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Charlie Campbell, Senior Draft Analyst
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Led all NFL media in draft rumor accuracy in '15, '16, '17, '18, and '20
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2021 NFL MOCK DRAFT - WALT'S | CHARLIE'S ROUND: 1

2022 NFL Draft Week Rumors Wednesday

Updated April 27, 2022
By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.

Draft week is finally here! With the 2022 NFL Draft just one day away, here are some the rumors and chatter that WalterFootball.com is hearing from team sources.

From speaking with sources, the Jets are very high on Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner, and it sounds like he is the favorite to be their selection at No. 4. Some in the front office prefer Stingley because they note Stingley went against top competition and played well, while Gardner dominated a lesser conference without being challenged by top receiving prospects. Jets head coach Robert Saleh, however, is said to be set on Garnder as his guy and loves the way Gardner fits in the defensive scheme. By the sounds of it from speaking with team sources, Gardner could easily land with the Jets in the 2022 NFL Draft. LSU cornerback Derek Stingley, meanwhile, is prime target for the Giants in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Stingley is projected to go in the teens in many mock drafts, but team sources would be shocked if Stingley was not a top-10 pick. While Stingley was a 1-year wonder with two injury-plagued campaigns, he is viewed as a freak athlete with the natural cover skills to become one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. Both New York teams are high on Stingley ,according to multiple team sources. Both New York squads hold two top-10 picks, so Stingley could easily end up starting out his pro career in the Big Apple.

Along with Stingley, the Giants are high on Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner, Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal and Mississippi State offensive tackle Charles Cross. The Giants have a good shot to land two of those four players. They expect Gardner to be off the board quickly, so they may not have a shot at him. New York also could get to pick No. 5 and have Stingley as well as all three top-10 offensive linemen - Neal, Cross, and Ikem Ekwonu available. In that case, the Giants might take Stingley at No. 5 because they would be assured of getting one of the blockers they like at No. 7. If the Giants take a lineman with the fifth pick, the Panthers could trade the No. 6 with a team that is looking to land Stingley. Other teams that are said to be interested in selecting Stingley include the Seahawks and Vikings. Hence, the Giants might avoid taking that risk by snatching up Stingley at No. 5 and seeing which offensive lineman is there at No. 7.

Another possibility the Giants have to consider is Gardner and Stingley going off the board at with picks Nos. 3 and 4 to the Texans and Jets. That might be less likely to happen, but it is possible. If that happened, the Giants could have Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux in play as a backup option. The question with Thibodeaux is if the new Giants regime is comfortable dealing with his football character.

Sources say the Jets would like to add a wide receiver with the tenth pick of the 2022 NFL Draft to provide a weapon for second-year quarterback Zach Wilson. The Jets like USC wide receiver Drake London a lot, but they already have a couple of big receivers in Corey Davis and Denzel Mims. They also have shifty slot receivers in Elijah Moore and Braxton Berrios. What they don't have is a deep-speed big-play weapon, and they have some real options to fill that void at pick No. 10 with players like Ohio State's Garrett Wilson, Alabama's Jameson Williams and Ohio State's Chris Olave.

It sounds like Wilson could be the favorite of those three. He had a consensus higher grade than Olave, and Williams could miss a large portion of his rookie season as he recovers from his torn ACL. With the seat starting to heat up under general manager Joe Douglas, the Jets are more in need of instant contributors to help Zach Wilson, and Garrett Wilson's deep speed could change up the offense immediately. The Jets also could go a different direction if a surprising player slips to No. 10, but from speaking with sources, it sounds like the Jets are targeting receiver help and have Wilson as the a top candidate.

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