Pro Football Focus has surprise top-five in latest NFL mock draft

The hype is building as the 2022 NFL Draft approaches. Very soon, seniors will be duking it out at the Reese’s Senior Bowl and before you know it, the nation’s top players will showcase their skills and measurables at the NFL combine.

Pro Football Focus released their latest mock draft from Trevor Sikkema ahead of the conference championships. The PFF mock draft features all the familiar names, however, there are also some surprising picks up and down the list.

PFF First-round Mock Draft

1. Jacksonville Jaguars – Alabama OT Evan Neal
2. Detroit Lions – Michigan DE Aidan Hutchinson
3. Houston Texans – Notre Dame S Kyle Hamilton
4. New York Jets – NC State OT/G Ikem Ekwonu
5. New York Giants – Oregon DE Kayvon Thibodeaux
6. Carolina Panthers – Mississippi State OT Charles Cross
7. New York Giants (via Chicago) – Iowa C Tyler Linderbaum
8. Atlanta Falcons – Arkansas WR Treylon Burks
9. Denver Broncos – Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett
10. New York Jets (via Seattle) – USC WR Drake London
11. Washington Football Team – Ole Miss QB Matt Corral
12. Minnesota Vikings – LSU CB Derek Stingley Jr.
13. Cleveland Browns – Ohio State WR Garrett Wilson
14. Baltimore Ravens – Purdue DE George Karlaftis
15. Philadelphia Eagles (via Miami) – Michigan DE David Ojabo
16. Philadelphia Eagles (via Indianapolis) – Utah LB Devin Lloyd
17. Los Angeles Chargers – Georgia DT Jordan Davis
18. New Orleans Saints – Georgia WR George Pickens
19. Philadelphia Eagles – Washington CB Trent McDuffie
20. Pittsburgh Steelers – UNC QB Sam Howell
21. New England Patriots – Georgia LB Nakobe Dean
22. Las Vegas Raiders – Alabama WR Jameson Williams
23. Arizona Cardinals – USC DE Drake Jackson
24. Dallas Cowboys – Texas A&M OL Kenyon Green
25. Buffalo Bills – Clemson CB Andrew Booth
26. Tennessee Titans – Central Michigan OT Bernhard Raimann
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Auburn CB Roger McCreary
28. Green Bay Packers – Penn State WR Jahan Dotson
29. Cincinnati Bengals – Louisiana OT Max Mitchell
30. Miami Dolphins (via San Francisco) – Northern Iowa OT Trevor Penning
31. Detroit Lions (via LAR) – Penn State S Jaquan Brisker
32. Kansas City Chiefs – Cincinnati CB Ahmad Gardner

PFF Surprises

At the top of almost every mock draft out there, you’ll find three offensive linemen and two defensive ends. What varies is what order these star athletes are predicted to go in this year’s NFL Draft.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will almost certainly draft an offensive lineman, but can they resist a defensive end like Aidan Hutchinson or Kayvon Thibodeaux? Perhaps the biggest surprise at the top of PFF’s mock draft is safety Kyle Hamilton going to the Houston Texans at No. 3.

Another surprise is PFF’s hierarchy of quarterbacks. Unlike Mel Kiper’s first mock draft, which features Liberty quarterback Malik Willis as the first QB off the board, PFF’s doesn’t have Willis going in the first round at all. Instead, Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett is first, going to the rudderless Denver Broncos.

Despite Pro Football Focus ranking Arkansas’s Treylon Burks as the fifth wide receiver in this year’s draft, Trevor Sikkema’s mock has him off the board first at No. 8 to the Atlanta Falcons.

The NFL Draft’s first round starts on April 28.