7 Round 2022 NFL Mock Draft Updated (Post Combine)

[INbengalfan]

The update definitely hits on all of our needs, assuming two things... that we address OT and OC in free agency.  I think we manage to keep most of our own free agents.  Uzomah seems like a Bengals for life guy.  Jessie Bates has proven to upper management that he is a top 5 or so safety, and even if they balk at top money, they can tag him two years if need be.  We definitely will be shedding Trae Waynes salary, adding $11 mill to the pot.  Hopefully, they use that on Apple, hargraves and Flowers, so that CB can be pushed down the list of needs.  They might have to choose between Larry Ogunjobi and BJ Hill, and I think I'd go Hill based on age.,  maybe they can squeeze Larry O in there too on a short deal.  That should still leave enough for either a top level OT or a mid level OT and a mid to upper level OC, which m,akes this drafdt very good.

 

But if they fail to grab a top OT, then it changes how I'd address things.

1.  I could still see Johnson, especially if they think he can slide outside in a pinch.  They have Deontae Smith and Prince coming back, but I wouln't bet Joe's health on that either are 100 % ready to start.  If not, then I might go Dan Faalele instead and leave him at RT for the foreseeable future.

2,  In round two, CB is in play, unless they either keep their three FAs or sign similar guys.  If they do that, then I'm sticking with OL and taking Jamaree Salyer here.

3.  Here, I would go a little off the beaten path and grab Lewis Cine as a potential Bell replacement down the road.  he can operate in the box and play special teams in the mean time.

4.  Here is where I think they grab a WR.  They either go with a possession type guy like Alec Pierce or a shifty, w=quick slot guy that can also return punts.  With the other pick, they have to grab the guy who becomes the sixth CB.  If not CB, why not just keep grabbing OL and take Cade Mays.  If they went Johnson, Salyer and Mays in the first four rounds, they have multiple guys that can play inside and slide out if needed.  That may be overkill, so I think it would be far more likely they grab a penetrating 3t DT guy here.

5.  Keep Isaiah Likely here no matter how the rest plays out.

6/7.  With the last three picks, I think it comes down to a LB and special teams.  Guys that fill specific niche roles.  Having said that, I think Huber is retiring this offseason.  The team has kept Drue Chrisman around all season, either on the practice squad or at arm's reach.  If they aren't 100% sold on him, Matt Araiza is getting picked if available.  Yeah, I know, a punter?  People scoffed at taking McPherson in the fifth last year, and guess what?  Not a peep from them since October.  Money Mac proved his worth, and with his leg, I could see them banking on Araiza to do the same.  But I also think they really like Chrisman, so who knows.  

Notably absent from this draft is DE.  Hubbard and Hendrickson are both locked up for 4/3 more years respectively, Ossai will be coming back, and they have back of the rotation depth already here.  Either they go DE on day 1/2, or not at all.

Similarly, I don't think they go LB early, unless a top talent falls and they feel comfortable enough along the OL to grab a guy like Dean or Lloyd if they slide to the end of the first.  Our LB room is young and hungry with Wilson, Pratt Davis-Gaither and Bailey.  Jordan Evans is coming off an ACL tear, but Brown usually signs those guys to cheap deals to give them a shot to return (the price is right for him).  That's why I think they grab one or two extremely late.

[onejayhawk]

13 hours ago, kingseanjohn said:

Spotrac shows ~5mil. Glancing between the two, it appears that Spotrac is the most current. OTC appears to be missing the recent 13 signings, Winchester, and maybe something else. Granted, Winchester's dollar amount is missing from Spotrac, so the cap space should be even lower.

The $15 MM is for the top 51. Reserve/Futures contracts are not counted. I'm not sure what the deal is on Winchester.

For purposes of the mock drafts, we are probably in the market for an OT. Lucas Niang has had two major injuries. 

[Ozzy]

8 hours ago, INbengalfan said:

The update definitely hits on all of our needs, assuming two things... that we address OT and OC in free agency.  I think we manage to keep most of our own free agents.  Uzomah seems like a Bengals for life guy.  Jessie Bates has proven to upper management that he is a top 5 or so safety, and even if they balk at top money, they can tag him two years if need be.  We definitely will be shedding Trae Waynes salary, adding $11 mill to the pot.  Hopefully, they use that on Apple, hargraves and Flowers, so that CB can be pushed down the list of needs.  They might have to choose between Larry Ogunjobi and BJ Hill, and I think I'd go Hill based on age.,  maybe they can squeeze Larry O in there too on a short deal.  That should still leave enough for either a top level OT or a mid level OT and a mid to upper level OC, which m,akes this drafdt very good.

 

But if they fail to grab a top OT, then it changes how I'd address things.

1.  I could still see Johnson, especially if they think he can slide outside in a pinch.  They have Deontae Smith and Prince coming back, but I wouln't bet Joe's health on that either are 100 % ready to start.  If not, then I might go Dan Faalele instead and leave him at RT for the foreseeable future.

2,  In round two, CB is in play, unless they either keep their three FAs or sign similar guys.  If they do that, then I'm sticking with OL and taking Jamaree Salyer here.

3.  Here, I would go a little off the beaten path and grab Lewis Cine as a potential Bell replacement down the road.  he can operate in the box and play special teams in the mean time.

4.  Here is where I think they grab a WR.  They either go with a possession type guy like Alec Pierce or a shifty, w=quick slot guy that can also return punts.  With the other pick, they have to grab the guy who becomes the sixth CB.  If not CB, why not just keep grabbing OL and take Cade Mays.  If they went Johnson, Salyer and Mays in the first four rounds, they have multiple guys that can play inside and slide out if needed.  That may be overkill, so I think it would be far more likely they grab a penetrating 3t DT guy here.

5.  Keep Isaiah Likely here no matter how the rest plays out.

6/7.  With the last three picks, I think it comes down to a LB and special teams.  Guys that fill specific niche roles.  Having said that, I think Huber is retiring this offseason.  The team has kept Drue Chrisman around all season, either on the practice squad or at arm's reach.  If they aren't 100% sold on him, Matt Araiza is getting picked if available.  Yeah, I know, a punter?  People scoffed at taking McPherson in the fifth last year, and guess what?  Not a peep from them since October.  Money Mac proved his worth, and with his leg, I could see them banking on Araiza to do the same.  But I also think they really like Chrisman, so who knows.  

Notably absent from this draft is DE.  Hubbard and Hendrickson are both locked up for 4/3 more years respectively, Ossai will be coming back, and they have back of the rotation depth already here.  Either they go DE on day 1/2, or not at all.

Similarly, I don't think they go LB early, unless a top talent falls and they feel comfortable enough along the OL to grab a guy like Dean or Lloyd if they slide to the end of the first.  Our LB room is young and hungry with Wilson, Pratt Davis-Gaither and Bailey.  Jordan Evans is coming off an ACL tear, but Brown usually signs those guys to cheap deals to give them a shot to return (the price is right for him).  That's why I think they grab one or two extremely late.

The real shocking thing is they have the 3rd most cap room in the NFL next year around $44 mil.  I assume that is the most cap room any team that competed in the Super Bowl has ever had going into the previous season in NFL history.  Really outside of Bates especially and Uzomah they do not have that many free agents where it would be that big of a deal if they lost them.  

 

They are sitting in a crazy good spot and to take the best OL available makes a ton of sense.  But a lot of them will go quick and then a Georgia OL could fall to them but both are more run blockers than great pass protectors, still say Zion Johnson is the best in pass pro in that range of OL prospects.  Really depends on how much they like Adeniji and Carman at OG.  Center makes sense but I think Trey Hill has a lot of ability down the road and could be a good player.  But yeah they could easily fill that via free agency, curious if they take a run at Orlando Brown Jr, sure he switched to LT to get paid more but could have arguably been a 1st team All Pro if back at RT, or could just bring Reiff back if they like him.

 

Really them getting Logan Wilson and Pratt at LB greatly helped, both are very good starting linebackers and both can run and tackle.  Take those guys out of the lineup and that is a totally different team.  And Markus Bailey is not bad when healthy, loved him coming out of Purdue and shocked he fell in the draft as much as he did.  

 

 

7 hours ago, onejayhawk said:

The $15 MM is for the top 51. Reserve/Futures contracts are not counted. I'm not sure what the deal is on Winchester.

For purposes of the mock drafts, we are probably in the market for an OT. Lucas Niang has had two major injuries. 

Maybe they go OT but most likely they steal someone like Dare Rosenthal in the later rounds and develop him, but that is also assuming they sign Orlando Brown Jr.

 

 

If they do not and Brown Jr, Wylie, Remmers, Blythe and Long all are gone which would leave this...

 

LT Luca Niang
LG Joe Thuney
C Creed Humphrey
RG Trey Smith / Nick Allegretti
RT Prince Tega Wanogho / Roderick Johnson

 

 

I like the potential of Prince but not sure he is ready to start yet, and like you said Niang is hurt a lot.  Still if Brown Jr is back then it is not nearly as big of an issue compared to if he is gone.  

 

Still compare the cap room and ability to sign guys, the Bengals are worlds ahead of the Chiefs but like I said in the post above I think the Bengals could have the best cap situation of any team in the Super Bowl for the following season in Super bowl history arguably.   If they go OL then they could be competing directly with the Bengals who also are probably all in on OL.  Watch Chiefs get Faalele and he becomes a beast, could easily happen and there is probably no better place outside of the Eagles for him to go in terms of great OL coaching.    

 

[onejayhawk]

Both Remmer and Niang have had injuries. Remmer was fine in 2020 but not in 2021. Still a developmental prospect is reasonable with a veteran like Remmer was or Schwartz before him. Also, Thuney played LT in the first Cincinnati game and did well. His backup is Allegrettti who is pretty solid. 

Faalele woud be interesting. 

[sparky151]

Bengals will have a good cap situation but also will have some holes to fill. Trae Waynes will be cut which will add 12 mil in cap space but Bates will be tagged which offsets that. At CB, Apple, Flowers, Hargreaves, and Phillips will be free agents. Apple has been up and down but the team likes him the best of that group so he'll probably be back for 5-6 mil per season unless another team outbids them.

 

Ogunjob and BJ Hill are free agents at 3 technique. Ogunjobi's injury might drop his price to where the team can afford to re-sign him. He had a good season and would have been in line for a big contract. Hill has been a career backup but has played well this year, generating pass rush from the interior. The NFL pays for that.

CJ Uzomah will be a free agent. PFF doesn't like him but the team does. He'll probably get re-signed for a similar amount to what he makes now, ie around 7 mil per year.

The team needs some depth at WR behind the big 3. They'll probably look for that from round 3 and later but maybe a cheap vet in free agency.

That brings us to the elephant in the room, the O-line. Spain and Rieff are free agents. The team will likely try to re-sign Spain for 6-7 mil per year, ie a bit more than he was making in Buffalo when he was cut. Rieff could return but he's coming off an injury and was average so the team may draft his replacement. Jonah Williams is an average NFL LT but he's now eligible for a contract extension which may come this offseason (though I'd wait a year). The Bengals should sign one of the many free agent centers who are better than Trey Hopkins. That leaves RG with its revolving cast of characters. The Bengals tried a number of younger players at the position with nobody seizing it. They tried Hakeem Adeniji, D'Ante Smith, and Jackson Carman. All are natural tackles. I'm surprised they didn't move Carman to RT after Rieff's injury instead of going with street free agent Isiah Prince there. But C and RG are the biggest needs. 

 

What I'd do: re-sign Spain, add a center like Brian Allen and cutting Hopkins, sign or trade for 1 of RG and RT (probably RG) and go to the draft with the other in question. I'd probably use the top pick on a CB and 2nd on O-line. Kick Williams' and Burrow's extensions to 2023 and 2024 respectively. 

What the team is likely to do: Tag Bates and cut Waynes. Spend conservatively in free agency with Apple, Ogunjobi, Spain and Uzomah the targets. Draft BPA to fill gaps and go into the season 20 mil or more under the cap in anticipation of the Williams and Burrow extensions. 

 

 

 

 

[Ozzy]

There is going to be a run and a half for OL in the later 1st half of this draft, and that is if the Eagles, Ravens and Chargers do not go OL  which they could, and the teams in bold could easily got OL also even though I think all will go with either a QB, DE or CB etc.  

 

 18.   New Orleans Saints - Charles Cross Miss State RS SOPH OT
  19.   Philadelphia Eagles -  
  20.   Pittsburgh Steelers - 
  21.   New England Patriots - Trevor Penning Northern Iowa RS SR OT/OG 
  22.   Las Vegas Raiders - Tyler Linderbaum Iowa JR C
  23.   Arizona Cardinals - 
  24.   Dallas Cowboys - Daniel Faalele Minnesota SR OT
  25.   Buffalo Bills   - 
  26.  Tennessee Titans - Bernhard Rainmann Central Michigan SR OT
 27.   Tampa Bay Buccaneers  -
  28.   Green Bay Packers -  
  29.   Miami Dolphins via (San Francisco 49ers) - Nicholas Petit-Frere Ohio State RS JR OT
 30.   Kansas City Chiefs - 
31. Cincinnati Bengals - Zion Johnson Boston College RS SR OG/OT
 32.   Detroit Lions via (Los Angeles Rams) - 

2nd
 33.   Jacksonville Jaguars - Darian Kinnard Kentucky SR OT 

 

So most of the top guys will be long gone, and Rainmann is a project OL but with the need so high I could see him going 1st round possibly, same with Faalele who is a project but showed enough at the Senior Bowl to be picked at a need position for many teams.  Penning I assume moves to guard in the NFL at least to start but is athletically interesting enough for sure.  

 

Evan Neal and Ikem Ekwonu are gone in the top 5 picks I assume, then have ok depth at OT and OG with Salyer, Shaffer, Eze, Tucker, Lucas, Rhyan, Olaseni and Kenyon Green but I have all of them gone by the 3rd round so they will all go fast.  It is a decent group of centers in terms of depth though same with guard but the top flight guys will go quickly is my guess and it is such a need position.  

[iloxygenil]

I would love to see the Falcons take Ahmad Gardner here in the first and then I don’t LOVE the 2nd round but honestly the options there are thin the way this plays out in your mock. So if you swap Gardner in the first I’d be happy 😃 

[Cutler06]

Poor Broncos draft, Bonitto isn't a top 10 pick, where you get that is beyond me. Then drafting 2 IOL, where we have Rizner, Muti, Meinerz, Glasgow and Cushenberry is crazy, 

[Ozzy]

8 hours ago, Cutler06 said:

Poor Broncos draft, Bonitto isn't a top 10 pick, where you get that is beyond me. Then drafting 2 IOL, where we have Rizner, Muti, Meinerz, Glasgow and Cushenberry is crazy, 

Is OLB not arguably the biggest need on that Broncos team, because it is?  To me it absolutely is and sure Bonitto might not be worth that but could be the best one there and his quickness is elite and he could be a demon in a 3/4 defense.  Maybe they could wait till the 2nd and get a 3/4 starting OLB though but will see.  Then again if a QB falls to them not sure they could pass on them either in the 2nd.

 

In terms of the IOL, my mistake I have edited this multiple times and I must have moved a guy down and forgot I already had them take a center, but I do believe they need a backup center in this draft potentially.  They absolutely need a OT and if anything maybe they got that with their 1st round pick but Neal and Ekwonu will be gone and not sure Penning is worth that high of a pick but who knows.

[FalconFan13]

I am intrigued a bit in the Hill selection is it just because he is a massive favorite of yours or something?   Considering we are according to TF a BPA drafting team which with the Pitts pick last year makes sense.   Do you personally have him as the 8th best player in the draft on your board?  If so then i can see your reasoning behind it although i can't say i agree with you as i have him as possibly even being there at our 2nd round pick.   The earliest i could even imagine him going is maybe 20th to 25th or so.

Im trying to remember if you are like brownleader in you draft specifically based on your own personal draft board values and not the consensus and expectations most places have them go.

I try to do both in that i like to put guys a little higher than expected if im big time on a player myself but even then i won't put them a full round ahead of where their expected to be i'll probably do them maybe 10 to 15 picks ahead in the 2nd or 3rd round and later but almost never that far in the 1st round.

Im a fan a bit of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th round picks if that counts for anything    The rest im not super thrilled about as it sits.

[Cutler06]

3 hours ago, Ozzy said:

Is OLB not arguably the biggest need on that Broncos team, because it is?  To me it absolutely is and sure Bonitto might not be worth that but could be the best one there and his quickness is elite and he could be a demon in a 3/4 defense.  Maybe they could wait till the 2nd and get a 3/4 starting OLB though but will see.  Then again if a QB falls to them not sure they could pass on them either in the 2nd.

 

In terms of the IOL, my mistake I have edited this multiple times and I must have moved a guy down and forgot I already had them take a center, but I do believe they need a backup center in this draft potentially.  They absolutely need a OT and if anything maybe they got that with their 1st round pick but Neal and Ekwonu will be gone and not sure Penning is worth that high of a pick but who knows.

Well, QB is obviously the biggest need for the Broncos, not OLB. Even so, I'd take Jermaine Johnson over Bonitto 10 x out of 10, but that's just me. 

 

Gotta agree with OT need, may even need 2 IMO.

[KJtheWicked]

It’s a little discouraging to see the Steelers wait so long to draft OL help. However with that said, I think if Pickett or Willis is there in the 1st, they’re gonna take one of them. I also love the day 2 picks of Travis Jones and Marcus Jones. Those are home runs in my book. 
 

A couple of things though… I think we are supposed to have one of KCs 6th round picks from the Melvin Ingram trade. Also, I don’t see Tyler Smith, OL Tulsa in this draft. Is that an omission or do you not think he’s getting drafted? I have him as a day 2 guy.

[Ozzy]

7 hours ago, Cutler06 said:

Well, QB is obviously the biggest need for the Broncos, not OLB. Even so, I'd take Jermaine Johnson over Bonitto 10 x out of 10, but that's just me. 

 

Gotta agree with OT need, may even need 2 IMO.

I assume they address QB in free agency, they did not bring in Hackett as the HC for no reason.  And even if they do not, drafting a QB that high in this draft might be a mistake, taking say Pickett or Willis that high is way too high for either player, might be better to wait and see if they drop and one should be there 2nd round.

Jermaine Johnson I like a lot as well and he could be better than Bonitto no question, depends on how he works out my guess is in the change of direction drills Bonitto could do amazing along with general speed timing but will see maybe he won't.  Still in terms of how he can bend and move dude has elite pass rushing skills but sure is not the biggest guy but I would assume they need speed opposite Chubb.

 

12 minutes ago, KJtheWicked said:

It’s a little discouraging to see the Steelers wait so long to draft OL help. However with that said, I think if Pickett or Willis is there in the 1st, they’re gonna take one of them. I also love the day 2 picks of Travis Jones and Marcus Jones. Those are home runs in my book. 
 

A couple of things though… I think we are supposed to have one of KCs 6th round picks from the Melvin Ingram trade. Also, I don’t see Tyler Smith, OL Tulsa in this draft. Is that an omission or do you not think he’s getting drafted? I have him as a day 2 guy.

I have honestly never noticed Tyler Smith on Tulsa, I have noticed Chris Paul before on Tulsa and he might be a guy who could be drafted I might need to change that and put him in there, I love his overall size and athletic ability.  I will have to check about that Ingram trade and see, last time I looked this is how it goes but maybe what I was looking at was not up to date.  

 

10 hours ago, FalconFan13 said:

I am intrigued a bit in the Hill selection is it just because he is a massive favorite of yours or something?   Considering we are according to TF a BPA drafting team which with the Pitts pick last year makes sense.   Do you personally have him as the 8th best player in the draft on your board?  If so then i can see your reasoning behind it although i can't say i agree with you as i have him as possibly even being there at our 2nd round pick.   The earliest i could even imagine him going is maybe 20th to 25th or so.

Im trying to remember if you are like brownleader in you draft specifically based on your own personal draft board values and not the consensus and expectations most places have them go.

I try to do both in that i like to put guys a little higher than expected if im big time on a player myself but even then i won't put them a full round ahead of where their expected to be i'll probably do them maybe 10 to 15 picks ahead in the 2nd or 3rd round and later but almost never that far in the 1st round.

Im a fan a bit of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th round picks if that counts for anything    The rest im not super thrilled about as it sits.

I never follow what others say and rarely even read what others say.  What is the point of doing something when you just copy and slightly edit what others have already done?  Granted I have added players I have not seen before the senior bowl in a few spots and sure some after combine workouts.  But 95%+ of these guys I have had them here before or during the season.  Sure I am probably missing a few.  In terms of Daxton Hill I think he is a super star safety and has amazing versatility and even ability to play corner if need be, sure safeties in the NFL are not always drafted that high but does not mean they are worth 1st round picks, examples being many but Budda Baker and Antonie Winfield Jr come to mind same with Jevon Holland last year.

[m haynes]

I might of missed it but where is

Kyler Gordon CB Washington IMO  one of the top 4 CB in the draft.  Will be better than teammate  Trent McDuffie the NFL level.

[Ozzy]

On 2/9/2022 at 10:34 AM, iloxygenil said:

I would love to see the Falcons take Ahmad Gardner here in the first and then I don’t LOVE the 2nd round but honestly the options there are thin the way this plays out in your mock. So if you swap Gardner in the first I’d be happy 😃 

True Gardner makes sense but I imagine he might run a 4.5 or slower 40 so that could drop him down a bit.  But sure in terms of production he is right up there but not sure how elite of an athlete he is, and if Stingley is healthy he will probably test better athletically and I believe Daxton Hill will test great as a safety athletically because in many ways he is a corner playing safety.  

 

7 hours ago, m haynes said:

I might of missed it but where is

Kyler Gordon CB Washington IMO  one of the top 4 CB in the draft.  Will be better than teammate  Trent McDuffie the NFL level.

Gordon honestly I have never noticed when watching Washington but did not catch a ton of him this year.  Apparently he had a good year this past season and from what little I saw he has elite reaction skills when the ball arrives.  But where the hell was he the other three years he was on Washington?  He has been on Washington since 2018.  It is a pretty weak CB class outside of a few guys so lucky him, even guys like Elam, Taylor-Britt, McCreary, McDuffie, Booth, Kendrick and Bryant were only so so at CB this past year, none had some outstanding season they were good but not great.  

Will see how Gordon looks at the combine and how he times.