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The Huddle’s David Dorey releases his first NFL mock draft of 2022.
David Dorey’s first mock draft of 2022 is now out. Sound off on social media and let us know what you think.
We’ll be unveiling several more mock drafts leading up to the real thing, so be sure to check back with our 2022 NFL Draft Central page to keep track of all of our offerings.
The Cowboys haven’t had a bid-bodied alpha receiver in years, nor one with London’s height in a longer stretch. Tyler Browning ( @DiabeticTyler ) dives into the tape.
Cowboys fans fondly remember the days of Tony Romo throwing to Dez Bryant; an electric QB throwing the ball to a contested-catch deep threat. Many fans will also agree the team has been missing that type of weapon since Bryant was cut from the Cowboys in 2018. One can make an argument that Michael Gallup has served as that type of receiver but it’s doubtful anyone thinks Gallup has the same type of impact on the field as Bryant did.
There is however a player in a similar mold in April’s draft. USC’s Drake London is a big-bodied receiver who is the NFL’s prototypical X receiver. He had high production in college, amassing over 2,000 yards in his three-year career, and added double-digit touchdowns. He is phenomenal in contested catch situations, can track the ball in a variety of ways, and offers some plus ability after the catch. He’s also one of the Cowboys 30 official pre-draft visitors, so the interest is there.
These 12 wide receivers could pique the Jets’ interest in the 2022 NFL draft:
Getting Zach Wilson another weapon to work with is on Joe Douglas’ to-do list for the 2022 NFL draft.
Last month, Douglas nearly landed Wilson a dynamic playmaker in All-Pro wideout Tyreek Hill, only to watch the Dolphins swoop in at the last minute. That swing and miss leaves the draft as the most likely place for the Jets to land another viable threat in the passing game.
This year’s wide receiver class doesn’t necessarily have a can’t-miss talent. It does, however, have countless solid pass-catchers who have the potential to develop into productive players for a long time.
Here are 12 receivers New York could target at the end of the month.
2022 NFL draft: Philadelphia Eagles add more dynamic talent on defense in full seven-round mock
The NFL’s official league year got off to a roaring start as the quest for a Super Bowl in 2022 is underway for all 32 NFL teams.
The Eagles just completed the first two weeks of an intriguing offseason that started off strong with free agency, features three-first round picks, valuable salary-cap space, and several different routes the franchise can choose to follow.
With Jalen Hurts as the quarterback for at least the next calendar year, Philadelphia has chosen to build around the quarterback, and they still could push a first-round pick back to 2023 where the quarterback class will be much more talented.
It’ll be an interesting lead-up to April’s NFL draft and we’re adding to the fun with our fifth full seven-round mock draft 5.0, this time, after the first wave of free agency.
In this seven-round mock draft using Pro Football Network’s mock draft simulator, we again avoided making any trades in this version, choosing to fully restock a roster that has holes on both sides of the ball, utilizing seven of the 10 picks on high-profile and highly versatile defensive players.
Mark Schofield breaks down his top 16 wide receivers in the 2022 NFL draft.
This happens every year.
In the months leading up to the NFL draft, as Doug Farrar and myself begin to sketch out our draft-time coverage, we start assigning our positional watch lists, with the goal of putting our top 11 together at each assigned position.
Then, inevitably, I message Doug a few weeks later and tell him there is no way in the world I can narrow it down to just 11 wide receivers.
Last year we went 14-deep at the position, and this year we see two more get added to the list. The reason? Receiver is becoming a deeper and deeper position each year. With more and more high schools around the country focusing on the passing game, and seven-on-seven leagues cropping up year-round, we are seeing more talent at the position at the college level, and in each draft class.
I just hope I can keep it under 20 players in next year’s version. Until then, here are the top 16 wide receivers in the 2022 NFL draft.
If the Browns are still looking receiver with their top pick (#44 currently), this receiver class has mostly shown an ability to produce despite press man coverage:
Before the start of the NFL’s league year, it was all but decided (by fans and media) that the Cleveland Browns would be selecting a wide receiver with the 13th overall pick in the NFL draft. The need was seen as just that great.
Since then, the Browns acquired Amari Cooper to become their top receiver in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys. The team then turned around and dealt their first-round pick, along with a lot more, to the Houston Texans for Deshaun Watson.
While Cooper is a part of the answer at receiver and a top quarterback can raise the level of his receivers, Cleveland may still be in search of a receiver high in the upcoming draft.
The receiver class is considered very good this year with many expected to go in the first round. The Browns could continue to be aggressive to move up to get one or, due to the depth at the position, find one sliding to them in the second or third round.
One interesting data set shows just how good the group is as a whole in producing against press coverage on the outside:
Couple takeaways for the top 12 WR on PFF's Big Board when looking at their production outside vs. press:
🔶 Drake London was great in a small sample
🔶 Jahan Dotson had by far the most routes vs. press of any of the top guys
🔶 Jameson Williams only one below the avg line pic.twitter.com/H1P9SP6c41— Ben Linsey (@PFF_Linsey) April 3, 2022
Due to his injury, Drake London had a limited sample size but, due to his size and strength, was very good against press coverage. As noted, Jahan Dotson was regularly running routes against this coverage but is a smaller, lighter receiver which leads to less success.
While Williams may be considered the top receiver in this class, this information is concerning.
If Cleveland does look to receivers on day two of the draft, George Pickens, Skyy Moore and Alec Pierce could be options as outside receivers. Due to his medical issue limiting his predraft performance, London could also fall into the second round. That group could give the Browns another dynamic playmaker no matter how they are covered.
Dotson could be an option as well. His close to average production may be less of a concern as he is more likely to be used off the line of scrimmage as a slot receiver in the pros.
Washington lands a big wideout Carson Wentz in this mock draft, bypassing one of the top defenders.
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If the Washington Commanders are going to win with Carson Wentz at quarterback in 2022, the team will need more talent at wide receiver outside of Terry McLaurin.
With the No. 11 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Commanders are in a prime position to pick one of the best wideouts in a deep draft for the position. Any combination of Garrett Wilson (Ohio State), Drake London (USC), Chris Olave (Ohio State) and Treylon Burks (Arkansas) are considered the top players.
Either of the two former Ohio State stars are often a popular pick for Washington in mock drafts, but in a new mock draft by Kyle Stackpole of CBS, both Wilson and Olave are off the board, leaving Washington to decide if it wants a wideout, or the draft’s top corner in Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner.
In this mock draft, Stackpole chooses London for the Commanders.
The run of wide receivers continues as Carson Wentz gets another much-needed weapon to pair with two-time 1,000-yard receiver Terry McLaurin. London and McLaurin immediately give Washington one of the best contested-catch duos in the NFC.
At 6-foot-5, London would give Washington another big wide receiver. Cam Sims is also 6-foot-5, but he is not a starter. Curtis Samuel and Dyami Brown aren’t big receivers.
Despite his size, McLaurin (6-foot-0, 210) was the NFL’s top contested-catch receiver in the NFL last season. London offers the same, which would mean the Commanders would have two outstanding pass-catchers in contested-catch situations.
While London offers a big upside, it’s difficult to imagine Washington passing on Gardner if he slips. The Commanders could look to address wide receiver in the second round.
The Jets still have a lot of roster holes to fill with the 2022 NFL draft approaching. Jets Wire takes a look at New York’s biggest needs:
Offseason work isn’t over for the Jets yet.
Despite spending a lot of money to fill a lot of needs already, there are still issues New York needs to solve before the 2022 season. Fortunately for the Jets, they have a copious amount of draft picks they can use to either fortify position groups or trade for veterans. Joe Douglas tried to do the latter with his pursuit of Tyreek Hill, but the receiver chose the AFC East rival Dolphins.
Starting with the search for an elite receiver, here are six of the Jets’ biggest needs heading into the 2022 draft.
North Dakota State prospect Christian Watson has the tools to be an ideal wide receiver fit for the Saints in the 2022 NFL draft, via @RossJacksonNOLA:
What makes a draftable wide receiver in the NFL? There’s a good chance that if you ask a scout from all 32 teams across the league, you’ll get 32 different answers. Some will value certain combinations of height, weight, and speed; others will look to collegiate production, and others will turn to traits shown on tape. The New Orleans Saints have their own formula to determine their prototype and potential fits. While we can expect some of those benchmarks to shift after this offseason’s regime changes, there are some easily observable qualities that New Orleans values.
Looking over the draft classes since 2015, when Jeff Ireland joined the team as their college scouting director, we can build a rubric against which to evaluate this year’s incoming wide receiver class. We can also look at the team’s recent free agency pursuit of Marquez Valdes-Scantling to find a prospect that matches the mold almost identically.
Since 2015, the Saints have only drafted three wide receivers. That’s a small sample size to build a mold out of. However, if we expand the search back to 2007, we get similar measurables with 10 receivers. Based off the averages of those pass-catchers’ height, weight, speed, and production numbers, we can build our criteria.
For reference, the dominator metric measures the a player’s share of their team’s receiving yardage and touchdowns. Target share, as you may imagine, measures that player’s share of passing targets. Both of these metrics are built off of collegiate play.
Among the receivers likely to be selected in this year’s draft, eight prospects across all rounds meet the size thresholds. We’ll break those out into tiers:
That list narrows a little when the 40 times are factored in. Emezie would be the first to go, running only a 4.65. The slowest the Saints have drafted since 2007 was 4.57 run by All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas. USC’s Drake London and Texas Tech’s Erik Ezukanma did not run at the combine. Arkansas’ Treylon Burks did come in slower than expected at 4.55, but that’s not entirely out of the range of “draftable” for New Orleans as evidenced by Thomas.
Next, the pool thins drastically when dominator and target share percentages are taken into account. At that point, the only remaining prospects are London and Burks. We could keep NDSU’s Christian Watson in the mix even though he doesn’t have an official target share rate on record. But based on Watson only having 105 career receptions, one can presume he did not meet the metric.
By the standards set by observing the drafted receivers since 2007, New Orleans has two clear and obvious fits: London (who is expected to run at his personal pro day on April 5) and Burks. Either would be a big time win for the Saints in the first round. However, scheme has to be taken into account.
Both Burks and London match the build and production of split end, X-receivers. Think Michael Thomas. Is that the type of receiver Jeff Ireland and Dennis Allen are prioritizing? If the team is looking for more of a Z/flanker type, they could break the mold. We’ve actually seen them do it as of late. The only receiver drafted in the Ireland era that met the target share average was Thomas. A bona fide No. 1 wideout. Tre’Quan Smith and Kawaan Baker both came in under that threshold and neither were drafted to be the team’s top option.
That could put Watson back in the conversation. He meets every piece of the criteria except for target share. Beyond that, he matches a mold the Saints have already shown us this offseason. Valdes-Scantling almost signed with the Saints before ultimately taking a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. Looking at height, weight, and speed alone, there’s a great argument to made in favor of Watson being the ideal pick for New Orleans.
It also helps that Valdes-Scantling met neither the dominator nor target share metrics. Obviously signing a wideout you’ve already seen produce in the NFL is different than drafting a college prospect, especially one from a small school like Watson. Regardless of how deep this year’s wide receiver class is, there are some very specific fits that will only be available early in the draft for the Saints. If they want to go the draft-and-develop route, they’ll need to pounce quickly on one of the top prospects.
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Drake London enters the NFL as a top wideout prospect
Drake London committed to USC to play both football and basketball after excelling in high school in Moorpark, California. After an encouraging freshman year, he opted to focus solely on football and started for all six games in the COVID-shortened season of 2020. He was named Second Team – All PAC-12 and entered last year with the expectation of being one of the best college receivers. He did not disappoint.
London only played for eight games as a junior due to a fractured ankle but was on a pace to end with 132 catches for 1,626 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’d broken 1,000 yards by Week 8 and while the injury ended a likely Biletnikoff Award, he was still named as the PAC-12 Player of the Year.
His first two seasons at USC saw him behind Michael Pittman Jr. and Amon-Ra St. Brown. When he assumed the No. 1 role last year, he was nearly unstoppable, recording 88 catches for 1,084 yards and averaging 11 catches per game over just eight games. London caught up to 16 receptions as a possession receiver that dominated the target share. And that was during one of the worst seasons (4-8) in USC history.
Height: 6-4
Weight: 219 pounds
40 time: 4.5 seconds (estimated – did not run at the combine)
Due to his ankle injury, London attended the NFL Combine but only for interviews and did not perform or get measured. He intends to have his own Pro Day on April 5, separate from the official USC Pro Day held on March 23. He is still working towards full recovery from his ankle injury but is expected to be completely ready for the 2022 NFL season.
Table: Drake London NCAA stats (2019-2021)
| Year | Team | Games | Catch | Yards | Avg. | TD | Runs | Yards | TD | Total Yards | Total TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | USC | 13 | 39 | 567 | 14.5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 567 | 5 |
| 2020 | USC | 6 | 33 | 502 | 15.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 502 | 3 |
| 2021 | USC | 8 | 88 | 1084 | 12.3 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1086 | 07 |
Drake London rates to be in the first round, usually as a Top-3 rookie wideout and has the chance of being the first name called for his position. Breaking his ankle last season short-circuited an electric performance on an otherwise ineffective Trojans’ team. London was described as “a quarterback’s best friend”. He was so proficient with receptions, that he didn’t need the ball thrown to him, merely “at him,” and he’d come down with it.
A perceived lack of top speed, and quickness getting there, is a downgrade by some scouts, but there is no arguing how well he played, and on a team without any other elements of an elite offense around him. London compares to Mike Evans who logged much the same measurables when he entered the NFL.
London needs to prove that the fractured ankle is not of any ongoing concern – and it isn’t expected to be. But his recovery meant that he wouldn’t have logged as fast in a 40-time back at the NFL Combine, so he’s delayed his personal Pro Day as long as he can.
London may not sport elite speed, but he’s been everything else that a team could want from their No. 1 wideout. While he was once described as a tremendously talented tight end, he is not slow. He is a factor on deep routes though his bread and butter is short and intermediate routes that maximizes his catching ability, size advantage and overall football intelligence.
There’s plenty to love about a 6-4 receiver with elite hands and pass-catching skills. Playing on a USC team that trailed in most games last year and that had no other real threats, London still managed to catch at least nine passes in all but one game and turned in over 130 yards in six of the eight. He’d be a great addition to a team with a young quarterback looking to establish a connection that could last for years.
And he’d be a potential rookie of the year if he ends up paired with one of the elite veteran quarterbacks.
