Hamilton is the answer for an abysmal Vikes secondary

This Thursday marks the start of the 2022 NFL draft. Draft night is a spectacle unlike much else in the sports world. Not only do teams feel the thrill of revamping their squad with potential great young talent, but the players themselves obtain the sense of accomplishment they’ve worked their entire lives for.

Too often we as sports fans get caught up on “busts” and “reaches” in the draft. But for the players hearing their name get called, it sets up their families for generational wealth and allows them to live out the dream so many kids have growing up.

The other reason why draft night is so special is because no one really knows how the night will play out. This year’s draft stands out in that regard, as there are no home run quarterbacks to headline the draft (I don’t think any of these guys are round one talents).

There are still rumors circling around who will be the first overall selection, which is usually known well before the draft process even begins.

This draft will mark just the sixth time since 2001 and seventh time since 1998 that a quarterback won’t go first overall. The lack of clarity around the most important position in football has created a trickle-down effect where there is a lot of debate surrounding which young talent is the best at their respected position.

In my mock draft, I have defenseive end Aidan Hutchinson going first overall to the Jaguars.

Outside of quarterback, edge or offensive line are the typical next positions taken in the draft.

There’s a whirlwind of rumors with defensive end Travon Walker going in this spot or even the top two tackles in the draft.

I went with the only defensive Heisman candidate from this season going first with Walker directly behind him. I think either way these quarterback killers go one and two.

Next on the board are the Texans. This team needs help everywhere on the field. They’ll likely try to trade back, but if both the premium pass rushers are off the board, they should have their pick of the top tackles in the draft. Lately Evan Neal has been flying up mock drafts, but I stood strong with Ikem Ekwonu who has been the top guy until this last week.

The Jets sprint to the podium to take Sauce Gardner at four. There’s a real shot he goes two or three because this guy is different. After not letting up a single receiving touchdown in his entire collegiate career, he told reporters he doesn’t plan on letting one up in the NFL either. He has all the tools, production, and swagger to be a true lockdown corner.

Sauce has the build to be Dion like, Richard Sherman esque, or a Ramsey clone, and I’ll take that guy on my squad every day of the week.

Picks five through seven get dicey with the Panthers likely trying to trade back, and same goes for the giants with one of their two top picks. However, I don’t like to project trades because they’re too volatile, so instead I had the Panthers taking the first quarterback off the board in Pitt’s Kenny Pickett.

As for the Giants, they too need a lot of help, so I had them getting better on both sides for the line by taking the next best edge and one of the top two tackles. Both selections could be flipped, but either way these guys would help bring the Giants back towards the middle class of the league.

The next wild card that needs to be addressed is the wide receiver position. This is another loaded class at that position, and one that many teams will look to address in the first round.

Recent hits on early WR talent has led to extreme confidence in taking one in the first round. With this class, I have Williams as the first off the board. If he were healthy, he’d be the first off everyone’s board because he has elite vertical speed that can take the top off a defense.

Where William’s strength is speed, London’s is his strength and size. The only bigger WR with a first round grade, I think London would go a long way to help Zach Wilson’s progression and give him a match up nightmare on the outside.

We also need to address the Ohio State pair in Olave and Wilson. Both have the production and slippery route running to take ankles with one-on-one matchups.

I believe teams will bet on the potential of Williams or London instead of taking either of the Ohio State duo’s high floor and solid production.

Again, teams are likely to pick the guy who fits their style and scheme more, but in any order these four studs will all go in the first round.