New York Jets consensus 2022 mock draft entering Week 18
With 17 weeks of football in the books, here is how the New York Jets‘ 10 picks in the 2022 NFL draft are currently stacking up:
- Round 1, Pick 4
- Round 1, Pick 7 (via Seattle)
- Round 2, Pick 35
- Round 2, Pick 38 (via Carolina)
- Round 3, Pick 69
- Round 4, Pick 108 (via Carolina)
- Round 4, Pick 115 (via Minnesota)
- Round 5, Pick 144
- Round 5, Pick 158 (via Pittsburgh)
If the draft were held today, what would the Jets’ nine-player draft class look like?
I decided to take my best stab at concocting a consensus seven-round Jets mock draft based on the opinions of those around the world.
To do it, I relied upon the consensus big board at NFL Mock Draft Database, which combines 31 big boards from draft analysts across the internet to stack up 589 draft-eligible prospects.
Using that big board as the basis, here is the process for how I made each pick for the Jets:
- (Rounds 1-4) The Jets take the player ranked at their pick slot if that player fits a position of need* (i.e. they take the 4th-ranked prospect at pick No. 4)
- (Rounds 1-4) If the Jets have already addressed that player’s position or the player does not play a position of need, they move on to the highest-ranked prospect at a position of need they have not addressed yet
- Starting in the fifth round, I selected the highest-ranked player at a position that remained a plausible need following the picks made in the previous four rounds (meaning that repeat positions were allowed)
*- The positions of need I went with are WR, TE, OT, G, C, EDGE, LB, CB, S. I began considering RB in the fourth round.
Here we go: a rough outline of a consensus seven-round 2022 New York Jets mock draft with one week to go in the 2021 regular season.
Round 1, Pick 4: Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
- Big board rank: 4th
Rated as the nation’s No. 1 recruit in the 2019 class by Rivals.com, Derek Stingley Jr. offers limitless talent and a prestigious pedigree, but he battled injuries and inconsistent play over three years at LSU.
In 15 games as a freshman, Stingley Jr. had six interceptions and 15 pass breakups while allowing a passer rating of 52.8. He played only seven games in his sophomore year and saw his allowed passer rating rise to 74.7 while picking off no passes. This year, Stingley Jr. played in just three games while allowing a passer rating of 130.8 (although he was only targeted five times).
Round 1, Pick 7: Ikem Ekwonu, OT, North Carolina St.
- Big board rank: 7th
Junior left tackle Ikem Ekwonu graded out as the best Power-5 left tackle this season at Pro Football Focus, earning a 91.6 overall grade. He had the position’s best run-blocking grade at 93.8 and performed well as a pass protector allowing 13 pressures over 500 protection snaps (2.6% rate).
Particularly, Ekwonu thrived as a zone-blocker, earning the best zone-blocking grade among all FBS tackles at 95.9.
Ekwonu also played some left guard in his sophomore season.
Round 2, Pick 35: Kingsley Enagbare, EDGE, South Carolina
- Big board rank: 38th
- Passed on: OT Darian Kinnard, QB Carson Strong, QB Desmond Ridder
Senior defensive end Kingsley Enagbare had the second-highest pass-rush grade at PFF among Power-5 edge rushers this season at 92.5, trailing only Aidan Hutchinson of Michigan.
Enagbare picked up 45 pressures on 258 pass-rush snaps for a pressure rate of 17.4%, better than higher-regarded EDGE prospects Hutchinson (17.2%), Kayvon Thibodeaux (16.6%), and George Karlaftis (16.1%).
Round 2, Pick 38: Jordan Battle, S, Alabama
- Big board rank: 40th
- Passed on: IDL Travon Walker
A high school teammate of Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore in Florida, Jordan Battle is a versatile safety for the Crimson Tide. He has three interceptions, three pass breakups, and 81 tackles this season, scoring two pick-sixes. PFF has Battle ranked as the No. 2 safety in the Power-5 with a 90.2 overall grade.
Round 3, Pick 69: Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky
- Big board rank: 72nd
- Passed on: EDGE Zach Harrison, DL Travis Jones, RB Zach Charbonnet
Junior wideout Wan’Dale Robinson caught 104 passes for 1,334 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound speedster was highly efficient on a per-play basis. He averaged 3.56 yards per route run, ranking third-best among qualified Power-5 wide receivers behind only Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba (4.01) and Arkansas’ Treylon Burks (3.57).
Elusiveness is the hallmark of Robinson’s game. He tied for second among Power-5 receivers with 22 missed tackles forced after the catch in 2021.
Kentucky also utilized Robinson on the ground, feeding him seven carries that resulted in 111 yards.
Round 4, Pick 108: Hassan Haskins, RB, Michigan
- Big board rank: 108th
A bigger back at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, Wolverines senior Hassan Haskins rushed 270 times for 1,327 yards and 20 touchdowns over 14 games in 2021. He’s a fundamentally sound player who never dropped a pass in his career, never fumbled, and was relied upon for solid pass-blocking.
Round 4, Pick 115: Zakoby McClain, LB, Auburn
- Big board rank: 118th
- Passed on: OT Tyler Smith, CB Mario Goodrich, CB Sevyn Banks
Senior linebacker Zakoby McClain picked up 95 tackles (8 for loss), two sacks, and six pass breakups for the Tigers this season. McClain is a smaller linebacker at six feet and 219 pounds, fitting the Jets’ mold for the position.
The Jets also picked an Auburn linebacker on day three of the draft last year – Jamien Sherwood, who played alongside McClain for three years.
Round 5, Pick 144: Tyreke Smith, EDGE, Ohio St.
- Big board rank: 147th
- Passed on: RB Zonovan Knight, OT Nick Broeker, DL Zachary Carter
Tyreke Smith had 36 pressures in a limited role for the Buckeyes this year, recording a solid 13.9% pressure rate and earning an 81.0 pass-rush grade at PFF. The 6-foot-3, 265-pound defensive end added five tackles for loss, three sacks, and two pass deflections in 10 games.
Round 5, Pick 158: Tykee Smith, S, Georgia
- Big board rank: 158th
Junior safety Tykee Smith transferred from West Virginia to Georgia for the 2021 season but only played in one game due to multiple injuries. He missed the start of the year while recovering from foot surgery and then tore his ACL during the season.
However, Smith was on a star-caliber trajectory prior to this season. In 2020, he had 61 tackles, eight tackles for loss, five pass breakups, and two interceptions over only nine games for the Mountaineers. He earned the best coverage grade among Power-5 safeties with a mark of 89.7.
Smith allowed only 110 yards on 25 passes completed against his coverage in 2020. That’s an average of 4.4 yards per reception, the lowest mark allowed by Power-5 safeties that year.
The final haul
Here is our consensus Jets mock draft:
- 4. Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
- 7. Ikem Ekwonu, OT, North Carolina St.
- 35. Kingsley Enagbare, EDGE, South Carolina
- 38. Jordan Battle, S, Alabama
- 69. Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky
- 108. Hassan Haskins, RB Michigan
- 115. Zakoby McClain, LB, Auburn
- 144. Tyreke Smith, EDGE, Ohio St.
- 158. Tykee Smith, S, Georgia
Play: 👉 the Jet X Offseason SimulatorÂ
I’m curious to know where Tyler Linderbaum and George Karlaftis went in this meta-mock.
The problem with a lot of these “rating/mock” sites it the info is outdated or not updated. Even though this is a “mesh” if you will of big boards there are some huge gaps. I don’t like Stingley, he only played well for one season, and that was two years ago. He’s injured and as someone posted below we don’t need another injury case. I also don’t like that small WR from Kentucky. I’d like a bigger WR. The Jets MUST draft a TE and LB in this draft and maybe two. I think they can pass on a RB because they will be signing someone from SF to go with what they have, and honestly I like all of the SF FA RB’s (just opinion). Someone mentioned the Safety but as I look at the salary structure I don’t think it’s possible to draft a safety top 10, have that player be as good as you want them to be and then resign them to a second contract. I mean if you have to pay $17-$20 million a year to a player who’s performing at that level it’s going to be a Pass Rusher, CB, QB, or maybe WR or OT. It’s not going to be a safety because you can’t pay a safety that kind of money then pay for the other spots too. It’s just not good team building. Look at Seattle, what they paid in money and draft capital for Adams. I’m sure everyone in that organization would say they wouldn’t make that decision again. Also, after watching what the LSU boys at WR do for their QB’s I’m convinced Zach needs a player like Chase or Jefferson. I’m willing to live with another year of “softer” (not historically bad) defense and get Zach a star WR. It’s very early, we are all looking at the draft, this was a good overview.
Jets really really need a TE and none were taken by consensus. What is the 2022 FA market for TEs?
Also, the SF playbook relies heavily on a FB, either by design or usage of an exemplary athlete. Does FB Baldwin’s level of play warrant having him stick around? From which round would picking a FB in the draft not be considered a reach?
It’s Bawden, not Baldwin.
thanks
i usually check my spelling before posting but was lazy this time
Looks good,but I don’t want an often injured player at 1.Had enough of that with the CB from Alabama and Trumaine Johnson.
Nania…If this is our draft we have messed up. I know you have not started watching tape. I have been watching a mixture of any all 22 and full game cut ups. This draft has the talent we need to get back to the top. I would go Kyle Hamilton (I usually stick to prem. positions, but I think he can be a special player as he gains 10lbs over time and matures physically. The I would take Treylon Burks or Jameson Williams. 1st choice is Burks, Reminds me of a faster Allen Robinson. 2nd round picks would be Best LB (that falls to top of round 2 happens every year) and TE. Than from there would try to double up at WR with someone like a Jayden Reed or Anias Smith and let Berrios walk if he wants more than 4.5 million per year. I love Berrios but he is very replaceable, last I checked we don’t want to be the team overpaying for Jeremy Lin! Rest of draft would be adding another LB & safety, Edge, CB, developmental player on the line. F/A should help us determine exact needs for us, but we definitely need to be a playoff team next year.
I agree I wouldn’t like this draft, I just wanted to lay out how the board is falling right now. Hamilton does seem like a great pick based on what I’ve seen/heard/researched so far, I’m perfectly okay with taking “non-premium” positions in the top-10 if the player is great enough to warrant it and it seems like he is. Safety is an enormous hole for this defense too.
I saw you were using some neutral parameters. Just wanted to piggyback off of it with a draft I feel would be better for the Jets
New players are put in the mix to examine.
Berrios stats are replaceable. He’s young, wants to be here, is developing great chemistry with Zach, he’s a great returner, everyone likes him…you keep Berrios. I agree that this draft would be awful. Obviously it depends on what they do in FA. They could “buy or rent” offense and walk out of this draft with 4 or 5 killer pieces on defense. I mean if we got Hamilton AND Dean?
I think one of the backer like Devin Lloyd or Dean will fall to top of 2nd and then with a Hamilton and Burks in Rd 1.
Along with a Mc Bride in rd 2. Looking good real fast!
right on!
Since there are no hot QB’s in this class I don’t think Dean or Lloyd will fall to top of round 2. I think the Jets need to take one in the first round.
A good LB will be available. If Dean or Lloyd are not there you grab a LB you like with 2nd pick in rd 2 or trade back a little or just wait until round 3. Good LB don’t need to drafted in rd 1. You can get a good one in 2 or 3. Plus keep in mind a hot QB may not be in top of round. But could still see 3 or 4 QB’s in round one (Pickett, Corral, Willis and Howell) or maybe someone wants to trade up for Seattle pick or to the top of round 2 for one of them that falls a little. We have some great options and I feel we will be in great shape!
More likely it’s the LBs from Ohio Sate (Devon Smith?) and the guy from Penn St.
I like Burks…a LOT, I don’t like the safety as I wrote above. I think you’re instincts are correct in keeping to premium positions that high, only because if they really are good it’s impossible to pay them. I’d try to trade out of 4 and then grab Dean, Lloyd, or Ojabo with Seattle’s pick. Then take the WR. Overall, I like your thinking. I am not sure we are a playoff team next year but we should be playing for a playoff spot in December.
I agree prem in most situations But the reason why I looked at Hamilton is a feel he may be a All Pro, at worst a Pro Bowler. So in that scenario I think for what we need his impact could still be big for us. Being able to have someone who can play TE’s 1 on 1 and also has good coverage instincts and is a solid run defender as well. Really helps us on a lot of levels. I would be open to trading down and taking a prem. position but unless one of the edges or Neal is there at 4 Hamilton is the play to me.
I agree with trading down. Especially if Stingley is the pick at #4. If we can trade back 5-10 spots we can still nab Linderbaum and Karlaftis.
I have not been as big a fan of Linderbaum. He is very smart. But he is not that good at point of attack. Late 1st early 2nd round pick is what I see. Not a top 15 player like a lot of people are saying.