New Guy And Steven Cheah Team Up For LIVE 2022 NFL Mock Draft On Elon Musk's Twitter

Matt Fitzgerald4/27/2022 3:00 PM

James Gilbert. Getty Images.

The way Doug Pederson is looking at appropriately-out-of-focus GM Trent Baalke is how most Jacksonville Jaguars fans are bound to feel Thursday night when Baalke, in all likelihood, drafts Travon Walker No. 1 overall. But for most other NFL fanbases, this is an exciting time!!

We're officially ONE DAY AWAY from the 2022 NFL Draft, so of course, everyone's last-minute mocks are flying in. Steven Cheah was kind enough to join me on a joint venture, live Twitter mock last night, and we went through the entire first round. Given the nature of the beast, no trades were made, but we came up with some interesting selections nevertheless.

Check out the tweet below for our full thread of all 32 Round 1 picks, where we have some great analysis and breakdowns..

You can view our entire mock in list form below, followed by a write-up on highlights and notable storylines that emerged from our efforts.

Live 2022 NFL Mock Draft Results (Odds by Matt Fitzgerald, Evens by Steven Cheah)

1. Jacksonville Jaguars - Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia

2. Detroit Lions - Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan

3. Houston Texans - Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU

4. New York Jets - Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon

5. New York Giants - Evan Neal, OL, Alabama

6. Carolina Panthers - Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State

7. New York Giants - Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati

8. Atlanta Falcons - Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State

9. Seattle Seahawks - Malik Willis, QB, Liberty

10. New York Jets - Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama

11. Washington Commanders - Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame

12. Minnesota Vikings - Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington

13. Houston Texans - Jermaine Johnson II, EDGE, Florida State

14. Baltimore Ravens - Jordan Davis, DL, Georgia

15. Philadelphia Eagles - Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson

16. New Orleans Saints - Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State

17. Los Angeles Chargers - Devonte Wyatt, DL, Georgia

18. Philadelphia Eagles - Drake London, WR, USC

19. New Orleans Saints - Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State

20. Pittsburgh Steelers - Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh

21. New England Patriots - Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah

22. Green Bay Packers - Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State

23. Arizona Cardinals - Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota

24. Dallas Cowboys - Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa

25. Buffalo Bills - Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida

26. Tennessee Titans - Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Zion Johnson, OL, Boston College

28. Green Bay Packers - Logan Hall, DL, Houston

29. Kansas City Chiefs - Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas

30. Kansas City Chiefs - Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State

31. Cincinnati Bengals - Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa

32. Detroit Lions - Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati

The Highlights

Jets AND G-Men slay with their top-10 selections

I loved Zach Wilson coming out of BYU last year. His rookie campaign was ugly for the most part. If he gets Jameson Williams, LOOK. OUT. The Alabama speedster can blow the top off a defense and is a great fit for the cannon-armed Wilson, who's at his best when launching the ball downfield. Although Williams is still recovering from a torn ACL, that doesn't detract from the fact that he and Elijah Moore would be a great 1-2 punch for Wilson to develop with.

We also have a couple big-market personalities coming to the New York/New Jersey area: Kayvon Thibodeaux stays (more or less) in his college colors with Gang Green, while Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner joins the Giants and serves as their new No. 1 cornerback. Thibodeaux's brash, brand-focused mindset wouldn't play well in every NFL locker room. However, I like how he'd mesh with Jets coach Robert Saleh. Then you have Sauce Gardner, who I just don't want to be outside this New York market.

Finally, my No. 1 overall prospect, Evan Neal, helps to plug up the sieve that is the Giants' offensive line. He'd be a great right tackle opposite Daniel Jones' blindside protector Andrew Thomas. Neal brings a nasty disposition to the field, and his run-blocking prowess would have Saquon Barkley over the moon about his arrival.

Even in a down year, QBs soar up the board

Most folks expect Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett at the very least to go in the first 32 picks. It's less certain that Desmond Ridder and Matt Corral will make it in. But as any draftnik will tell you, quarterbacks' values tend to inflate because of how important they are to a team's success, so we have four signal-callers going before Day 1 ends.

I happen to think Corral to Tennessee is the spiciest of them all, and the more I've thought about the Titans' situation and how much they're paying Ryan Tannehill, it seems like they'll go in this direction one way or another.

The AFC South is so wide-open, and Tennessee can add someone like Corral with that fifth-year option in his contract and still pick up an offensive linemen or two on Day 2 to shore up that problematic unit.

Corral does have a lightning-quick release and definitely has wheels. He's a little more sudden and shiftier than Tannehill at this point. Given how much the Titans' offense is built around Derrick Henry and is at its best with a heavy dose of play-action, Corral seems like a great fit. Plus, Tennessee could sprinkle in more of the RPOs Corral excelled with at Ole Miss.

As for Malik Willis being the first QB off the board to Seattle, I think my reasoning is pretty sound for that, even if it's something I wouldn't necessarily do – unless I could trade back and take him a little later on:

7 wide receivers go in Round 1 after Chiefs' double dip

Because Treylon Burks fell all the way to 29, I couldn't help but put him on the Chiefs. Burks is 27th on my big board. I'm starting to think that's too low. Then, Mr. Cheah made a surprise power move that I could totally see Kansas City GM Brett Veach pulling on draft day:

And let me say, I thoroughly dig this. The more I've seen Dotson as the draft gets closer, the more I feel like he's deserving of being selected in the first round. Dotson isn't quite as explosive or sudden as Brandin Cooks, yet he has a very similar build and can still play on the outside. In other words, Dotson plays much bigger than his size would suggest.

You might be thinking, "WTF guys, the Chiefs signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster in free agency, why would they get TWO wideouts in the first round!?"

Well, MVS isn't exactly a proven commodity, and has an out in his contract after this season (KC would save $7 million by cutting him pre-June 1, with only $4 million of dead cap). JuJu is a little too wrapped up in being a social media star to fulfill his full potential on the gridiron. That's why he's only on a one-year deal. Soooo, it's not like the Chiefs are sold on these guys being their new dynamic duo. I'd bet on the Burks-Dotson combo long term over MVS and JuJu in terms of production and overall success.

Saints' weird trade with the Eagles pays off BIG

Look at what we've got for you, New Orleans!

I always thought that pre-draft deal with Philadelphia in which numerous picks were exchanged was confusing, particularly if the goal was to get a QB somehow? The more I've run through mocks, the more it seems like the Saints did the right thing — and that was only further proven this time around:

Instant starters at key positions of need with excellent value while not reaching for a QB. That's precisely how the Saints want the first round to go. Charles Cross played in Mike Leach's pass-happy Mississippi State offense and faced SEC competition. That's great preparation for his jump to the NFL.

I like the fact that Olave finds his way to New Orleans to be a viable WR2 opposite Michael Thomas. Both are former Ohio State stars, and let's just say ex-Buckeye and NFL receiver Brian Hartline is doing a hell of a job in Columbus coaching up that position group. Olave is a fantastic route-runner and should be productive right away if he lands with the Saints. It's up to Jameis Winston to be make it all work. I have my doubts. He should have this whole season to prove himself, though.

Get ready everyone. Plenty more draft coverage coming your way in the next several days.