Here’s the second round of our 2022 NFL mock draft. 

2022 NFL Mock Draft

33. Jacksonville Jaguars: Georgia WR George Pickens

Jacksonville spent a ton of money in free agency addressing the receiver position but they acknowledged the draft is where you usually find true long-term answers. A torn ACL limited Pickens’ final collegiate season but he still flashed big-time potential. He’s the type of long receiver QB Trevor Lawrence has thrived with in the past. 

34. TRADE – New Orleans Saints: Penn State WR Jahan Dotson

New Orleans gives up a third and a sixth and gets back a seventh from the Lions to make sure they’re not edged out of the receivers, who it feels like will come off the board fast in the second round if more don’t sneak into the back end of the first. Dotson would provide a deep threat with some speed, and while he’s not big he has perhaps the best hands in this class. 

35. New York Jets: Michigan S Daxton Hill

Hill is versatile enough to play just about anywhere in the secondary. He has incredible range and is twitchy enough to stick with receivers as a slot corner. He can bring some thump in run support, too. The Jets didn’t do as much in free agency to address safety as they did corner, so it stands to reason they’d prioritize safety in the draft. 

36. New York Giants: Minnesota DE Boye Mafe

A project player with drool-worthy athletic ability, Mafe could find himself going as high as the back end of the first round. Though he’s raw, he has the tools to develop into a strong pass rusher, and the rebuilding Giants have time to work with him on his development. 

37. Houston Texans: Baylor DB Jalen Pitre

The Texans need a lot of help in the secondary at both safety and corner. Pitre has played both and done well, so one way or another Houston should be getting an upgrade. 

38. TRADE – Indianapolis Colts: Central Michigan OT Bernhard Raimann

The Colts surrender a fifth this year to jump up a handful of spots and nab a high-ceiling tackle prospect that could develop into their blindside protector. 

39. Chicago Bears: Western Michigan WR Skyy Moore

The Bears don’t have the worst receiving corps in the league but that says more about how bad the Falcons are than it does anything about Chicago. Bears QB Justin Fields could still use a lot of help and Moore projects as a starting slot receiver with the potential for more.

40. TRADE – Cleveland Browns: Michigan DE David Ojabo

I am still of the personal opinion that the Seahawks make the most sense as a landing spot for Browns QB Baker Mayfield, but the price won’t be much. The trade value chart has the difference between the No. 40 and No. 44 pick as roughly equivalent to an early fifth. Assuming the Browns end up eating at least half of Mayfield’s salary, that’s not a bad deal for Seattle to get a quarterback with a little more potential than Drew Lock.

As for the Browns, they get in better position to draft a pass rusher. If not for a torn Achilles suffered while working out at Michigan’s pro day, Ojabo might have been a top 20 pick. Ojabo can redshirt as a rookie as he recovers and the Browns hopefully can reap the benefits of his slide starting in 2023.

41. Seattle Seahawks: UTSA CB Tariq Woolen

The Seahawks have relaxed their measurable thresholds for cornerbacks in recent years but Woolen would be a dream fit. He’s a rangy 6-4, over 200 pounds and ran his 40 in a blazing 4.26 seconds. It’s not just long speed, his 10-yard split was 1.49 seconds and he added a 42 inch vertical jump for good measure. His SPARQ chart is almost a circle (his hands are “only” nine inches). He needs refinement obviously coming from a small school but Seattle isn’t afraid of taking on projects. 

42. TRADE – New York Jets: UConn DT Travis Jones

The Jets hammer the defensive line again. Even though it’s a strength, they don’t have a replacement for Folorunso Fatukasi as a run stuffer. Jones brings that plus the athletic ability to be more than just a two-down nose tackle if he can develop.

43. Atlanta Falcons: Penn State DE Arnold Ebiketie

Ebiketie is a lightning-quick speed rusher who would provide a big boost to Atlanta’s front seven, which is in dire shape. 

44. TRADE – Seattle Seahawks: Oklahoma DT Perrion Winfrey

The Seahawks add Winfrey, a penetrating three-technique, to boost their interior pass rush. 

45. Baltimore Ravens: Tulsa OL Tyler Smith

Smith will be one of the more intriguing players to monitor ahead of the draft. There’s been some buzz for him as a potential first-rounder, but it remains to be seen how that plays out. There’s always a lineman who gains steam late in the process. Sometimes it’s real, sometimes it’s not. He’s a lot like Penning in that he’s got athletic tools and a nasty demeanor but needs a lot of work on technique. Most teams will gamble on that because they think they can teach the technique better than the tools and demeanor.

46. Minnesota Vikings: North Dakota State WR Christian Watson

Adam Thielen isn’t getting any younger and Watson adds a different dimension as a deep threat with size. 

47. Washington Commanders: Georgia LB Nakobe Dean

Washington spent a first-round pick on Jamin Davis last year but the mental requirements for middle linebacker were a lot for him as a rookie and the team seems to view his best fit as outside. That won’t be an issue for Dean, who would be a potential top-15 pick if he were bigger. 

48. Chicago Bears: Auburn CB Roger McCreary

McCreary could slide because of his short arms but Chicago need help in the secondary and McCreary is one of the best corners available at this point. 

49. TRADE – Detroit Lions: Penn State S Jaquan Brisker

Penn State just churns out athletes and Brisker is one of the latest. He has the size and speed to do just about anything from the safety position and should be a fit for the Lions as they rebuild at safety.

50. Kansas City Chiefs: USC DE Drake Jackson

A former top recruit who never quite put it all together, Jackson nevertheless has some compelling traits on film that should help him come off the board on Day 2. 

51. TRADE – Carolina Panthers: Georgia LB Quay Walker

Linebacker isn’t high on Carolina’s list of needs but they’ve already added a quarterback and a tackle so far in this simulation. That lets them tackle a little bit of a luxury with Walker, who is an excellent athlete who could start next to Shaq Thompson to begin his career and then eventually take over for him in an ideal world. 

52. Pittsburgh Steelers: Washington State OT Abraham Lucas

The Steelers hit the interior of their offensive line in free agency but they could still use some more help at tackle. Lucas is one of the most experienced pass blockers in this class. 

53. Green Bay Packers: Kentucky OL Darian Kinnard

The Packers like former tackles with positional versatility. Kinnard is a mammoth tackle who evaluators think probably projects better to the interior at the NFL level. 

54. New England Patriots: Wisconsin LB Leo Chenal

A freak athlete who wreaked havoc at Wisconsin in a role that’s all too easy to see translating to what the Patriots ask from their backers. 

55. Arizona Cardinals: UCLA OL Sean Rhyan

The Cardinals need some help on the offensive line. Justin Pugh agreed to a pay cut but his future is uncertain. They’re rolling the dice on Will Hernandez at guard to compete with Justin Murray and Josh Jones, both of whom also are trying to push Kelvin Beachum at right tackle. Rhyan has positional versatility and multiple paths to a starting job. 

56. Dallas Cowboys: Wyoming LB Chad Muma

There’s a lot of Day 2 talent at linebacker in this class and the Cowboys might be tempted to dip in to allow them to continue to play DROY Micah Parsons all over the formation. 

57. Buffalo Bills: Iowa State RB Breece Hall

A dream fit for the Bills and someone who’s even gotten some buzz as a potential first-round option for Buffalo. 

58. Atlanta Falcons: Ole Miss QB Matt Corral

The Falcons don’t have to take a quarterback this year, they’ve already made it clear 2022 is about “taking it on the chin” to a degree. But if they like a guy, especially if they can give him time to develop behind Marcus Mariota, they could take the plunge.

59. Green Bay Packers: Cincinnati WR Alec Pierce

Should the Packers elect to take the patient route again at wide receiver, Pierce is a name to remember. He’s a big receiver who the Bearcats would use tight to the formation as a blocker, which is something the Packers put a big value on. He’s also a workout warrior with terrific athleticism and some highlight-reel catches on his tape. 

60. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Colorado State TE Trey McBride

Tampa Bay is rather barren at the tight end position at the moment and McBride is generally seen as the top prospect at the position in the class.  

61. San Francisco 49ers: Wake Forest OL Zach Tom

Remember this name for the back half of the second round. Tom has been a left tackle for the Demon Deacons but at his size will probably move to the interior. He’s a top athlete compared to other interior linemen which make him a perfect fit for the 49ers and their wide zone rushing attack. 

62. Kansas City Chiefs: Kentucky DE Josh Paschal

A shorter, heavier rusher, Paschal has been generating some buzz in recent weeks and drawing comparisons to Dolphins DE Emmanuel Ogbah, who had success in the past with the Chiefs. Paschal has the power to hold up as a run defender and develop into an effective bull rusher. 

63. Cincinnati Bengals: Illinois S Kerby Joseph

Both of the Bengals’ starting safeties are set to be free agents after this season. Jessie Bates is on the franchise tag and Vonn Bell is in a contract year. Joseph would give the team flexibility to handle those contract situations with a replacement in hand. 

64. Denver Broncos: Montana State LB Troy Andersen

Don’t let Montana State fool you. Andersen is literally one of the most athletic linebacker prospects ever to enter the draft. He had a blistering 4.42-second 40-yard dash time at 6-3 and 243 pounds. That kind of size and range in the middle of a defense could be huge for the Broncos. 

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