Lance's 2022 Acting GM Mock Draft
This is a two round mock draft and I include trades, though I won’t go too much into detail on what was given up. If you didn’t read through my Draft Board articles for this year some of the names you’ll see below will seem like they came out of left field. Go checkout my draft boards and you’ll understand where I’m coming from. THIS IS NOT HOW I THINK THE DRAFT WILL GO, this is strictly how I would draft for each team if I was in charge. I want to emphasize that, so you don’t come down on me with a fiery vengeance if you see I have some player you’ve never heard of going to your team. If you want to see how I think the actual draft is going to go then you should check out my Hype Mock Draft which will be posted later this week.
I didn’t like the way I did this mock last year, so I changed it up a little. I ranked every player that wasn’t removed from my draft board based on the rounds that I would consider taking them in (i.e. Ahmad Gardner got a 3rd-5th based on his PSR, but I would take him in the first). Then I moved the team that was on the clock to a separate workbook, so I wouldn’t be tempted to look further down the board to see if I would prefer a player land somewhere else. If a team went on the clock and I didn’t feel like any of the top five players was a good fit with them, then I’d look at the top player at any position of need and if I thought it was good value that’s who I would pick. If I didn’t think it was good value I would see if there was any team that would be willing to trade up to take a top five player available. There were a couple instances where I couldn’t find a trade partner, so I took whoever I thought would be the best pick at that point, and I may mention that at those picks. Check it out:
1) Jacksonville Jaguars
Pick: DE Aidan Hutchinson (Michigan)
Reason: Hutchinson is my top player in the draft and he fills a need for the Jags, so no-brainer in my opinion.
2) Detroit Lions
Pick: CB Ahmad Gardner (Cincinnati)
Reason: Some Lions fans may not like this one because of how the Okudah pick has gone, but I would like to point out I had Okudah removed from my board. That’s not the case with Gardner and the Lions definitely still have a need at Corner.
3) Houston Texans
Pick: OT Charles Cross (Mississippi State)
Reason: I don’t believe Davis Mills is the answer, but I do believe Houston has some major holes to fix on offense before they go out and get their QB of the future. Cross fills a big one at the Tackle spot opposite Tunsil.
4) New York Jets
Pick: OT Trevor Penning (Northern Iowa)
Reason: If the Jets want Zach Wilson to succeed they need to help him out. Pairing Penning with Becton is a great start.
5) New York Giants
Pick: Edge Jermaine Johnson II (Florida State)
Reason: The Giants need help all over. I love Johnson’s talent and athleticism and would love seeing him and Ojulari wreaking havoc on offenses for years to come.
6) Carolina Panthers
Pick: QB Matt Corral (Ole Miss)
Reason: Corral is the highest QB in my rankings and he’s only 12th overall. Unfortunately, the need under Center for Carolina is only getting worse. I like Matt Rhule, but the only way he keeps his job this year is if there is some sort of improvement at QB. Corral gives him a chance at that happening.
7) New York Giants (via Chicago)
Pick: OT Ikem Ekwonu (North Carolina State)
Reason: Fantastic! I was able to take Johnson at five and still address a major need along the O-Line here. Some think the Giants should trade back, but I don’t agree. Thanks to Gettleman’s poor drafting and decision making, they severely lack premier talent on the roster. I keep both picks and take two guys who could be top playmakers at their position for years to come.
8) Atlanta Falcons
Pick: WR Calvin Austin III (Memphis)
Reason: Even though Austin is my top Receiver I still considered taking Wilson because Atlanta lacks all the Receiver talent and Wilson has the size of what you would consider a true WR1. But then I remembered that players like Lockett and Hill have burned that belief to the ground. Austin gives Mariota a shifty speed Receiver that he can dump the ball off to and let him do all the work.
9) Seattle Seahawks (via Denver)
Pick: QB Malik Willis (Liberty)
Reason: Not only is Willis #18 on my big board, he’s also behind Pickett. However, I think he’s the better fit in the scheme here in Seattle, so I jump at the chance to bring him in.
10) **TRADE** Pittsburgh Steelers (via NYJ/Seattle) **TRADE**
Pick: QB Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh)
Reason: Watching two of only four Quarterbacks I would consider drafting fly off the board scares me into jumping up ten spots just in case Washington, Minnesota, Houston, Philly or New Orleans decide they do in fact want to take a Quarterback.
11) Washington Commanders
Pick: WR Garrett Wilson (Ohio State)
Reason: No, Wentz is not the answer just like he wasn’t the answer for Indy. But, we are an absolute mess of an organization, so let’s focus on fixing the offense around whichever QB we have in here next year.
12) **TRADE** Baltimore Ravens (via Minnesota) **TRADE**
Pick: OT Evan Neal (Alabama)
Reason: With Neal sliding I wanted to make sure a Tackle needy team didn’t try and get out in front of us, so we made the move and didn’t give up much to do so.
13) Houston Texans (via Cleveland)
Pick: S Kyle Hamilton (Notre Dame)
Reason: With Justin Reid gone Houston has a hole on the backend of their defense. There are plenty of other areas of need, but I couldn’t bypass adding a talent like Hamilton at a position of need.
14) **TRADE** Minnesota Vikings (via Baltimore) **TRADE**
Pick: C Zach Tom (Wake Forest)
Reason: After trading down to here I looked to see if there was a way to trade down a little further. I believe Corner is Minnesota’s biggest need, but didn’t feel like 14 was good value for taking Alontae Taylor. So, when there wasn’t a trade I thought made sense I went ahead and took my top Center to correct a first round pick from just a few years ago that hasn’t panned out yet.
15) Philadelphia Eagles (via Miami)
Pick: DT Jordan Davis (Georgia)
Reason: Out with the old and in with the new. Fletcher Cox is back for another year, but with all due respect to him, Philly needs to start thinking about upgrading the position. Davis is a mammoth of a man with perhaps the most freakish athleticism in this entire draft.
16) New Orleans Saints (via Philly/Indy)
Pick: OT Abraham Lucas (Washington State)
Reason: We would’ve been thrilled if Neal had fallen, but we’ll gladly settle for a very good pass blocker to take over at Left Tackle.
17) Los Angeles Chargers
Pick: LB Nakobe Dean (Georgia)
Reason: Jordan Davis is gone, and while having him would have been great, it’s not our biggest need. Kyzir White was our best Linebacker a year ago and he’s now in Philly. Our run defense has been a disaster. Adding Austin Johnson and Sebastian Joseph-Day to the interior of our Defensive Line was stellar, putting Dean in the middle of our Linebacking corps would be a huge boon.
18) Philadelphia Eagles (via New Orleans)
Pick: OG Zion Johnson (Boston College)
Reason: Johnson fills the hole left on the inside by Brooks' retirement, as well as leaves the door open for a potential move back to Center by Landon Dickerson once Jason Kelce retires. (What I mean is if I took Linderbaum here, Dickerson would be stuck at Guard and Philly would still need another starting Guard this season).
19) New Orleans Saints (via Philadelphia)
Pick: WR Bo Melton (Rutgers)
Reason: The other piece this Saints offense needs in order to give Winston a chance to win. Melton offers some serious speed (4.34 forty) to go with Michael Thomas’ big, possession Receiver role.
20) **TRADE** NY Jets (via Pittsburgh) **TRADE**
Pick: LB Chad Muma (Wyoming)
Reason: Traded back 10 spots and still almost landed Nakobe Dean. Muma is a great consolation prize though. His knack for making plays makes him a DROY candidate.
21) **TRADE** Kansas City Chiefs (via New England) **TRADE**
Pick: WR Romeo Doubs (Nevada)
Reason: Sitting where KC is you can’t help but notice the level of need at Receiver in front of them. So, we make our move, jumping eight spots and paying a third round pick (important to remember for later) plus a little extra to do so. Hopefully Doubs’ play speed sticks around once he gets here so Mahomes has a big target to hit downfield.
22) Green Bay Packers (via Las Vegas)
Pick: WR Jaquarii Roberson (Wake Forest)
Reason: Does anyone know if Green Bay needs a Receiver? I jest, of course. I know there’s not a chance this happens in real life because Roberson was somehow overlooked for the Combine and typically non-Combine invitees don’t land in the first round. But he’s coming off a stellar career at Wake Forest and he’s 6’1” with hops (40” vert).
23) Arizona Cardinals
Pick: Edge Arnold Ebiketie (Penn State)
Reason: There were a couple times that I considered jumping Arizona up to get Ebiketie, but I didn’t think it was worth making the move. Staying put worked out as we land our replacement for Chandler Jones.
24) Dallas Cowboys
Pick: DT Devonte Wyatt (Georgia)
Reason: Thibodeaux was tempting with Randy Gregory gone, but Wyatt is plenty talented without the potential baggage, and he gives Dallas the Defensive Tackle stud they haven’t had in years.
25) Buffalo Bills
Pick: RB Breece Hall (Iowa State)
Reason: We have some needs, but they’re few and far between, so why not give Josh Allen a legitimate RB1, something he hasn’t had since he got here.
26) Tennessee Titans
Pick: WR Chris Olave (Ohio State)
Reason: I loved the trade for Robert Woods, very savvy move, but it doesn’t eliminate the need we have at Receiver. I wasn’t going to move us up the board to get one, but Olave fell into our laps and I felt he was better value than the top players at our other pressing needs (namely OT).
27) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pick: CB Alontae Taylor (Tennessee)
Reason: Guard is/was a definite option here, but this O-Line draft is DEEP, the same cannot be said at Corner. Taylor coupled with a healthy Carlton Davis would give Todd Bowles a formidable duo on the back end.
28) Green Bay Packers
Pick: Edge Kayvon Thibodeaux (Oregon)
Reason: Sure there are questions about his love of the game versus his love for “his brand.” And sure you have to wonder how well that personality is going to mix with the already gigantic personality the Packers have under Center. But his talent at pick 28 is way too hard to pass up.
29) **TRADE** New England Patriots (via KC/Miami/SF) **TRADE**
Pick: CB Damarri Mathis (Pittsburgh)
Reason: The reason why I was willing to trade down and allow the Chiefs to take the Receiver we could’ve taken there was that I felt our need at Corner was greater. We were able to gain some extra picks (which I know Belichick loves) and snag the uber-athletic Mathis to replace J.C. Jackson, in a division that features Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Elijah Moore and Stefon Diggs.
30) **TRADE** Jacksonville Jaguars (via Kansas City) **TRADE**
Pick: C Tyler Linderbaum (Iowa)
Reason: Center is a major need and though I know Cincy spent a lot of offseason money on their O-Line, I’ve got a feeling they wouldn’t pass on Linderbaum if he was still available at their pick.
31) Cincinnati Bengals
Pick: TE Charlie Kolar (Iowa State)
Reason: Losing out on the Gronkowski sweepstakes (he hasn’t announced he’s returning or signed a contract but he did say he would return to Tampa if he comes back) isn’t the worst thing to happen to us. Kolar is younger than Gronk, but he’s pretty similar in athleticism and build, and he also has that willingness to block. Burrow and Mixon would love this pick.
32) Detroit Lions (via LA Rams)
Pick: QB Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati)
Reason: The hype surrounding Ridder is actually going up, but I view him as a fringe first round pick and this is my mock, so there. I think he has an excellent skill set that just needs a little bit of coaching to finish developing. Detroit gets the fifth year option on him by taking him here and if he looks better than Goff in training camp then they got themselves a more talented starter under Center.
ROUND 2
1) **TRADE** Kansas City Chiefs (via Jacksonville) **TRADE**
Pick: LB Devin Lloyd (Utah)
Reason: Trading back helped us recoup a little of what we gave to New England to move up. Landing Lloyd is just a major bonus. He will pair with Bolton to make our Linebacker corps the strength of our defense after it spent so long being the weakness.
2) Detroit Lions
Pick: Edge George Karlaftis (Purdue)
Reason: This is highway robbery. The fact that we were able to take Gardner at 2 in the first round and still land a pass rusher of Karlaftis’ talent level here is incredible.
3) **TRADE** Seattle Seahawks (via NY Jets) **TRADE**
Pick: OG Bernhard Raimann (Central Michigan)
Reason: We got our QB in round one and I know we've learned from our mistakes with Wilson, so we address our O-Line to keep our new passer happy and upright. We move up to get an excellent all-around blocker in Raimann.
4) New York Giants
Pick: TE Trey McBride (Colorado State)
Reason: Rudolph and Engram are gone and you won’t hear any Giants fans complaining about it. But we should probably make sure we continue to stack our offense with talent in order to give Daniel Jones, or his eventual replacement, a chance to succeed.
5) Houston Texans
Pick: RB Kenneth Walker III (Michigan State)
Reason: Like I said in round one, I don’t agree with Davis Mills being the future here, but with so many needs it’s better if we give him another go this year and put talent around him so he has a shot. Walker is a big play waiting to happen out of the backfield, and he’ll force opposing defenses to account for him.
6) New York Jets (via Carolina)
Pick: DE Travon Walker (Georgia)
Reason: Love Walker’s size-speed ratio, but I still don’t view him as highly as others are because he barely produced at Georgia. Even his PFF grades show he struggled. I think he’s well worth a second round pick though.
7) Chicago Bears
Pick: Edge David Ojabo (Michigan)
Reason: When you don’t have a first round pick, stealing a first round talent in the second because he got hurt is as good as it gets. The Bears need pass rush help, but they can afford to be patient and wait for Ojabo to return.
8) Atlanta Falcons
Pick: LB Leo Chenal (Wisconsin)
Reason: A loss that no one really mentioned this offseason was Oluokun leaving Atlanta. We need to address that loss and since there isn’t a pass rusher I’d jump at over Chenal here this is the route I’d go.
9) **TRADE** New York Jets (via Seattle/Denver) **TRADE**
Pick: DB Daxton Hill (Michigan)
Reason: I list him as a DB because he could play Safety or Corner and the Jets could use him at either.
10) Seattle Seahawks
Pick: OT Braxton Jones (Southern Utah)
Reason: The rebuild of the O-Line to help our first-round QB continues. Wilson would be red-hot if he were sitting at home watching this happen.
11) Indianapolis Colts (via Washington)
Pick: WR Wan’Dale Robinson (Kentucky)
Reason: Indy needs a compliment for Michael Pittman Jr. and what better compliment than a short speed guy? Matt Ryan is going to need extra weapons in order to succeed.
12) Cleveland Browns
Pick: DT Logan Hall (Houston)
Reason: Our needs are basically Receiver, Defense End and Defensive Tackle, and Hall was at the top of the list between the three.
13) Baltimore Ravens
Pick: Edge Amare Barno (Virginia Tech)
Reason: Another long freaky edge rusher to pair with Oweh. Baltimore needs to keep working on replenishing that front seven with youth.
14) Minnesota Vikings
Pick: CB Kaiir Elam (Florida)
Reason: Pick 14 in the first round was too early for me to consider taking one of the other Corners, but it works out with Elam falling right into our laps. Now we just need to get P2 on board with helping coach Elam up.
15) Washington Commanders (via Indianapolis)
Pick: S Jaquan Brisker (Penn State)
Reason: So many needs, so why not take the best available at one of those positions. Brisker is a playmaker that we’ll love having on the backend after watching Landon Collins in coverage the last three years.
16) Chicago Bears (via LA Chargers)
Pick: WR Christian Watson (North Dakota State)
Reason: I’m higher on Metchie than I am Watson, but the Bears can’t afford to use both of their first two picks in this draft on players who recently suffered major injuries. Watson offers size to complement Mooney’s speed.
17) **TRADE** New England Patriots (via New Orleans) **TRADE**
Pick: WR John Metchie (Alabama)
Reason: We see Watson fly off the board and with at least four teams picking in front of us needing more Receiver help we decide to trade off that third we got from KC in the first round trade I executed and jump up to snag one of Mac Jones’ favorite targets at Alabama.
18) Kansas City Chiefs (via Miami)
Pick: OT Darian Kinnard (Kentucky)
Reason: Lots of people think Kinnard slides inside to Guard, but I like the idea of him manning the Right Tackle spot and giving Mahomes the protection he deserves.
19) Philadelphia Eagles
Pick: S Dane Belton (Iowa)
Reason: We needs help at all three levels of their defense. Jordan Davis in the first was just the start. Belton gives us a youthful rejuvenation on the backend.
20) **TRADE** New York Jets (via Pittsburgh) **TRADE**
Pick: RB Zamir White (Georgia)
Reason: Kind of a luxury pick for a team that shouldn’t be making luxury picks. But I’ve loved the work that we’ve been doing in our recent drafts, and adding White to the backfield with Michael Carter is only going to make things better on offense.
21) Green Bay Packers (via Las Vegas)
Pick: OT Matt Waletzko (North Dakota)
Reason: Taking Thibodeaux in the first meant having to hold their breath and hope one of the top Tackles slid to them here and it worked out. Waletzko was a stud at North Dakota who quietly and surprisingly lit up the athletic tests at the Combine and his pro day.
22) **TRADE** New Orleans Saints (via New England) **TRADE**
Pick: CB Zyon McCollum (Sam Houston State)
Reason: We grabbed our Receiver in the first which meant we could take the trade offer, adding a third we didn’t originally have and still land the 6’2” Corner with all the speed and explosiveness.
23) Arizona Cardinals
Pick: CB Jaylen Watson (Washington State)
Reason: He’s not a freaky athlete like the guy that just went before him, but he showed sound technical skills this past season for the Cougars though he’ll need some coaching up, and did well enough at his Pro Day, especially in his jumps (38” vert, 130” broad).
24) Dallas Cowboys
Pick: OG Kellen Diesch (Arizona State)
Reason: This draft should be predominantly about the trenches for Dallas, and adding Diesch after losing Connor Williams is the right move.
25) Buffalo Bills
Pick: S Lewis Cine (Georgia)
Reason: Poyer and Hyde are solid starters, but both will be 31 by the time the season kicks off, so there’s nothing wrong with adding a young talented Safety who can fill in when needed and learn the system from two seasoned pros.
26) Atlanta Falcons (via Tennessee)
Pick: Edge Boye Mafe (Minnesota)
Reason: Mafe is exactly who we were hoping would still be here by the time this pick rolled around. Our pass rush gets the immediate boost it needs.
27) Green Bay Packers
Pick: WR Skyy Moore (Western Michigan)
Reason: Little bit of a reach. I feel Moore is more of a third round pick, but it’s the end of the second, the top Receiver options are wearing thin and we still have a major need at the position.
28) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pick: OG Sean Rhyan (UCLA)
Reason: See, this Guard class is loaded and because of it being so stacked we’re able to land Rhyan at the end of the second.
29) San Francisco 49ers
Pick: CB Kyler Gordon (Washington)
Reason: First pick we get in this draft and you better believe we’re going to use it to shore up our biggest defensive issue from last season. Gordon or McDuffie was the question, but I had a slightly higher grade on Gordon.
30) Kansas City Chiefs
Pick: CB Trent McDuffie (Washington)
Reason: When you pay one player as much as we are you have to make sound draft decisions in order to keep the rest of the team afloat. Corner is a position that’s been hurting us lately and McDuffie offers an immediate starting option.
31) Cincinnati Bengals
Pick: C Cam Jurgens (Nebraska)
Reason: Had Linderbaum still been available I would have taken him in the first, but Jurgens isn’t a bad pick here. We did sign three starting Lineman this offseason, Collins will start at Right Tackle, Cappa will take over at one of the Guards and then there is Karras who could start at Guard or Center, Jurgens gives us an extra option.
32) Denver Broncos (via LA Rams)
Pick: LB Channing Tindall (Georgia)
Reason: Our first pick of the draft and the top guy on the board also addresses an area of need, perfect.
