2022 NFL mock draft: Aaron Rodgers to Broncos, Derek Carr to Commanders
30. Kansas City Chiefs: Daxton Hill, S, Michigan
Tyrann Mathieu is a free agent for the Chiefs in 2022, and with their salary cap situation, there’s no guarantee he will be brought back.
Daxton Hill may not have been a Heisman candidate in college like Mathieu was at LSU, but he offers similar versatility to a defense with the ability to play deep free safety, play in the box, or play the nickel role and do them all well. He’s tremendous in coverage, aggressive against the run, and a physical player with speed.
31. Cincinnati Bengals: Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan
After the Super Bowl, is there really any question about what direction the Bengals will go here?
The wide receiver argument won’t win out this time, although Ja’Marr Chase was the right pick over Penei Sewell in 2021 regardless of what happened in the Super Bowl.
After Joe Burrow suffered an injury in his rookie season and then was taken down a record number of times in the Super Bowl, the Bengals simply have to pour every asset into the offensive line.
Bernhard Raimann is going to make some noise at the Scouting Combine as a former tight end who bulked up and has become one of the top tackle prospects in a very deep class at the position.
32. Detroit Lions (from LA Rams): Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss
I wasn’t planning on a quarterback for the Lions in this mock draft, but this scenario was intriguing.
With Matt Corral suffering an injury this past season, his value is hard to project right now. If he does last until the late first round, this is absolutely worthy of a dart throw by the Lions.
Corral is a talented dual-threat quarterback prospect who lacks elite size but certainly makes up for with big-time throws and plays with his legs.
Ole Miss’ offense didn’t force Corral to do a lot of complicated things like he will undoubtedly have to in the NFL, but there are traits and tools here that intrigue enough that I think the Lions would potentially take this shot, because this pick wouldn’t marry them to Corral forever.