Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
A mock with some trades for the Cincinnati Bengals.
As we reach the final weekend before the draft, let’s start setting the table for the big dance with a quick three-round Cincinnati Bengals mock before we get to our final seven-round mock next week. We’ll be using The Draft Network‘s machine for this exercise.
Alabama’s NFL draft dominance looks to continue in 2022.
In just five days the 2022 NFL draft will get underway and the future stars of the NFL will take center stage. Life-long dreams will become a reality for some over the three-day event. For those not selected, the pain of disappointment will reign supreme.
With the draft just a few days away, NFL analysts are continuously updating their big boards and mock drafts as they give their educated guesses on how the draft may unfold.
Since Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa, nobody has sent more players to the NFL than the Alabama Crimson Tide and the 2022 draft won’t be much different.
In the latest seven-round mock draft courtesy of NFL.com’s Chad Reuter, a total of 10 former members of the Crimson Tide are projected to be selected. Let’s take a look at the who and the where.
Check out the latest three-round projection for the 2022 NFL draft from Draft Wire editor Luke Easterling
We’re less than a week away from the 2022 NFL draft, and it still feels like anybody’s guess how this year’s top 10 is going to shake out.
While a consensus seems to have been building around Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson as this year’s No. 1 overall pick, fellow edge defender Travon Walker from Georgia has been getting plenty of buzz at that spot in recent days.
This year’s wide-open race at the top is made even more intriguing by a mysterious quarterback class, with the likes of Liberty’s Malik Willis and Pitt’s Kenny Pickett expected to be the first passers off the board. The question is, how early do they hear their names called?
As we approach the home stretch, here’s an updated look at how the first three rounds of this year’s draft could go down, with a big surprise in the top five to get the chaos started early:
Projecting the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, with the Jacksonville Jaguars selecting Michigan edge Aidan Hutchinson with the first overall pick.
It’s impossible to predict exactly how the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft will go, because not even the teams participating know how it’ll shake out. There will be trades, surprise picks and teams reaching for players at positions of need, all of which add to the fun.
In this first-round mock draft, we predict where some of the top prospects will land, and how the teams with multiple first-rounders will attack the opening night of the draft.
Below, we bring you a 2022 NFL mock draft with projections for all 32 first-round picks. In addition, we share the available pertinent betting odds for players, positions and teams.
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday, April 20 at 2:37 a.m. ET.
An aggressive move for the Bengals in a new mock.
[mm-video type=video id=01fympwq8vb4j39fgvay playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fympwq8vb4j39fgvay/01fympwq8vb4j39fgvay-de91565d3f9a9888e26d8a896d4c0cbf.jpg]
Our sister site, Draft Wire, and our buddy Luke Easterling just released their latest mock draft and the Cincinnati Bengals make a charge for some interior help in this one.
Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum has been heavily linked as a prospect that could help the Bengals tremendously and in this particular mock draft, the Bengals take advantage of Linderbaum’s slide down the board to move up a few spots to secure his services.
Easterling has the Bengals swinging a deal with the Buffalo Bills to move up from 31 to 25 to select the Iowa center.
Both the Titans and the Bucs could use interior offensive line help, which could push the Bengals to leap in front of them to make sure they land the last of this year’s first-round talents in that group.
Linderbaum may lack ideal length, but he’s an athletic, smart and physical blocker who would be the perfect cherry on top of Cincy’s overhaul in the offensive trenches this offseason.
Using Jimmy Johnson’s draft trade value chart, the No. 31 pick is worth 600 points and the No. 25 pick is worth 720 points. Interestingly enough, the Bengals’ No. 95 pick is worth, you guessed it, 120 points, evening out the trade.
Of course, in this scenario, the Bengals could end up throwing in an extra pick for good measure, especially if they want to ensure they get ahead of Tennessee, as Easterling notes. The bottom line is it wouldn’t cost too much to move from 31 to 25 if the Bengals really want Linderbaum, a player that would really sure up Cincinnati’s offensive line depth.
[listicle id=149314]
The Bengals appear to make a few mistakes in a new mock draft.
[mm-video type=video id=01fympwq8vb4j39fgvay playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fympwq8vb4j39fgvay/01fympwq8vb4j39fgvay-de91565d3f9a9888e26d8a896d4c0cbf.jpg]
The Cincinnati Bengals figure to address the offensive line, cornerback or even edge rusher in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft at No. 31.
While the Bengals do sit in a position of luxury as a Super Bowl team and can take best player available, the needs and makeup of the draft class itself seem to narrow it down to those spots.
But a new mock draft from ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay has a different idea for the Bengals at No. 31 — Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd:
“I originally thought hard about Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum here, but Lloyd’s slide out of the top 30 forced my hand. Lloyd impacts the game in so many ways, and he could be the long-term answer in the middle of the Bengals’ defense.”
Lloyd is a really good prospect who can likely be an effective blitzer atop everything else at the next level. Linebacker depth is a need too despite the presence of guys like Akeem Davis-Gaither, but this is something the team likely addresses later in the draft, not in the opening round at the expense of bigger needs.
And it doesn’t get much better with the next two picks, either:
Mathis is more of a run-stopper, at least projection-wise, when the Bengals need to fill the interior pass-rusher void left by Larry Ogunjobi. Jobe, at least, looks like he can fill the need on the boundary and maybe even work at safety, giving the team another Tre Flowers-esque versatile presence in the secondary.
Still, overall in this scenario, the Bengals use a first-rounder on what is already a position of strength and ignore a premium issue like pass-rusher outright while waiting on another premium one, cornerback.
Could this class work out as a long-term upgrade to the defense? Absolutely, but the initial grades and reaction might be lukewarm at best. If nothing else, it’s a scenario to keep in mind.
[listicle id=149314]
See who moves up the board in the latest 2022 NFL mock draft from Draft Wire editor Luke Easterling
The 2022 NFL draft is just days away, and the rumor mill is starting to hit that next gear as this year’s event draws closer.
Every year, the draft conversation is driven by the top quarterbacks, even when the class doesn’t feature a clear-cut No. 1 overall pick, or even a consensus top prospect at the game’s most important position.
Those quarterbacks usually inspire a robust trade market, with teams jockeying for position to land their future franchise passer.
Could that happen again this year?
Here’s an updated look at how the first round of this year’s draft could shake out, complete with a handful of trades that could go down on draft night:
*denotes projected trade
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield unleash their Big Board: The top 50 players in the 2022 NFL draft class.
Every team has its own scouting methods to get where they need to get before the draft begins. Area scouts compile their reports through the season, directors of scouting compile those reports over time, and then, everything is funneled up to coaches and general managers. Then, team musts and needs are considered, best players available regardless of position are listed, and eventually, NFL teams will put together their Big Boards — the players most highly regarded in the building as the draft goes down.
At Touchdown Wire, our two-person staff (Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield) did it a little differently. We had to act as our own area scouts, directors, coaches, and general managers, and we didn’t have any team needs to consider — we’ll save those for the mock drafts.
[vertical-gallery id=170399]
So, this Big Board is all about the players we think are the 50 best overall in this draft class. We started the process by putting together our best players at every position, from quarterback to safety…
[listicle id=169675]
…and then, we each put together their individual Top 50 lists. After a bit of thumb-wrestling, we came up with what you have before you. With well over 20,000 words, and more than 200 individual tape examples, and scads of advanced metrics, we feel that this is as comprehensive a top prospect list as you’ll see anywhere outside of an NFL front office.
Here are Touchdown Wire’s Top 50 prospects in the 2022 NFL draft class.
(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated. All testing data comes from the 2022 scouting combine, with percentile per position, courtesy of MockDraftable.com. Certain biographical information was gleaned from Dane Brugler’s “The Beast” draft guide over at The Athletic, which is a must-read every year).
Projecting the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, with Michigan edge Aidan Hutchinson going first overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The 2022 NFL Draft begins next week Thursday, April 28 with the first round and runs through Saturday, April 30. The Jacksonville Jaguars own the No. 1 overall pick (again) as 32 players will be selected opening night as teams look to improve.
This year’s draft class is deep at receiver, pass rusher and cornerback. It is not considered a good crop of quarterbacks.
Below, we bring you a 2022 NFL mock draft with projections for all 32 first-round picks. In addition, we share the available pertinent betting odds for players, positions and teams.
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday, April 19 at 6:26 p.m. ET.
A new name for the Bengals in a mock draft.
[mm-video type=video id=01fympwq8vb4j39fgvay playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fympwq8vb4j39fgvay/01fympwq8vb4j39fgvay-de91565d3f9a9888e26d8a896d4c0cbf.jpg]
A top NFL insider just released his latest mock draft and the Cincinnati Bengals go a familiar yet unfamiliar route with the No. 31 pick.
Peter Schrager of Good Morning Football unveiled his latest mock draft and he has the Bengals addressing the offensive line. But it’s a name that hasn’t been connected much to the Bengals but an intriguing prospect that has generated first-round buzz of late. That man is Tulsa OL Tyler Smith.
Smith is only a redshirt sophomore, but he’s viewed as having one of the highest upsides of any lineman in this class. In the offseason of “Protect Joe Burrow AT ALL COSTS,” Cincinnati keeps the theme going strong.
Upside is the name of the game with Smith. He just turned 21 on April 3 and only has about 2.5 years of college experience. But in his two full years, he was a First Team (2020) and Second Team (2021) All-AAC and was a Freshman All-American in 2020 after redshirting in 2019.
There’s some question as to whether he is a guard or a tackle at the next level, but he has the tools and the measurables to help contribute anywhere. He measured almost 6’5″ and 327 pounds at his pro day and ran a 5.02 with a 1.70 10-yard split (90th percentile).
He’s raw and needs to work on his hand usage. He’s likely best suited as a backup to start. But there is a lot of potential here and perhaps Frank Pollack could be the one to unlock it.
[listicle id=149314]
