The Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints struck a big pre-draft trade involving multiple first-round picks. Here’s the latest NFL mock draft.
The Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints came together on a massive pre-draft trade that could shake up the entire first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. It’s time to update your NFL mock draft scenarios because the Saints are now a threat to move up for a quarterback…
Even if they don’t move up, this trade frees them up to acquire multiple starters from this draft if that’s what they want to do as well.
The rumor mill is churning and the closer we get to the NFL Draft, the more you should be listening to people in the know. We’ll aggregate some of that information to put together a mock draft scenario reflecting some of the latest rumblings around the NFL from various insiders and analysts.
Latest first-round NFL mock draft after Saints/Eagles blockbuster
1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
Yes, this pick would come as a surprise, but there have been plenty of surprising predictions involving the Jaguars so far this offseason. Most have been projecting this selection to be Aidan Hutchinson over the last four months, and that remains a strong possibility, but Travon Walker is really creeping up the draft board.
Walker is an elite athlete off the edge and in this draft class, it’s possible we could see the Jaguars bank on his potential because his proverbial “ceiling” is higher than Aidan Hutchinson’s.
2. Detroit Lions: Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
There has been some intriguing buzz building for Malik Willis and the Detroit Lions since top-30 visits have started.
Again, this is the time to start paying some attention to people “in the know” regarding these players but there will absolutely be some smokescreens put out there.
Could the Lions pass on the home-grown talent Aidan Hutchinson to take a wild card player like Willis?
It might seem crazy, but it also might just happen.
2022 NFL mock draft, picks 3-4
3. Houston Texans: Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan
The Michigan ties to those that have worked in New England recently are as strong as ever. There are a few college coaches that Bill Belichick has clearly preferred over the years in terms of bringing guys to the NFL and near the top of the list are Alabama’s Nick Saban, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh.
Nick Caserio showed last year in Houston that the ties to Michigan were not limited to Bill Belichick when he traded up for former Wolverines star receiver Nico Collins.
I think Caserio and his new head coach Lovie Smith would be thrilled to add a stud like Aidan Hutchinson here at pick no. 3 overall. This pick could come down to Hutchinson, Travon Walker, Sauce Gardner, or Ikem Ekwonu.
4. New York Jets: Ikem Ekwonu, OL, North Carolina State
Even if Ekwonu ends up playing guard at the NFL level, the New York Jets have a bit of a luxury here of having that 10th overall pick and being able to just take the best guy on their board.
I do think Ekwonu is a tackle at the next level and he would really complete the Jets’ new-look offensive line which, after this pick, would look really solid on paper from left to right: Mekhi Becton, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Connor McGovern, Laken Tomlinson, Ikem Ekwonu.
That is a big, strong, nasty offensive line.
5. New York Giants: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
Depending on who the Giants really love with this pick, I think this is a prime trade spot for the New Orleans Saints to come up and jump their division rival Carolina Panthers if they are into Kenny Pickett.
It’s hard to imagine the Saints made the trade they did with the Eagles without a quarterback in mind, but I suppose we’re fixing to find out.
If the Giants stay put, they can get themselves a massive offensive line prospect who projects to either tackle or guard position as a pro. Evan Neal is an athletic specimen and physical freak. He would be a great addition to a line that has already added Mark Glowinski in 2022.
6. Carolina Panthers: Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
The Panthers don’t have a second or third-round pick in this draft. They don’t have a solidified QB position with Sam Darnold playing as poorly as he did last year.
As of right now, they might not be making a trade for either Jimmy Garoppolo or Baker Mayfield, though I wouldn’t completely count that out.
I think the Panthers’ love for Kenny Pickett is one of the worst-kept secrets in this year’s draft.
2022 NFL mock draft, picks 7-8
7. New York Giants: Jermaine Johnson, EDGE, Florida State
One thing that Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll know from their time in Buffalo is the value of a good defensive front and how important it is to win in the trenches.
After picking Evan Neal at five overall, the Giants flip to the other side of the line of scrimmage and get another physical freak in pass rusher Jermain Johnson, who could pair up with his former Georgia teammate Azeez Ojulari to wreak havoc off the edge for years to come in New York.
Johnson transferred from Georgia to Florida State and became one of the top all-around EDGE players in the entire country this past season. Imagine him added to that stellar Georgia defense…
8. Atlanta Falcons: Drake London, WR, USC
The very popular place to put Drake London these days is to the Jets at 10 but the Atlanta Falcons are easily the most desperate team in this draft for wide receiver help.
They might not be as desperate at the quarterback position because you can’t help but think they made the Matt Ryan trade after missing out on Deshaun Watson with 2023 in mind.
London has a chance to be the most dominant receiver from this class and should be QB-proof upon entering the NFL immediately.
9. Seattle Seahawks: Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
At this point, it may be a bit surprising to see Stingley Jr. going over Sauce Gardner, who has really shot up draft boards these days and could wind up being a top-five pick.
In this NFL mock draft scenario, Pete Carroll uses a rare top-10 pick on a guy he will get great intel on from Ed Orgeron, someone he’s been very close with through the years.
Stingley is coming off of an injury but he’s still got elite skills and looks like he will be a top-flight outside corner for years to come.
The Seahawks aren’t exactly building brick-by-brick after the Russell Wilson trade but they have plenty of renovation to do on their roster.
10. New York Jets: Sauce Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
The New York Jets went with the offensive lineman at pick no. 4, and rightfully so. In this scenario, it didn’t cost them a chance at a potential shutdown cornerback to pair up with DJ Reed, whom they acquired in free agency.
Sauce Gardner has been elite all throughout his college career, and the first NFL touchdown he gives up in the NFL will be the first he’s given up since his high school days because he didn’t give up a single touchdown in college.
2022 NFL mock draft, picks 11-12
11. Washington Commanders: Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
The last time the Washington franchise selected a receiver out of Ohio State, it turned out to be a pretty good move for them.
Terry McLaurin is one of the more underrated superstars in the NFL right now.
Although this might be silly rationale, perhaps the Commanders will feel they can strike gold from that program again as the Buckeyes have two first-round, starter-ready receivers in this draft.
Garrett Wilson would help take some pressure off of McLaurin, and Washington would be fools not to invest in surrounding Carson Wentz with the best talent possible.
12. Minnesota Vikings: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
The Vikings have invested the majority of their 2022 offseason in upgrading the defensive side of the ball and it would be fascinating to see the new-age golden domer Kyle Hamilton pair up with another Notre Dame legend in Harrison Smith with the Vikings.
Ed Donatell is going to bring a two-high safety look to the Vikings’ defense with both of those guys interchanging and floating into the box. Hamilton is exactly the type of versatile, rangy safety Donatell needs to run his scheme properly.
13. Houston Texans: Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
With all due respect to Jonathan Greenard who had eight sacks in 12 games last season, I can’t help but absolutely love the idea of the Houston Texans doubling up off the edge in this draft with Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
There are some concerns over whether or not Thibodeaux is intrinsically motivated when it comes to football, but perhaps Lovie Smith and his staff could extract the best out of him.
Because Thibodeaux and Hutchinson can play all over the defensive front, I don’t think this would be an issue regarding the promising young Greenard, by any stretch.
14. Baltimore Ravens: Jordan Davis, DL, Georgia
I think this pick is a match made in football heaven.
Jordan Davis just seems like a Baltimore Raven.
If you’re old enough to remember, this pick brings back memories of the Ravens once committing absolute NFL Draft thievery with the selection of Haloti Ngata, an ultra-athletic big man out of Oregon with the 12th pick in the 2006 NFL Draft.
Ngata was a unicorn of his time at the interior defensive line position, and Davis is literally one of a kind at the interior defensive line, athletically speaking. He’s the best player on the board here for the Ravens.
2022 NFL mock draft, picks 15-16
15. Philadelphia Eagles: Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
One player the mock draft simulators have been too low on for far too long is Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie.
McDuffie is an absolute stud at the cornerback position with inside-outside versatility, length, elite speed, and toughness.
For the Philadelphia Eagles, he would add another intriguing presence to Jonathan Gannon’s defense and give this unit a chance to repeat its strong second-half performance from the 2021 season, only this time with some more sustained success.
16. New Orleans Saints: Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
Perhaps the trade the Saints made was QB-motivated, and perhaps it wasn’t.
The Saints still have plenty of salary cap space but they also might prefer to roll most of that over to next offseason because they’ve had to do so many salary cap gymnastics in recent years.
The departure of Terron Armstead has gone a little bit underrated from the Saints’ side of things. They need a new starting left tackle to pair up with Ryan Ramczyk and Charles Cross might be the best pass protecting tackle in this entire draft class.
With another pick coming up at 19, this could be a great start for the Saints.
2022 NFL mock draft, picks 17-18
17. Los Angeles Chargers: Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
The Los Angeles Chargers have been super aggressive in the 2022 NFL offseason, and that has landed them in a pretty good place up to this point.
Still, the one glaring hole on this roster is at the right tackle position and the Chargers have been backed into this corner since the free agency buzz has subsided.
Right tackle in round one is more of a necessity than anything else, and here the Chargers get a physical, nasty option to come in and start right away as a rookie with Trevor Penning.
The Chargers had great success with Rashawn Slater as a first-rounder last year, and Penning could have a similar year one impact on the right side.
18. Philadelphia Eagles: Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
This feels like a bit early to take a risk on a guy who just tore his ACL in January, but that’s the kind of elite-level talent Jameson Williams has.
Williams could be a fit for the Eagles who have no shortage of future picks to work with and not a ton of players on the board here that are no-brainer better options than Williams when he’s healthy.
Word is, Williams is ahead of schedule in his recovery and if he can be healthy by October or November, he would be a tremendous midseason addition for this Eagles offense. If he can be healthy before that?
Watch out.
2022 NFL mock draft, picks 19-20
19. New Orleans Saints: Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
After striking their blockbuster trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Saints surprisingly pass on quarterbacks in this NFL mock draft scenario and stick with Jameis Winston, who they signed to a somewhat surprisingly rich two-year deal worth $28 million and $21 million in guarantees.
The Saints obviously believe that in the post-Sean Payton era, they can still get the best out of Winston but it wouldn’t hurt for them to add some more competency to the wide receiver position.
Getting Michael Thomas back will be massive, and adding Olave to pair with him would completely change the dynamic of the Saints’ offense for 2022.
Perhaps they could trade Sean Payton at some point and recoup their early picks in 2023 and 2024…
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Zion Johnson, OL, Boston College
Even though the Steelers might have a preference here of taking someone like Malik Willis or Kenny Pickett, those guys may not be realistically available at this juncture.
The quarterback position could be “set” if the Steelers want it to be with Mitchell Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, and Dwayne Haskins all on the roster.
With that being said, the offensive line needs upgrades and there’s nobody better left on the board at this point than Boston College guard Zion Johnson, who would allow the Steelers to have James Daniels at either center or right guard.
2022 NFL mock draft, picks 21-22
21. New England Patriots: Quay Walker, LB, Georgia
One of the draft buzz tidbits I think people should start buying into is that Quay Walker could go much higher than anticipated, even higher than his more hyped teammate Nakobe Dean, potentially.
Leave it to the New England Patriots to make somewhat of a jaw-dropping pick. The Patriots have never really cared about the perceived value of the guys they draft and Bill Belichick is almost a virtual lock to use his top pick on someone from either the Alabama or Georgia program.
Quay Walker has outstanding size at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, and could slide right into a starting role for Bill Belichick’s defense.
22. Green Bay Packers: George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue
You didn’t think the Packers were just going to instantly replace Davante Adams did you?
The Packers have unfortunately made it a habit to not use early-round picks on the wide receiver positions in recent years. Specifically, they have failed to surround Aaron Rodgers with first-round talent on the offensive side of the ball for a decade-plus.
At this juncture, the value of the remaining receivers simply doesn’t match up with the value of a player like Karlaftis, who could replace Za’Darius Smith and give the Packers a versatile option to add to their talented defense.
2022 NFL mock draft, picks 23-24
23. Arizona Cardinals: Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson
The Arizona Cardinals actually have more needs to address in this draft than they would probably like.
They lost Chandler Jones in free agency, so they’re going to have to dip into this deep EDGE class at some point to try and get some production in the pass rush department.
One glaring area of need for the past few years, it seems like, has been the cornerback position. Here, the Cardinals finally address it by getting a nice scheme fit for Vance Joseph’s man-heavy defense in Andrew Booth, who might have some of the best ball skills in this particular class.
Booth can help that Cardinals defense create turnovers and get the ball back to Kyler Murray more frequently.
24. Dallas Cowboys: Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys have been doing a lot of homework recently on some of the top wide receivers from the 2022 NFL Draft class.
The stars are aligning for Jones to replace Amari Cooper with Treylon Burks in the 2022 NFL Draft.
First and foremost, you have the Cowboys bringing these receivers in for top-30 visits, indicating their serious interest in being able to separate guys at the top of their board.
Second, you have Burks coming from Arkansas, where Jerry Jones is one of the most notable alumni.
Third, you have the fact that Dallas was bounced from the playoffs thanks large in part to the performance of Deebo Samuel, who is the popular pro comparison for Treylon Burks.
Like I said, it feels like the stars are aligning for this pick.
2022 NFL mock draft, picks 25-26
25. Buffalo Bills: Kyler Gordon, DB, Washington
One of the primary areas the Buffalo Bills still need to address in the 2022 offseason is the defensive backfield.
They have effectively killed any need they had on the defensive front with fire, signing a host of free agent studs to join an already very talented group of young players on that defensive front.
Kyler Gordon ran a somewhat disappointing 40-yard dash (4.52) but his athleticism pops on the field and he can play a versatile role for a defensive backfield that needs to replace a key contributor in Levi Wallace.
26. Tennessee Titans: Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
It was a toss-up here between Devin Lloyd and Nakobe Dean.
Ultimately, both of those guys could wind up going way higher than this NFL mock draft projection and I can live with that.
The linebacker position is simply not valued as highly in today’s NFL as it once was but the Tennessee Titans certainly know the value of versatility at that position considering their head coach, Mike Vrabel, was once one of the more versatile playmakers at the position in the NFL.
Lloyd’s production at Utah in 2021 was bordering on other-worldly and there was not a play that he was not involved with.
I think he would be a home run pick for the Titans this late in round one.
2022 NFL mock draft, picks 27-28
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Daxton Hill, DB, Michigan
The Buccaneers found a gem in another former Big Ten safety a couple of years ago with the acquisition of Antoine Winfield Jr.
Here, they dip into that pool again after losing Jordan Whitehead to the New York Jets in free agency.
Daxton Hill is becoming one of Draft Twitter’s favorite players because of his toughness and versatility in the defensive backfield. Not only can he play safety, but he can play in the nickel or he can come into the box for you.
He would be an intriguing player to pair up with Winfield Jr.
28. Green Bay Packers: Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State
This might be a little rich for Christian Watson, but there’s no doubt that he’s going to be an impact player at the NFL level.
With his size, speed, and overall athletic talent, Watson would almost immediately become the new WR1 for the Green Bay Packers, all due respect to Allen Lazard.
Watson may come from a small school but he will prove early on that he belongs against top competition. Especially with Aaron Rodgers getting him the ball, I think Watson will prove to be a dynamic rookie in the NFL.
The Packers have to take him here because he’s not going to be available in the later portion of round two.
2022 NFL mock draft, picks 29-30
29. Kansas City Chiefs: Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State
The trade of Tyreek Hill was one of the more shocking developments of the entire 2022 NFL offseason, but it’s hard to blame the Kansas City Chiefs for drawing a line in the sand there contractually.
The Chiefs now have a bunch of new draft capital to play with and while I think some people view the moves they’ve already made — signing JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdez-Scantling — as good enough, I’m not so sure.
Hill was a unique player for Kansas City and I’m not sold that Mecole Hardman can replace his production.
Jahan Dotson has outstanding play speed and took his game to a new level in 2021 with Penn State.
30. Kansas City Chiefs: Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA
This move might be surprising but again, the Chiefs can’t really risk a player they love not being there in round two, just like the Packers with Christian Watson.
The Chiefs have always been about speed, speed, and more speed, and it doesn’t get much faster than Woolen’s 4.26 in the 40-yard dash as a rare 6-foot-4 cornerback prospect.
This guy has so much room to grow as well, being that he’s only been a cornerback for a couple of seasons.
The Chiefs will throw him into their defensive scheme and give him a great chance to succeed early on.
2022 NFL mock draft, picks 31-32
31. Cincinnati Bengals: Devonte Wyatt, DL, Georgia
One of the top values at this point of this particular 2022 NFL mock draft, the Bengals finally break the fall of Devonte Wyatt and add him to their stellar defensive line.
Larry Ogunjobi attempted to leave the Bengals for the Bears in free agency but he couldn’t pass a physical.
Still, Ogunjobi hasn’t returned to Cincinnati and that is a void the team might need to fill through the NFL Draft after investing a ton in the offensive line in free agency.
Wyatt would be a nice fit alongside DJ Reader and BJ Hill for this Bengals defensive front.
32. Detroit Lions: Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia
At this point, I can’t help but feel it’s bordering on sacrilegious to not include Nakobe Dean in a first round NFL mock draft projection.
Every time I watched Georgia last season, it was consistently no. 17 making impact plays and absolutely leaping off the tape.
Dean may not have ideal size for the linebacker position but he’s versatile and instinctive. I think he would be a great pickup at the end of round one for the Detroit Lions, who took a shot on Malik Willis very early on in this mock draft.