Sockergear 2022 NFL Mock Draft

Sockergear.com 2022 NFL Mock Draft and Guide

Written by AK

Sockergear Sports Unofficial Official Senior Writer

I know, I know. Wrong football. This is supposed to be a soccer website. BUT, as many of you might not know, I am a huge American football fan and my favorite event is the NFL Draft. For me, it rivals the Champions League final, the Super Bowl, and might even better them. So with that being said, let’s get into it.

1) Jacksonville Jaguars

Aidan Hutchinson – DE – Michigan

Personally, I would have gone with Ikem Ekwonu, but you can’t go wrong with one of the best prospects in the draft.

2) Detroit Lions

Kyle Hamilton – S – Notre Dame

Hamilton is a do-it-all safety who will be a cornerstone of the Lions defense for many years to come. (Unless he leaves in free agency, as I can’t think of a reason to stay in Detroit)

3) Houston Texans

Ikem Ekwonu – OT – NC State

The Texans have so many holes on their roster, so any pick will improve Houston’s roster. Ekwonu is a great addition to the Texans’ offensive line.

4) New York Jets

Ahmad Gardner – CB – Cincinnati

“Sauce” is a lockdown corner who will be a Revis-like island for years to come.

5) New York Giants

Evan Neal – OT – Alabama

Besides Andrew Thomas on the left side of the offensive line, the Giants’ offensive line needs work. Neal is a left tackle, but he can play right tackle as well.

6) Carolina Panthers

Malik Willis – QB – Liberty

The Panthers need a quarterback, but this class is not enough to warrant a top ten pick. Carolina has to take a QB though, or else the entire Panther regime will be fired.

7) New York Giants (from Chicago Bears)

Kayvon Thibodeaux – DE – Oregon

Thibodeaux’s fall stops here. The Giants have two picks in the top seven, and they bolster both their offensive and defensive lines.

8) Atlanta Falcons

Garrett Wilson – WR – Ohio State

With Calvin Ridley’s suspension, the Falcons draft a receiver who is extremely similar to Ridley in his route running and speed.

9) Seattle Seahawks (from Denver Broncos)

Charles Cross – OT – Mississippi State

With Russell Wilson gone, the Hawks take an offensive lineman to protect Drew Lock.

10) New York Jets (from Seattle Seahawks)

Drake London – WR – USC

In their second pick in the top ten, the Jets take my favorite prospect this year, Drake London, to be Zach Wilson’s de facto Number 1 receiver.

11) Washington Commanders

Devin Lloyd – LB – Utah

The Commanders need help in the middle, and Lloyd has the football IQ to lead the defense for a while.

12) Minnesota Vikings

Derek Stingley Jr. – CB – LSU

Stingley has the talent to be a top five pick, but with his supposed lack of effort and injury history, he takes a bit of a slide.

13) Houston Texans (from Cleveland Browns)

Travon Walker – DE – Georgia

Walker has arguably the biggest upside of all the defensive lineman in this draft and is taken by the Texans. While the betting odds favor him at 1, I could see him falling, as I don’t like projectional guys.

14) Baltimore Ravens

George Karlaftis – DE – Purdue

Karlaftis has a unique blend of power and finesse and would be a great asset to the Ravens’ defensive line.

15) Philadelphia Eagles (from Miami Dolphins)

Jermaine Johnson Jr. – DE – Florida State

Johnson is a great addition to the Eagles aging trenches and will eventually take the torch.

16) New Orleans Saints (from Indianapolis Colts through Philadelphia Eagles)

Kenny Pickett – QB – Pittsburgh

With Jameis Winston the best QB on the Saints roster and Taysom Hill pursuing Tight End, the Saints take a Drew Brees-esque quarterback.

17) Los Angeles Chargers

Jordan Davis – DT – Georgia

The Chargers run defense was atrocious last year, so they draft the combine freak to plug their opposition’s run game.

18) Philadelphia Eagles (from New Orleans Saints)

Jameson Williams – WR – Alabama

The Eagles need wide receiver help, and Williams provides elite speed to pair with Jalen Hurts. The ACL tear he suffered in the National Championship game could provide some doubts, but I’m confident he can overcome it.

19) New Orleans Saints (from Philadelphia Eagles)

Trevor Penning – OT – Northern Iowa

With Terron Armstead gone, the Saints have a gaping hole at tackle. Whoever the quarterback is next year will get mauled if nothing is done. Penning can easily fix that.

20) Pittsburgh Steelers

DeMarvin Leal – DT – Texas A&M

The Steelers are aging rapidly, evidenced by Big Ben’s heavy decline last year. Leal can plug into the defensive line and eventually take over from Cam Heyward.

21) New England Patriots

Andrew Booth Jr. – CB – Clemson

With the elite pairing of JC Jackson and Stephon Gilmore gone, the Patriots need corners. Booth is the type of player Bill Belichick loves. Another possibility is Treylon Burks, as the Pats need wide receivers, but they could probably draft one in the second round because of the DeVante Parker trade.

22) Green Bay Packers (from Las Vegas Raiders)

Treylon Burks – WR – Arkansas

With Davante Adams gone, the Packers need weapons for Aaron Rodgers. Burks is a Deebo Samuel-like player but Rodgers should be happy.

23) Arizona Cardinals

Trent McDuffie – CB – Washington

The Cardinals’ secondary is weak, excluding Budda Baker. It doesn’t help that Isaiah Simmons was a bust. They need corner help if they are going to advance further than last year.

24) Dallas Cowboys

Nakobe Dean – LB Georgia

Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch haven’t panned out, so the Cowboys need a sideline to sideline linebacker to complement Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parson.

25) Buffalo Bills

Kenyon Green – G – Texas A&M

The Bills’ one weakness is at guard and Green is the best one available in the draft.

26) Tennessee Titans

Chris Olave – WR – Ohio State

When Derrick Henry went down last year, the Titans’ offense suffered. Olave would be a security blanket to help spread out AJ Brown’s workload.

27) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Devonte Wyatt – DT – Georgia

The Bucs’ defensive line is aging. Wyatt would provide a quality backup option before eventually taking over.

28) Green Bay Packers

Drake Jackson – DE – USC

With their second pick, the Packers take an edge rusher, an area of need for one of the best teams in the NFC. Jackson will bring rejuvenation to a depleted Packer pass rush.

29) Kansas City Chiefs (from San Francisco 49ers through Miami Dolphins)

Jahan Dotson – WR – Penn State

If I did mock trades this year, the Chiefs would be trading these two picks to draft Jameson Williams. But Dotson is the next best deep threat available in this draft.

30) Kansas City Chiefs

Daxton Hill – S – Michigan

The Chiefs’ secondary is adequate, but that isn’t good enough for a Super Bowl contenting team. Hill can play both corner and safety and is versatile enough for Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.

31) Cincinnati Bengals

Daniel Faalele – OT – Minnesota

Joe Burrow led the Bengals to the Super Bowl, but it’s only a matter of time before he gets hurt again after getting sacked way too many times. Faalele can play opposite Jonah Williams and protect Cincinnati’s quarterback of the future.

32) Detroit Lions (from Los Angeles Rams)

Cameron Thomas – DE – San Diego State

The Lions could draft a quarterback, but Jared Goff is good enough to last another year. (#TankForBryceYoung) After passing on Kayvon Thibodeaux, the Lions can take Thomas, who is an explosive pass rusher.

Post Draft Reaction:

Next In Line

Christian Harris – LB – Alabama

A rare strong and athletic linebacker, Harris is a great tackler and well as a great leader, evidenced by his skills as an on-field defensive play caller.

Kyler Gorden – CB – Washington

Gordon is an elite athlete with explosive speed and an incredible vertical jump. He just slipped because of his lacking ball skills and lack of reps. Gordon has the potential to become the best corner of the draft class if he utilizes his physical tools correctly.

Derion Kendrick – CB – Georgia

Similar to Gordon, Kendrick has elite physical traits but a raw skill set. A former five-star receiver at Clemson, Kendrick converted to corner before being dismissed because of character issues. He has great body control, but some might worry about his off-field issues.

David Ojabo

Explosive, flexible, eye-popping. These are David Ojabo’s bread and butter. Before his Achilles injury, he was a sure-fire top 20 pick, but now he has the chance to slip out of the first round, as he probably will miss his entire rookie season. Although he still has room to grow as a run defender, Ojabo is already a prolific pass rusher that gives offensive coordinators headaches. I just wonder how explosive he’ll be when he returns from his torn Achilles suffered at his Pro Day.

Kaiir Elam

Another corner that illustrates just how deep this defensive back class is, Elam is a physical press corner, with good speed and length. He does have some fundamental issues that should be smoothed out by a good defensive coordinator.

Tyler Linderbaum

Linderbaum is an elite blocker, but as a center, I feel his draft stock might suffer because of the lack of necessities for the position. He could slide, as there are only a few teams with pressing needs for a center. He’s definitely a first round talent.

Zion Johnson

An FCS transfer, Johnson is an athletic guard, with the ability to get up the field. He doesn’t have great length, but combats that with his quick hands and body placement.

Best Drafts:

Jets – They got a shutdown corner in “Sauce” Gardner and a stud at wide receiver in Drake London to pair with promising quarterback Zach Wilson in the mock. What more do I need to say?

Chiefs – With picks number 29 and 30, I think that the Chiefs need to trade those two picks for a higher slot to draft Jameson Williams, the most similar player in this draft to Tyreek Hill. But since I decided not to do mock trades this year, they ended up getting a deep threat that’s almost as good in Jahan Dotson and an extremely versatile player in Daxton Hill.

Texans – Houston is in a bit of a predicament. Davis Mills is their starting quarterback, but he’s not anything special. There aren’t any quarterbacks able to justify being drafted at pick number 3, I think the Texans should prepare for next year’s outstanding quarterback class with the solid players in important roles in the team, and they got that in Ikem Ekwonu and the electrifying Travon Walker.

Worst Draft:

Carolina Panthers – The Panthers desperately need a new quarterback, so they drafted Malik Willis in this mock. It is a significant reach, but necessary for Matt Rhule and Co. to take, as the ownership needs to see hope in the franchise to keep Rhule around. I don’t really see Willis panning out and frankly, I don’t think any of the quarterbacks in this draft class will.

Favorite Prospects:

Drake London – WR – USC

My favorite overall prospect in this draft class, London is a Mike Evans-esque receiver with a huge frame, combined with an insane ability to high-point balls, gained from his experience playing basketball at USC.

Desmond Ridder – QB – Cincinnati

My favorite quarterback in this class, Ridder has accuracy issues but an extremely high floor. His leadership is amazing, evidenced by Cincinnati making it to the CFP last year.

Hassan Haskins – RB – Michigan

I am a Michigan fan, and some of that bias shows here. I loved watching Haskins play this year, especially during the business end of the season, where he came up huge against Ohio State and Iowa. He runs with large amounts of power and is great after contact.

Daxton Hill – S – Michigan

Another Michigan player, but Hill is an extremely unique prospect. An explosive safety with the speed of a cornerback, Hill can play anywhere on the field, from slot corner to free safety.

Aidan Hutchinson – DE – Michigan

This is the last Michigan player, I promise. Put shortly, Aidan Hutchinson is a freak of nature. His size combined with his power led to 14 sacks last year. While he does come with some medical risks, Hutchinson should be the first name off the board on April 28.

Kyle Hamilton – S – Notre Dame

You could describe Kyle Hamilton as many things, but I think of him as a do-it-all unicorn. There are some concerns about his similarities to Isaiah Simmons, but unlike Simmons, Hamilton is an elite defensive back and is much more physical than the former.

Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner – CB – Cincinnati

Gardner combines both the hands-down best nickname in the class and elite coverage. “Sauce” is lengthy with great footwork and possesses the ability to shut down anyone in the country. When pitted against the mighty Crimson Tide in the CFP game, he held his own and forced Bryce Young to throw elsewhere.

Boom or Bust

David Ojabo – DE – Michigan

Coming off an Achilles tear, Ojabo could lose his trademark explosiveness, as well as missing his entire rookie year. Ojabo is relatively new to football and is lacking in run defense. Right now, he is a one trick pony.

Jameson Williams – WR – Alabama

Williams’ entire game relies on speed, but coming off of an ACL tear, could Williams lose that explosiveness? He’s going to miss all of the summer workouts, which could deter coaches who need to help him to improve routes.