Ahead of next week's 2022 NFL Draft, here is the latest NFL Mock Draft from Audacy Sports:
Giants bolster offensive line in Joe Schoen's first draft at the helm
Evan NealJonathan Bachman - Getty Images1.) Jacksonville Jaguars: Aidan Hutchinson - Edge Rusher - Michigan
2.) Detroit Lions: Travon Walker - Edge Rusher - Georgia
3.) Houston Texans: Kayvon Thibodeaux - Edge Rusher - Oregon
4.) New York Jets: Ikem Ekwonu - Offensive Tackle - N.C. State
5.) New York Giants: Evan Neal - Offensive Tackle - Alabama
Even if it's too late to salvage the Giants careers of Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley - and perhaps it isn't - priority No. 1 and No. 2 for new general manager Joe Schoen has to be addressing the offensive line. And perhaps an overcorrection is in store. That's why we have projected that the Giants will take Evan Neal at No. 5 overall, giving them a stalwart at left tackle. As you'll see below, we have the Giants then trading down from No. 7 and collecting additional draft capital, which may allow them to be in the market for a veteran quarterback next offseason, should they choose to go in that direction. In the meantime, they land Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum, who may set the Giants up to have an elite offensive line for Jones or whoever is playing quarterback moving forward.
Desperate for a quarterback, Panthers roll dice on Kenny Pickett
Kenny PickettQuinn Harris - Getty Images6.) Carolina Panthers: Kenny Pickett - Quarterback - Pittsburgh
7.) Minnesota Vikings (trade up with New York Giants): Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner - Cornerback - Cincinnati
8.) Atlanta Falcons: Jermaine Johnson II - Edge Rusher - Florida State
9.) Seattle Seahawks: Kyle Hamilton - Safety - Notre Dame
10.) New York Jets: Charles Cross - Offensive Tackle - Mississippi State
With how desperate owner David Tepper is to find a franchise quarterback - almost certainly to a fault at this point - it's just hard to imagine the Panthers not using their top pick towards that end. It's possible that general manager Scott Fitterer could move down a few picks and still land the team's top quarterback target. That would make quite a bit of sense if possible, given that the Panthers aren't currently slated to have any picks in the second or third round of the draft. Ultimately, Fitterer and Matt Rhule need to show significant progress at quarterback to save their jobs, and while Pickett doesn't have the highest upside of the quarterbacks in this year's class, he gives them the best chance to make progress in 2022 and stay employed.
Saints move up, select Malik Willis
Malik WillisJonathan Bachman - Getty Images11.) Washington Commanders: Garrett Wilson - Wide Receiver - Ohio State
12.) New York Giants (trade down with Minnesota Vikings): Tyler Linderbaum - Center - Iowa
13.) Houston Texans: Trevor Penning - Offensive Tackle - Iowa
14.) New Orleans Saints (trade up with Baltimore Ravens): Malik Willis - Quarterback - Liberty
15.) Philadelphia Eagles: Jordan Davis - Defensive Tackle - Georgia
We flirted with the idea of the Lions taking Willis at No. 2 overall, and any of the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders could ultimately select Willis as well. What happens instead is that the Saints get the best of both worlds; Willis falls into a range where they can afford to trade for him without having to mortgage their present or future. He can sit behind Jameis Winston until the Saints believe he is ready to play - which may not be until 2023 - and New Orleans retains their other first-round pick to make an addition that will be an immediate impact player. And the Ravens would be happy to swap picks here with the Saints, preventing the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers from landing the quarterback whom they are said to be "smitten" with.
Eagles re-unite Jameson Williams with DeVonta Smith
Jameson WilliamsKevin C. Cox - Getty Images16.) Baltimore Ravens (trade down with New Orleans Saints): Derek Stingley Jr. - Cornerback - LSU
17.) Los Angeles Chargers: Devin Lloyd - Linebacker - Utah
18.) Philadelphia Eagles: Jameson Williams - Wide Receiver - Alabama
19.) New Orleans Saints: Drake London - Wide Receiver - USC
20.) Arizona Cardinals (trade up with Pittsburgh Steelers): Andrew Booth Jr. - Cornerback - Clemson
The Eagles were a playoff team a year ago, but as evidenced by the team shipping one of their three first-round picks to the New Orleans Saints in a trade that increases their long-term flexibility, they aren't necessarily pushing all the chips to the center of the table for 2022. With that in mind, they may be more willing to be patient with the recovery of Jameson Williams from a torn ACL than some win-now teams may be. Williams almost certainly would have been the top wide receiver taken if not for his injury, and there's still plenty of people who think he should be anyway. He exploded for 79 catches, 1,572 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in his junior season at Alabama. Even if he's not going to hit his stride until closer to the middle of the season, Williams could prove to be a steal at pick No. 18, especially when reunited with his former Alabama teammate DeVonta Smith. The Eagles would be setting up Jalen Hurts or whoever their long-term quarterback ends up being extremely well by selecting Williams.
Packers begin to add weapons around Aaron Rodgers
Chris OlaveEmilee Chinn - Getty Images21.) New England Patriots: Trent McDuffie - Cornerback - Washington
22.) Green Bay Packers: Chris Olave - Wide Receiver - Ohio State
23.) Pittsburgh Steelers (trade down with Arizona Cardinals): Kenyon Green - Offensive Guard - Texas A&M
24.) Dallas Cowboys: Devonte Wyatt - Defensive Tackle - Georgia
25.) Green Bay Packers (trade up with Buffalo Bills): George Karlaftis - Edge Rusher - Iowa
26.) Tennessee Titans: Nakobe Dean - Linebacker - Georgia
Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network compares former Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave to Philadelphia Eagles wideout DeVonta Smith, and that type of player would be a heck of a place for the Packers to start in rebuilding their wide receiving corps. The Packers already lacked the necessary depth at the position to compete in postseason shootouts, and compounded the issue by trading Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders and allowing Marquez Valdez-Scantling to depart for the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency. The Packers need to make multiple picks of wide receivers early in the 2022 NFL Draft, as they look to improve a position wher Randall Cobb and Allan Lazard are currently their best options. Olave can be one of those pieces.
Seahawks trade back into first round, select quarterback
Desmond RidderEmilee Chinn - Getty Images27. )Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jaquan Brisker - Safety - Penn State
28.) Buffalo Bills (trade down with Green Bay Packers): Skyy Moore - Wide Receiver - Western Michigan
29.) Kansas City Chiefs: Treylon Burks - Wide Receiver - Arkansas
30.) Seattle Seahawks (trade up with Kansas City Chiefs): Desmond Ridder - Quarterback - Cincinnati
31.) Cincinnati Bengals: Zion Johnson - Offensive Guard - Boston College
32.) Detroit Lions: Matt Corral - Quarterback - Ole Miss
Drew Lock may end up being the starting quarterback for the Seahawks in Week 1, but nothing we've seen from him over the last two years suggests he's going to be the long-term answer at quarterback. John Schneider and Pete Carroll seemingly don't want a superstar at the position, they would prefer to lean on the run and play defense. NFL Media's Lance Zierlein compares Ridder to Alex Smith, and that may be the exact type of quarterback Seattle wants - one who will occasionally make a Pro Bowl, but isn't someone that's going to command $50 million per-season. By trading back into the first round, the Seahawks will get the fifth-year option on Ridder's rookie contract, and potentially prevent someone else from taking him before they would get the chance to at pick No. 40.
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