First-round picks from 1 to 32, including Jaguars, Lions and Texans in top three

The order for the top 18 picks in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft is set — after a bit of Week 18 chaos — with the Jacksonville Jaguars picking No. 1 and the Detroit Lions picking No. 2. Could both teams be thinking pass-rusher with their selections? NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranks a pair of defensive ends 1-2 on his Big Board: Aidan Hutchinson (Michigan) and Kayvon Thibodeaux (Oregon). The Jags and Lions both won on Sunday to lock in the top two picks, followed by the Houston Texans at No. 3.

This draft, however, figures to take on a distinctly New York flavor early. Both the Jets (courtesy of a trade with Seattle) and Giants (via a trade with Chicago) have two picks among the top 10. The Jets will be on the clock at pick Nos. 4 and 10, while the Giants hold pick Nos. 5 and 7.

The Philadelphia Eagles have three first-round picks, the most of any team, but the first one doesn’t come up until No. 15 (via a trade with Miami). They also have pick No. 16 and a to-be-determined selection depending on how far they go in the playoffs.

The 2022 NFL draft will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, home of the Las Vegas Raiders, with the first round slated for April 28. Rounds 2 and 3 will take place on April 29, while Rounds 4 through 7 will be on April 30. The draft will be broadcast on ESPN, ABC and the ESPN App.

Check out the top 18 picks below, with Nos. 19-32 projected from the ESPN Football Power Index (FPI), which projects the order by simulating the rest of the season 10,000 times. (Team write-ups below have been updated from December).

The Jaguars have a long list of needs: wide receiver, pass-rusher, offensive tackle, tight end, linebacker — pretty much everywhere but quarterback and cornerback. But if the approach is to build around Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars could and should go heavy on offense … after grabbing the pass-rusher of their choice at No. 1. — Michael DiRocco

With the No. 2 overall pick, it would make sense to go with an elite edge rusher who also fits the hard-nosed culture that coach Dan Campbell is trying to build in Motown. Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was a Heisman Trophy finalist, and he makes sense from a football perspective (in addition to being a local product), as does Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux.

The pick could be a foundational player for the Lions’ future as they continue to rebuild, and they’ll get another late first-round pick because they have the Rams’ selection from the Matthew Stafford–Jared Goff trade. Picking the right guys will be pivotal to the franchise. — Eric Woodyard

The biggest question is whether Houston decides to use this pick on a quarterback. It’s not a particularly great QB class, and rookie signal-caller Davis Mills has showed signs of life down the stretch of the season. Do the Texans go with a veteran option, give the ultra-affordable Mills another chance or draft the player the team hopes is the QB of the future? — Sarah Barshop

The Jets have nine picks total — including four in the first two rounds — so this has to be a franchise-altering draft. They will have two top-10 picks for the first time in the common draft era (since…