We’ve been doing mock drafts every week dating to the start of the 2021 college football season. And in that time, a lot has changed. Not only is Spencer Rattler not one of the top quarterbacks in this class, he was benched and has since transferred to South Carolina. Kenny Pickett, meanwhile, went from Day Three prospect to first-rounder. That said — and you may have heard this a time or two — this QB class isn’t particularly deep, which means even more volatility with those top-10 selections, where we could see a run on offensive tackles and edge rushers. So what are some potential shockers we could see once the actual draft gets under way on Thursday? Here are our five biggest surprise predictions ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft.
1. Seven wide receivers go in Round 1
We’ve long pegged five wideouts in the first round and those five, in some combination are Garrett Wilson, Drake London, Jameson Williams, Treylon Burks and Chris Olave. And there are a lot of natural landing spots: the Texans, Jets, Falcons, Seahawks, Commanders, Eagles, Saints, Steelers, Patriots, Packers and Chiefs. That’s 11 teams, which means demand could very well outstrip supply, assuming, of course, these teams don’t address other first-round needs.
The other math to consider: Even if, say, the Packers are targeting an offensive lineman with one of their two first-round picks, there may be more value in taking WR6 over OT5. The same holds for the Chiefs, who could be deciding between a wideout and, say, an edge rusher or defensive back. Knowing that, here are some other names that could work their way into Round 1: Jahan Dotson, Christian Watson and George Pickens. Las Vegas has the over-under on wide receivers to go in the first round at 5.5 and that feels low.
Last year, five receivers were among the first 32 picks; in 2020 there were six, 2019 and 2018 there were two each, and three in 2017.
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