That truly once-in-a-lifetime moment for college football players arrives in Las Vegas, April 28-30. The 2022 NFL Draft is knocking at the door. The opportunity to live out a personal ‘show me the money’ moment is here for a select few who have played in the ACC+1 (ACC and Notre Dame). What players are going in the first round? What quarterback is snatched up first? Will there be an emphasis on a particular skill position this season?
We’ll take a different approach to looking at the mock drafts that are peppering the landscape this year. One in particular from the NFL’s Rhett Lewis has compared ‘Need’ vs ‘Best Player Available’ for his first round picks. Lewis’ approach appears to be emulating the process that teams go through as they make their decision on which player they’ll tap on the shoulder. In other words, it may make more sense than a cut and dried mock draft.
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There’s only the first round to look at with Lewis’ article however we went three deep with Ryan Wilson’s piece over at CBS Sports. Before you get too excited here’s a reality check. The number of ACC players in the second and third rounds goes from scant to none after a healthy first round. The thing about the NFL Draft is that you never know who’s going to be picked until the name is called. And, there’s plenty of life after the first three rounds.
Need vs Best Player Available
| PICK | NAME/POS | TEAM |
| #2 | KYLE HAMILTON-SAFETY | NOTRE DAME |
| #3 | IKEM EKWONU-OT | NC STATE |
| #19 | SAM HOWELL-QB | NORTH CAROLINA |
| #26 | JERMAINE JOHNSON II-EDGE | FLORIDA STATE |
| #27 | ANDREW BOOTH-CB | CLEMSON |
Lewis has Howell as the first quarterback off the board and heading to New Orleans. Howell would, presumably be backing up former Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston who was just picked up by the Saints in the off-season. Howell would learn the ropes and is projected to be the future for the team at that position.
- Hamilton is projected to Detroit
- Ekwonu is projected to Houston
- Johnson is projected to Tennessee
- Booth is projected to Tampa Bay
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In the three rounds of the Las Vegas proceedings provided by Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports, he looks at differently. This approach is more of a standard mock draft. It includes some additional names that shuffles the cards with quarterbacks.
NFL Mock Draft 2022
| ROUND | PLAYER/POS | TEAM | NFL(PROJ) |
| 1-1 | IKEM EKWONU-OL | NC STATE | JACKSONVILLE |
| 1-11 | KYLE HAMILTON-S | NOTRE DAME | WASHINGTON |
| 1-14 | JERMAINE JOHNSON II-EDGE | FLORIDA STATE | BALTIMORE |
| 1-25 | ANDREW BOOTH-CB | CLEMSON | HOUSTON |
| 1-32 | KENNY PICKETT-QB | PITT | DETROIT |
| 2-39 | ZION JOHNSON-OG | BOSTON COLLEGE | CHICAGO |
| 2-43 | SAM HOWELL-QB | NORTH CAROLINA | ATLANTA |
In Wilson’s mock the first quarterback off the board is Liberty’s Malik Willis who has been getting a lot of chatter. Pitt’s Kenny Pickett has been sliding up and down draft boards for weeks. In some he is in the top 10 and others, such as Wilson’s he is in the bottom portion of round one. From one perspective Pickett isn’t ‘perceived’ as dynamic. On the other hand he is a hard-working and consistent player who will probably have a long NFL career. The one thing that can be said of the team that picks him. They’re serious about their football.
One can only wonder how many times, ‘Show Me The Money’ will be heard with fans flocking to Las Vegas for the 2022 NFL Draft.
