The 2022 NFL Draft is three weeks away and mock draft season has reached a fevered pitch. ESPN’s Todd McShay released his latest mock draft on Tuesday, April 5, and for the first time he went two rounds. This one comes a day removed from the Eagles and Saints making a massive trade of first round picks. The Eagles dealt away one of their first three picks in the deal in order to acquire a 2023 first.
McShay’s mock includes two trades this time around. We can all but guarantee there will be more than two trades in the first two rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft, but as a thought exercise, we’ll take what we can get in a mock draft. In this case, he has the Chiefs trading the first they acquired for Tyreek Hill to the Chargers to move up to 17 so they can select Alabama WR Jameson Williams. He also had the Falcons moving up in the second round from No. 58 to No. 48 to select North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell.
McShay’s latest mock has five quarterbacks in the first two rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft. Along with the Falcons’ Howell pick, he has the Panthers picking Pitt’s Kenny Pickett at No. 6, the Steelers picking Liberty’s Malik Willis at No. 20, the Lions picking Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder at No. 32, and the Seahawks selecting Ole Miss’ Matt Corral at No. 40.
Willis is currently the favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook to be the first QB off the board with -200 odds. Pickett is +175 and then it’s a sizable drop-off to Corral at +1500.
The quarterback position is always interesting in the draft, but this year it is especially so just because of how much better scouts view the 2023 class. Is a team prepared to invest a first round pick in a QB when they think there will be enough options next year? Waiting until the second gives you a slightly cheaper option, let’s you save a first for a bigger impact player, and avoid the bigger rookie contract in your QB.
And let’s not forget the potential for more trades back. The Eagles claimed an extra first next year and likely will be able to make a decision on whether Jalen Hurts is the answer after this coming season or if they need to invest elsewhere.