Zack Dietz's Final NFL Round 1 Mock Draft
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After months and months of games, playoffs, combines, pro days, and everything in between, the culmination of the next entry of professional football prospects will take place this Thursday to Saturday at the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas. So that only means it is only right to crank out one final mock draft before we move on to 2023.
A couple of footnotes: this is a PREDICTIVE mock, meaning some picks may not be exactly what I would do personally, but what makes the most sense based on whatever criteria are present, i.e., positional need, value, prior history, etc.
Secondly, I will be mocking a few trades in this draft. It is absurdly difficult to predict player and team fits, to begin with, and adding these transactions makes it even more difficult.
On the flip side, I like to have fun. So with that being said, let’s dive into my final 2022 NFL Mock Draft.
Zack Dietz's Final 2022 NFL Mock Draft (Round 1 Only)
1) Jacksonville Jaguars
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Travon Walker, ED, Georgia
Going back to what I said in the introduction to this mock draft, this isn’t what I would do. As much as I love Walker for his traits and versatility along the defensive line, he is not the top edge rusher in this class. Or the second. Or, even in my opinion, the third.
However, his combine testing showcased he is truly a generation athlete, and there have been reports of Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke wanting to pass on Aidan Hutchinson due to the former’s tarnished relationship with Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Throw in the fact that new Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson likely would prefer an offensive lineman with this selection, this is the perfect Jaguars pick: One that doesn’t make much sense, but makes all the sense in the world (if you know what I mean).
2) Detroit Lions
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Aidan Hutchinson, ED, Michigan
One thing I’ve said throughout this entire draft process is how much sense Kayvon Thibodeaux makes sense for this Lions team, and while that still rings true and he’s still on the board, I would be very surprised to see Detroit pass on a local talent of nearly equal value.
The Lions have done a very nice job of building their team inside out--they've created a very good offensive line and they possess an abundance of young interior defensive line talent.
The franchise still needs a quarterback, but I don’t see a guy like Malik Willis being the pick here. Hutchinson has all of the tools to be a franchise star and building block for an ascending Lions team.
3) Houston Texans
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Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
The Texans have arguably the most depleted overall roster in the NFL, so this should be a true "best player available" selection.
Several names are very enticing, such as cornerback Sauce Gardner and other offensive linemen like Ikem Ekwonu and Charles Cross, but my gut is telling me Neal will be the pick here.
While it appears that many people around the NFL itself expect Ekwonu to be the first offensive lineman off the board, the Texans could use the player with the most experience at right tackle.
They’ve tried Tytus Howard over there in the past, but he is much more serviceable as the team’s left guard. Neal is a gifted athlete who has improved in pass protection throughout his collegiate career, and this selection would give Houston two bookend tackles to support Davis Mills or whichever top quarterback prospect they would likely select a year from now.
4) New York Jets
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Kayvon Thibodeaux, ED, Oregon
Thibodeaux winds up staying in green, even though he has to travel across the country as a result. With general manager Joe Douglas in tow and Robert Saleh as the team’s head coach, those are two individuals who have shown in years past that they don’t value secondary players as much as the dudes in the trenches.
Thibodeaux is the clear-cut best player available at this spot--and my top rated player in this entire class--so this would be a home-run selection for Gang Green.
Thibodeaux is a freaky athlete with an ascending pass-rush skillset, high motor, and defensive line versatility. He reminds me a ton of Brian Burns from a few years out, and the scary thing is the ceiling might even be higher.
5) New York Giants
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Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
The Giants have been rumored to being open to moving either of their first round picks, but in this mock, they decide to stay at this spot and select the top remaining offensive tackle on their board.
As I mentioned earlier, the league mostly seems to favor Ekwonu as the top offfenisve lineman in this class, but the fact that the Giants basically sent everyone to the Mississippi State pro day plus numerous reports about the team's growing love for Cross leads me to believe he would be the selection here with Evan Neal off of the board.
Out of the top three tackles in this class, Cross is the most raw from an overall playstyle sense, but is the best pass-protector. (Watch his tape against Alabama this past year if you don’t believe me.) If he can harness his physical gifts and continue to develop, the Giants might strike gold.
6) Carolina Panthers
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Ikem Ekwonu, OT, North Carolina State
Many prognosticators still believe that this pick could be a quarterback for Carolina, and while that would not shock me, I think the shaky job security of head coach Matt Rhule may have the franchise lean more towards the veteran route, such as Baker Mayfield or Jimmy Garoppolo.
Grabbing Ekwonu here is a massive win for this Panthers team, whose offensive line outside of right tackle Taylor Moton really struggled last season.
Ekwonu made the switch from left guard to left tackle in 2021 for the Wolfpack, and was an absolute brick wall. While I still believe he has the tools to be an All-Pro caliber guard, he absolutely deserves to be a left tackle in the NFL and his power, technique, and footwork make him one of the more cleaner prospects in this draft.
7) New York Giants (from CHI)
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Sauce Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
James Bradberry is likely on his way out of New York due to financial reasons, and while the Giants have a nice young room of defensive backs, losing Bradberry takes away their one cornerback with good size.
If the board falls like I have it so far, I believe it would need to take a "godfather offer" for new general manager Joe Schoen to pass up on selecting Sauce Gardner.
Arguably the best boundary cornerback in this class, Gardner played as close to a flawless season for the Cincinnati Bearcats in 2021, showing elite traits and insticts in both man and zone coverage.
He would be a Day 1 starter in New York and give the team a potential shutdown defensive back post-Bradberry.
8) Philadelphia Eagles (from ATL)
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Derek Stingley, CB, LSU
Our first mock trade has the Eagles swapping places with Atlanta, the latter of which is in the same boat as the Texans right now: They're a bad football team that could use as many draft picks as possible.
In this scenario, Philadelphia trades picks 15, 51, and 105 to the Falcons for No. 8. The Eagles keep their second first-rounder at 18 and sacrifice some capital to move seven spots up the board to get the best remaining cornerback on the board.
Stingley’s concerns--from the COVID to the injuries to the drop off in play--have been well documented throughout this draft cyle. But just because he wasn’t as good as he was during his freshman campaign doesn’t mean he’s still not an elite prospect.
From the awareness to the athleticism to the all-around skillset, Stingley Jr. plays the position exactly how you need your outside cornerback to play and gives Philly a franchise cornerstone at a premium position.
9) Seattle Seahawks (from DEN)
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Jermaine Johnson, ED, Florida State
For a good bit, it felt like this would be the first landing spot for a quarterback to go in this class. That seems unlikely right now, with Seattle just giving considerable money (albeit for one year) to Geno Smith, so the team is looking like it mayl address the situation next season.
The Seahawks need more offensive line help, which I could see being the pick here, but they are painfully thin on the edges. Outside of Darrell Taylor and newly-acquired Uchenna Nwosu, this team needs an outside pass-rusher.
Johnson has a ton of fans in this class, and his ability to rush either in-line or standing up bodes well for him to succeed in Pete Carroll’s defense.
10) New York Jets (from SEA)
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Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
The Jets going wide receiver with one of their first two picks seems like a near-certainty at this point. While I have long thought Drake London was their guy, there has been a lot of buzz about Jameson Williams being the first wideout off of the board.
In terms of skillset, Williams ability to run crisp routes, be physical, and be a vertical threat makes a ton of sense for this Jets offense, especially when you have a quarterback like Zach Wilson who loves to sling the ball down the field.
11) Washington Commanders
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Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
I was very tempted to go against the grain with a quarterback here, but given the coverage and secondary issues shown by the Commanders last season, going in any other direction feels rather irresponsible.
Kyle Hamilton is arguably the top prospect overall in this class, and possesses an all-around skillset that makes him the next “unicorn” type prospect.
While some have expressed concerns over his disappointing 40-yard-dash time, once you put on the Notre Dame film and see Hamilton play with some ridiculous range, change of direction, and instincts, it’s easy to see why he could be the next superstar safety in the NFL a’la Derwin James.
12) Pittsburgh Steelers (via MIN)
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Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
Finally a quarterback comes off of the board in our second mock draft trarde in this round. In order to jump a Texans team at No. 13 that would also likely be interested in trading with a team that wants to come up for a quarterback, the Steelers send picks 20, 52, 138, and a 2023 third round selection to Minnesota for 12 and 191.
While Pittsburgh may have some hope that newly signed starter Mitchell Trubisky is anything more than a stopgap, it’s rather unlikely thats the case. Willis has some major accuracy and ball security concerns, but in a weak quarterback class, he easily has the best traits of any other one in this draft.
Armed with an absolute bazooka, Willis lands in a good situation to not only learn, but show how the lack of talent on his Liberty offense isn’t a fair mark on his potential.
13) Houston Texans (from CLE)
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Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
After going offense with their first Round 1 selection, Lovie Smith gets his defensive prospect in linebacker Devin Lloyd, The Texans can go in plenty of directions with this pick, but with a front office that has a very Patriots-esque way of thinking, Lloyd is a great fit in the middle of this defense.
While not quite on the same level as Micah Parsons was last season, Lloyd is a phenomenal pass-rusher as an off-ball backer and took massive strides in coverage as well in the 2021 season. He’s a do-it-all player who is the perfect combination of need and value at this spot.
14) Baltimore Ravens
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Jordan Davis, IDL, Georgia
This was a tough choice between the two Georgia interior defenders in Davis and Devontae Wyatt, but I decided to go with the former.
The Ravens brought back Michael Pierce as their nose this offseason, but he’s been plagued by injuries recently. While Davis may only be valuable for two-downs in the NFL, he has the potential to be the next Haloti Ngata for Baltimore with how big and athletic he truly is.
The strongest player in this draft class, Davis is one of the best run defenders I’ve ever scouted and his presence simply makes the players around him that much better on the d-line.
15) Atlanta Falcons (via PHI)
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Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
Here’s a fun challenge: Look up the current Atlanta Falcons offensive depth chart and try not to become immediately nauseous.
In all seriousness, this team needs another capable pass catcher outside of Kyle Pitts in that offense with Calvin Ridley suspended from the league for at least one full season.
Wilson would be a fine selection at their original spot at No. 8, but general manager Terry Fontenot is able to acquire more picks and still get his guy.
Arguably the best route runner in this class, Wilson plays the game very similarly to Ridley, and his elite separation skills and all-around skillset would be an asset to any football team.
16) New Orleans Saints (from IND through PHI)
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Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
With their extra first round pick acquired from Philadelphia, the Saints stand and select a very raw, albeit talented, replacement for Terron Armstead. Penning is the most ferocious tackle in this class, and while that comes back to bite him right now, he is a great athlete who is a menace in the run game.
He needs major work with his lower half technique and his aggressiveness causes penalties, but there’s something there with Penning and this feels like the correct range where the league values him.
17) Los Angeles Chargers
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Kenyon Green, IOL/OT, Texas A&M
Given the offseason acquisitions made by the Chargers, including signing cornerback J.C. Jackson to a long-term deal, this team is trying to go all-in while Justin Herbert is still under contract.
One area that must be addressed however is the right side of their offensive line,m and that is where Green comes in. A player who has experience playing every spot except center on the front line of an offense, Green is rather raw with his technique but his versatility and power in run protection make him a nice compliment to Rashawn Slater on the Bolts’ offensive line.
18) Philadelphia Eagles (from NO)
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Devonte Wyatt, IDL, Georgia
I understand Eagles fans may be upset with the idea of not going wide receiver right here, but if there’s one thing we know about Howie Roseman, it's that he loves to have ample depth along the defensive line.
Wyatt is an older prospect with some off-field concerns, but his play at Georgia as a pass-rushing 3-technique who can play as a 5-tech in sub-packages is intriguing.
He also displayed some impressive athleticism at the combine. He’d be another fresh face to throw into an interior defensive lineman rotation of Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, and Milton Williams in Philly.
19) New Orleans Saints (from PHI)
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Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
The Saints double up on offense in the first round and grab the best available deep threat receiver for Jameis Winston.
Chris Olave may not be much of a threat after the catch, nor does he have the physicality to succeed against more physical cornerbacks, but if he beats you with his first step, goodnight defense.
Also one of the more underrated route runners in this draft, Olave would give an underwhelming Saints’ receiving core some major juice.
20) Minnesota Vikings (from PIT)
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Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington
While this may be somewhat of a surprise pick to some of you, I truly love the player-team fit here. Not only does Minnesota need secondary help, but new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell loves his defensive backs, and new GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah valuable the cornerback position during his time in Cleveland’s front office as well.
Gordon was lights out for Washington in his first full-season as a starter, and while I still believe that Trent McDuffie is the better of the Huskie cornerbacks, his measurables may have him slip further than expected.
21) New England Patriots
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Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida
It is always a crapshoot guessing what Bill Belichick and the Patriots are going to do, but with the cornerback board fallen the way that it has, it makes all of the sense in the world to spend a first rounder on (hopefully) J.C. Jackson’s replacement.
Elam feels like a very nice stylistic fit for the Pats’ defense. He's a versatile and athletic boundary corner that has the traits to play in the slot and even some safety snaps as well. His ball skills are very impressive and he plays with outstanding passion and effort.
22) Green Bay Packers (from LAS)
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Drake London, WR, USC
A prospect who many have seen as potentially being the first WR off of the board falls behind more speedier options but lands in a perfect spot in Green Bay.
Drake London was having a Heisman-worthy campaign at USC this past fall before an ankle fracture, and even if he isn’t a 4.3 guy he runs crisp routes, has elite separation ability, and can catch everything in sight.
He may not be as dynamic as former Packer Davante Adams, but he can fill his role very well in that offense, especially with Aaron Rodgers throwing to him.
23) Arizona Cardinals
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Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
The slide ends for one of the draft’s most overall talented and clean prospects. Despite some teams that will likely knock McDuffie off of their boards due to his small arms and stature, he’s one of the best overall players in this class, period. (You could make an argument that his 2021 film matches that of Sauce Gardner's.)
The Cardinals also have a history of dipping their toes into the Washington cornerback pool, as Budda Baker and Byron Murphy were both been selected with high capital and play critical roles on this team.
24) Dallas Cowboys
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Tyler Linderbaum, IOL, Iowa
Linderbaum is the best center prospect I’ve ever scouted, and even though the position hasn’t been drafted very highly in the first round in years, he deserves to go higher than here at 24. This is usually the spot where the top prospects at the position go, and this so happens to be arguably the best fit of any selection in this mock.
The Cowboys desperately need a center and Linderbaum’s athleticism, strength, scheme versatility and pass-blocking superiority would be more than ideal in a Dallas offense that loves to throw the ball.
25) Buffalo Bills
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Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State
Some Bills fans may not be elated with this pick, but hear me out. Stefon Diggs is definitely looking at all these new receiver deals and will want (and deserve) to be duly compensated, and in the event that they cannot come to an agreement, the Bills will need another high-end pass catcher.
I do believe Diggs will get his money from Buffalo, but in a loaded AFC, Josh Allen can use as many freak of nature specimens to throw too as possible. Watson may be very raw as a route runner, but if he applies himself he could become one of Allen’s best friends on that offense.
26) New York Giants (via TEN)
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George Karlaftis, ED, Purdue
For as much talk as there’s been about the Giants trading down in the top ten, I can definitely see a situation where the team uses their extra capital this year to snag a third Round 1 pick, and here we have Tennessee sending picks 26 and 219 to the Giants for 36 and 81.
Joe Schoen comes from a Buffalo organization that loved having ample depth in the pass-rusher department, and the selection of Karlaftis here is an absolute steal. He embodies everything that Schoen wants from a player: toughness, production, and versatility.
Karlaftis can rush with his hand in the dirt or standing up, inside or outside, and is ridiculously productive in whichever way.
27) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Daxton Hill, S, Michigan
While I have Georgia safety Lewis Cine graded higher, I believe that Daxton Hill is a better fit for the Buccaneers defense.
A versatile defensive back who can play anywhere from free to box to the slot, Hill is a speed-demon of a defender who loves to make plays on the ball and is very smart doing so.
Jason Licht has had a good history recently hitting on secondary prospects for this Buccaneers team, and the selection of Hill adds another body to a fun rotation that includes Antoine Winfield Jr. and newly-signed Logan Ryan.
28) Green Bay Packers
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Arnold Ebiketie, ED, Penn State
With star pass-rusher Za’Darius Smith leaving for division rival Minnesota, the Packers could stand to add another edge to their roster. Ebiketie was outstanding in his first season at Penn State, rushing the passer at a high clip and proving to be one of the best run-defending edges in the nation.
For a smaller guy he possesses a ton of length and has the build that allows him to play in multiple fronts, which is certainly a plus for Green Bay’s defense.
29) Kansas City Chiefs (from SFO through MIA)
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Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson
In possession of two back-to-back picks (unless a super strong trade-down offer comes in), I believe KC will stay at these next two picks.
Booth may have some medical issues, but the Chiefs have shown that they are willing to risk it for these guys and Booth is a perfect fit in this defense.
A man-coverage cornerback with outstanding length, his athleticism and instincts in run support is unmatched. If healthy, he’s a plug and play replacement for Charvarius Ward.
30) Kansas City Chiefs
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Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan
It will take striking gold to find another receiver who not only is as good as Tyreek Hill, but is also such a perfect fit in this offense.
Moore had a very productive season at Western Michigan, and his long speed and shiftiness in the open field makes him an intriguing add to this Chiefs’ roster.
The team could also look to trade back here, but as I noted before, they may be more inclined to get their guy here, especially with the wideout talent flying off the board.
31) Cincinnati Bengals
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Lewis Cine, S, Georgia
As much as the Bengals have a legit contending roster and should easily extend one of their best homegrown players, we have to remember that they are still the Bengals.
The possibility that this is Jessie Bates’ last season in Cincy may be sad for fans, but the selection of Cine here helps a bit.
One of the best pure coverage players in this draft, Cine fills a true centerfielder role for this defense and provides more depth and talent to an area that could elevate the Bengals.
32) Seattle Seahawks (via DET)
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Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
We end things off with Seattle using some of their extra draft picks from the Russell Wilson trade to get a fifth-year quarterback of their choice. In this scenario, the Seahawks send 40, 151, and a 2023 third-round pick to Detroit for No. 32.
Ridder would certainly not be my choice of gunslinger here, but his mechanics are pristine and the Seahawks have him reportedly very high on their board. He can learn behind a seasoned veteran like Geno Smith this fall and potentially take the reins sooner rather than later.
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