If you know anything about me, you probably realized years ago that I am obsessed with the NFL draft. It’s my Super Bowl. Since 2019, I am No. 3 in total FantasyPros mock draft points and the only person to finish in the top 20 each year.
I don’t mean to brag. Rather, I mean to convey the true depths of degeneracy: I’m obsessed with the draft in a way that few people in life are ever interested in anything.
It’s a sickness. And the only cure for it is an updated version of my way-too-early 2022 mock.
2022 NFL Mock Draft
Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
1 | Houston Texans | Spencer Rattler | QB | Oklahoma |
2 | Detroit Lions | Sam Howell | QB | North Carolina |
3 | New York Jets | Kayvon Thibodeaux | EDGE | Oregon |
4 | Cincinnati Bengals | Derek Stingley | CB | LSU |
5 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Kyle Hamilton | S | Notre Dame |
6 | Philadelphia Eagles | Kedon Slovis | QB | USC |
7 | New York Giants | Evan Neal | OT | Alabama |
8 | Las Vegas Raiders | DeMarvin Leal | EDGE | Texas A&M |
9 | Atlanta Falcons | Drake Jackson | EDGE | USC |
10 | Carolina Panthers | Malik Willis | QB | Liberty |
11 | New York Giants | Kaiir Elam | CB | Florida |
12 | Minnesota Vikings | George Karlaftis | EDGE | Purdue |
13 | Washington Football Team | Desmond Ridder | QB | Cincinnati |
14 | Pittsburgh Steelers | J.T. Daniels | QB | Georgia |
15 | Arizona Cardinals | Sevyn Banks | CB | Ohio State |
16 | Philadelphia Eagles | Zion Nelson | OT | Miami (FL) |
17 | Denver Broncos | Christian Harris | LB | Alabama |
18 | New England Patriots | Zach Harrison | EDGE | Ohio State |
19 | Dallas Cowboys | Jalen Wydermyer | TE | Texas A&M |
20 | Los Angeles Chargers | Chris Olave | WR | Ohio State |
21 | Philadelphia Eagles | Kenyon Green | G | Texas A&M |
22 | Tennessee Titans | Rasheed Walker | OT | Penn State |
23 | New Orleans Saints | Garrett Wilson | WR | Ohio State |
24 | New York Jets | Aidan Hutchinson | EDGE | Michigan |
25 | Green Bay Packers | John Metchie III | WR | Alabama |
26 | Cleveland Browns | Justyn Ross | WR | Clemson |
27 | Miami Dolphins | Jordan Battle | S | Alabama |
28 | Baltimore Ravens | Charles Cross | OT | Mississippi State |
29 | Detroit Lions | George Pickens | WR | Georgia |
30 | Buffalo Bills | Isaiah Spiller | RB | Texas A&M |
31 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Nik Bonitto | EDGE | Oklahoma |
32 | Kansas City Chiefs | Treylon Burks | WR | Arkansas |
2022 NFL Draft trades
I almost never project trades in my mocks, but a number of transactions for the 2022 draft have already taken place.
Here are the traded picks for Round 1.
- Pick No. 11: To Giants from Bears in trade up for quarterback Justin Fields
- Pick No. 16: To Eagles from Dolphins in trade up for No. 6 pick in 2021 draft
- Pick No. 21: To Eagles from Colts in trade for quarterback Carson Wentz (assuming certain stipulations are satisfied)
- Pick No. 24: To Jets from Seahawks in trade for safety Jamal Adams
- Pick No. 27: To Dolphins from 49ers in trade up for No. 3 pick in 2021 draft
- Pick No. 29: To Lions from Rams in trade for quarterback Matthew Stafford
As my board stands now, the Lions, Jets and Giants each have two 2022 first-rounders, and the Eagles have three.
NFL Draft order – 2022
I have used team futures odds at DraftKings Sportsbook to set the draft order.
The Texans have the longest odds at +20000 to win the Super Bowl, so I have assigned them the No. 1 pick. The Chiefs have the shortest odds at +500, so they get pick No. 32.
It’s simple, but simplicity is sophistication.
Mock draft methodology
For this mock, I have generally endeavored to match prospect strength with potential team needs in the event that my proposed draft order is actually correct.
For example, if the Eagles play poorly enough in 2021 to earn the No. 6 pick in 2022, then that will likely mean that Jalen Hurts is not the quarterback of the future in Philadelphia, in which case the Eagles will be strongly incentivized to take a passer in the draft — and quarterback Kedon Slovis (USC) is available at that pick in my mock and likely to be a top-10 selection based on the data I look at, so he goes to the Eagles at No. 6.
Creating a mock draft is not a science — especially not this far before the actual draft — but I try to be as methodical as possible.