Dolphins: Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa
The Miami Dolphins may be seriously regretting their decision to trade a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Winning 10 games a season ago, it’s understandable that they would bet on having a better record than would earn a top-10 draft pick.
There’s still plenty of football to be played, and lucky enough for the Dolphins, the 49ers are also not playing great to start the 2021 season. The Dolphins, with the selection they acquired from the 49ers here (Trey Lance trade), get arguably the best offensive lineman in the entire 2022 class not named Evan Neal.
NFL scouts and pundits have been eager for Linderbaum to play on Sundays since he was a redshirt freshman, dominating for the Hawkeyes.
12. New York Jets: Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
After picking up the best defensive player in this 2022 NFL mock draft scenario, the New York Jets turn around with their second pick and get Zach Wilson the best offensive skill player in the class.
Garrett Wilson is not the same type of WR1 prospect as Ja’Marr Chase. He’s probably a tier below, but just a tick.
A Wilson-to-Wilson connection for the Jets would be a lot of fun. We all know Zach Wilson can sling it, make throws on the run, and put it in a bucket downfield. Garrett Wilson can make those big plays at every level of the field to help make his quarterback look really good.
Wilson’s strong hands, body control, ability to create separation, release off the line of scrimmage, and route running are all there. He’s going to be a hit right away in the NFL.
13. Washington Football Team: Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
The Washington Football Team made the intriguing decision to sign Ryan Fitzpatrick this offseason to a free agent contract, passing on the NFL Draft and passing on the chance to trade for someone else.
Maybe they had more faith in Taylor Heinicke than anyone realized.
Even though Heinicke did not win the starting job out of camp, he’s played like he deserved it.
We’ll see how the rest of the 2021 season progresses, but for now, quarterback is still penciled in as this team’s top need.
Getting Sam Howell here at 13 would be a nice haul for Washington. Howell was almost unanimously considered the QB1 going into this season and he still has an impressive overall body of work at North Carolina.
He might not quite be on the same tier, but Howell is built a lot like and plays a lot like Baker Mayfield.
14. Minnesota Vikings: Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
The Minnesota Vikings have had just plain bad luck with first-round cornerbacks in recent years.
You certainly can’t blame them for not investing draft capital at the position.
Trae Waynes, Xavier Rhodes, Mike Hughes, Jeff Gladney…all of those guys were first-round corners for this team and none play for the Vikings anymore.
They’ve got to keep trying.
Ahmad Gardner has been the definition of a shutdown cornerback for Luke Fickell at Cincinnati and he’s played his way into the first-round conversation on a Bearcats team that is making some serious College Football Playoff noise.
The hype is only going to grow for the man they call “Sauce”.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers: Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Steelers will certainly give it the year, they have no other choice. But what does the future hold for Ben Roethlisberger?
Big Ben has played hurt, and he’s looked like it in the early portion of the 2021 season.
Roethlisberger is out there taking hits as this young Steelers offensive line tries to build chemistry. By the time the 2021 season ends, it will be interesting to see where the Steelers land. They still have a shot at the postseason even after a 1-3 start with a big home win last week against the Broncos.
If this is the year Pittsburgh moves on from Roethlisberger or vice versa, how about a hometown kid whose draft stock right now is absolutely on fire?
If Matt Corral is this year’s Zach Wilson, then Kenny Pickett is this year’s Joe Burrow.
Well, @Pitt_FB QB Kenny Pickett vs. Georgia Tech is the best QB tape I've studied so far this year.
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) October 7, 2021
Full inventory of throws. Outstanding accuracy and awareness. Clinical performance!
Don’t get it twisted, I’m not saying he is Joe Burrow, but in terms of going from maybe being a Day 3 pick at the start of the season to ascending first-round status?
Pickett has been giving NFL teams a lot to think about, and playing for the Steelers after lighting it up at Pitt would be poetic.
16. Kansas City Chiefs: Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
It doesn’t seem like anyone is quite buying the Chiefs’ 2-3 start to the 2021 season, but their defense looks bad.
Even so, we know the identity of this Kansas City team has been and will continue to be offense and the play of Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs are experimenting with Josh Gordon and depending on how that goes, it could make the fit of Treylon Burks in the 2022 NFL Draft almost a no-brainer.
Burks is a big body who can win vertically and after the catch. The Chiefs have a number of smaller receivers who can make plays with their speed, but adding a big body like Burks to an already dominant core of skill players would be flat-out unfair.
17. Cincinnati Bengals: Kenyon Green, OL, Texas A&M
After a legendary start to the 2021 season matched only by Randy Moss in 1998, is anyone still going to complain about the Bengals taking Ja’Marr Chase over Penei Sewell?
As good of a pick as Chase has been early on, the Bengals definitely still need help on the offensive line.
Kenyon Green has been playing both tackle and guard for the Texas A&M Aggies this season and is athletic enough to project pretty much anywhere at the next level.
18. New Orleans Saints: Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
Life without Michael Thomas has certainly given the New Orleans Saints something to think about.
Given the rift between Thomas and Sean Payton, would anyone be surprised to see the Saints trade away their WR1 sooner rather than later?
Any trade of Thomas would likely result in the Saints’ first-round selections in 2021 doubling but it would also amplify their need for a receiver early on.
Chris Olave is a smooth operator with outstanding hands, route running abilities, and body control. He has such a great feel for where he’s at on the field at all times and although he’s not dynamic in terms of size and speed, he’s really good at everything.
19. Tennessee Titans: Drake Jackson, EDGE, USC
The Tennessee Titans have been looking high and low for help off the edge the past couple of offseasons.
On the eve of the 2020 season, they signed Jadeveon Clowney, who didn’t exactly work out for them.
In 2021, they signed Bud Dupree who was recovering from a knee injury at the time he was signed.
To say Tennessee is desperate for some help off the edge might be an understatement. Drake Jackson out of USC would be a huge pickup for them especially more than halfway through the first round of the draft.
Jackson has shown the potential to go way higher than this and we’ll see how he tests in the pre-draft process. He could wind up as a top-10 pick. For this scenario, he ends up as a steal for the Titans, filling a longstanding need.
20. Denver Broncos: Ikem Ekwonu, OT, North Carolina State
The Denver Broncos could once again be in the quarterback market in the 2022 offseason, but would they zero in on one through the NFL Draft?
General manager George Paton hasn’t been on the job long, but he made a huge statement by passing on both Justin Fields and Mac Jones in 2021.
If the Broncos go the veteran route at QB, they may not have a first-round pick. If they have a low first-round pick like this, an offensive tackle makes a lot of sense.
Ikem Ekwonu has been one of the best run blockers in college football this season and he would help fill a huge need for the Broncos at right tackle.
21. Carolina Panthers: Jaxson Kirkland, OT, Washington
The Carolina Panthers have invested so much in the defensive side of the ball early in the Matt Rhule era, it’s hard to imagine this pick being anything but offense.
Their entire 2020 NFL Draft class was defensive players.
They used their top pick in 2021 on South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn.
They have traded draft capital for cornerbacks CJ Henderson and Stephon Gillmore.
Carolina has to do some investing in Sam Darnold, and one way they can do that is going after Washington offensive tackle Jaxson Kirkland, who has had a great season other than his run-in with Aidan Hutchinson.
22. New York Giants: Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida
The New York Giants used their first-round pick earlier in this 2022 NFL mock draft on Michigan EDGE player Aidan Hutchinson.
Here, they get someone who can capitalize on his pass rush by picking off some errant throws in Kaiir Elam.
When healthy, Elam is a CB1 type of prospect with his outstanding length at the outside corner position. He’s got five interceptions in 23 college games along with 18 pass breakups.
His length and outstanding ball skills give him a chance to go much higher than this, but the Giants certainly wouldn’t be complaining if this was their first-round haul.
23. Cleveland Browns: Drake London, WR, USC
The Cleveland Browns have the luxury of truly taking the best player on their board and that could wind up being a number of players at a variety of positions.
So let’s have some fun.
The Odell Beckham Jr. trade has not worked out for Cleveland, even though the Browns have really emerged in the years since that trade as one of the NFL’s top teams and most well-rounded rosters.
A big-time receiver like Drake London would be a lot of fun in Cleveland and would allow this team to comfortably move on from Beckham.
He’s got a 6-foot-5 frame and has been catching everything this season at USC, even if he only has one hand to work with at times. He’s been making plays deep downfield, after the catch, and perhaps no receiver in college football has boosted their stock more as a result.
24. Detroit Lions: Adam Anderson, EDGE, Georgia
After a mini-breakout in 2020, Adam Anderson has burst onto the scene in the most literal way in the 2021 season for the stellar Georgia defense.
In the first five games of the season for Georgia, Anderson has 4.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss and a plethora of pressures, outstanding reps in coverage, and he plays with big-time burst off the edge.
Although Anderson is lanky at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, he has good play strength and that should only continue to improve the older he gets. He can use his length and hand punch to win off the edge in the run game but his most impressive ability is the way he can blow by offensive tackles with pure speed and timing of the snap.
25. Las Vegas Raiders: Jordan Davis, DL, Georgia
The resignation of Jon Gruden certainly threw a wrench in things for the Las Vegas Raiders over the long-term.
Gruden was the team’s primary decision-maker when it came to roster moves, but it seemed as though he and GM Mike Mayock held many of the same philosophies.
With that said, this pick might make a little too much sense for the Raiders. Davis has been dominant this season and has established himself as one of the most disruptive interior defensive linemen in the country.
The way he’s been able to affect games at his size has been impressive. He would help open things up off the edge for ascending star pass rusher Maxx Crosby.
26. Buffalo Bills: Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia
It’s tough to think of a college player that has made so many huge plays early on in a season and has gone as underrated as Georgia’s Nakobe Dean.
It doesn’t matter if he’s working in coverage, against the run, or as a pass rusher — Dean has flashed on tape and shown off his tremendous athleticism and range.
The Buffalo Bills have poured a ton into their defensive front and Dean gives them a weapon behind those playmakers up front.
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
Injuries have forced the reigning Super Bowl champion Buccaneers to sign veteran Richard Sherman, who was comfortable hosting his podcast prior to the opportunity with Tampa Bay arose.
The Bucs pretty much strictly went with future investments in the 2021 NFL Draft but a cornerback that can play right away like Trent McDuffie would be a gift from the football gods at this point of the draft.
The Bucs need a depth piece like McDuffie, who can play inside or outside and could wind up being a CB1 type of player down the line.
28. Green Bay Packers: Christian Harris, LB, Alabama
The Green Bay Packers continue to not support Aaron Rodgers with offensive draft picks in the first round.
That is if Rodgers is even still around.
If the Packers don’t win the Super Bowl in the 2021 season, it will be fascinating to see how things are handled in the offseason with the league’s reigning MVP.
If Rodgers is traded, there will be plenty of Packers selections to discuss in future mock draft scenarios.
Here, Christian Harris gives the Packers a long-term option at the inside linebacker position who can play all three downs. Jaylon Smith is a short-term fix for them and can serve as a clue for what the Packers might prioritize early in next year’s draft.
29. Los Angeles Chargers: Kingsley Enagbare, EDGE, South Carolina
Brandon Staley inherited a really good thing when he was hired on as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Justin Herbert is a legitimate MVP candidate, and the offensive weapons around Herbert in Los Angeles are all playing as well as they ever have at exactly the same time.
Rashawn Slater was a big-time pick in the 2021 NFL Draft but the Chargers need someone off the edge in the 2022 class that can pair up with Joey Bosa.
Kingsley Enagbare is a solid value this late in round one and has tremendous length combined with power and effort off the edge.
30. Dallas Cowboys: Darian Kinnard, OL, Kentucky
The Dallas Cowboys have finally found a winning formula, one that legitimately has them looking like Super Bowl contenders early in 2021.
The decision to draft CeeDee Lamb last year seemed like a luxury at the time, but that pick was so much better than it’s been given credit for and Dallas’ overhaul defensively in 2021 has worked out beautifully.
Trevon Diggs looks like a Defensive MVP candidate and is currently the favorite for that award.
What does this team need looking ahead? You can never have too many good offensive linemen, and Darian Kinnard is a good one.
Kinnard is a bully in the run game and has improved this season as a pass protector. He has a huge matchup against Georgia worth watching for all NFL/NFL Draft fans.
31. Baltimore Ravens: Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
The Baltimore Ravens have had some significant struggles in the 2021 season on the offensive line.
Thanks to Lamar Jackson, you would hardly know it.
After trading Orlando Brown Jr. to the Chiefs, Baltimore has shuffled some players around at tackle including former Steelers left tackle Alejandro Villanueva, who suffered an injury himself.
Trevor Penning has been dominating for Northern Iowa this season and with his massive 6-foot-7 frame, he has the look of a punishing tackle at the next level as well.
As much as the Ravens run the ball, a player like Penning as the bookend for Ronnie Stanley at left tackle would give the Ravens two angry people movers in the run game and brick walls for Lamar Jackson in pass pro.
32. Arizona Cardinals: Sean Rhyan, OL, UCLA
The Arizona Cardinals aren’t messing around.
In just the last couple of offseasons, they have brought in the likes of DeAndre Hopkins, his former Texans teammate JJ Watt, Watt’s 2011 NFL Draft mate AJ Green, former Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler, and a variety of high-profile college players through the draft.
Namely, former Heisman winner Kyler Murray, one of the most versatile players on defense in the last decade in Isaiah Simmons, and Purdue’s video game create-a-player Rondale Moore.
Most recently, the Cardinals struck a trade for Eagles legend Zach Ertz, who will add even more firepower to their tremendous offense.
With this mock draft pick, it’s all about supporting those investments the Cardinals have already made.
Sean Rhyan is having a great season for UCLA locking down that left side, and he could shift over to the right side in Arizona with DJ Humphries in place at left tackle.