With the NFL cooling off from free agency before it reheats for the 2022 NFL Draft, the constant shuffling at the top of the board continues. The general consensus (with one notable exception) is that Georgia’s Travon Walker will go No. 1 overall to the Jaguars following the team’s extension of left tackle Cam Robinson. Beyond that is anyone’s guess.
With the NFL franchise tag deadline come and gone, the blockbuster trades of Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson completed and free agency started and other prominent trades completed, the NFL Draft is the next tentpole in the offseason.
MORE NFL DRAFT: TSN experts join up for a combined mock draft
The predraft process has revealed that meteoric rise for Walker, as well as Mississippi State tackle Charles Cross and diminishing faith in quarterbacks such as Kenny Pickett and Malik Willis.
Here’s how six of the latest mock drafts — from TSN’s Vinnie Iyer, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah and Charles Davis and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler — stack up:
Vinnie Iyer’s mock draft (The Sporting News)
Iyer’s latest mock draft was released April 28:
Noteworthy:
— Not one, but two: the Packers take two first-round wide receivers, USC’s Drake London and Penn State’s Jahan Dotson. The two have different skill sets that fit the Packers’ offense perfectly.
— The Eagles grab a new quarterback, courtesy of the Lincoln Highway, selecting Pitt’s Kenny Pickett with the No. 15 pick.
— The Chiefs do their best to mitigate the exit of Tyreek Hill by drafting Arkansas’ Treylon Burks with the 29th overall pick.
Mel Kiper Jr.’s mock draft (ESPN)
Kiper’s latest mock draft was released April 28:
Noteworthy:
— Thibodeaux falls all the way out of the top 10, to the Vikings at 12. That would certainly be a disappointment for someone many considered the preseason No. 1 overall prospect.
— Pickett is the first quarterback off the board, at 19. The last time the first QB off the board came outside the top 15 was in 2013, when the Bills selected Florida State’s EJ Manuel at 16. You’d have to go back to the 1997 draft to find the first QB taken lower: Jim Druckenmiller, who went 26th overall to the 49ers.
— The Packers draft a wide receiver to replace Davante Adams, taking North Dakota State’s Christian Watson at No. 28.
Todd McShay’s mock draft (ESPN)
McShay’s latest mock draft was released April 28:
Noteworthy:
— McShay mocks a trade between the Cowboys and Texans for the former to move up and take Northern Iowa tackle Trevor Penning 13th overall. The Texans move back and take tackle/guard Tyler Smith of Tulsa.
— Iowa State running back Breece Hall goes in the first round, at No. 25 overall to the Bills. Most mock drafts list him as an early-to-mid second-rounder.
— Like Kiper, McShay does not expect a quarterback to be taken high in the first round. The first such selection is Willis, at No. 20 overall to the Steelers. The only other quarterback in his first-round mock is Pickett, taken with the 32nd overall pick by the Lions.
— McShay predicts Georgia will tie Miami’s 2004 and Alabama’s 2021 draft classes with six players taken in the first round — but without linebacker Nakobe Dean. That includes three of the last five picks with Cine, Pickens and Walker.
Mel Kiper-Todd McShay combined mock draft (ESPN)
The ESPN duo’s joint mock draft was released April 19. McShay starts off at No. 1, with the picks alternating from there:
Noteworthy:
— David Ojabo injury be damned: The Michigan edge rusher is still a first-round pick, going to the Chiefs at No. 30.
— Sticking with the Chiefs, they find a potential Tyreek Hill replacement with Penn State’s Jahan Dotson at No. 29.
— Quite the rise for Michigan defensive back Daxton Hill, who goes to the Eagles at No. 18.
Daniel Jeremiah’s mock draft (NFL Network)
Jeremiah’s latest mock draft was released April 27:
Noteworthy:
— Jeremiah predicts the Jets move up one spot (trading the Seahawks’ acquisition back to them) to ensure they get their preferred receiver: London, of USC (following selections of Wilson and Williams with the seventh and eighth picks). The Seahawks move back a spot, grab a fourth and draft Thibodeaux 10th overall.
— Speaking of receivers, Jeremiah places significant value on the position in his latest draft, projecting four in the top 11 in Wilson (seventh), Williams (eighth), London (ninth) and Olave (12th).
— The Packers and Chiefs both make pickups to offset the loss of Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill with Burks and Pickens, respectively.
Charles Davis’ mock draft (NFL Network)
Davis’ latest mock draft was released April 28:
Noteworthy:
— Quite the precipitous drop for Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, who falls all the way to the Lions at No. 32.
— A surprising pick for the No. 1 overall receiver: USC’s Drake London, at No. 10 overall (one pick ahead of Garrett Wilson).
— Hamitlon’s slow 40 drops him all the way to 13 in Davis’ mock draft.
Dane Brugler’s mock draft (The Athletic)
Brugler’s latest mock draft was released April 28:
Noteworthy:
— Twin Drakes: Brugler mocks USC’s Drake London (receiver) and Drake Jackson (edge) in the first round of the draft at 11 and 28, respectively.
— A surprising drop for Garrett Wilson, presumed to be the top receiver available in the draft following Jameson Williams’ injury; he falls to 13th overall to the Texans.
— Speaking of Houston, it takes no offensive tackle help, electing instead to take Derek Stingley Jr. third overall.
Peter King, NBC Sports
Peter King’s mock draft was released on Monday, April 25.
Noteworthy:
— Three first-round trades: The Falcons trade back into the first round to get Matt Corral at No. 32 overall, the Packers trade up for Jahan Dotson and the Texans jump up to get Garrett Wilson at No. 9.
— A precipitous fall for Kayvon Thibodeaux, who goes to the Seahawks at No. 13.
— The Patriots take tackle Bernhard Raimann at No. 21. Raimann has a very wide draft variance, with some believing he could be a late Day 2 pick.
