2022 NFL Mock Draft: Way too early look ahead to next year

As the 2021 NFL Draft cycle winds down, the world of football media dips into the time-honored tradition of doing a mock draft a year out from an actual draft. While the order and the players will likely be much different, this is a fun exercise to familiarize yourself with players ahead of next college football season. (For those curious, here’s a look back at our 2021 NFL mock draft from May 2020.)

Draft order constructed by Super Bowl Odds.

1. Houston Texans — Spencer Rattler, Quarterback, Oklahoma: The Texans are going through a state of flux that feels unparalleled in the NFL right now. Spencer Rattler is immensely talented and getting him is a good way for them to hit the reset button.
2. Detroit Lions — Sam Howell, Quarterback, UNC: The Lions have laid a good foundation for the future, but Jared Goff is not the quarterback to take the team to the next level. Sam Howell might be.
3. New York Jets — Kayvon Thibodeaux, Edge, Oregon: The Jets are at the beginning of a rebuild, and where they spent a lot of capital on offense in 2021, they can build that defense next offseason starting with the best defensive lineman in college football.
4. Cincinnati Bengals — Evan Neal, Offensive Tackle, Alabama: The Bengals need to keep putting talent around their young quarterback. Now that he has weapons in the passing game, the focus should be on protecting him.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars — Drake Jackson, Edge, USC: The Jaguars should have a pretty good offense in 2021, but the defense is still young and you can never have too many good pass rushers.
6. Las Vegas Raiders — Justyn Ross, Wide Receiver, Clemson: Health permitting, Justyn Ross could be the best receiver in college football next year. The Raiders have lots of holes, but getting premium talent should always be a priority.
7. Philadelphia Eagles — Derek Stingley Jr, Cornerback, LSU: After missing out on the top defensive backs this year, the Eagles snag arguably the top defender in college football to boost their secondary.
8. New York Giants — DeMarvin Leal, Defensive Lineman, Texas A&M: The Giants need to get better up front. DeMarvin Leal is a high upside three-down defender who can disrupt inside.
9. Carolina Panthers — Kyle Hamilton, Safety, Notre Dame: The Panthers will probably need a quarterback at this point, but in a weak class they can grab a top defender and keep moving.
10. Atlanta Falcons — Zion Nelson, Offensive Tackle, Miami: The Falcons have a ton invested in their offense right now, but can keep getting younger (and cheaper) by bringing in young tackles with high upside.
11. New York Giants (From Chicago) — Ikem Ekwonu, Offensive Tackle, NC State: The Giants keep getting physical in the trenches with a massive tackle with huge potential.
12. Washington Football Team — Malik Willis, Quarterback, Liberty: WFT has a pretty solid roster outside of the quarterback and they can afford to take a chance on Malik Willis with his big arm and athleticism.
13. Arizona Cardinals — Chris Olave, Wide Receiver, Ohio State: The Cardinals have waited long enough to fill out their receiving corps. Chris Olave would be a tremendous deep threat for Kyler Murray.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers — Desmond Riddler, Quarterback, Cincinnati: The Steelers are another team that is a quarterback away from being a real contender. Desmond Riddler is immensely talented and would benefit quickly from Pittsburgh’s complete roster.
15. Los Anglesey Chargers — Aiden Hutchinson, Edge, Michigan: The Chargers have a very nice group around Justin Herbert and can move back to upgrading their defense. With Melvin Ingram getting up there in age, they can invest in a talented defender to play opposite Joey Bosa.
16. Minnesota Vikings — Perrion Winfrey, Defensive Tackle, Oklahoma: The Vikings have lost a lot of talent on their defensive line recently and could improve massively by adding a penetrating defensive tackle.
17. Tennessee Titans — Kingsley Enagbare, Edge, South Carolina: The Titans have a solid roster and can afford to add high upside defenders. Kingsley Enagbare would be a great fit rushing off the edge in Mike Vrabel’s defense.
18. Philadelphia Eagles (From Miami) — George Pickens, Wide Receiver, Georgia: The Eagles got their #1 wide receiver in 2021 with DeVonta Smith, but they still need to rill out the rest of their receiving corps. George Pickens is immensely talented and should be healthy by the time of the 2022 draft.
19. New Orleans Saints — Kaiir Elam, Cornerback, Florida: The Saints need a number two cornerback and Kaiir Elam would be a good fit in that defense.
20. New England Patriots — Treylon Burns, Wide Receiver, Arkansas: The Patriots desperately need weapons for whoever is starting at quarterback heading into 2022 and beyond.
21. Philadelphia Eagles (From Indianapolis) — Brenton Cox, Edge, Florida: The Eagles can keep getting younger on defense with an athletic pass rusher who can also play the run.
22. New York Jets (From Seattle) — Isaiah Spiller, Running Back, Texas A&M: The Jets can add another weapon to their offense with a true number one running back.
23. Dallas Cowboys — Jordan Battle, Safety, Alabama: The Cowboys are still in the process of refitting their defense. Jordan Battle is an experienced, versatile safety.
24. Denver Broncos — Kedon Slovis, Quarterback, USC: While an Aaron Rodgers trade could be on the horizon, for now, the Broncos should take a bet on the strong-armed USC passer to take advantage of all the weapons they have on offense.
25. Green Bay Packers — Garrett Wilson, Wide Receiver, Ohio State: Not sure what the state of the Packers will be in a year, but they will need another outside receiver to have a good offense set up for Jordan Love.
26. Cleveland Browns — Zach Harrison, Edge, Ohio State: The Browns go local to add another dynamic pass rusher to their loaded defensive line.
27. Baltimore Ravens — Charles Gross, Offensive Tackle, Mississippi State: Now that Orlando Brown is out of town, the Ravens should look for a long-term replacement at tackle.
28. Buffalo Bills — Breece Hall, Running Back, Iowa State: The Buffalo Bills already have one of the most complete, dynamic offenses in the NFL. Imagine if they added a true threat at running back.
29. Miami Dolphins (From San Francisco) — Ventrell Miller, Linebacker, Florida: The Dolphins don’t have many needs, but adding a dynamic linebacker to their defense seems like a great move for a unit that overachieved last year.
30. Detroit Lions (From Los Angeles Rams) — Sevyn Banks, Cornerback, Ohio State: Sevyn Banks is OSU’s next top defensive back that they’re sending to the NFL and the Lions would be happy to get him playing outside cornerback.
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Tyler Shough, Quarterback, Texas Tech: The Buccaneers need to think about life after Tom Brady. Tyler Shough is a high upside passer who would be a great fit for Bruce Arians and company.
32. Kansas City Chiefs — George Karlafitis, Edge, Purdue: Any Andy Reid team is going to always be looking at defensive linemen. George Karlafitis could be an option to upgrade the Chiefs’ pass rush.