2022 NFL Mock Draft: Commanders rebrand under center by selecting QB; Steelers opt for defense over passer

New head coach Doug Pederson said the Jaguars’ job moving forward is to “find more good pieces” to put around former No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence. How about protecting his blindside with a 6-foot-7, 350-pound wall who should test very well at the NFL Scouting Combine? That would be a very good start.

Detroit doesn’t overthink this and drafts the homegrown Hutchison, who has double-digit sack potential in Year 1 playing opposite of Romeo Okwara.

The Texans select perhaps the most-talented player in this class. Thibodeaux’s combination of speed and power should give NFL tackles fits from Day 1.

The top two selections of the 2021 draft get potential cornerstone left tackles. Ekwonu has room to grow in pass protection in front of Zach Wilson, but he’s dominant in the run game and plays with an aggressiveness that will endear him to his teammates.

The Giants need to add multiple offensive linemen as the new regime evaluates if Daniel Jones is truly the answer at quarterback. Cross won’t wow you with his power or agility, but he is at his best in pass protection and can step in right away.

There are no top-10 worthy quarterbacks in this class, but the Panthers seem like by far the best bet to draft one in that range if they miss out on a proven veteran in free agency or via trade. Willis has the highest ceiling of the bunch, and Carolina could fall in love with his potential as it desperately tries to find an answer post-Cam Newton.

After addressing a glaring need (offensive line), the Giants select one of, if not the best player available in Hamilton. New York certainly has weaker positions, but the Notre Dame product is a Swiss Army knife who can impact all three levels of the defense.

Based on everything coming out of Atlanta, it seems like the best option for both the Falcons and Calvin Ridley is to move on. With Ridley’s future uncertain, combined with Russell Gage set to become a free agent, Atlanta selects the polished and explosive Wilson to give Matt Ryan another dynamic target.

Ojabo may not be as productive early on as Purdue’s George Karlaftis, but he has the immense talent to become a game-changer coming off the edge. The Broncos bank on that potential by making him the second Michigan pass rusher to go inside the top 10.

The Jets have not had a lockdown corner since Darrelle Revis patrolled the secondary from 2007-12. Stingley is not Revis, but his monster freshman season in 2019 and his elite traits suggest he could turn into one of the league’s top young cover guys.

Pickett’s immense experience and well-rounded skillset give him the best shot among the quarterback prospects to start in Year 1. And even if he does not win the starting job during the preseason, there’s a good chance he’ll take over as the starter at some point in 2022 and produce with a solid cast of playmakers around him.

With Kirk Cousins likely staying in Minnesota for at least one more season, the Vikings upgrade their uncertain and underwhelming secondary with Gardner. Based on what Minnesota has now, Gardner would likely step in as its No. 1 cornerback right away.

Unless the Browns spend big on one of the premier free agent wide receivers, this pick should be a dynamic pass-catcher for Baker Mayfield. Get the ball in Burks’ hands and he’ll do the rest, which will force defenses to focus less on Cleveland’s highly efficient rushing offense.

The Ravens have a history of letting homegrown centers sign big contracts in free agency, and that could happen again with three-year starter Bradley Bozeman. In that case, Linderbaum could come in and immediately offer Pro Bowl potential blocking for Baltimore’s potent rushing attack.

The Eagles pride themselves on having a stout defensive front, and adding Karlaftis will surely help a defense that inexplicably finished second worst in the NFL with 29.0 sacks in 2021. Karlaftis won’t beat offensive tackles with his athleticism, but his high motor and power will allow him to consistently get pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

The drought is over. For the first time since 1979, the franchise selects a linebacker in the first round. In addition to his ideal size (6-3, 235) and versatility, Lloyd stuffed the stat sheet this past season with 111 tackles (22.0 for a loss), 7.0 sacks, six pass breakups, four interceptions and two touchdowns. It’ll feel like Lloyd is everywhere for a defense that should take another step forward after a solid 2021 campaign.

The Chargers badly need help along the defensive line, and Walker can essentially line up anywhere and be disruptive. Defensive guru Brandon Staley would love having Walker to help improve the league’s worst run defense while also being a capable pass rusher.

The Saints could theoretically re-sign Jameis Winston, but in this scenario they go with Corral as they navigate life without Drew Brees and Sean Payton.

Do Jalen Hurts a favor and get him another No. 1-caliber wide receiver to pair with DeVonta Smith. With two capable wideouts, a top-notch tight end and a successful running game, Philadelphia would then be able to better evaluate if Hurts is the long-term answer at quarterback.

With proven veteran Joe Haden likely gone from what was a meh cornerback group, the Steelers select McDuffie to fill the void. What he lacks in size and length, he makes up for with his explosiveness, technical ability and field awareness. He’ll excel in both man and zone coverage at the NFL level.

Dean has all of the physical attributes, leadership traits and intangibles to thrive in the middle of Bill Belichick’s defense.

You know new head coach Josh McDaniels and quarterback Derek Carr would love to add another explosive weapon to what was already the sixth-ranked passing offense in 2021. And if not for Williams’ torn ACL in the national championship game, he probably would have been gone by this point in the draft.

This is a draft class full of high-end edge rushers, so the Cardinals decide to move on from four-time Pro Bowler Chandler Jones, who turns 32 at the end of the month, and replace him with Johnson. A dominant Senior Bowl week, combined with a uber-productive 2021 campaign at Florida State, cemented Johnson as a first-round talent.

The Cowboys sure up what was a disappointing offensive line in 2021 with the selection of Green. He’s best suited at guard but can fill in as needed. He played four out of the five positions this past season at Texas A&M.

Swap in Booth for impending free agent Levi Wallace, and the Bills secondary will be even better in 2022.

Penning will need some time to acclimate to NFL edge rushers coming from an FCS school, but his ideal combination of size, length and athleticism will go a long way towards protecting Ryan Tannehill (47 sacks taken in 2021) and clearing running lanes for Derrick Henry.

The Buccaneers can’t keep all 22 starters like a year ago, so they’ll have to decide which veterans to move forward with. In this edition, Tampa Bay prioritizes keeping its defense together and therefore lets Chris Godwin walk. The NFL-ready Olave is a viable replacement.

Kenny Clark earned his second Pro Bowl appearance in 2021, but his counterparts were underwhelming. The 6-foot-6, 340-pound Davis will help Clark and company clog running lanes against the likes of Dalvin Cook, David Montgomery and D’Andre Swift.

The Dolphins go back to the offensive lineman well in the first round. The Austria native has only played tackle for two seasons after transitioning from tight end, but he’s already capable of stepping into an NFL offense and contributing from the jump.

Hill can help basically anywhere in the secondary, which is significant considering the Chiefs defense could lose Tyrann Mathieu and Charvarius Ward in free agency.

The Bengals get lucky with Johnson here, as the Boston College product has top-20 upside thanks to his positional versatility and encouraging Senior Bowl week. More importantly, Cincinnati adds a quality player to protect Joe Burrow.

Aaron Glenn’s defense places a lot of importance on the safety position, and the Lions could lose leading-tackler Tracy Walker III in free agency. As a result, Detroit goes with Pitre, a player whom the coaching staff worked closely with at the Senior Bowl.