2022 NFL Mock draft: Projecting first-round after free agency and trades

Following the 2022 combine, free agency, and some major trades, here is our latest NFL mock draft for the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. 

The 2022 NFL draft is still more than a month away but now that the NFL scouting combine has come to a close, we are starting to get a little better understanding of the draft board.

That understanding is helped even further with the opening of NFL free agency, as well as a number of trades, including some blockbuster deals. Already this offseason Russell Wilson, Davante Adams, DeShaun Watson, and Matt Ryan have found new teams.

Baker Mayfield is likely going to have a new address soon and all of those moves are going to impact how teams handle the 2022 NFL draft moving forward.

So here’s a look at our latest 2022 NFL mock draft.

The Jaguars need an offensive tackle and Evan Neal of Alabama also makes a lot of sense here but Aidan Hutchinson feels like he will have a greater upside. Plus, the Jaguars used the franchise tag again on Cam Robinson and added Brandon Scherff from Washington. Edge rusher is probably a bigger need and pairing Hutchinson with Trevor Lawrence on offense is an exciting proposition.

Aidan Hutchinson to Detroit seems too good to be true and it is in this NFL mock draft but the Lions land a solid consolation prize with the No. 2 overall pick in Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux. He’s not as well-known as Hutchinson but the 6-foot-5, 258-pounder has as much potential as just about anyone in the draft and was productive in college with 19 sacks in three seasons. Sometimes NFL teams can overthink it and while Thibodeaux is falling in some circles, his talent will be hard to pass up on.