It’s that time of year again. The NFL Draft is April 28-30, and it will be taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The prospects this year are highly intriguing, as three defensive ends could go in the top five picks of the draft. The top prospect, unlike the past two years, is not in fact a quarterback. There is no top prospect. Two offensive tackles could go in the top five and for sure top eight picks of the draft, and a man by the name of Sauce could go in the top three picks. 

Dallas Cowboys 

The Dallas Cowboys have a lot of needs, especially on the offensive line. At the 24th pick, Tyler Linderbaum, a center out of Iowa, could be available. He is a utility man, and could play offensive guard for the Cowboys, as Tyler Biadisz is a fine center as of now. The Cowboys also need an offensive tackle, and 6’7” Trevor Penning out of Northern Iowa or Zion Johnson out of Boston College would be great options. 

As a result of trading wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Browns and letting another receiver in Cedric Wilson walk in free agency, the Cowboys now have a glaring hole in their receiving core. Ceedee Lamb needs a running mate, and I think the 6’4” receiver Christian Watson out of North Dakota State would be a great fit on the team. He is able to spread out the defense with his speed and has great size. He is still raw at route running, but he can learn from Ceedee. Another fit would be Chris Olave out of Ohio State. He is a speed demon and has excellent hands, but is a little undersized at 6’0”. 

The Cowboys, as always in the past few years, need defensive help. They could go with an edge rusher like the 6’5” Jermaine Johnson II out of Florida State. Another need is safety, in which Dallas could draft a future star in Daxton Hill from Michigan, or my favorite safety in the draft, an extremely physical player by the name of Jaquan Brisker out of Penn State. Another need is linebacker, so one of the best defenders in the game, linebacker Micah Parsons, can line up anywhere in the front seven. Georgia’s Nakobe Dean would be a great fit here, as he is a strong, physical linebacker who can stop the run and pass. 

Quarterbacks and Other Top Prospects

For one of the first times in the past few years, a QB is not the top prospect in this draft. That title belongs to edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson from Michigan or the edge rusher from Georgia, Travon Walker. Both are matchup nightmares, as Hutchinson’s combination of speed and power led to his 14 sacks last season. Travon Walker’s 6’5”, 275 lb frame has scouts drooling over him, as he has had an amazing pre-draft process. The preseason number one pick, edge rusher Kayvon Thibeodeaux, will still be a top five pick. The 6’4” power rusher was a gamewrecker for Oregon, and if it wasn’t for Hutchinson and Walker having excellent seasons, he would still be a top two pick. 6’7”, 337 lb offensive tackle Evan Neal is the top offensive tackle and Ikem Ekwonu out of North Carolina State is not far behind. Cornerback Sauce Gardner out of Cincinnati did not allow a touchdown in all of his four years of college football. He is by far and away the number one prospect at his position. 

Now to the quarterbacks. The best prospect is Malik Willis out of Liberty. His dual-threat ability will make him the franchise quarterback for an NFL team, and his off-field character created lots of positive headlines for him, as he was seen giving food to a homeless person outside the NFL combine. His 6’1” frame should be of little concern, as he is elusive and strong, and an expert at breaking tackles to extend a play. The number two QB prospect is the Pitt man, Kenny Pickett. He threw for 4319 yards and had a six to one TD to INT ratio. His small hands should be little cause for concern. I think the next three QB’s could go in any particular order. Matt Corral is a 6’0” QB from Ole Miss with a rubber band for an arm and a running ability that defensive coordinators lose sleep over. Desmond Ridder is the most experienced quarterback in this draft, as he lead the Bearcats to the 2021-22 College Football Playoff. He threw for 87 touchdowns and ran for 28 touchdowns in his college career. The last of the top QB prospects is Sam Howell. He has a Baker Mayfield style of play, and led UNC back to relevance in the college football world. Some other QB’s to look for are Carson Strong from Nevada, Bailey Zappe out of Western Kentucky, and Brock Purdy from Iowa State. 

Mock Draft 3.0 (No Trades)

1. Jacksonville Jaguars – Travon Walker, 6’5”, 272 lbs, EDGE, Georgia

The massive edge rusher from the Georgia Bulldogs has skyrocketed in draft projections and mock drafts around the sports world due to amazing pre-draft workouts. He has the size and power of a future Pro Bowler, and he is more effective as a run stopper than a pass rusher. With that said, he still had six sacks this year and will be a key piece in turning the Jaguars around. 

2. Detroit Lions – Aidan Hutchinson, 6’6”, 260 lbs, EDGE, Michigan 

The power and speed rusher of the Michigan Wolverines very well could be the number one pick. In recent days, reports have come in that the Jaguars are not interested in him, which I feel is a huge mistake. The 14-sack man is a future Hall of Famer and as close to a sure thing as a team can get this year. I could see the Lions trading back a few spots or drafting QB Malik Willis here, but Hutchinson is too good of a talent to pass up. 

3. Houston Texans – Kayvon Thibodeaux, 6’4”, 254 lbs, EDGE, Oregon

The third edge rusher in as many picks was the preseason first overall pick. He will be a steal and number three, and will be an absolute game wrecker for the Texans. He had seven sacks and 35 tackles in 10 games this year. His combo of size and speed will give troubles to the best offensive lineman for years to come. 

4. New York Jets – Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, 6’2”, 190 lbs, CB, Cincinnati

Sauce Gardner, amazing name by the way, did not allow a single touchdown in coverage in four years. Four years. That is unheard of. He is by far and away the best corner in this draft, and even though the Jets drafted Michael Carter at corner last year, I don’t think Gardner is a talent a team can pass on. He has great ball skills, as he had nine picks in his career, and he is a physical corner who had three sacks this year. 

5. New York Giants – Evan Neal, 6’7”, 337 lbs, OT, Alabama 

The 337-pound tackle out of Alabama can be a help for QB Daniel Jones in the passing game and RB Saquon Barkley in the running game. He is versatile and can play multiple positions on the line, but should be the LT of the future for the Giants. He only allowed 1.5 sacks this year. 

6. Carolina Panthers – Malik Willis, 6’0”, 219, QB, Liberty

The dual threat QB should be the first quarterback off the board in the 2022 NFL Draft. He has a cannon of an arm and will pull it down and run with it when needed. With Matt Rhule on the hot seat, this pick could very well save his job. While he threw 12 interceptions this year, he also had 40 total touchdowns this year. 

7. New York Giants – Kyle Hamilton, 6’4”, 220 lbs, S, Notre Dame 

This safety has elite ball skills and is extremely physical, as he had eight interceptions and 138 total tackles in his college career. He will be able to fill a need in the secondary for the Giants, and will be an instant impact player for the franchise. 

8. Atlanta Falcons – Garrett Wilson, 5’11”, 183, WR, Ohio State 

With a breakout season in 2021, Wilson launched himself into the top 10 picks of this years draft. He had 1058 yards and 12 touchdowns as he led the team in the ladder category. With Julio Jones traded to the Titans last year and Calvin Ridley’s suspension, Wilson will fill a major need for the Falcons. 

9. Seattle Seahawks – Ikem Ekwonu, 6’4”, 310, OT, North Carolina State 

With the future of the Seahawks uncertain, they may as well draft the second best tackle in the draft. Drew Lock may not be the QB of the future, and if the Seahawks draft one later in the draft, they will need to protect him. Ekwonu only allowed three sacks this year and is very impactful in the run game.

10. New York Jets – Jermaine Johnson II, 6’4”, 254 lbs, EDGE, Florida State 

A player I really like in the draft this year is Johnson. He is athletic and versatile, as he played linebacker and edge in college. He provides help for a defensive line that needs some, as he had 11.5 sacks and two forced fumbles this season. 

11. Washington Commanders – Derek Stingley Jr., 6,0”, 190 lbs, CB, LSU 

12. Minnesota Vikings – Jordan Davis, 6’6”, 341 lbs, DT, Georgia 

13. Houston Texans – Trevor Penning, 6’7”, 325 lbs , OT, Northern Iowa 

14. Baltimore Ravens – Charles Cross, 6’4”, 307 lbs, OT, Mississippi State 

15. Philadelphia Eagles – Jameson Williams, 6’1”, 179 lbs, WR, Alabama 

16. New Orleans Saints – Drake London, 6’3”, 219 lbs, WR, USC

17. Los Angeles Chargers – Zion Johnson, 6’2”, 314 lbs, OG, Boston College 

18. Philadelphia Eagles – Devin Lloyd, 6’2”, 237 lbs, LB, Utah

19. New Orleans Saints – Daxton Hill, 6’0”, 191 lbs, S, Michigan 

20. Pittsburgh Steelers – Andrew Booth Jr., 6’0”, 194 lbs, CB, Clemson 

21. New England Patriots – Chris Olave, 6’0”, 187 lbs, WR, Ohio State

22. Green Bay Packers – Treylon Burks, 6’2”, 225 lbs, WR, Arkansas 

23. Arizona Cardinals – George Karlaftis, 6’3”, 266 lbs, EDGE, Purdue

24. Dallas Cowboys – Nakobe Dean, 5’11”, 229 lbs, LB, Georgia 

25. Buffalo Bills – Kaiir Elam, 6’1”, 191 lbs, CB, Florida 

26. Tennessee Titans – Kenyon Green, 6’3”, 323 lbs, OG, Texas A & M

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Arnold Ebiketie, 6’2”, 250 lbs, EDGE, Penn State 

28. Green Bay Packers – Christian Watson, 6’4”, 208, WR, North Dakota State 

29. Kansas City Chiefs – Jaquan Brisker, 6’1”, 199 lbs, S, Penn State 

30. Kansas City Chiefs – Trent McDuffie, 5’10”, 193 lbs, CB, Washington

31. Cincinnati Bengals – Tyler Linderbaum, 6’2”, 296 lbs, C, Iowa 

32. Detroit Lions – Kenny Pickett, 6’3”, 217 lbs, QB, Pitt