JC Johnson

JC Johnson’s 2022 NFL Mock Draft

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JC Johnson's 2022 NFL Mock Draft

by JC Johnson

 

I’m going to preface this by saying I didn’t add any potential trades into the mix because it would become far too chaotic.

 

1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Aidan Hutchinson, Edge, Michigan

When Jacksonville tagged Cam Robinson this week I was perplexed to say the least. I think Evan Neal is probably the safest prospect in this class in that we know he’s going to be a 10 year starter and play at a high level. Just take a look at his combine photo. With them tagging Robinson, I believe that means they want to beef up their DL and this class is loaded with those prospects. Hence selecting Hutchinson at #1. After a highly productive senior season that saw coach Harbaugh get over that hump, Hutchinson has done plenty to warrant #1 overall pick discussion.

2. Detroit Lions: Malik Willis, QB, Liberty

This is where the mock gets spicier than usual. The Goff experiment in Detroit has run its course. He won’t be the guy to make them competitive, to be fair neither did Matthew Stafford outside of one playoff appearance. I think Holmes and Dan Campbell have a vision for this team. They’ve built the OL to be a top 10 unit in football, they’ve got good backs in Swift and Jamaal Williams, they’ve got playmakers in TJ Hockenson and Amon-Ra St. Brown. They need a QB that can pull it all together. Willis has a very unique skill set and he can come into this season and not have to worry about playing. Let him sit for a year. Add another weapon in a deep WR class in this draft and another in 2023 and that offense is completely revamped, retooled, and ready to compete just as the Rodgers era in Green Bay is coming to an end.

3. Houston Texans: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Texans dealt Laremy Tunsil before the draft. The LT has expressed his displeasure with the organization and very well could be on the move. That would set up the Texans to not only accrue more draft capital to rebuild a depleted roster, but also adequately replace him with Evan Neal. The 6’7 337lb behemoth was carved out of marble. He’s as can’t miss as they come. An easy pick to make.

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

The popular pick is Ikem Ekwonu here but Robert Saleh comes from an organization that loves DL from Oregon. I wouldn’t be surprised if he watches thibodeaux’s tape and all of those warm fuzzy feelings come rushing back to him. KT also fills a hole in the jets defensive scheme and with him on one side and a healthy Lawson on the other, the AFC East would be on notice.

5. New York Giants: Derek Stingley, CB, LSU

Bradberry will be out of town soon. Sauce Gardner is the hot name now at the corner position but before Gardner received national acclaim, stingley was the 18 year old wunderkind starting in the SEC locking up Ceedee Lamb in the 2019 CFP for the eventual National Champion LSU Tigers. I think people are getting ahead of themselves. It happens every year that a prospect is so good that people suffer from prospect fatigue and want to talk about a new player. Stingley is just that guy though. Don’t think too much.

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

This is one of the easier picks to make thus far. Want to help out the passing game? Establish a good run game. This guy is a road grader. He throws bodies around and will immediately impact the Carolina offense.

7. New York Giants: Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State

Cross is an extremely polished, and smooth prospect, he perfectly fills in for a giants OL that can use help keeping the edge. He probably slots in as their RT but with most premier pass rushers moving over to that side of the ball, he’s a guy ready made for battle.

8. Atlanta Falcons: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame

Hamilton is the #2 prospect on my board. He’s a complete unicorn at the position and when you have as many holes as Atlanta does you take the best player. People want to give them a WR here and there’s a lot of good ones. When you have the chance to draft a unicorn you take it though. Just like they did with another Kyle last season. These are building block players for a franchise.

9. Seattle Seahawks: Travon Walker, Edge, Georgia

The first player of the vaunted Georgia defense comes off the board. Seattle is looking to add speed, athleticism, youth and impact to their defense and they can do all of that in one selection with Travon Walker, 6’4 270 and he ran 4.51. That is a big big man moving.

10. New York Jets: Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa

Penning is the fourth OT off the board, the Jets were in a similar situation when they selected Mekhi Becton. Penning is a far superior athlete that plays with a mean streak. He may not be ready made like Cross, Ekky, or Neal, but he’s a good player at a position they need help at. Douglas builds through the trenches and they continue to do so with this pick.

11. Washington Commanders: Drake London, WR, USC

When you go out and Carson Wentz you are essentially making the bet that if he fails, you’re out of a job. Ron Rivera and company need to do whatever it takes to make Wentz successful. That means giving him weapons to work with. We saw him have pretty good rapport with Michael Pittman and that is a very similar player to Drake London. London profiles as the big body contested catch receiver to let Terry Mclaurin take the top off and Curtis Samuel to be worked in as the gadget player they want to use him as in Scott Turner’s offense.

12. Minnesota Vikings: Sauce Gardner, CB, Cincinnati 

With Peterson probably not returning to the fold, the best corner on the roster is Kris Boyd. This is an easy pick for a new front office that is going to look to acquire the best talent available. Sauce is just that. Don’t think just pick.

13. Cleveland Browns: Jermaine Johnson Jr, EDGE, Florida State

For a team that just acquired Amari Cooper, WR isn’t going to be the pick here. Instead, with Clowney’s return uncertain, they go with the best player on their board and allow Johnson to pin his ears back on the opposite side of Garrett and get to the QB.

14. Baltimore Ravens: Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa

I know the Ravens fans will freak out when this pick isn’t one of Sauce or Stingley but they’re both too good to be here at 14. Honestly, Linderbaum is my #3 overall player on my board. He’s too good to be here too. The Ravens have a need at center with Bozeman hitting free agency and Linderbaum is just an unbelievable player. He gets out in front and pulls from the center position and will only add depth to an already potent rushing attack when Dobbins and Edwards return.

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

This corner class is stacked and adding Booth to pair with Slay is too enticing to pass up on. He’s an instant playmaker at the NFL level.

16. Philadelphia Eagles: David Ojabo, EDGE, Michigan

An incredible value on an edge rusher the Eagles are getting Ojabo here. Speed off the edge is how I would describe him. He may need to work on run defense but this guy can get to the QB.

17. Los Angeles Chargers: Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia

This is the easiest pick in the entire draft so far. Simply put Davis is an absolute freak. At 6’6 341 and a 4.78 40 time, I’m not sure the NFL has ever seen someone this big with that athleticism since probably Larry Allen. He immediately fixes the run defense and will clog up the middle for Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.

18. New Orleans Saints: Kenny Pickett, QB, Pitt

What do you do for a QB with small hands? Put him in a dome and let him play in a division with another dome and warm weather. Pickett can operate fairly well in this timing offense of that NOLA operates and will be able to step in day 1 and play. 

19. Philadelphia Eagles: Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas

The Eagles need to give Hurts more playmakers if they want to truly see what he is. Devonta Smith is great and Dallas Goedert is no slouch, but their next best option is Quez Watkins. Burks is lightning in the bottle and can do a lot with very little if you get him the ball. He’s the perfect asset for a QB that struggles to push the ball to intermediate and deep routes.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Zion Johnson, OL, Boston College

The Steelers need offensive line help. I think Johnson’s skillset will entice them as a guy who can play multiple positions and allow them to move Kendrick Green over to RG where he was more successful during the latter part of 2021.

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

Lloyd is a Belichick kind of player. He’s smart, big at 6’3 225 in the make of a Donta Hightower and he's an instinctive player who can read underneath passing lanes as well as zone scheme run assignments.

22. Las Vegas Raiders: Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma

The popular pick here is a WR to replace Henry Ruggs but the best DT on the roster is Kendal Vickers at the present moment. This WR class is deep, but Perrion Winfrey has repeatedly stolen the show in the pre draft process from the senior bowl to the combine interviews. He’s got the charisma of a leader and the play on the field to back up a 1st round selection. He hasn’t been a 1st in a lot of mocks, I expect that to change as the draft gets closer.

23. Arizona Cardinals: Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State

I think Garrett Wilson is the best WR in this class. He’s fast, runs every route in the tree and can jump out of the gym. He’s such an upgrade over Christian Kirk it’s almost laughable.

24. Dallas Cowboys: Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia

The rich get richer. The 3rd member of the Georgia defense goes in round 1. This isn’t the sexiest name of the first round but he’s a good football player. The Cowboys can use him to beef up the interior.

25. Buffalo Bills: Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington

The idea of giving the Bills another WR is enticing but they need to play better defense if they want to advance in the playoffs. McDuffie can lock down the other side of Tre'davious White when he returns from injury.

26. Tennessee Titans: Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida

With Caleb Farley already injured and having suffered multiple injuries before reaching the NFL, the Titans need to double down at the position. Elam is great in press, physical and has incredible tape against Jameson Williams in this class.

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss

I love Corral’s moxie. In a mock where there aren’t any trades this is the best landing spot I could pick for him. He’s got weapons galore on the perimeter and has the arm to air it out in Bruce Arians system. He’s also athletic enough to run the ball when he gets in some sticky situations which he most likely will with Ali Marpet unexpectedly retiring this off-season.

28. Green Bay Packers: Chris Olave, WR, Ohio Sate

I’m doing it, I’m giving Rodgers his first 1st round WR. My head and history says give them Nakobe Dean but my heart tells me that if the Packers are going to shell out 50 mill a season for a guy, they should probably do whatever they have to do to make him happy and successful.

29. Miami Dolphins: Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia

Dean plays with incredible instinct and speed. People are a little concerned about his size but in today’s NFL you need a MLB that can cover the TE and slot if called upon. Gone are the days where these guys weigh 240 and are slamming into fullbacks in the hole. I think he’s an incredible value at 29.

30. Kansas City Chiefs: Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama

Sometimes, people just want to watch the world burn. What do you give to the guy who has everything? Speed. More speed. This would make the chiefs offense go nuclear. I think it’s possible he slips with the ACL injury and to team philosophy with other WRs going before him that have demonstrated an ability to do different things. 

31. Cincinnati Bengals: Kenyon Green, OG, Texas A&M

We know what the Bengals need to do. Every single pick of theirs should go into keeping Joe Burrow alive.

32. Detroit Lions: George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue

It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he went higher than this. People are concerned about his athleticism and the rumor mill is saying he didn’t interview well. I believe he’s too talented to be here at 32 but sometimes, good people get nice things.

Dynasty Dilemma: Courtland Sutton

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Dynasty Dilemma: Courtland Sutton

by JC Johnson

 

Courtland Sutton is such an interesting player from a dynasty perspective. He’s received the valuable 2nd contract. He’s also disappeared in his career when Jerry Jeudy has been on the field. Sutton the former 2nd round pick out of SMU is a 6’4 target who can go deep and haul in contested balls. He will be playing with undeniably the best QB talent of his career. The question that needs to be posed now is, are we buying or selling Courtland Sutton?

 

Reasons to Buy

Courtland Sutton just got paid this year signing a 4/60 extension to stay in mile high. He’s a part of the long term plans or the front office led by George Paton and company. The 26 year old is now over a year off an ACL injury and came back and performed admirably. I think he projects as a very good deep threat sort of playing the Marquez Valdes-Scantling role in this new Nathaniel Hackett offense. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know Sutton is more talented than MVS, I’m more so stating where he slates in to this offense. Russell Wilson has one of the prettiest deep balls in the game, often referred to as a “moon ball”. Whether it’s been Tyler Lockett, Javon Kearse, David Moore, DK Metcalf, Russ loves the long ball, probably something he picked up from his baseball playing days. I think that’s where Sutton slots into this offense. Sutton also projects as the best red zone target in this offense given his size and high point ability. 

 

 

Reasons to Sell

When Jerry Jeudy is on the field, Sutton disappears. During weeks 2-8 of 2021 Courtland Sutton averaged 16.9 ppg with Jeudy out from a high ankle sprain injury. Following Jeudy’s return in week 9, Courtland Sutton finished as the WR90 in PPR for weeks 9-18. He scored 40.3 total points. I believe Jeudy is the most logical choice to take the Adams type role in the offense and because of that, he’s going to soak up targets. Sutton will get some deep balls and he’ll be great in bestball, I just question the consistency he’ll present even with Russell Wilson at QB. 

 

Verdict

I would sell Courtland Sutton while the price is at its peak. You weren’t getting anything for Sutton 48 hours ago. Like I said, I’m a bestball league he definitely has value because of his homerun ability, but given the RB talent and other WRs in this offense including Jeudy, Tim Patrick, and KJ Hamler returning from an ACL injury, and fan favorite Albert O, there’s just simply a lot of mouths' to feed. I would capitalize on Sutton’s new increased value and sell. Some names being valued around the same as Sutton after this move are Mike Williams, Brandin Cooks, Hunter Renfrow. I’d rather have all of those guys than Sutton.

 

Dynasty Dilemma: Carson Wentz

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Dynasty Dilemma: Carson Wentz

By JC Johnson

 

Carson Wentz was the 2nd overall pick in the 2016 draft. The Eagles traded up to select him, marking the first of 3 occasions where a team would trade for his services. Carson Wentz appears to be the closest thing there is to a cat in the NFL. This is his 3rd life now. I know we talk football here but I think the phrase “3 strikes and you’re out” is pretty apropos given the circumstance for the North Dakota state product. Carson Wentz showed progress as a rookie, in 2017 he played in 13 games before tearing his ACL vs. the Rams, the team that passed on him at #1 the previous year to select Cal QB Jared Goff. This was the last time we saw MVP caliber football from Carson Wentz. Since then he’s been wildly inconsistent, tortured by his own fans, benched for rookie QB Jalen hurts and subsequently traded to the Indianapolis Colts the following season to reunite with the OC that had him playing MVP caliber football, Frank Reich. Now a year into that experiment it’s been announced he has been dealt to the newly named Washington Commanders. So the dilemma is clear, on his 3rd team are we buying or selling Carson Wentz?

 

Reasons to Buy

This is the final stand for Carson Wentz, as this article previously stated it’s his 3rd shot at being a starting QB. The Commanders are desperate for a competent starting QB and I believe he’ll be given a couple of years leash. After all, this is the same franchise that rolled out Taylor Heineke for an entire season as their plan B because their plan A was a 39 year old QB they signed as a free agent who is a NFL journeyman. In short, this is the best the commanders believe they can do. Giving up 2 years of picks makes it seem to me that they’ve done their version of due diligence and they will allow Carson to sink or swim. 

I do believe he has good skill players around him. Terry McLaurin, Antonio Gibson, Curtis Samuel, Logan Thomas, and Dyami Brown and John Bates isn’t a bad skill set group. I believe Ron Rivera knows this is the final straw, and as a coach on his second go around, he knows he’s now attached to Carson Wentz. I believe he will do whatever it takes to put Carson in a position to succeed. He’s also familiar with the division and he can come in and make them more competitive than they were last year.

 

 

Reasons to sell

I believe these reasons are more blatantly obvious. He’s been turnover prone his last few years as a QB and the commanders track record from recent years at QB has also shown the propensity to make poor decisions with the ball. We’ll have to see if this is a coaching/scheme issue or if all of the QBs playing within the system just aren’t good. His offensive line will be a downgrade, meaning the run game won’t be as efficient to take the pressure off of Wentz during games. It’s going to rest on his shoulders to will his team to win some games and recently when he’s been asked to do so, he hasn’t been up to snuff.

 

Verdict 

I hold the caveat that if you’re in a 1 QB league, you don’t need Carson Wentz. Assuming you’re playing in a superflex league which is the more popular format, I think you buy Carson Wentz. His value is in the basement but we know he’s going to be a starting QB for 2 seasons. With the value the QB position holds in these leagues, you can probably flip an early 3rd round pick in this year or next year’s draft and attach it to a younger WR/RB prospect and it should get the job done. Maybe shipping off Ronald Jones or laviska/DJ Chark and a 3 would interest a Carson Wentz owner. He’s a starting QB whose value is in the basement. I think this is the time you buy and just take the 2 years of production over the lottery tickets on your bench.

 

Dynasty Dilemma: Jerry Jeudy

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Dynasty Dilemma: Jerry Jeudy

by JC Johnson

 

Jerry Jeudy was the 15th pick in the 2020 NFL draft out of Alabama. He was the #1 player on my big board coming out. I thought he was going to be the next great PPR fantasy star. He was then drafted by the Denver Broncos, where all young fantasy pass catchers go to die. Destined to waste away their prime in the NFL’s version of a Russian gulag. This article will discuss if you should be cutting your losses with Jeudy, or if rostering him will save his soul from eternal damnation. Dynasty Dilemma: Buy or Sell Jerry Jeudy?

 

Reasons to Sell

Outside of stating the obvious, Jeudy hasn’t done anything in his first two NFL seasons. His first year was largely wasted by incompetent QB play. His second season saw him miss 6 games with a high ankle sprain after getting off to a good start vs. the G-Men. He never seemed to fully ingratiate himself back into the offense once he returned, and Tim Patrick really stepped up and became that safety blanket to Teddy B that so many of us in the fantasy community thought Jeudy would be for ole Teddy Two Gloves.

 

Another reason to sell is the competition he has for targets in let’s face it, a very limited passing attack. Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick just received extensions, Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam soak up targets in the flats, and Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon have shown they are more than capable of catching the ball out of the backfield. All of this with speedster KJ Hamler set to re-enter the fold after tearing his ACL at the beginning of the 2021 preseason. 

 

Jeudy recorded the 2nd highest drop percentage in the NFL his rookie season (although we know drops don’t necessarily correlate to reduced fantasy production) and has also failed to top 10 PPR PPG in either of his two seasons in the NFL. So he hasn’t even really been a solid flex option for your lineup on a weekly basis.

 

 

Reasons to Buy

The talent is so blatantly there. It has been shown over the back half of the season that Jeudy is the alpha WR in this offense. You can see it in Sutton’s production. He’s relevant when and only when Jeudy is not on the field. Jeudy is routinely recognized by his peers,

including all pro WR Davante Adams as one of the best route runners in the NFL.

 

Jeudy as a rookie saw the highest percentage of uncatchable targets in the NFL. It’s every game essentially you see him continuously win his route and he cannot get an accurate pass to be thrown his way. 

 

With a new offensive regime coming into Denver with head coach Nathaniel Hackett, I believe Jeudy will be used in a Davante Adams type role. One where they get him in the slot and give him a lot of field to work with and truly utilize his extremely balanced repertoire of route running skills to win and move the ball down the field. 

 

The Verdict

I think you’re at the point in Jeudy’s career where he’s at his absolute floor value wise. He’s in the basement, he’s in the bin of $1 movies that used to line the main aisle of Target’s electronics department. Jeudy is so out of style you go to Goodwill and shop

for him ironically. You wear him around like you’re a hipster in Williamsburg, Brooklyn drinking an IPA at your favorite artisanal mustard shoppe. Jeudy is being drafted after Chase Claypool, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Brandon Aiyuk, Amari Cooper, and Rashod Bateman. Give me Jeudy over all of them. What I hope happens is Denver finally gets a competent QB. The worst case scenario which is entirely possible is they keep playing with a mediocre QB, but Hackett finally does what Shurmur was incapable of doing. They use Jeudy creatively and get the ball in his hands. 

 

The Devy Minute: Marvin Mims

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The Devy Minute: Marvin Mims

By JC Johnson

Marvin Mims

5'11 177LBS

4.46 40 Yard Dash

Marvin Mims is a former 4* WR recruit from Frisco, TX. The 2020 recruit was originally headed to Stanford before decommitting and landing with Lincoln Riley and the OU Sooners. Mims is 5’11, 177 lbs and has only recorded 69 receptions in his first two seasons at OU. He’s also caught 14 TDs. For those doing the math at home that’s correct, more than 20% of his receptions end in paydirt. 

As a sophomore, he averaged 22 ypc. That’s wildly impressive and speaks to the home run ability Mims is capable of. Mims tape is a tough evaluation because he’s never jammed at the LOS so you’re unsure if he can consistently win on that type of coverage. He doesn’t really face it. What is apparent is he has incredible body control and consistently takes the top off of the defense. 

Mims possesses incredible YAC ability as well and would particularly excel in an offense that utilizes play action and RPOs.

What really interests me about Mims is that he didn’t leave. He had every opportunity to. Rattler left. His head coach who recruited him left. Caleb Williams left. Everyone tagged Mims to be the next great talent on the OU roster to become another “hired gun” in the new age NIL college football landscape. He stayed at OU though. I think it speaks to his character, it shows the competitiveness he has and what he brings on and off the field. 

Ideally, I’d like to see Mims add 10 lbs before he reaches the NFL draft. He reminds me though of a former 5th round pick that had to work on his route running ability. That guy is now a perennial top 10 WR in the NFL. He reminds me of Stefon Diggs. 

I'm interested to see how he does as the true #1 on this offense this year in which he will be the best playmaker on the roster. He’s shown the ability to hit the home run, I’d like to see him move the chains a little more while winning at the LOS. He is being touted as a top 10 WR prospect in the 2023 draft. He will be a nice value in the 2nd round in your rookie drafts. This class is getting deeper and deeper with every evaluation.

Dynasty Dilemma: Elijah Moore

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Dynasty Dilemma: Elijah Moore

by JC Johnson

 

 

Elijah Moore is in his second year out of Ole Miss. Moore was a 2nd round pick, 34th overall in the 2021 NFL draft by the New York Jets. There’s no doubting Elijah Moore is a talented football player; but is he an asset you’d want on your roster? The dilemma: Buy or Sell Elijah Moore?

 

Reason to Buy

Elijah Moore flashed his big play ability in 2021 and caught TD passes from three different Jets signal callers. His season was cut short by a quad injury that landed him on IR that then was followed by a trip to the COVID-19 list. Moore burst onto the scene in week 8 in the Jets win against the Cincinnati Bengals, doing so with the legend of Mike White at QB. From weeks 8-13 in 2021, Moore was the WR4 across fantasy football behind only Justin Jefferson, Keenan Allen, and Cooper Kupp. Moore accomplished this feat with the likes of Joe Flacco and Mike White throwing him the ball before Zach Wilson’s return in week 13 vs. Houston. During this stretch, Moore played a majority of his snaps on the outside instead of the slot, showing his penchant for big air yards per target and overall big play ability.

 

 

Reason to Sell

Elijah Moore missed six games in 2021. Durability has to be a cause for concern when a player is 5’10 180 and undersized for the role he’s being asked to play in this offensive scheme. Football is a physical game however and players rarely escape a season unscathed. The bigger case for selling is Moore’s perceived value across the dynasty landscape. He’s going as WR15 in startups. The dynasty community is giddy with the potential flashed in weeks 8-13, I however fear that drafting Moore or acquiring him at that price point is getting him at his ceiling.

 

Verdict

I’m going with a verdict of sell because Elijah Moore is being overvalued by the dynasty community at large.When there is a massively shared opinion like the one that Elijah Moore is a buy, this creates a market where a GM with Moore can capitalize on his perceived value. If I’m an owner of Moore, I’m putting him on the market and seeing if I can acquire players like Calvin Ridley, Michael Pittman, DJ Moore, or Keenan Allen. Those targets I can trade Moore and get that player along with a 1st in 2022/2023, or multiple 2nds. If you’re not interested in the picks, you could potentially move him straight up for a player like Diontae Johnson or DK Metcalf.