ESPN's Todd McShay releases first 2022 NFL mock draft
Michigan football’s NFL draft picture continues to come into focus as we get closer to 2022. Defensive end/linebackers Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo are at the forefront of first-round conversations. The pass rush duo combined for 25 sacks this season.
ESPN’s Todd McShay released his first 2022 NFL mock draft on Tuesday morning. He became the latest pundit to name Hutchinson his No. 1 overall prospect. Given how the season has played out, this would keep him in Michigan with the hometown Detroit Lions.
The Lions, who are perpetually rebuilding, have holes all over the roster. McShay believes the pick comes down to the best available player on the board.
“Instead, the Lions need to take the best player available, and right now, that’s Hutchinson,” McShay writes. “The production speaks for itself: He has 14.0 sacks, 73 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and a pair of forced fumbles, and he tends to play at his best in the biggest spots. Detroit is in the bottom five in yards allowed per play (5.9), points allowed per game (27.2) and sacks (20), and while Romeo Okwara, Julian Okwara, Trey Flowers and a host of others can be impact players, Hutchinson could be the guy on the edge for the Lions.”
Ojabo is an underclassman and has a decision to make on his Michigan future. He comes off the board with the No. 10 overall pick to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Philly jump-starts its three-pick Round 1 party with an explosive pass-rusher,” McShay said. “Ojabo’s first step is lightning fast, and he closes on the QB extremely well — his 11.0 sacks and 14 tackles for loss this season prove it. Brandon Graham will be 34 years old and returning from an Achilles injury next season, and only two teams have fewer sacks this year than the Eagles’ 21. And while they would love see (Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton) fall to them, the Eagles get a defensive upgrade with Ojabo. Michigan has had multiple first-round defenders only three times (1972, 2017 and 2019), but here it sends two to the top 10.
Hutchinson and Ojabo represent the only Michigan players in McShay’s first mock draft. Third-year defensive back Daxton Hill is a potential first-round prospect, but ranks No. 40 overall on ESPN’s draft rankings for this class.
The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the 2022 NFL Draft is Jan. 17, so there is plenty of time for decisions to be made. Nothing is expected to drop before Michigan’s College Football Playoff showdown with Georgia on Dec. 31 in the Orange Bowl. Should the Wolverines advance from there, they will play in the national title game in Indianapolis on Jan. 10.
