First Round Targets
 

WR:

Treylon Burks, Arkansas
George Pickens, WR, Georgia
Jahan Dotson, Penn St.


EDGE:

David Ojabo, Michigan
George Karlaftis, Purdue
Boye Mafe, Minnesota
Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn St.



DT:

Devonte Wyatt, Georgia
Travis Jones, Connecticut
Perrion Winfrey, Oklahoma
Logan Hall, Houston


CB:

Andrew Booth Jr., Clemson
Kaiir Elam, Florida
Kyler Gordon, Washington


S:

Daxton Hill, Michigan
Lewis Cine, Georiga


Note: there are guys that I left off because I don’t think they have a shot to make it to our range.

Jermaine Johnson, the more I watch and read, seems like a pretty solid perfect fit here. What am I missing on why he's gonna be around that late?

He’s a guy that I was hesitant to even put on this list, because I don’t think he’ll be in our range when it’s all said and done.

But for now, he stays.

I really like Hill in our secondary but I'm not spending a first in him

I don’t think we will be going safety in the 1st, but since 2 of our top 3 safeties are free agents, and those guys line up perfectly in terms of value at 30, they’ll be on the list for now.

I think the guy on this list that we haven’t talked about enough yet is McCreary. He’s going to be a good press man corner, and he’s ready to play now. I don’t think we go CB either, but he’s definitely a guy we should keep our eye on.

Somewhere on Offense. Right Tackle is still a hole on this team and WR is a major hole.

Remmers is ****ing toast. Wylie as a FA and not a given he's back and the other guy well yeah I wouldn't count on him as a starter.

Olave, Dotson and Petit-Frere are some good options.

I'm onboard with this. Having a top tier CB on a 5 yr rookie deal sounds good to me. That or Edge.

I might trade up a bit for him. Dude seems like he could be one of the real rushers from this draft

No thanks on trading up. Cap will be limited need as many picks as we can get. There's several good pass rushers in the draft.

I think that by the time the draft is here…. Arnold Ebeketie will be considered a first round pick.

I wanted to put him on the list, but just didn’t quite see enough from him during Senior Bowl week to say he’s a 1st rounder yet.

I wouldn’t doubt it though.

Johnson in round 1 and Doctson in round 2 would be a banger.

Yea that would be fantastic, but either falling to those picks feels unlikely.

I think Cameron Thomas and George Pickens or John Metchie are a more likely combo.

I'm not taking a WR in the first anymore. We need immediate impact at that position and it's likely to have to come from FA.

It's going to come down to whether one of the 1st round DE's fall. If Thomas isn't there, I'm taking Brisker and locking down that position for the next 5 years.

I’m actually looking DE and S in the first two rounds with a WR in the 3rd like Watson or Pierce.

Yep, that's where I'm at too.

The reason I have a hard time with S that early is because i feel pretty confident that Veach will get one of the many options in free agency this year.

Then again, it’s entirely possible that they do both after what happened with Sorenson this year.

But I still think CB is more likely than S early.

CB is a definite possibility. I'm not really targeting a safety there, I'm targeting Brisker specifically. He's essentially Tyrann only bigger and faster.

The S room needs as much of an overhaul as the defensive line.

Thornhill is really our only safety worth a shit. We need to replace Mathieu (unless they bring him back), Sorensen and we still need a 4th. You can for sure sign a top one in FA but I’m still drafting one decently high because Spags likes his three safety looks and Thornhill isn’t a lock to be here after his contract is up.

How would you guys feel about Devonte Wyatt in the 1st?

He can be your run stuffer next to Jones and has a lot of upside as a pass rusher.

What we thought we were getting with Reed.

Jameson Williams, Alabama where do we possibly draft this guy at now that he blew out his ACL a month ago?
Don't know that we need another WR that is going to not play in his first year with the team.

The answer to your question is "we don't draft him". You answered the "why" in your last sentence. :D

I think Hill can play the Tyrann role as well, which is why I think they both should be on our radar even if I don’t think we actually go that direction.

It would make sense and I certainly wouldn’t be against it.

We could use another DT. We need warm bodies up front as well as bonafide starters.

I don't like Hill nearly as much as Brisker but he's definitely someone that could come in and play right away.

I probably wouldn’t go in that direction, but I could certainly see him being the pick at 30.

It all depends on the medicals, and we as fans don’t get those.

I prefer Brisker as well, but there’s really no consensus. Seems like it’s 50/50.

DT is that out of nowhere pick in the first round that would make sense.

I love the idea of getting Devonte Wyatt in the 1st and Myjai Sanders in the 2nd.

We're going to need a DT for sure because after this year, we can get out of Chris Jones contract if we need to.

For me, it comes down to the measurables. They're both NFL ready and scheme diverse but Brisker is just bigger and faster and there's no substitute for that in the NFL.

I mean, imagine Tyrann Matthieu in a 6'1" 200 pound body.

My question is….can Thornhill play in more of the SS role of this defense?

Towards the end of the season it looked like he was laying some hits and having two guys who can play deep would help out.

Having two guys back there that can be interchangeable is a nice chess piece to have...

If safety is on the table, I really would not rule out Lewis Cine.

Fast, violent player and does enough in coverage at SS to not be a liability there. He's not the coverage ace like Mathieu is, but I think much of what was left on the table with Mathieu was having that attitude and a heavy hitter out there.

I'd take Drake London off the list, honestly. I don't think a slow-footed tall receiver is on Reid's docket.

I'd maybe add Trevor Penning. We'll have to see what happens in free agency, but if it's a wide-open 1st round for whatever then I have to think RT will be on the table.

I still haven't ruled out Sam Williams as a 1st rounder. The guy is a top-15 player and I'm not so sure the criminal stuff from 2020 is going to weigh as heavily as the draft community thinks. Maybe it will but we have to remember the case was dropped so it seems fair for me to think there wasn't evidence he grabbed a titty.

I don't think Penning will be there - he's gonna play LT in the NFL and after this past week, he's probably going like 16-22 in the first round.

Yea left Penning off because I don’t think he’ll be there.

As for Drake London, I absolutely think he can be a fit based on his ability after the catch. If he were just a vertical 50/50 ball guy I’d agree, but that dude is sneakyyy good after the catch.

He has legit WR1 upside and would compliment our guys well.

I agree. Neither he (nor Burks, should he unexpectedly fall) are traditional "big" WRs.

London is very smooth and has quick feet. He can work inside and outside and separates well.

I guess I just disagree with you guys. I don't see him creating much of any separation and he is primarily a 50/50 ball guy. Almost all of his catches are contested or he's just simply bigger than the dude opposite him.

I don't think he has the frame to pound in the NFL and he's separating from nobody when he gets there. Maybe he'll surprise me like Amon-Ra St. Brown but I have some reservations. He does have a nifty little stutter to make a guy miss here and there but it isn't much.

He reminds me a lot of Equanimeous St. Brown coming out.

I thought he showed improved route running and was doing a better job stacking double moves in 2021 before he got hurt. He was "uncovering" a lot better on short and underneath routes than before. But maybe some of that was USC scheming him open because it's offense was built around that.

Do you need a ton of separation if you're a big receiver?

Bump

Added Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington.

Wasn’t sure if he was a fit, but the more I see, the more I think he’s a fit on any defense. He’s as safe as it gets at 30, and would be a great pick if he’s there.

I see dline as our biggest need, especially de. And I don’t trust a rookie at the bottom of the 1st to make an immediate impact and that’s what we need. We need someone who can step and immediately be a dominant de. I’d go FA for DE.

Curious why these two aren't on our radar at the bottom of the 1st?


5. KINGSLEY ENAGBARE, SOUTH CAROLINA
BIG BOARD RANK: 26
Enagbare isn’t a spectacular athlete but wins with his elite length and hand usage, so much so that he’s barely behind the likes of Aidan Hutchinson with a 92.4 pass-rushing grade this season.


7. ARNOLD EBEKETIE, PENN STATE
BIG BOARD RANK: 37
Ebiketie transferred from Temple to Penn State and proved his production from 2020 was no fluke. He beat up on quality tackles en route to a 90.5 pass-rushing grade and 52 pressures.


PFF NFL DRAFT TOP 10 EDGE DEFENDERS:
https://www.pff.com/news/draft-top-2...orge-karlaftis

ehh...I mean, he COULD, but is that his best use?

As a change of pace kind of thing, maybe but I think he's more of a prototypical FS.

They absolutely are.

One thing to think about-

Earlier this season, with Fortson's development and the fact that they clearly liked Gray was that they were talking about 3 TE packages. Now, if you can do 3, you can certainly do 2-and we did, in fact, do quite a lot of 2TE packages as the year went on.

IF you're looking to force the defense into situations they don't want to, big TE's do the same thing for you that big WR's do when the defense also has to contend with speed like Hill and Hardman.

So, yeah, the big WR's aren't necessarily off my radar, and I don't think being over 6'0 is a problem or anything, but I'm looking more at speed and route running, quick twitch, Andy Reid style WR's that can create separation and match-up problems.

The dude from Penn state definitely is. He's good.

Guys like Ebeketie, Enagbare, and Myjai Sanders are on the bubble for me as potential 1st round targets.

If you’re going to get a guy from that tier, you might as well trade down and acquire more picks.

I’m just looking more towards interchangeable pieces instead of people freaking out when they see someone in the FS spot who shouldn’t be there.

This is where I’m at. You’ve got Kelce, Tyreek, Hardman in a contract year, Gray, Fortson, a FA WR and Powell and Pringle competing for the back end of the position.

We desperately need new blood at DL and safety. Even if Matheiu comes back. FA will dictate a lot of that but I’d still try and look at talented players there early.

It just depends on who is available. We can’t draft for need anymore. We did that with Clyde and look at what happened?

I don’t look at CEH as a need pick. That shit was a luxury pick that shouldn’t have happened.

I think it was a stupid ****ing pick and was made for need. They knew about Damien Williams situation and needed a weapon there.

It just doesn’t make sense. Andy has always found good RB’s later. Westbrook, Hunt, Williams, McKinnon, Ware.

We don’t even run the ****ing ball. We throw it like 85% of the time. Should have drafted Tee Higgins to replace Sammy. We’d be In the SB right now if we just made that one correct pick.

I’m starting to see a trend of Andrew Booth Jr. and George Karlaftis falling into our range.

That would be something.

I was just getting ready to post something about Karlaftis. He seems to be showing up in Chiefs mocks now too.

Honestly, Karlaftis is a tough eval. He’s physical and really good but also maybe tapped out physically.

I’m not sure I’d prefer him to guys like Enagbare or Sanders or Ebitekie or Drake Jackson who have more explosive athletic profiles.

Honestly, if Karlaftis falls all the way to 30, there's going to be some DE prospects (probably of the group of 4 you mentioned even) available at our 2nd round pick. You could double up like the Bills did...

I really don't think this thought process is fair to the evaluation of Karlftis either. He likely is tapped out physically, he's 6'4" 275 and a load at the LOS. It's the same thing as Aidan Hutchinson being tapped out physically. Many of the others, especially a guy like Majai Sanders, don't play at the same level Karlaftis does and they need to establish pro bodies.

Karlaftis sets a hard edge and is disciplined against the run rather than a pin-your-ears-back, one-trick pony like many collegiate ends. He's explosive as well. He got a lot of double-teams too as he was the focal point at Purdue unlike a guy like Hutchinson or Obajo, where Michigan will likely have 3 guys on the line picked by the end of day 2 in this draft and could 4 from the unit drafted. I'm not saying those players are bad, they both look great, but they didnt have the doubles like Karlaftis had.

If there is any argument, he doesn't have elite bend. What he does do though is use his hands well and makes himself skinny to slip blocks and then his closing burst is elite. When he gets there, you know it too. I look at him as a perfect 4-3 LDE.

If he magically falls, I would take him well above any and all of the guys you have listed here.

I admittedly haven’t watched him much because I never expected him to make it out of the top 15. I’ll take a deeper look if he continues to be mocked in the later first.

Yea, I thought Karlaftis was a bit overrated when most had him in the top 10-15 picks, but he’d be an absolute steal at 30.

It would be very similar to Greg Rousseau’s fall last year.

From what you all are saying, BPA comes to mind. IF there is a chance to get Allen Robinson, THEN go BPA on the defensive side all the way. I do not know enough of the RB class but we NEED a bruising RB. A north and south runner to get it done in the red zone. So tired of us NOT getting it done there. We shall see what happens but this will become a chess game for Veach to see what he can do. :thumb:

I like McDuffie alot too but he's probably going mid-teens no?

Ok guys, added Ebiketie, went back and watched a couple more games of his, so I feel comfortable putting him on the list despite not quite being a 1st rounder for me personally yet.

Most have him anywhere from the mid 20s to the 2nd round.

for me, it's Jermaine Johnson or Cam Thomas. Measureables AND production.

Jermaine Johnson would be my pick there as well. They’ve gotta attack the dl with some young talent this year

WR or S

Yea let’s draft a position (need) over a player!

I like Ebiketie too. Can't see any chance Karlaftis falls anywhere near us, especially after he tests. Probably also unlikely but Burks...maybe falls there?

Working through some more offseason exercises and thinking about it some more, I don't think there's a LB I take at 30. If that's my best bet or highest guy on the board by a long shot at 30, I'm trying to trade back.

Think I agree

If trading back is an option, absolutely.

But if Dean or Lloyd are BPA, and I can’t trade down, then I’m taking them.

Starting to see mocks that have us taking a CB in round 1, specifically Kair Elam.

I'm down with that.

I don't know where Kyler Gordon's stock ends up, but if it's in the right range I could get on board with that.

It would be weird to see Veach spend high draft assets on a CB, though. Kind of a "see it when I believe it" situation, to quote a guy we all know.

Deep class at Edge.

It's really a numbers game. If you think someone like Johnson goes early, then maybe Karlaftis slides. Or Ojabo, Sanders, Walker, etc...

I think there are arguably 12 edge defenders in this draft who could get legit 1st round grades. I just can't see a scenario where nearly 1/2 the picks taken ahead of us are defensive ends.

That's why I just keep focusing on the position. There's just soooo much depth there that I'd be floored if there's not a guy who I think should be a 1st round player available to us at the end of the round.

It's very possibly the best overall edge class I've ever seen even without a real Myles Garrett sort of prospect at the top of the class.

This.

It's all about who goes where. One of them is going to fall to us at 30 as guys move up and down the board.

Yup.

That's my 12th guy in.

I do think there's a drop-off after Johnson to someone like Cameron Thomas, but even that's about 6 guys deep, IMO. And you'll need to see a litle helium from some guys like Hall and Enagbare.

But it's a crazy deep class.

this is Reuter's Three-round 2022 NFL mock draft 1.0

Round 1 Kaiir Elam, Florida · CB · Junior

leaving this on the table...

Jahan Dotson
Daxton Hill
Roger mcCreary
Chris Olave
Nik Bonitto
Justyn Ross
Arnold Ebiketie
Travon Walker
Kyler Gordon
Jaquan Brisker

Round 2 Bernhard Raimann, Central Michigan · OT · Senior

Round 3a Wan'Dale Robinson, Kentucky · WR · Junior

Round 3b Sam Williams, Mississippi · Edge · Senior


Curious as to your thoughts?

https://www.nfl.com/news/three-round...ted-in-round-1

Elam is good and it would be a pick that made sense if the Chiefs took him there. But I have a hard time believing they would pass on Walker AND Olave to take Elam.

Man, if we wait until the 3rd round comp to address edge in a freakishly deep DE class I'm just gonna be pissed off.

Wasn't it like 2014 where there was just an incredible WR draft class and we essentially skipped the pool altogether?

We just can't do that. Not when the need is as dire as it is and the draft fits that need so perfectly.

If Walker and Ebiketie are there in the first and we take Elam, I will be one extremely unhappy panda.

Wait a minute - that draft has DeMarvin Leal falling to the 3rd round. What the ****? I haven't seen him slide past mid-2 in any draft so far. And while I think Raimann is a hell of a prospect and would actually love getting him at 2 (make that draft Walker/Raimann and I'd JIMP), there's just no way we wouldn't take Leal at the back of 2 if we went CB in round 1.