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It's Mock Draft season! With the 2022 NFL Draft just hours away, we team up with our own Jordan Laube and Jack Bradley, who host Hard Hitting Sports Podcast, to make our picks. House Enterprise NFL expert and Mock Draft aficionado Clubfoot Jim joins us for his hard-hitting analysis.
The rules: Each of the five of us were assigned a pick. Due to the 32-team field, Jack, Jordan, and Jake each had six picks, while Will & James had seven. This was a 100% live draft, so there was no previous knowledge of the picks by any member beforehand...each drafter had to play the board and make live adjustments.
You can find the full mock draft at this link, as we go pick-by-pick with our analysis and reactions from the guys.
Travon Walker goes first overall. There's been some uncertainty over who goes first in 2022, much unlike previous years. Ultimately, Jacksonville tabs an above-average pass-rusher to couple with their up-and-coming defensive end Josh Allen.
Derek Stingley is the first CB off the board. Many believe it's a race between Stingley and Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, who have solidified themselves as the two best DB's in the draft. Ultimately, our guys placed their faith in Stingley, who looks to be rehabbing extremely well from injuries, to get a slight advantage over Gardner.
Drake London wins the WR race. Yes, Ohio State's Chris Olave is a great option - and even goes higher than most analysts have him at #11 - but Drake London is tabbed as the first WR to go here. With the Atlanta Falcons searching for their next big playmaker after Calvin Ridley's suspension.
Kenny Pickett stays in Pittsburgh and becomes the rightful heir to Big Ben's throne. In one of the more underwhelming QB classes, can Kenny Pickett be the first one off the board? That's certainly what Clubfoot Jim thinks, as he chooses Pickett to head to Pittsburgh and lead the quarterback-less Steelers. Pickett might have some work to do, but who knows...he could end up being the next fan favorite in the Steel City. We'll casually leave out that Jimmy called Big Ben a "human traffic cone."
Trent McDuffie to the Patriots? As Clubfoot Jim told us in the live draft, sometimes there are guys that just belong in a Patriots uniform. And sure enough, McDuffie fits the mold. The Pats routinely find themselves in a cycle of turnover with edge rushers, linebackers, and cornerbacks; will a guy like McDuffie perform off the jump, and take a discount to stay in Foxboro long-term if he does well? New England can also go with linebacker Devin Lloyd to bolster an aging linebacking core, and augment a group of up-and-coming group of contributors that isn't quite there yet.
Jahan Dotson has big shoes to fill in Green Bay. Tondo chose the Penn State product to be a centerpiece in making up for the loss of Davante Adams' production. Sports Illustrated's Peter King said Dotson had the "best hands in the draft," and called him a "better version of Randall Cobb." Dotson, if selected here, is an immediate contender for playing time in Green Bay.