One of the oddities of the NFL calendar is the timing of the league’s scouting combine, which wrapped up Sunday in Indianapolis.
Most of the attention at that event is on the next generation of NFL players, who are there for the biggest job interview of their lives as they prepare for the draft.
The combine, however, quickly becomes a thing of the past as soon as it’s over, because attention turns to the start of free agency, which this year comes March 16. Before that date arrives, it’s a good time to take our first look at how the first round of the 2022 draft may play out. Given that free agency will alter the needs of teams, we’ll hold off on projecting trades until a bit closer to the actual draft, which gets underway April 28 in Las Vegas.
Here is The Buffalo News’ first mock draft of the offseason, complete with the Buffalo Bills’ scheduled selections on the first two nights:
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1. Jacksonville Jaguars. Ikem Ekwonu, OT, N.C. State. There’s no reason to overthink things. The Jaguars need to get better up front to give second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence – last year’s No. 1 overall pick – the best possible chance to succeed.
2. Detroit Lions. Aidan Hutchinson, Edge, Michigan. The Lions have a big need at edge rusher, so this is more than just a hometown fit. Hutchinson had 14 sacks and 19 tackles for loss last year for the Wolverines, finishing second in Heisman Trophy voting.
3. Houston Texans. Evan Neal, OT, Alabama. The Texans need everything, including a quarterback since Deshaun Watson is unlikely to ever play for them again. Neal would allow them to trade Laremy Tunsil to add even more draft picks to aid in the rebuilding process.
4. New York Jets. Sauce Gardner, CB, Cincinnati. The Jets were a mess in the secondary last year, and Gardner was absolutely dominant in 2021, allowing just eight catches for 60 yards in 13 games.
5. New York Giants. Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame. Joe Schoen’s first pick as general manager of the Giants would be somewhat controversial if this played out, given that a top-five pick on a safety is rare. Hamilton, however, is thought to be one of the “safest” picks in the entire draft, and the Giants have needs everywhere on the roster. Hamilton had eight career interceptions at Notre Dame, and Schoen knows being strong at safety – which the Bills were with Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer during his time here – is big for the secondary.
6. Carolina Panthers. Malik Willis, QB, Liberty. The trade for Sam Darnold didn’t work out, which means the Panthers have to keep taking swings to get it right at quarterback. Willis may not be ready to start right away, but he’s thought to have the highest ceiling of any quarterback in this year’s class.
7. New York Giants. Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State. If the Giants really are going to give Daniel Jones a real chance to prove he can be a franchise quarterback, they owe it to him to get some protection. Cross would be the favorite to start at left tackle right away.
8. Atlanta Falcons. Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State. After Calvin Ridley was suspended for at least the 2022 season Monday for gambling on NFL games, replacing him has to be at the top of the Falcons’ list. Wilson has drawn comparisons to Bills receiver Stefon Diggs for his style of play.
9. Denver Broncos. Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia. This pick may very well end up not belonging to the Broncos if Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers requests a trade and ultimately gets reunited with Nathaniel Hackett, his former offensive coordinator who took over this offseason as Denver’s head coach. Short of that, Dean fills a need as an off-ball linebacker.
10. New York Jets. Drake London, WR, Southern Cal. Getting a potential No. 1 receiver for quarterback Zach Wilson has to be on the Jets’ to-do list this offseason. London was having a huge season before getting hurt against Arizona on Oct. 30, with 88 catches for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s a size mismatch for most cornerbacks at 6-foot-5.
11. Washington Commanders. Kenny Pickett, QB, Pitt. The Commanders reportedly called every team in the league to check on the availability of their quarterbacks. I’d imagine that was a pretty short conversation with Bills general manager Brandon Beane. Pickett’s hands measured 8.5 inches at the combine, which is smaller than ideal for an NFL starting quarterback (and turned every Twitter user into a comedian). Nevertheless, quarterbacks tend to get drafted earlier than expected, and Washington very clearly has as big of a need at the position as any team in the league.
12. Minnesota Vikings. Kayvon Thibodeaux, Edge, Oregon. Cornerback is the No. 1 need in Minnesota, but the Vikings choose not to pass on Thibodeaux, who was once in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick (and may still get there), but has seen his draft stock cool a bit after there were some questions about taking plays off during his time with the Ducks. That smells like a scout putting something out there with hopes Thibodeaux falls to his team.
13. Cleveland Browns. Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas. If the Browns are going to run it back with Baker Mayfield at quarterback, they might as well get him some help. Burks had 66 catches for 1,104 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2021. He can be used in a variety of ways on the Browns’ offense.
14. Baltimore Ravens. Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa. A team that runs the ball as much as the Ravens needs to continually invest in its offensive line, and Linderbaum is comfortably the No. 1 center available this year.
15. Philadelphia Eagles. Travon Walker, Edge, Georgia. He turned it on late with a pair of sacks in Georgia’s two playoff wins, which gave the Bulldogs the national championship. Walker has some positional flexibility that allows him to play inside at times, as well as rush off the edge.
16. Philadelphia Eagles. Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU. Stingley is one of the toughest players in this year’s draft to project. He was a stud for the Tigers during their run to the national championship as a freshman in 2019, then didn’t play as well in a down year for LSU in 2020. He played just three games in 2021 before a foot injury knocked him out for the rest of the year. As a result, he’s a bit of a projection, but his upside is thought to be huge.
17. Los Angeles Chargers. Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia. There are certain selections in mock drafts that seem to reach a consensus, and this is one. Davis would greatly help the Chargers’ abysmal run defense, and his combine performance, during which he ran a 4.78-second 40-yard dash at 341 pounds, solidified him as a top-20 prospect.
18. New Orleans Saints. Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah. Wide receiver could be a big need, depending on what happens with Michael Thomas, but with former defensive coordinator Dennis Allen taking over for Sean Payton as head coach, it makes sense to get some help for that side of the ball. Lloyd put up huge numbers for the Utes in 2021, finishing with 111 tackles, eight sacks, 20 tackles for loss, four interceptions (two of which were returned for touchdowns) and a forced fumble.
19. Philadelphia Eagles. Kenyon Green, OL, Texas A&M. After adding to the defense with the first two of their three first-round selections, the Eagles turn to the other side of the ball to take Green, who lined up at four of the five spots on the offensive line in 2021.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers. Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss. Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement means the Steelers can no longer delay finding their potential quarterback of the future.
21. New England Patriots. Jermaine Johnson II, Edge, Florida State. The Patriots released Kyle Van Noy, who finished second on the team with five sacks, so finding a second pass rusher to pair with Matthew Judon, and potentially harass Josh Allen, should be a priority.
22. Las Vegas Raiders. Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington. McDuffie is scheme versatile and willing to tackle. He’s thought to have very little chance of being a bust, which is good for a Raiders team that has whiffed on several first-round picks lately.
23. Arizona Cardinals. David Ojabo, Edge, Michigan. Ojabo is a red-shirt freshman who split playing time with the Wolverines, so he could use some seasoning. He spent his youth in Nigeria and Scotland, so there is reason to believe his best football is ahead of him.
24. Dallas Cowboys. George Karlaftis, Edge, Purdue. The Cowboys may move on from both Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory this offseason. If that happens, Karlaftis would fill a big need. He has drawn comparisons to Ryan Kerrigan.
25. Buffalo Bills. Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama. Sure, Williams may not be able to play in Week 1, but who cares? This is a rare opportunity for the Bills to add a special talent to their offense. Imagine defenses trying to defend Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis and Williams. Good luck with that. Williams put up huge numbers for the Crimson Tide, making 79 catches for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns on 120 targets. He had just three drops. The Ohio State transfer tore his ACL in the national title game, though, which figures to slide him down the draft board a bit. That feels similar to how the Bills were able to draft Miami running back Willis McGahee nearly 20 years ago. The Bills have the luxury of allowing Williams time to get healthy. Even if he only returns for the second half of the season, that would give him plenty of time for the Bills to work him into the offense, with the idea being he’s close to full speed for the playoffs. The Bills may have a bigger need at cornerback, but if Beane stays true to his “best player available” philosophy, there is a good bet Williams is in play here. The fit is intriguing, to say the least.
26. Tennessee Titans. Trevor Penning, OL, Northern Iowa. The Bills took Spencer Brown last year out of Northern Iowa, and he turned into a starter rather quickly. The same should happen with Penning, who is known for playing with a physical streak.
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Zion Johnson, OL, Boston College. The Bucs may lose center Ryan Jensen in free agency and have already lost guard Ali Marpet to a surprising retirement, so addressing the interior of the offensive line in the first round is a good idea. Johnson has flexibility to fill any of the three jobs inside.
28. Green Bay Packers. Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State. Maybe the Packers can convince Rodgers to return by promising them they’ll draft a wide receiver in the first round for the first time since 2002.
29. Miami Dolphins. Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa. The Dolphins have been having a heck of a time getting things right on the offensive line in front of Tua Tagovailoa. They need to keep taking swings, though, and adding Smith does just that.
30. Kansas City Chiefs. Dax Hill, S, Michigan. Tyrann Mathieu has sent out some cryptic messages recently, suggesting his return to Kansas City may not be a sure thing. If that’s the case, finding a replacement would become a priority.
31. Cincinnati Bengals. Bernhard Raimann, OL, Central Michigan. A former foreign-exchange student from Austria, Raimann originally played tight end, but moved to offensive line during his third season at Central Michigan. The Bengals need help across the offensive line.
32. Detroit Lions. Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina. Jared Goff didn’t do anything in his first year with the Lions to convince anyone he’s the long-term answer at the position. Goff can handle the job for one more year while Howell is groomed. By drafting Howell here, the Lions can make use of the fifth-year option, which is a big deal when drafting a quarterback.
57. Buffalo Bills. Jamaree Salyer, OL, Georgia. The Bills seemed to find something along the offensive line late in the year after Ryan Bates was inserted into the starting lineup, but the front office can never do enough to protect Allen. Salyer has the versatility to play outside in a pinch, which the Bills value, but his true value comes at guard. He can be a top backup right away, while challenging Bates and Daryl Williams for a starting spot. If the Bills determine Salyer is ready to be a starter right away, they could move on from Williams to save cap space.
89. Buffalo Bills. Nik Bonitto, Edge, Oklahoma. The Bills have invested plenty in the defensive line in recent years, but the four-man pass rush remains an area that needs to be addressed. Bonitto could also see some time as a linebacker when the Bills use a traditional 4-3 scheme, while serving as a designated pass rusher on third downs early in his career. He’s got a solid first step to challenge offensive tackles to the edge.
