Who Will Be the First Pick in the 2022 NFL Draft?

The 2022 NFL Draft will take place Thursday, April 28, from Paradise, Nevada. The 2020 draft was originally scheduled for Paradise, but the coronavirus pandemic shifted that draft to a virtual setting.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars, by virtue of their NFL-worst 3-14 record, will pick first. The Detroit Lions, which finished 3-13-1, will pick second followed by the Houston Texans, New York Jets, and New York Giants to round out the top five.

Unlike the last few years, quarterbacks are not the stars of this draft. That begs the question, who will be the first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft?

Edge Rusher

Aside from the quarterback, the next most important position for most franchises is the edge rusher. Teams need players that can put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

In the Super Bowl, fans watched as Aaron Donald (actually a defensive tackle) wreak havoc on Cincinnati QB Joe Burrow. Donald had three sacks, including one on fourth down at the end of the game which sealed a victory for the Rams.

NFL teams spend a ton of money to get the right defensive end or outside linebacker that can get after the quarterback. In this year’s draft there are two players at the top of everyone’s board – Michigan DE Aidan Hutchinson and Oregon DE Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Hutchinson is 6-foot-6-inches and 270 pounds of relentless energy. Hutchinson is big, strong, fast, and plays with reckless abandon and that’s why he’s the favorite at +160. He can line up anywhere on the defensive line and has experience playing up as a linebacker as well.

Thibodeaux is 6-5 and weighs 280. He is explosive and extremely athletic for a defensive end. Like Hutchinson, Thibodeaux (+250) is flexible and could be a 4-3 defensive end or an outside linebacker playing on or off the line of scrimmage in a 3-4.

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Behemoth OTs

After quarterback and edge rusher, the next position that concerns NFL front offices and coaching staffs is offensive tackle, specifically the left tackle. There are a couple good ones worthy of a high draft pick.

Alabama’s Evan Neal (+185) is a 6-7, 350-pound road grader. He can run block with the best of them. He needs work in the passing game, but that can be corrected at the NFL level.

Ikem Ekwonu of NC State played left tackle for the Wolfpack and may do so at the NFL level. The issue is his 6-4 height. He is very athletic and hails from a family of athletes. Ekwonu (+550) will fit nicely into an NFL franchise that uses zone blocking schemes.

The QB

There is only one quarterback among the top five favorites to go first in this year’s NFL draft – Pitt’s Kenny Pickett. All Pickett did at Pitt last season was throw for 4,319 yards and 42 touchdowns.

He’s a gunslinger who understands the game and is extremely confident in his abilities. That said he’s listed at +3300 to go first and Jacksonville drafted its quarterback last year.

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2022 NFL Draft First Pick Prediction

The Jags hired Doug Pederson, who won a Super Bowl with the Eagles not long ago. As said, they drafted their quarterback last year and their defense isn’t all that bad. The Jags biggest need is an edge rusher and Hutchinson fits the mold of what they are looking for.

PICK: HUTCHINSON +160

Odds to Be the First Pick in 2022 NFL Draft

Aidan Hutchison +160

Evan Neal +185

Kayvon Thibodeaux +250

Ikem Ekwonu +550

Kenny Pickett +3300