1.Jacksonville Jaguars: Travon Walker, edge rusher (Georgia):
The Travon Walker to the Jaguars narrative has been steadily growing over the past month and at this point, I'm completely willing to accept it as the truth. Trent Baalke is exactly the type of front office bozo that values traits (aka as a guy with exceptional athleticism that posted terrific numbers during the drills at the Combine) over actual on-field productivity/skills (Walker only posted 13.5 tackles for loss and 9 sacks in 32 college games over 3 seasons) and Walker's usage as kind of a freelancing, Swiss Army Knife that did everything from rush the passer to drop back in coverage for Georgia's top-ranked defense combined with his imposing size (6'5, 278 lbs) makes him a particularly appealing option for the "looks good in shorts" crowd.
2.Detroit Lions: Aidan Hutchinson, edge rusher (Michigan):
Travon Walker landing in Jacksonville would open up a dream scenario for the Lions and Hutchinson. Michigan native Hutchinson would get the rare opportunity to play for his hometown team and the Lions would improbably get the player that was viewed as the favorite to be the #1 overall pick prior to this week. Hutchinson is a prototypical edge who has the motor, strength and discipline to succeed in the modern NFL and should provide immediate help to an anemic Lions pass-rush that was tied with the aforementioned Jaguars for the 2nd fewest sacks in the league last year (26).
3.Houston Texans: Ikem Ekonwu, tackle (NC State):
Being able to run the ball with more consistency would be a huge boost for the Davis Mills-led Texans offense and adding Ekonwu alongside established left tackle Laremy Tunsil would give them the best chance to do that. The NC State product has a tendency to straight up punish defenders downfield while also possessing the movement skills and strong hands to hold up well in pass protection.
4.New York Jets: Sauce Gardner, cornerback (Cincinnati):
Secondary play-particularly at corner-was the biggest thorn in the side of a Jets team that started to play reasonably competitive football in the latter stages of the 2021 season. While there's valid concerns over the level of competition he faced during most of his time at the University of Cincinnati and his loose technique, Gardner was a legit lockdown man corner in college that boasts a intriguing skill set (ball skills, fluid backpedal, strong tackler for the position) that could be fully unlocked by Robert Saleh and his staff.
5.New York Giants: Evan Neal, tackle (Alabama):
In order for Brian Daboll to properly run the offense that made him such a terrific coordinator over the past 4 seasons in Buffalo, the Giants are going to need to begin to overhaul their slow, generally poor offensive line. Bringing in a guy like Neal, who combines the necessary athleticism and polish as a blocker to fit into a scheme that is heavy on deep passes and option runs with a mammoth stature (6'7, 337 lbs) that will strike fear into at least some of the edge guys he goes up against every week, could really jumpstart that process.
6.Carolina Panthers: Malik Willis, quarterback (Liberty):
Unless a trade for Jimmy Garoppolo or Baker Mayfield materializes before they go on the clock, the Panthers are effectively going to be forced to take a quarterback here. There's just seemingly no way in hell that Matt Rhule and Scott Fitterer are going to go into a season where they're firmly on the hot seat with Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback. As notably uncertain as his floor is, Willis' absurd arm talent, quick release and terrific mobility gives him easily the highest ceiling in this not overly exciting QB class.
7.New York Giants: Kayvon Thibodeaux, edge rusher (Oregon):
The only certainty in this year's draft is that chaos is going to reign. A key portion of this chaos is being fueled by the wide range of opinions teams have on many of the prospects that are in the mix to be selected within the top 20. Thibodeaux is damn near, if not at the very top of the list of most polarizing prospects available in this draft class. Some evaluators love his combination of strength, size and speed that is arguably the best among this edge class while others have questioned his effort level on a play-to-play basis and if his outspoken confidence in the locker room is really just thinly veiled arrogance. Sliding out of the top 5, but not the top 10 seems like the most likely fate for Thibodeaux and a Giants team that's flat-out desperate to find competent pass rushers feels like the most feasible landing spot in the 6-10 range.
8.Atlanta Falcons: Garrett Wilson, wide receiver (Ohio State):
As currently constructed, the Falcons wide receiver group is led by Olamide Zaccheaus, Damiere Byrd and Auden Tate. Adding Wilson would give them a wideout who not only has the route-running/YAC ability and eye-popping burst to fill any role Arthur Smith needs him to but would also prevent potential future superstar tight end Kyle Pitts from getting triple teamed every time he ran a route downfield.
9.Seattle Seahawks: Charles Cross, tackle (Mississippi State):
Whether it's Geno Smith, Drew Lock, Baker Mayfield or some rookie under center, no QB that suits up for the Seahawks in 2022 is going to be able to take advantage of their talented group of pass-catchers (DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Noah Fant, possibly D'Wayne Eskridge) if they're eating grass almost every time they drop back to pass. Cross has the best track record as a pass-protector of any tackle in this class and after spending 2 years as a starter in the SEC, is as qualified as any rookie could possibly be to take on the NFC West's sizable gauntlet of elite pass rushers 6 times a year.
10.New York Jets: Jameson Williams, wide receiver (Alabama):
The Jets have displayed a tremendous eagerness to add a true #1, home run threat WR to pair with 2nd year slot guy Elijah Moore and solid #2 outside option Corey Davis this offseason. Selecting Williams at #10 would potentially give them that guy while maintaining the draft capital and cap flexibility they need to optimize their ongoing rebuilding efforts.
11.Washington Commanders: Kyle Hamilton, safety (Notre Dame):
Ron Rivera would have a lot of fun coming up with ways to use Hamilton-who played significant reps at both safety spots and slot corner during his time at Notre Dame-in his system and considering all of the garbage that this shitbag organization has put him through since he arrived in January 2020, the least they could do is give him an exciting player who fills a team need that he would really enjoy coaching.
12.Minnesota Vikings: Derek Stingley Jr., cornerback (LSU):
A Lisfranc injury last season and some suspect play during the wonky COVID-shortened 2020 season has killed a lot of the hype surrounding the top defensive player on LSU's 2019 National Championship team. If Stingley can overcome the disappointments and bad breaks of the past 2 seasons, he could prove to be a top tier steal here. His wire-to-wire dominance as a top cover corner during 2019 gives him the highest ceiling of any corner in this class and given how awful the Vikings pass defense has been over the past few seasons, they can't afford to pass on a guy who boasts upside that's so significant.
13.Houston Texans: Jermaine Johnson II, edge rusher (Florida State):
Double dipping in the recently foreign territory of the 1st round of the draft puts the Texans in a good spot to finally land some edge rush help. While Johnson is going to need some refinement in his technique before he can consistently beat NFL lineman, his staggering power and flat-out refusal to give up on a play should endear him to an old school football guy like Lovie Smith.
14.Baltimore Ravens: Jordan Davis, defensive tackle (Georgia):
Offensive line is very much in play here after watching Lamar Jackson take far too many licks last season but passing on Davis would be very un-Ravens like. Davis boasts a level of power, explosiveness and space-eating, run-stuffing prowess that no nose tackle prospect since Vince Wilfork has possessed-making him a potential godsend for a Ravens squad that is looking to quickly bolster their interior defensive line after getting uncharacteristically poor play from that spot in 2021.
15.Philadelphia Eagles: Drake London, wide receiver (USC):
London is a big-bodied (6'5, 219 lbs) outside receiver who excels at making contested catches and fighting through tight coverage in the redzone, which makes him the perfect complementary running mate to the agile, shifty DeVonta Smith. Ridding Eagles fans of the horrors of watching Jalen Reagor play significant snaps would also be a nice bonus that could make London an instant Philly folk hero.
16.New Orleans Saints: Kenny Pickett, quarterback (Pittsburgh):
Ongoing cap problems paired with a lack of future draft capital makes the Saints a strong candidate to draft a quarterback with one of their 1st round picks here. If OC Pete Carmichael keeps Sean Payton's system in place, Pickett's blend of decisive, accurate passing and athleticism to make plays with his feet and run the RPO would set up an interesting camp battle with Jameis Winston for the starting job.
17.Los Angeles Chargers: Devonte Wyatt, defensive tackle (Georgia):
In a perfect world, Jordan Davis would slip to the Chargers. If he doesn't, his running mate at Georgia would make for a really nice consolation prize. Wyatt has a terrific first step/strength combo that allows him to regular torpedo his way into the backfield and enough wiggle to be a factor as a pass-rusher, which could provide them with the exact kind of pop that they expected Jerry Tillery to provide when they drafted him in 2019.
18.Philadelphia Eagles: Trent McDuffie, cornerback (Washington):
Any concerns about the 5'11 McDuffie's lack of length are deeply exaggerated. He's willing to get physical with any receiver he's matched up against and is among the strongest tacklers in this year's corner class. Pair that with some terrific discipline and route-recognition skills that prevent him from getting badly beat very often, and you have a guy that's well-suited to take over the Eagles currently wide open #2 corner spot.
19.New Orleans Saints: Trevor Penning, tackle (Northern Iowa):
Terron Armstead ultimately deciding to leave in free agency puts the Saints in a pretty precarious spot at left tackle. While they may need to shift Ryan Ramczyk over to the left side in the interim to account for the competition gap he faced in the FCS, Penning is a violent, tactical blocker with experience starting at every line spot outside of center who isn't likely to have a problem getting adjusted to the pace and physicality of the pro game.
20.Pittsburgh Steelers: Tyler Linderbaum, center (Iowa):
Linderbaum is a potential long-term anchor at center that would slide 2021 3rd round pick Kendrick Green over to his natural position of guard and potentially give Najee Harris the type of inside rushing lanes that he didn't have the luxury of seeing very often as a rookie.
21.New England Patriots: Devin Lloyd, inside linebacker (Utah):
The most glaring deficiency of the Patriots defense last season was their lack of speed at inside linebacker. Armed with sideline-to-sideline range that allows him to follow the ball all over the field, Lloyd would help bring their linebacker group into the modern era without sacrificing the size (6'3, 237 lbs), toughness and leadership qualities that Bill Belichick covets at that position.
22.Green Bay Packers: Chris Olave, wide receiver (Ohio State):
Attempting to recover from the comical mass exodus (in addition to Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown left in free agency) they've endured at the receiver spot this offseason has to be the Packers primary goal in this draft. Olave is a high floor guy who runs smooth routes and gains ample separation downfield that should be able to absorb a ton of targets right away.
23.Arizona Cardinals: Treylon Burks, wide receiver (Arkansas):
Versatile enough to be lined up out wide, in the slot or in the backfield and absolutely bruising with the ball in his hands, Burks has a skill set that is comparable to Deebo Samuel and the number of ways he could be used may be the key to stopping the redzone scoring woes that have plagued the Cardinals during the Kyler Murray/Kliff Kingsbury-regime.
24.Dallas Cowboys: Tyler Smith, tackle (Tulsa):
Jerry Jones could opt to make a splashy pick here like Christian Watson, Dax Hill or David Ojabo-who would've been a guaranteed 1st rounder if he didn't tear his Achilles at Michigan's pro day last month- as an attempt to extend an olive branch to a fanbase that is infuriated with the current state of the team but considering the departures of both La'el Collins and Connor Williams in free agency, adding an offensive lineman should be a higher priority. Smith is a powerhouse blocker that should immediately improve the Cowboys presence on the ground, but his rawness as a pass-protector may force him to play guard early on.
25.Buffalo Bills: Andrew Booth Jr., cornerback (Clemson):
Corner depth is one of the only glaring issues on the Bills roster and Booth is the type of piece that could come in and promptly fix that problem. While he's guilty of biting on double moves and taking some unnecessary gambles in pursuit of INT's that result in him giving up big plays on occasion, Booth boasts ideal speed, ball skills and fluidity for an outside corner and is strong enough in coverage to hold up against the #2 receiver options he'd be facing in Buffalo.
26.Tennessee Titans: Desmond Ridder, quarterback (Cincinnati):
This is the type of luxury pick that the win-now Titans might not be able afford to make. That being said, Ryan Tannehill is about to turn 34 and is coming off another horrendous faceplant in the playoffs, which opens the door for the team to go out and draft his successor. Ridder's steady year-to-year improvement in college implies that he's got a great work ethic and his solid intangibles (deep ball accuracy, confidence throwing on the run, 4.5 speed) could continue to be developed while he sits behind Tannehill in 2022.
27.Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Zion Johnson, guard (Boston College):
Old friend Bill Belichick did Tom Brady a solid by trading him his longtime left guard Shaq Mason to replace Ali Marpet-who surprisingly retired before Brady's sham retirement came to an end. Now, Jason Licht will do his part to appease Brady and replace the other departed starting guard Alex Cappa with Johnson-whose terrific showings in pass protection, willingness to shift over to tackle during the COVID-impacted 2020 season and overall year-to-year improvement during his 3 seasons at Boston College has made him a favorite among personnel people during this draft cycle.
28.Green Bay Packers: George Karlaftis, edge rusher (Purdue):
Technically-sound, powerful as hell and more than willing to handle a heavy snap count, Karlaftis would bring some much-needed toughness to a Packers front 7 that has a tendency to get pushed around by teams that have physical offensive lineman (49ers, Saints, Buccaneers).
29.Kansas City Chiefs: Dax Hill, safety/cornerback (Michigan):
Hill kind of functions as a slightly inferior version of Kyle Hamilton (Jalen Pitre also falls into this category). He's got the cover skills to play slot corner, motor and sure tackling to be a box safety and physicality and range to be a hybrid linebacker. With the volume of weaknesses they have across their defense; the Chiefs could really use someone with that kind of positional versatility.
30.Kansas City Chiefs: Christian Watson, wide receiver (North Dakota State):
Finding a proper replacement for Tyreek Hill just isn't a feasible goal for the Chiefs in this draft. However, Watson's top-end speed, freakish leaping ability and plethora of experience lining up on the inside and outside of the formation would give Andy Reid a very interesting chess piece to play around with that could cause some serious matchup problems for opposing defenses.
31.Cincinnati Bengals: Kenyon Green, guard/tackle (Texas A&M):
There's no such thing as investing too much in a franchise quarterback's offensive line. Green boasts the lateral quickness and powerful punch to be deployed wherever the Bengals need him to slot in and he proved he can handle the challenge of rapidly changing positional assignments by performing well in starts at both guard and tackle spots last year.
32.Detroit Lions: Nakobe Dean, inside linebacker (Georgia):
A Groundhog Day-esque situation appears to be unfolding right in front of our eyes as the once-highly touted Dean is experiencing the same inexplicable fall that Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah did last year over concerns about his size. His safety-esque frame shouldn't be a concern for the Lions though. This is a team that's desperate for impact players (particularly on defense) and if Dean is able to diagnose and react to plays with the same proficiency that he did in college, he'll make a lot of noise in the pros.
2nd Round:
33.Jacksonville Jaguars: Bernhard Raimann, tackle (Central Michigan)
34.Detroit Lions: Jalen Pitre, cornerback/safety (Baylor)
35.New York Jets: Boye Mafe, edge rusher (Minnesota)
36.New York Giants: Jahan Dotson, wide receiver (Penn State)
37.Houston Texans: Lewis Cine, safety (Georgia)
38.New York Jets: Jaquan Brisker, safety (Penn State)
39.Chicago Bears: George Pickens, wide receiver (Georgia)
40.Seattle Seahawks: Kyler Gordon, cornerback (Washington)
41.Seattle Seahawks: Quay Walker, inside linebacker (Georgia)
42.Indianapolis Colts: Kaiir Elam, cornerback (Florida)
43.Atlanta Falcons: Sam Howell, quarterback (North Carolina)
44.Cleveland Browns: Skyy Moore, wide receiver (Western Michigan)
45.Baltimore Ravens: Christian Harris, inside linebacker (Alabama)
46.Minnesota Vikings: Travis Jones, defensive tackle (Connecticut)
47.Washington Commanders: Cole Strange, guard/center (Chattanooga)
48.Chicago Bears: Arnold Ebiketie, edge rusher (Penn State)
49.New Orleans Saints: Jalen Tolbert, wide receiver (South Alabama)
50.Kansas City Chiefs: David Ojabo, edge rusher (Michigan)
51.Philadelphia Eagles: Leo Chenal, inside linebacker (Wisconsin)
52.Pittsburgh Steelers: Rodger McCreary, cornerback (Auburn)
53.Green Bay Packers: Luke Goedeke, tackle (Central Michigan)
54.New England Patriots: Abraham Lucas, tackle (Washington State)
55.Arizona Cardinals: Tariq Woolen, cornerback (UTSA)
56.Dallas Cowboys: Drake Jackson, edge rusher (USC)
57.Buffalo Bills: Kenneth Walker III, running back (Michigan State)
58.Atlanta Falcons: Kingsley Enagbare, edge rusher (South Carolina)
59.Green Bay Packers: Alec Pierce, wide receiver (Cincinnati)
60.Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Breece Hall, running back (Iowa State)
61.San Francisco 49ers: Nick Cross, safety (Maryland)
62.Kansas City Chiefs: Logan Hall, defensive tackle (Houston)
63.Cincinnati Bengals: Marcus Jones, cornerback (Houston)
64.Denver Broncos: Trey McBride, tight end (Colorado State)
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