The 2022 NFL Combine shined a little extra light on this year’s crop of prospects. Players like Jordan Davis who were lost in the wash of uber-talented teams like Georgia had the chance to showcase their best traits in front of a captive audience of league scouts. FCS stars like Trevor Penning and Troy Andersen showed they have the athleticism to handle big tasks at the next level.
While that event won’t entirely replace the evidence these players put on film at the college level, it did allow some players to raise their profiles among NFL decision makers. For this post-Combine mock draft, I’ll take those performances into account, still knowing pro days loom across the country to provide redemption for players who either opted out or underperformed in Indianapolis.
Other factors led to big shakeups as well. The Seahawks find themselves with a top 10 draft pick this spring but no starting quarterback (Drew Lock doesn’t count). The Packers may have to turn their attention to wideout to keep the newly-extended Aaron Rodgers happy. Washington no longer has to worry about a quarterback because it has … Carson Wentz? Okay, Washington still kinda has to worry about a quarterback.
As a result, Alabama left tackle Evan Neal’s lack of participation in Indianapolis has caused him to slide from the top spot. That, plus Jacksonville’s decision to franchise tag left tackle Cam Robinson, slides a pass rusher to the first selection of this year’s draft. Let’s take a look at what else we’ve got in our first post-Combine mock draft.
Team needs: OL, CB, S, LB, DL, WR
Jacksonville has a tough decision to make at No. 1. Does it beef up its pass protection with a foundational left tackle? Or should it add a dynamic pass rusher to pair with Josh Allen and take the pressure off an undermanned secondary?
I was of the mind they’ll go with the former as part of a larger mea culpa for sticking Trevor Lawrence with human platter of gas station sushi Urban Meyer for the bulk of his rookie year. Then the Jags placed the franchise tag on left tackle Cam Robinson, which lessens their need at blindside protector.
So into Ikem Ekwonu’s spot slides Hutchinson, who tested out well enough in Indianapolis to provide proof last year’s 14-sack breakthrough is sustainable. He was refined and explosive in drills in Indianapolis, suggesting his pass rushing technique will have an instant impact in Jacksonville.
Athleticism scores for the 2022 EDGE class are set.@UMichFootball's Aidan Hutchinson solidified his draft status by posting an "elite" athleticism score (93), driven by a 6.73-second 3-cone, the fastest time by any DL over 6-foot-5 at the combine since 2003.#NextGenScores pic.twitter.com/eqVFqM7cKX
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 6, 2022
Team needs: WR, DE, LB, CB, S, QB
Hutchinson’s rise to the top spot keeps him from an obvious landing place in his home state. Head coach Dan Campbell already has an above-average offensive line, so expect this pick to target either a pass rusher or Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton.
Thibodeaux came into the 2021 season as a popular choice as this spring’s top overall pick. While his numbers were slightly underwhelming, he still had seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss in 10 games. Some scouting reports question his effort, but there’s a difference between “trying hard” and “throwing yourself face first into a no-win situation when teams are game-planning around you.”
Thibodeaux falls closer to the second category for me. His Combine numbers should only boost his stock, as he ran a 4.58-second 40 at 254 pounds and put up more 225-pound bench press reps than any other end/linebacker with 27. Those are the kind of raw tools Dan Campbell would be happy to motivate into biting kneecaps in Detroit. His 2021 head coaching debut was all about coaxing unwanted players to bigger performances. Now we get to see what he can do with a player with star potential.
Team needs: QB, RB, WR, TE, OL, LB, DL, S, CB
Ekwonu had a stellar Combine and is very much in the running to go No. 1 overall. Instead, team needs slide him down to No. 3, where he’ll pair with Laremy Tunsil to give Houston the pass-blocking bookends to keep whomever their quarterback of the future is upright.
.@PackFootball OL Ikem Ekwonu just looks so smooth out there. 👀 @BigIck79
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/uXo78nYlOm
Ekwonu brings the added bonus of having played multiple positions on the line at NC State, flexibility that will be useful for a team that rotated through 11 different linemen in 2021 due to injury and varying levels of competence. He has the size and lateral quickness to be a high level tackle but the speed and power to absolutely destroy linebackers as a pulling guard as well.
The Texans have holes pretty much everywhere on their roster. They can take a “best player approach” at the draft. Ekwonu is the best player at No. 3 here. He may be the best player available in April, period.
Team needs: S, CB, EDGE, OL, LB, TE
Hamilton could very well go third overall to a Texans team that already has a pretty good left tackle and has a gaping need for secondary help. Instead, he’ll slide to a Jets team that’s done a good job identifying young safety talent but not retaining it. Jamal Adams brought back a quarterback’s ransom via trade to execute poorly-designed safety blitzes in Seattle. Marcus Maye is a pending free agent.
Hamilton is the next link in that chain. He’s a big, rangy player who clocks in at 6’4 and 220 pounds. While his 40 time at the Combine was slightly disappointing (4.59s), he made up for that with a top-three vertical leap and an on-field drill performance that showcased his smoothness in coverage and ability to track the ball downfield.
Kyle Hamilton is such a dude!
🔹Great play recognition 🔹Showcases range from depth 🔹Quick downhill trigger 🔹Technically sound tackler
He is an impact player from anywhere on the field! pic.twitter.com/iNxITWRnSO
— Damian Parson (@DP_NFL) February 14, 2022
Hamilton had eight interceptions and 16 passes defensed in three seasons with the Fighting Irish. The Jets could also go with Alabama left tackle Evan Neal here if they truly believe Mekhi Becton won’t work out. Let’s assume they find a fit for their 2020 first-rounder instead and roll with 2022’s top defensive back prospect.
Team needs: LB, DE, CB, OL, QB
Unfortunately for the Giants, the top two pass rushers are off the board in this scenario. That creates an opportunity for the team to pair 2020 first round tackle Andrew Thomas with Neal and give New York — and whomever is playing quarterback in 2022 and beyond — one of the best blockers of his class.
Neal didn’t participate in Combine drills, instead opting to rest up after yet another 15-game Alabama season. That led his stock to dip slightly as players like Ekwonu and Mississippi State’s Charles Cross climbed draft boards. However, he still interviewed with teams in Indianapolis and showed up looking like this …
pic.twitter.com/d7cMd01wPn
— Duke Manyweather (@BigDuke50) March 3, 2022
… at 337 pounds, which is … damn. He’ll have the chance to cement his status as a top-two OL prospect at Alabama’s pro day on March 30. He handled both right and left tackle duties with the Crimson Tide and stood up to some of the toughest edge rushers in the NCAA. Pairing him with a rising Thomas would be a boost to the Giants’ passing game — and a potential selling point for quarterbacks in search of a new home in 2023.
Team needs: QB, OL, TE, LB
I said it in the last mock draft and I’m sticking with the logic; Matt Rhule needs to take a big swing to keep his job as Carolina’s head coach. General manager Scott Fitterer needs to do something to make people forget he’s paying Sam Darnold nearly $19 million this season. The Panthers badly need a quarterback.
All of this creates a wonderful opportunity for Willis, who didn’t participate in drills at the Combine but still showed off his top-end arm strength and deep ball touch throwing to 2022’s top wideouts:
Reminder: @LibertyFootball QB @malikwillis has an unbelievable arm. 💪
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/TuFJukSJv9
Willis is a job saver; a high-ceiling project who won’t lead to wins in 2022 but doesn’t need to. Showing slow growth over the season could be enough to save Rhule’s job and give Fitterer a team-building blueprint going forward. The market for veteran QB help is shrinking after Aaron Rodgers stayed in Green Bay and Russell Wilson and Carson Wentz were traded. Carolina can either roll with Darnold (gross), trade for someone like Jimmy Garoppolo (unlikely to make a difference), sign Jameis Winston (and hope they get the Saints version of him), or try to build up a rookie QB.
Adding a veteran passer and then drafting Charles Cross to protect him is a viable path, but that likely leads to another losing season and head coaching change. Drafting Willis at too-early a spot is a wild swing — but when your owner is the guy who keeps a set of brass testicles on his desk, there’s logic to taking that risk.
Team needs: LB, DE, CB, OL, QB
This is a tough situation for new general manager Joe Schoen to have. Should he double-dip on offense and pluck the draft’s first wideout in order to puff up a bad situation at quarterback? Or will he address the league’s 18th-ranked defense?
Though Gardner won’t help an awful rushing defense, he’s a tremendous combination of production and potential. He was an absolute monster at Cincinnati, allowing zero touchdowns in three seasons as a Bearcat.
Yards per coverage snap among top CB draft prospects in 2021:
Sauce Gardner: .25 Trent McDuffie: .38 Kaiir Elam: .52 Derek Stingley Jr.: .57 Jalen Pitre: .62 Kyler Gordon: .66 Roger McCreary: .94 Andrew Booth: .98
Gardner was on another level. https://t.co/oUjcqJKhly
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) March 6, 2022
Gardner looked great at the Combine as well, running a 4.41-second 40 at 6’3 to showcase why AAC opponents had such little success against him. He’s a building block corner — the kind of player who can be left on an island to shut down opponents’ WR1s. In a division with CeeDee Lamb, Terry McLaurin, and DeVonta Smith/whomever the Eagles draft in the first round *this* time, that’s important.
Team needs: WR, EDGE, OT, CB, S, QB
Atlanta won’t have Calvin Ridley in 2022 and can’t trade him for anything of value while he sits out at least one full season for gambling on NFL games. Russell Gage is a free agent. Matt Ryan is winding down his career, but still a playoff-capable quarterback — particularly in an NFC South where the current projected starters are Darnold, Kyle Trask, and Taysom Hill.
So the Falcons get him someone to run alongside Kyle Pitts here rather than make a slight reach for a pass rusher like Georgia’s Travon Walker or Michigan’s David Ojabo. Wilson, fresh off a 4.38s 40 at the Combine, pairs speed with instinctive ball skills and dynamite run-after-catch abilities.
He’s the current favorite to be the first wideout selected at this year’s draft. That could change when Drake London takes the field for his own personal pro day on April 5, but for now the Ohio State star is the pick.
Garrett Wilson is still my 1.01 at this point in all formats.pic.twitter.com/jMZIpykver
Team needs: QB, OL, CB, LB, EDGE
The Seahawks traded away Russell Wilson to get this pick. They need a quarterback. But I don’t think they want a quarterback for 2022 — a lost season meant to serve as a reset for a rebuilding team. I think they want a quarterback from 2023’s much stronger crop of passers. If that means losing a bunch of games in 2022 to help that cause, well, that’s part of the cycle.
So rather than roll the dice on Kenny Pickett or Matt Corral, Pete Carroll and John Schneider make an easy call and replace Duane Brown at left tackle. Cross is a monster in pass protection, a 6’5 long-armed machine with the lateral quickness to keep edge rushers from getting around him. More importantly, the Seahawks are well-versed in the struggle of finding competent offensive linemen; they shipped second- and third-round picks to the Texans just to free a disgruntled Brown from Houston back in 2017.
Cross has the skill to be a longtime blindside protector who can grow with whomever Seattle’s quarterback of the future turns out to be. He’s nimble, plays with his hips and shoulders in communication with each other, and didn’t allow a single quarterback hit despite playing some of the NCAA’s toughest competition in 2021.
Dude… Charles Cross is a MACHINE in Pass Pro. I knew there was a lot of hype building for him but man his tape is good! Core strength, footspeed & explosiveness out of his stance, long strong arms w/ grip strength, mirror ability, stunt recognition. It's all there. 💪#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/KZkEZtSCn6
— Marcus Whitman (@TFG_Football) February 14, 2022
Team needs: S, CB, EDGE, OL, LB, TE
Robert Saleh’s defensive overhaul continues with Stingley, who has the highest ceiling of any defensive back in the draft but remains a mystery after injuries kept him from reaching his potential the past two seasons. The dynamic cover-corner was a revelation as a true freshman with six interceptions and 15 passes defensed in LSU’s national championship campaign. He’s only played 10 games since and did not work out at this year’s Combine.
When healthy, Stingley is a force of nature. He has great coverage instincts and is difficult to fake out or shake in press coverage. His fluid hips allow him to mirror top wideouts and chase them downfield shoulder-to-shoulder. At 6’1, he’s got solid size and the explosion to keep from getting out-reached on deep balls.
Derek Stingley Jr. breaks on the dig as the QB is releasing and that anticipation allows him to make an outstanding PBU. pic.twitter.com/HOAg9eG2a1
— Matt Alkire (@mattalkire) February 13, 2022
The 2021 Jets ranked dead last in points and yards allowed, 30th in passing yards allowed, and 29th in net yards given up per pass attempt. That’s not okay for a Saleh-led team. With Stingley and Hamilton, he gets arguably the top two defensive backs in the draft and gives Josh Allen another obstacle in his quest for an NFL MVP.
Team needs: OL, S, LB
Washington no longer needs a quarterback after trading for Carson Wentz (who can be released in 2023 with no dead salary cap money left behind, so … Washington kinda needs a quarterback). The Commanders could opt to draft Utah’s Devin Lloyd here to pair with Jamin Davis as their linebacker duo of the future. Instead, let’s get Wentz a little extra help by boosting his receiving corps.
Washington has a solid 1-2 punch with Terry McLaurin and tight end Logan Thomas atop its receiving tree. Things get dicey after that; Curtis Samuel was injured throughout the 2021 season and rookie Dyami Brown barely made an impact. Adding London would provide immediate production from a player who torched the Pac-12 for 1,084 receiving yards and 88 receptions in only eight games last fall.
London is as smooth as margarine when it comes to route running and measures out at 6’4 and just about 220 pounds. He’s tough to shadow and a chore to bring down after the catch. More importantly, he adds another viable red zone presence in the passing game; McLaurin only has nine touchdown catches the past two years and Thomas has never had more than six in a season.
Ojabo wasn’t the unstoppable force I’d expected at the Combine, but he was still pretty dang good; a 4.55-second 40 at 255 pounds and solid numbers in both the broad and vertical jumps. That’s enough to keep him ahead of Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson and Georgia’s Travon Walker as the Vikings’ pick at No. 12.
Ojabo was the Barnum to Hutchinson’s Bailey, recording 11 sacks and 12 tackles for loss in 13 games in Michigan’s breakthrough 2021 — forcing five fumbles along the way. He’s explosive, athletic, and able to bend around offensive tackles along the edge or use his twitchiness to slice inside and get to the quarterback.
He’d join a Vikings defense that brought a balanced pass rush to the 2021 season but has to replace veterans like Everson Griffen, Sheldon Richardson, and Anthony Barr. Ojabo would pair with Danielle Hunter and provide useful insurance in case DJ Wonnum can’t replicate last year’s eight-sack breakthrough.
Burks was the pick in the last mock draft and gets the nod here over pass rushers like Johnson and Walker thanks to Cleveland’s abject lack of depth at wideout. If Jarvis Landry and his $16 million cap hit are released, the receivers on Kevin Stefanski’s roster would look like this:
So in comes Burks, who brings a lot of AJ Brown to his game thanks to a thick, 6’2 225-pound frame and the quickness to explode out of breaks and leave cornerbacks behind. He has possibly the best hands in the draft and does a great job of putting his arms out to snag the ball at the earliest possible moment, then secures the ball tightly to avoid breakups.
Treylon Burks: good at making catches away from his body pic.twitter.com/cMhhN28ipd
— Christian D'Andrea, 2021 PAC champion (@TrainIsland) March 4, 2022
The Browns are still trying to figure out what Baker Mayfield is. Their hope is that last season’s backslide was the result of the torn labrum he played through after Week 2. Cleveland won’t know what he’s capable of with its current receiving corps, however. Adding a player with a catch radius like Burks’ would go a long way in helping Mayfield reaffirm his status as a viable starter in the NFL.
Team needs: OL, DT, CB, S
Penning-to-Baltimore is one of the trendiest picks going in recent mock drafts. I’m buying in as well. Penning rag-dolled edge rushers at FCS Northern Iowa. He rag-dolled edge rushers at the Senior Bowl. He screams “FOOTBALL GUY” so loudly that NFL Network had a whole sizzle reel ready to go after his first 40 run at the Combine:
Come for @UNIFootball OL Trevor Penning's 4.91u…
Stay for him squatting 625 and doing a windmill dunk. 😳 @TPenning58
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/nVRDve6fzX
Penning answered any questions about his athleticism by testing out at the top of his class in multiple drills in Indianapolis. He can track edge rushers laterally to keep his pocket clean. He can explode out in space to clear room for one of the league’s most run-heavy offenses. When it comes to players who raised their stock at the Combine, no one may have earned more money on his rookie contract than Penning.
Team needs: EDGE, S, LB, WR, CB
The Florida State star had plenty to prove following his breakout 11.5-sack 2021 season. Like Penning, Johnson has carved his way up draft boards after the end of the 2021 season thanks to stellar showings in practice/workout situations at the Senior Bowl and Combine. At 6’5 and just about 255 pounds, he’s big, fast, and physical as an edge-crumpling pass rusher.
The Eagles are likely to lose Derek Barnett to free agency. Brandon Graham will turn 34 years old this spring and only played two games last season. Johnson would provide an immediate boost for a defense that ranked second-to-last in the NFL with only 29 sacks in 2021.
Team needs: EDGE, S, LB, WR, CB
It would be tempting to double-dip with pass rushers by landing Walker here, but instead the Eagles can restock the second level of their defense with one of the most complete players in this year’s draft. Lloyd was a monster in Salt Lake City, recording 22 tackles for loss, seven sacks, six passes defensed, and four interceptions as a senior.
Lloyd and TJ Edwards would combine to form a versatile, cerebral linebacker core in the middle of the field. Philly’s defense ranked 25th in the league in overall DVOA and is an unfortunate combination of old and inefficient. Getting both Johnson and Lloyd would be a haul and provide a pair of building blocks among the Eagles’ front seven.
Team needs: DT, OT, CB, EDGE
Davis put on an absolute show at the NFL Combine, doing things no 341-pound man should be capable of doing.
This is the new broad jump record for a player weighing more than 300 pounds 💪 @jordanxdavis99 #NFLCombine https://t.co/ANJWxe9kSX
He’s an immovable force in the middle of the line; a player capable of eating up multiple blockers, pinching running lanes shut, and creating the space necessary to give his linebackers a free run at the quarterback. While he didn’t always shine amidst a stacked Georgia defense, his role isn’t to rack up big stats himself — it’s to help the guys around him thrive.
The Chargers badly need that after allowing more than 4.6 yards per carry and ranking 30th in rushing defense DVOA. Dropping Davis as an anchor in the middle of their defensive line will go a long way to providing stability in both facets of Los Angeles’ defense. It would also help Khalil Mack find his swing in his first season as a Charger.
Team needs: QB, WR, OL, DT, TE
This is a tough spot for the Saints. They need a wideout to pair with a returning Michael Thomas, but the top three guys are long gone. Fortunately for them, the recent flurry of quarterback activity also created an environment where the draft’s most pro-ready passer slides all the way to No. 18.
Pickett could slide into an immediate starting role in New Orleans should the team be unable to re-sign Jameis Winston — who will be sought after in a thin QB market and no longer has Sean Payton to coach him. He was the catalyst behind Pitt’s first 10+ win season since Dave Wannstadt was coach, throwing 42 touchdowns against seven interceptions and showcasing some pretty, if slightly inconsistent, touch on his deep balls downfield.
🎥: @NFLpic.twitter.com/7Ps7lnqOMr
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) March 4, 2022
If NFL scouts are really concerned about Pickett’s ability to grip the ball in inclement weather due to smaller-than-average hands (they shouldn’t be) well, what better place to play than the Superdome? New Orleans could use an inexpensive quarterback on a rookie deal as it sorts itself through another year of salary cap hell. Pickett can provide a decent year one option with room to grow for a franchise staring down a post-Payton, post-Drew Brees transformation.
Team needs: EDGE, S, LB, WR, CB
Remember when I said the Eagles would consider a double dip at pass rusher with the 16th pick if Walker were still available? Well here he is, languishing at No. 19 and just waiting for some team to stop his slide. With one impressive haul, Philadelphia walks away from Day 1 with two of the draft’s top-five edge defenders and its best linebacker.
The closest athletic comps for Travon Walker are Myles Garrett and Ezekiel Ansah. That seems like good company to be in. pic.twitter.com/EItc005Zix
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 6, 2022
Walker boosted his profile at the Combine to the point where it’s probably stupid I left him on the draft board this long (honestly, slot him in at 12 or 15 if you think he’s more valuable than Ojabo or Johnson, any of these places make sense for him). This is a 272-pound man who runs a 4.51-second 40-yard dash. In terms of raw talent, he’s one of the best players in this year’s prospect pool.
But he’s also going to have to refine his technique at the next level. He only had six sacks last season for UGA, which is partially thanks to the talent level around him but also speaks to his lack of can’t-miss moves when it comes to shedding linemen. At the very least he’s a run-crusher with tremendous potential when it comes to chasing quarterbacks. That’s pretty solid for the 19th selection.
Team needs: OL, QB, CB
Linderbaum didn’t work out in Indianapolis but remains the draft’s premier interior lineman. He’s a perfect fit for a team looking to establish the run between the tackles. That descriptor fit the Steelers in Ben Roethlisberger’s final season. It’ll likely fit no matter who the quarterback is in 2022.
Tyler Linderbaum had 122 positively-graded run blocks in 2021…
30 more than the next P5 offensive lineman 💪
📹 via @colecubelicpic.twitter.com/VmrzaSw2gW
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) February 16, 2022
Linderbaum does a great job creating leverage to clear space for his tailbacks — something Najee Harris would love to see in his sophomore campaign as a Steeler. He’s also adept at holding his ground in pass protection, which will boost an offense whose 2.1 seconds in the pocket per pass ranked last in the NFL last season. The Iowa center won’t fix the Pittsburgh offense, but his ability to hold his ground should help Chase Claypool and the Steeler receiving corps find a little more success downfield.
Team needs: WR, CB, OT, LB
J.C. Jackson wasn’t franchised and could price his way out of New England on the open market. McDuffie fills the hole he’d leave behind after an All-Pac-12 season at Washington. He’s strong in coverage and versatile as a blitzer, able to run to the line of scrimmage and make stops in big situations — he had four tackles for loss in 11 games last fall.
Trent McDuffie highlighted at the bottom of the screen in press bail, reading run and then making the running back pay (severely) for leaving his feetpic.twitter.com/AjRZPsLTs9
— Anthony Cover 1 (@Pro__Ant) February 8, 2022
McDuffie isn’t especially big, but he’s an absolute dog in coverage whose relentless effort fits nicely with Bill Belichick’s coaching style. He’s got great closing speed and can shadow receivers from the sideline to the slot. There’s a little boom/bust to his game, Marcus Peters style, and he could thrive as a Patriot.
New England could also kick the tires on Purdue edge rusher George Karlaftis here (if Trey Flowers doesn’t return to Foxborough), roll with another corner like Clemson’s Andrew Booth or Florida’s Kaiir Elam, or shoot its shot with another first round wideout and pick from a group of players like Jameson Williams, Jahan Dotson, or Chris Olave.
Team needs: WR, CB, OL, DT … maybe QB?
Williams is a lightning fast wide receiver. The Raiders are a franchise still owned by someone with the last name Davis. Generally those two things go together.
The impetus to step up the team’s receiving corps is even stronger in 2022. Henry Ruggs III was released after he drove into a car and left a woman dead last fall (he faces four felony counts on DUI and reckless driving charges). Derek Carr’s top wideout in his absence was Hunter Renfrow, who is wonderfully reliable on short routes but no deep threat. Passing offenses will rule a division that already had Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert and will welcome Russell Wilson to town this fall. Adding Williams gives Carr a chance to keep up in that arms race.
Team needs: WR, CB, OT, LB
Booth and McDuffie lead the second tier of cornerbacks behind Gardner and Stingley. It’s unlikely either would slide out of the first round. Here, the Cardinals get the player they hope will be their next Patrick Peterson. Booth is a physical corner who can play press coverage or back off the line with similar efficiency.
He had five interceptions and nine passes defensed in 21 games as a starter at Clemson. The former five-star recruit didn’t work out at the Combine, but he’s a high-level athlete with a nose for the ball. While he isn’t as polished as the other first round corners in his class, he’s got a high ceiling in coverage and is a plus tackler who can bring some absolute lumber when it comes to stopping ballcarriers.
Team needs: EDGE, S, OL, DT
Randy Gregory and Dorace Armstrong are both free agents. Demarcus Lawrence could be a salary cap casualty — designating him a post-June 1 cut would wipe $19 million off the team’s balance sheet. Karlaftis would be an inexpensive remedy for a team squeezed up against the cap for the foreseeable future.
Karlaftis is a monster of an athlete; a 266-pound slab of beef with a 10′ standing long jump who was once a member of Greece’s U16 national water polo team. He’s one of the strongest prospects in this year’s draft, capable of snatching linemen and depositing them to the turf before making his way to the quarterback. He had 14 sacks and 29 tackles for loss in 26 games at Purdue despite being an easy target for opposing offensive coordinators to gameplan around in West Lafayette.
Filling Lawrence’s shoes is no easy task. Karlaftis would be the best, and least expensive, option to get it done this offseason.
Team needs: OL, CB, DT, EDGE
The Bills are in an enviable position. They’re in great shape; there’s no glaring priority to fill at the draft.
That means they can take a bit of a project with high upside like Elam, who would eventually fill the role free agent Levi Wallace is set to leave behind. Elam was all over the place in 2020 with the Gators, swatting down 11 passes and hauling in a pair of interceptions. His numbers and overall level of play dipped in 2021, but so did just about everything in the Florida program, which sank to its third losing season since 2013.
Kaiir Elam: Playing man with his eyes on WR, breaks on the route, finds the ball *chef's kiss pic.twitter.com/2CqmJ2iACH
— Matt Minich (@CoachMinich) March 3, 2022
At his best, Elam is a physical corner who relishes his ability to jam receivers at the line. He’s got solid anticipation and the closing speed to bait quarterbacks into throws that look open, then result in incompletions. His 4.39-second 40 at the Combine provided evidence he can turn and run with the NFL’s biggest deep threats, though his technique in its current form will probably lead to a fair amount of penalties on Sundays.
He’s not a perfect prospect, but with Washington’s Kyler Gordon coming off a rough Combine performance he may be the best option for an opportunistic Bills front office. Elam may not make an instant impact, but in the right system he can be a Pro Bowl corner. Buffalo, loaded with veteran talent in the defensive backfield, sure looks like that kind of system.
Team needs: DL, WR, TE, CB, EDGE
Olave was my pick for the Titans in my last mock draft. After running a sub-4.4s 40 in Indianapolis, I like him in Nashville even more.
The Julio Jones trade didn’t work out the way the Titans’ had hoped; he and AJ Brown only shared the field for eight regular season games in 2021. There’s a need for more passing offense in Nashville, especially given Ryan Tannehill’s struggles in a lineup that often had one viable wide receiver and a rotating cast of anonymous tight ends around him.
Olave would give the club a WR3 option capable of performing like a WR1. He scored 32 receiving touchdowns in his last 31 games at Ohio State.
Hope all is well up there. Can you please try and make this connection happen somehow? Thank you.
Justin Fields ➡️ Chris Olave pic.twitter.com/SdVd1qRNQi
— Jarrett Payton (@paytonsun) March 3, 2022
Olave has been a polished wideout since arriving in Columbus and would instantly command the respect of defensive coordinators around the AFC South. A big three of Brown, Jones, and Olave would give the Titans a dynamic, explosive receiving corps to buttress their bruising running game. And if Tannehill can’t get it done with those guys at wideout, well, at least Tennessee will know it’s time for a change.
Team needs: QB, WR, C, CB, TE, EDGE
Green had an underwhelming performance at the Combine, but the Combine doesn’t measure for versatility — and the former Aggie started games at every position but center on his team’s offensive line.
That makes him a strong fit for a Bucs team that saw Ali Marpet retire and fellow OL starters Ryan Jensen and Alex Cappa hit the open market as free agents. It also gives him the edge over Boston College guard Zion Johnson, who was more explosive in Indianapolis but didn’t have as much of an impact on the field as Green, a two-time consensus All-American.
Kenyon Green is a bad athlete? pic.twitter.com/dUIHnl2rXK
— Mike (@bengals_sans) March 8, 2022
Green can be an instant difference maker up front. If he doesn’t go here it seems unlikely he’d make it past the blocking-needy Bengals at No. 31.
Team needs: WR, LB, CB, IOL
If De’Vondre Campbell leaves Green Bay in free agency, this pick could be Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean. Instead, with the memory of Aaron Rodgers’ return to Wisconsin fresh in our minds, let’s find a pick that will keep him happy.
In this case, it’s Dean’s teammate Pickens, who returned from a torn ACL to run a sub-4.5s 40 at the Combine at a stretchy 6’3 and 195 pounds. He’d reunite with former practice field foe Eric Stokes, whom the Packers selected with their Day 1 pick last spring.
Pickens is a speedy sideline receiver with great adjustment traits with the ball in the air — the kind of player who makes life easier for his quarterback. While he needs to add functional strength to fend off more physical cornerbacks, he’s a rangy playmaker who’d give Green Bay a viable second receiving option in the red zone.
If not Pickens, Green Bay could opt for Penn State’s Jahan Dotson. The Packers could also draft Dean and see who slides to the late second round in a stacked class of wideouts — someone like North Dakota State’s Christian Watson or South Alabama’s Jalen Tolbert could be an interesting high-upside choice there.
Team needs: OL, RB, WR, LB, EDGE
Raimann has only been playing tackle for two seasons with the Chippewas but rated out as one of PFF’s top blockers in all of college football last season. The former wideout/tight end brings top notch athleticism to the edge, delivering upper tier results in the bench press, broad jump, vertical jump, and 20 yard shuttle at the Combine.
He’ll head to new head coach Mike McDaniel’s takeover in South Beach. McDaniel has stated he’s committed to unlocking the best version of Tua Tagovailoa; that’s a version that remains upright in the pocket. Miami ranked 18th in sack percentage allowed in 2021 in front of a quarterback who has only played 23 of a possible 33 games his first two seasons in the league.
Love it. LT Bernard Raimann is going to pancake your DE and #44, Hunter Buczkowski is going to kill anything in his path bc as I mentioned earlier, that's his job. pic.twitter.com/opcx9Mf9vY
— Matt Alkire (@mattalkire) January 14, 2022
Even better, Raimann is dominant as a run blocker in space, which will be vital for a thoroughly underwhelming ground attack in south Florida.
Team needs: S, CB, EDGE, OT
Michigan safety Daxton Hall would fill a need if the team can’t re-sign Tyrann Mathieu. However, Wyatt may be too tempting to pass up. He’d pair with Chris Jones to give Kansas City one of the most destructive DT combinations in the league — and there will likely be more intriguing second round talent in the secondary than there will be up front.
Wyatt dazzled at the Combine, running the fastest 40 time of any interior lineman and recording top five numbers in both the jumps. He has the explosion and athleticism to blast through double teams. With him and Jones eating up blockers it will create plenty of space for Frank Clark and whomever else winds up falling into Andy Reid’s edge rushing rotation.
The fastest 40 of any DT.
Hard to argue many guys had a better combine performance than @GeorgiaFootball's Devonte Wyatt. pic.twitter.com/0pOFcWCXfW
Team needs: OL, CB, S
Joe Burrow spent entirely too much of 2021 running for his life. The only lineman currently under contract who is assured of a job in Cincinnati is Jonah Williams. Johnson played both inside and out at Boston College, but projects to be an impact interior lineman who can make life easier for both Burrow and Joe Mixon as a Bengal.
Johnson plays mean and takes quarterback hits as a personal insult. He’s arguably the most athletic guard in this year’s class. He’s a no-brainer pick for a team whose top priority is to protect its franchise quarterback.
Team needs: WR, DE, LB, CB, S, QB
The Lions use a pick gleaned from the Matthew Stafford trade to pick up the player they hope will be their next franchise quarterback. This time, they stop Matt Corral’s slide and get a solid prospect with the final selection of Day 1.
The Matt Corral ‘pro day’ throw. pic.twitter.com/9mRRnbdmUn
— Nick Penticoff (@NickPenticoff) March 8, 2022
Corral put up big numbers despite playing in the toughest division in college football, averaging an efficient 9.1 yards per pass at Ole Miss. He was among the many quarterbacks who didn’t work out at the Combine, but remains an intriguing prospect with a great arm and the athleticism to escape pressure and extend drives with his scrambling. While he doesn’t have a classic NFL quarterback build, he’s a playmaker with a knack for showing up in big games; 10 of his 11 games with 300+ passing yards the past two seasons came against Power 5 opponents.
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