NFL mock draft 2022 – Mike Tannenbaum’s GM picks for 32 first-round selections,

The 2022 NFL draft is four weeks away, and I can’t wait. At the moment, 24 teams will have the chance to add at least one impact player in Round 1 — eight teams no longer have a first-round selection — and while this year’s class might be light on surefire franchise quarterbacks, it certainly has plenty of game-changing prospects.

As a former NFL general manager and executive, I’ve been through the draft process, from building a big board to submitting the picks. It’s difficult enough to manage one team’s picks. But today, I’m going to put my GM hat back on and make selections for every team with a first-rounder in 2022.

But this isn’t your traditional mock draft. I’m leaving the actual Round 1 predictions to my colleagues. This isn’t what I’m expecting or what I’m hearing. Instead, what follows is how I’d make each first-round pick if I was representing each of the 24 teams with at least one Day 1 selection. It’s based off my own evaluations and preferences, along with what I believe makes the most sense for every team on the board.

So here are my GM selections for the first 32 picks, starting with a no-brainer for Jaguars GM Trent Baalke at No. 1 overall. And be sure to check out our SportsCenter Special at 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday (ESPN2).

Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan

The Jaguars already have allocated a lot of resources to their offensive line this offseason. They franchise-tagged left tackle Cam Robinson and signed guard Brandon Scherff to a three-year, $52.5 million deal. So while I thought about an offensive tackle here and might have gone that way a month ago, it has to be Hutchinson. He had 66 pressures in 2021, and he can be a culture-setter for Jacksonville for years to come.

Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati

If I’m Detroit, I’m crossing my fingers that Jacksonville goes another way, leaving Hutchinson for an easy win here at No. 2. That’s not how things happened, though. And yes, I know the Lions used the No. 3 overall pick on cornerback Jeff Okudah just two years ago, but I also know he has ended up on injured reserve in both of his pro seasons and has been limited to 10 total games. The Lions gave up the NFL’s third-best opponent QBR (53.4) last year and still need a corner. Gardner didn’t surrender more than 13 yards in a game or a single TD all season in 2021.

Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame

I’m not worried about the underwhelming 40-yard dash times he posted at the combine (4.59) and his pro day. Hamilton has rare versatility and traits for a safety, and he’d be an instant-impact player on the back end. Houston needs help everywhere, but considering it tied for the second-most yards allowed per play in the NFL last season (5.9), defense jumps out.

Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State

The Jets did a nice job in free agency, but they still need a true No. 1 receiver after Tyreek Hill chose Miami over New York in a trade from the Chiefs. Elijah Moore, Corey Davis and Braxton Berrios are a solid trio, but Wilson is a difference-maker. Second-year quarterback Zach Wilson needs that. On 102 targets, Garrett Wilson had only two drops and caught 89.7% of his catchable balls, per ESPN Stats & Information tracking.