Peter King mocks up first 10 picks of April's NFL Draft
It’s April, which means it’s NFL Draft season. As the big event draws closer, mock drafts are rolling in, and NBC’s Peter King put together his mock top 10.
King didn’t have any surprise names, but he predicted a trade. He projects the Los Angeles Chargers to trade with the New York Giants, which comes after the New Orleans Saints made an interesting trade to leapfrog the Chargers. He remained steadfast with plenty of other mock drafts with his No. 1 pick projection, though.
Here’s Peter King’s full mock top 10.
Peter King’s top 10 NFL Draft picks
1. Aidan Hutchinson — Jacksonville Jaguars
Hutchinson is a virtual consensus No. 1 pick after the Jaguars made moves to build their offensive line. The former Michigan standout had a monster year in 2021 and led the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff.
2. Travon Walker — Detroit Lions
A huge part of a dominant Georgia defense, King projects Walker to go No. 2 to a Lions team that struggled mightily under first-year coach Dan Campbell last year. Still, he’d be a huge addition to the defense considering his impact on the national champion Bulldogs.
3. Evan Neal — Houston Texans
Neal is widely considered the best offensive lineman available, mainly because of his versatility. Some early mock drafts had the former Alabama star going to the Jaguars to help protect Trevor Lawrence before they signed Cam Robinson.
4. Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner — New York Jets
Gardner, who called himself the best player in the draft this week, is an interesting choice at No. 4. ESPN analysts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay both like former Notre Dame star Kyle Hamilton to the Jets, but King doesn’t even have Hamilton in the top 10. Instead, he’s opting for Gardner, who was integral to Cincinnati’s CFP appearance in 2021.
5. Ikem Ekwonu — New York Giants
Just behind Neal, Ekwonu is another top-tier offensive lineman prospect. He anchored the offensive line for NC State and would be tasked with protecting Daniel Jones if he ends up with the Giants.
6. Kenny Pickett — Carolina Panthers
Experts predict this draft won’t have much quarterback depth, but King has two quarterbacks in his top 10. He thinks the former Pitt star will go first to a Carolina team that struggled to find an answer at quarterback last year. Sam Darnold got hurt and Cam Newton didn’t wind up being the answer, either.
7. Charles Cross — Los Angeles Chargers (via Giants)
Here’s where things get crazy in King’s mock draft. Considering the Saints’ move — and similar needs — the Chargers could pull off a big-time trade and get Cross, who starred for Mississippi State. That’d be a huge addition as Los Angeles tries to protect Justin Herbert.
8. Malik Willis — Atlanta Falcons
Willis, a Liberty product, is widely seen as the first quarterback off the board, but King projects him to be the second one off after Pickett. Atlanta has an interesting quarterback situation after trading Matt Ryan, and Willis would be quite a pickup to replace him. However, it could be a long year for the Falcons even with Willis potentially under center.
9. Derek Stingley — Seattle Seahawks
A former LSU cornerback, Stingley is King’s second cornerback off the board to Seattle. The Seahawks made some moves this offseason on both sides of the ball, notably losing Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson, which adds to the intrigue for their 2022 campaign.
10. Kayvon Thibodeaux — New York Jets
Prior to the 2021 season, Thibodeaux was seen as a potential No. 1 pick. But after some injuries, the former Oregon standout fell to No. 10 in King’s mock draft. Still, if the Jets can add Thibodeaux and Gardner, it’d be quite a one-two punch on defense.