Patriots 2022 Mock Draft Roundup: Projecting the First-Round Pick

Boston College O-lineman Zion Johnson is a popular pick for the New England Patriots, but the consensus seems to be for a defensive player

Zion or defense?

That's the way the New England Patriots are headed with their first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, based on a survey of 15 recent mock drafts released by national media outlets.

The Patriots have the 21st overall selection in the draft this year after their 10-7 finish and first-round playoff loss against the Buffalo Bills, and will go into the draft without a clear top positional need.

The 16 national media outlets — from NFL.com to Yahoo Sports and The Athletic and others in between — seem to be heavily favoring the defensive side of the ball.

Of the 15 mock drafts, all released with the past week or so, 12 projected a defensive player going to the Patriots at No. 21, including six picks for a linebacker, four for a cornerback and two for a safety.

But the most popular player in those mock drafts was Boston College interior offensive lineman Zion Johnson, a college guard who had a very impressive week at the Senior Bowl this year.

One of the 16 mocks included a projected trade whereby the Patriots would drop seven spots in the first round.

Here's a breakdown of all the selections, along with the accompanying commentary:

Todd McShay, ESPN — LB Nakobe Dean, Georgia

New England could use a spark in the middle of the defense. Dean might not have the measurables that NFL teams seek -- he is 5-foot-11 with shorter arms -- but his tape might be my favorite in the entire class because of his incredible effort on every play and the way he can impact the run defense, pass defense and pass rush on any given set of downs. I think he'd be a star in coach Bill Belichick's system.

Jordan Reid, ESPN — LB Devin Lloyd, Utah

This pick will likely come down to a wide receiver, linebacker or corner. Lloyd is a former safety with easy movement skills and versatility. He was at the center of it all for the Utes' defense and was able to generate lots of negative plays against opposing offenses. Lloyd is rangy when scraping over the top while also providing value as a blitzer. He has a game that revolves around speed and instincts and could be an ideal selection for New England.

Chad Reuter, NFL.com — (After projected trade with GB to move down to 28) S Jalen Pitre, Baylor

The deal with Miami for receiver DeVante Parker makes it even more likely the Pats trade out of their scheduled pick. Bill Belichick will gladly accept a third- and fourth-round pick from Green Bay to move down seven spots. New England could select Daxton Hill at this spot but Belichick might appreciate Pitre's strength against the run and ability as a blitzer, as well as his movement in coverage.

Peter Schrager, NFL.com — IOL Zion Johnson, Boston College

Johnson's stock began to soar at the combine, and I'm hearing he's interviewing incredibly well with teams. He can play center or guard and has a high football IQ. I think the Patriots can go a variety of ways (bold take!), but beefing up their offensive line and getting another protector up front makes sense.

Charles Davis, NFL.com — LB Devin Lloyd, Utah

The Patriots look to continue their tradition of leadership at the LB position -- think: Jerod Mayo and Dont'a Hightower -- with this rangy playmaker who just led Utah to its first Rose Bowl appearance.

Bruce Feldman, The Athletic — LB Quay Walker, Georgia

There are other good options for the Patriots here: Zion Johnson, an excellent interior O-lineman who played down the road at Boston College; Burks; and Alabama speedster Jameson Williams. But Walker’s potential will be tough for New England to pass up. This is a big, physical, explosive dude at 6-foot-4, 241 pounds, who blazed a 4.52 40 for the national champions. Some inside the Georgia program expect him to be a better NFL player than Dean. He made 67 tackles and had 25 quarterback pressures last season, including a team-high eight tackles in the national title game.

Ryan Wilson, CBSSports.com — CB Andrew Booth Jr., Clemson

Andrew Booth had a strong '21 season for Clemson and he's only going to get better with experience. The Patriots lost J.C. Jackson to the Chargers and they'll need to upgrade their secondary this offseason, something they didn't do during the first week of free agency.

Chris Trapasso, CBSSports.com — CB Kaiir Elam, Florida

The Patriots replace J.C. Jackson with a man-coverage specialist in Elam.

Josh Edwards, CBSSports.com — CB Kaiir Elam, Florida

Bill Belichick has always valued bigger cornerbacks that can play on the boundary. They acquired DeVante Parker from Miami so a need at wide receiver has diminished but cornerback still looms. Elam can step in and be counted upon much in the same way as Stephon Gilmore or J.C. Jackson.

Pete Prisco, CBSSports.com — S Jalen Pitre, Baylor

Versatile defensive backs are the Bill Belichick way, and Pitre would bring that skillset to the Patriots. He can play up near the line or in the middle of the field. He will be better than Kyle Hamilton, who will go earlier in this round.

Kyle Stackpole, CBSSports.com — IOL Zion Johnson, Boston College

The Patriots beef up their offensive line with the versatile and intelligent Johnson. The Boston College product has soared up draft boards to the point where some expect he'll be the first interior offensive lineman taken (like in this mock).

Jordan Dajani, CBSSports.com — LB Devin Lloyd, Utah

Lloyd with the Patriots is something I'm hoping for. He has been one of the best linebackers in college football over the past few seasons thanks to his athleticism, versatility and football IQ.

Luke Easterling, Draft Wire — IOL Zion Johnson

After trading away Shaq Mason, the Pats now have a huge hole in the starting lineup at right guard, which isn’t great when you’re trying to help out your young quarterback. Johnson would be the perfect replacement, though, thanks to his pro-ready skill set, impressive athleticism, and powerful playing style.

Eric Edholm, Yahoo Sports — IOL Zion Johnson

Malcolm Butler's signing doesn't erase the need at corner, but we also don't think they have to go CB here. Instead, don't forget about the pretty big hole at guard with the losses of Ted Karras and Shaq Mason. Johnson is exactly what the Patriots seek in their offensive linemen: smart, tough, versatile, athletic. Height, as Mason proved, is overrated on the interior. Johnson is a stud and a Day 1 starter.

Touchdown Wire — CB Andrew Booth Jr., Clemson

The top five receivers are gone. In my mind, any of the others – like Skyy Moore or Jahan Dotson – would be a clear reach with so many clearer-cut contributors on the board. Booth is one of them. There’s also Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd and Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam. What I like about Booth is his ability to excel in zone coverage. That’s what the Patriots are likely to rely upon in 2022. So it makes Booth an instant fit in Bill Belichick’s vision for the defense next year. And in the meantime, the Patriots can work on developing Booth into a shutdown corner on an island – which will take time to develop.

Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News — LB Nakobe Dean, Georgia

Dean has rangy athleticism that allow him fly sideline-to-sideline to make plays. He has coverage and blitz versatility to please Bill Belichick as his replacement defensive leader for Dont'a Hightower.