NFL Draft 2022: Latest 1st-Round Mocks, Odds, Best Fits for Top Prospects

The wait for the 2022 NFL draft is almost over.

In less than a week, fans and front offices alike will tie their hopes to the biggest and brightest stars of the college football world. Fortunes will change in a span of three nights, for better or worse.

We can't wait for the actual talent grab, and since you came to this article, we're assuming you can't either. To help whet all of our appetites, we'll examine a few of the latest expert mocks, spotlight some of the latest draft odds and find the best team fits for the top prospects.

Expert Mock Roundup

Andy Nelson/Associated Press

Hoping to find consensus among draft experts? Sorry, but that's not happening this year.

In examining mocks from The Athletic's Dane Brugler, NFL.com's Peter Schrager and ESPN's tandem of Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay, the disagreements start as soon as the mocks do. Edge-rushers are slotted into the Nos. 1 and 2 picks, but the order isn't the same. Brugler and the ESPN scribes went with Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson at No. 1, while Schrager has Georgia's Travon Walker. The experts do, however, have the same two players in their top two.

Dropping down to No. 3, Brugler and Schrager have the Houston Texans taking NC State offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu, while Kiper and McShay went with Oregon edge-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux. Brugler and Schrager don't see Thibodeaux waiting long to hear his name called, as they both mocked him No. 4 to the New York Jets. ESPN's crew, meanwhile, sent Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner to the Jets, with Ekwonu going No. 5 to the New York Giants.

Brugler and Schrager were similarly thinking offensive line for the Giants, though, again there's no consensus here. Brugler put Alabama's Evan Neal in that spot, while Schrager went with Mississippi State's Charles Cross.

NFL Draft Odds

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

No. 1 Pick

Aidan Hutchinson -200 (Bet $200 to win $100)

Travon Walker -180

Ikem Ekwonu +1300 (Bet $100 to win $1,300)

Evan Neal +1400

Kayvon Thibodeaux +1800

Malik Willis +4000

Charles Cross +5000

Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner +5000

Kenny Pickett +6000

Kyle Hamilton +8000

Total Defensive Players in Round 1

Over 15.5 -125

Under 15.5 -105

Total Offensive Players in Round 1

Under 16.5 -120

Over 16.5 -110

Total Quarterbacks in Round 1

Over 2.5 -250

Under 2.5 +190

First Quarterback Selected

Malik Willis -150

Kenny Pickett +150

Desmond Ridder +1000

Matt Corral +1800

Sam Howell +4000

*Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Best Fits for Top Prospects

Kendall Warner/Associated Press

Aidan Hutchinson: Detroit Lions

It seems more likely than not Hutchinson won't be available for the Lions at No. 2, but that still leaves open the possibility for the Michigan native to stick in his home state.

"It would definitely be cool," Hutchinson told reporters. "I'd be living close to home. It would definitely make the transition a bit easier to the NFL just being so close to home and close to my parents."

As an added bonus, there are scheme similarities between what Hutchinson did at Michigan and how the Lions played last season.

Malik Willis: Pittsburgh Steelers

Willis has a sky-high ceiling, but he needs time to hone his skills. Pittsburgh can afford to be patient with former No. 2 pick Mitch Trubisky in place to serve as the bridge out of the Ben Roethlisberger era.

Once Willis proves ready, though, the job would be his. As soon as that happens, he'd take over a team that can win games with defense and rushing, meaning it wouldn't need him to do everything on his own.

Willis could team with 2021 first-rounder Najee Harris to give the Steelers one of the league's most potent ground games, and when Willis aired it out, he could spread it around to playmakers like Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson and Pat Freiermuth, all of whom are 25 and under.

Kenny Pickett: Carolina Panthers

The Panthers might have already seen enough to know Sam Darnold isn't the long-term answer at quarterback, but 2018's No. 3 pick can hold things down until Pickett is ready to go.

Should Pickett land in Carolina—staying a Panther, just like he was at Pittsburgh!—he could have the pieces around him needed to succeed. The Panthers boast an elite defense, an all-galaxy, dual-threat running back in Christian McCaffrey and an impact trio of receivers with D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson and 2021 second-rounder Terrace Marshall Jr.

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