2022 NFL Draft Rumors: Latest Buzz on Aidan Hutchinson, Charles Cross and More

The 2022 NFL draft is a little more than a week away, and we still don't know what's going to happen at the top of Round 1.

Unlike in recent years, when quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow and Kyler Murray were locked in long before opening night, there's some mystery surrounding the first pick. The rest of the first-round picture is clouded, too, because teams simply aren't viewing prospects the same way.

"You can take the top 20 most plugged-in guys in your business. Ask them to pick the top 10 guys in this draft. I would bet a lot of money no two guys have the same top 10," one general manager told ProFootballTalk's Peter King.

While we don't have a lot of clarity, we have no shortage of rumors surrounding selection No. 1 and the first round in general. The Jacksonville Jaguars are on the clock, and there's one player they may feel pressured into drafting.

According to one unnamed AFC scouting director, Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke isn't sold enough on any one prospect at No. 1 and would prefer to trade the pick.

"Everyone knows he wants to trade it, and that tells me he's not in love with any of them." the source told Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.

Baalke could target an offensive lineman with the top selection, and the Jags may consider Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker. He's a late-rising prospect who NFL Media's Lance Zierlein recently mocked to the Jaguars at No. 1.

According to what Breer has heard, though, Baalke may feel pressured into taking Michigan pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson if he can't trade the top pick.

"Multiple rival executives raised to me that Baalke is also sensitive to a perception problem he and his team have right now, and that he, and the team, will get roasted if they do anything other than take Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson or get a king's ransom for the pick," Breer wrote.

The perception is that Jacksonville is a poorly run organization, and it's not unwarranted. The Urban Meyer experiment was a fiasco, 2021 first overall pick Trevor Lawrence struggled to develop as a rookie, and the Jaguars have had just one season above .500 since 2007.

Hutchinson is viewed as a "safe" high-floor prospect with no real potential to bust. He might not be the best player in the draft, but Baalke could view him as the prospect least likely to fail. For a franchise that has failed plenty in recent years, that may be reason enough to make Hutchinson the top choice.

The New York Giants might not have a shot at Hutchinson, but they should be able to land two immediate starters in Round 1. New York has two first-round selections—No. 5 and No. 7—after last year's draft-day trade with the Chicago Bears. It may use one of them on an offensive tackle.

According to ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller, the Giants have "a ton of interest" in Mississippi State product Charles Cross.

Now, this may seem like an odd fit, as Cross played left tackle in college, and the Giants have their left tackle in Andrew Thomas. According to Miller, though, New York believes that Cross can be a difference-maker on the right side.

"One source I spoke to noted the Giants 'love' Cross at right tackle, where he has not started a game in college but has spent considerable time working out this offseason," Miller wrote.

Whether New York targets Cross at No. 5 or No. 7 or manages to trade down and still land him, the pick will be justified. He's largely a finished product as a pass-blocker and should start from Day 1.

"Cross has a strong case for being the most polished and talented pass-blocker in the draft despite only 22 starts under his belt," Brandon Thorn of the Bleacher Report Scouting Department wrote. "He brings starter-level play strength and physicality as a run-blocker, making him an immediate-impact starter."

Cross is the 13th-ranked overall prospect on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's big board.

This year's draft will be interesting because it features only a handful of blue-chip prospects and a lot of quality depth.

"This draft, in terms of high-quality players, kind of drops off the cliff after about 10 picks. But the depth of make-it players who will contribute is very good," one coach told King.

We could see teams willing to trade down in the middle and bottom of Round 1 looking to double up on Day 2 selections while adding future draft capital. According to one executive, other teams are willing to trade players to move up for those elite prospects:

"Teams have gotten really aggressive with trades. I'm starting to hear teams offering to package picks and players to move up—not just picks. So instead of trying to trade up five spots in the first round, maybe this year you'll see a team offering a one, a three and a player they're down on a little."

This seems to suggest a couple of things. One, teams are looking to move up significantly in the first round and are willing to part with veteran talent to do it. Two, it seems to suggest that teams are less willing to part with future draft capital and would prefer to deal a player instead.

This is a shift in strategy from a year ago, when the Bears, San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins were all willing to deal 2022 first-round picks to trade up in Round 1. This doesn't mean that teams won't deal 2023 selections to go up, but it seems as if it's not their first option.

We don't usually see many players dealt as part of move-up packages, and it will be interesting to learn which players are being offered.