The NFL season is over. The Rams are Super Bowl Champs and 31 other teams are focused on dethroning them.

Early mock drafts are tough, and somewhat futile. Predicting what any team may do in the draft before free agency is an exercise bound to end in frustration. This year is even tougher because there is no clear cut number one pick. The QB class is less than stellar, and no player currently stands out as the best in the class.

All that being said, I still do it because it’s fun and I share it with you because some may value my opinion. Without further ado, my first mock of 2022:

1. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama- Many directions the Jags and new HC Doug Pedersen could go here, but protecting franchise QB, Trevor Lawrence, with the best tackle in the class seems like the best move.

2. DETROIT LIONS: Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan- QB & WR may be bigger needs, but none are worthy of the number two pick. Keeping Hutchinson in the state of Michigan would be a very popular and wise move.

3. HOUSTON TEXANS: Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon- Texans are still a mess and will be until the Deshaun Watson situation is cleared up. New HC Lovie Smith is a defensive guy and Thibodeaux was the consensus number one guy not too long ago.

4. NEW YORK JETS: Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State- Jets could use some pass catchers for Zach Wilson, but this is a little high for one, bolstering the franchise QB’s protection is the right play.

5. NEW YORK GIANTS: Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State- Giants fans might prefer a QB here, but Daniel Jones will have at least one more year to prove himself. NY has tried to fix the offensive line for years, Cross is their latest attempt.

6. CAROLINA PANTHERS: Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh- Panthers may regret passing on a QB last year. HC Matt Rhule starts the season on the hot seat and he can’t be comfortable with Sam Darnold. Pickett is the most accomplished of an underwhelming class.

7. NEW YORK GIANTS (via Chicago): David Ojabo, EDGE, Michigan- Giants fans are not going to like this pick when it happens, but will grow to love it. Ojabo may end up being even better than his Michigan teammate Aidan Hutchinson.

8. ATLANTA FALCONS: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame- Falcons have questions at WR, and there’s always the question of when they’ll draft Matt Ryan’s successor, but defense has been Atlanta’s Achilles heel for years. Hamilton is the best defender on the board.

9. DENVER BRONCOS: Malik Willis, QB, Liberty- Another team that may regret passing on a QB last year. New HC Nathaniel Hackett will want his guy. Willis may have the most raw talent and upside of this class of QBs.

10. NEW YORK JETS (via Seattle): Derek Stingley Jr, CB, LSU- This could be a spot for the first WR off the board, but Jets take the top corner instead.

11. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS: Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati- Washington could go QB, but I get the sense they’re content on giving Heinecke another year and waiting on a better class next year. Shoring up the pass defense is a wise move.

12. MINNESOTA VIKINGS: Jordan Davis, IDL, Georgia- New Vikings HC, Kevin O’Connell is an offensive guy, but the Vikings issues are mostly on the defensive side of the ball. Davis is the best IDL in the draft.

13. CLEVELAND BROWNS: Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas- Browns need to give Baker Mayfield some more weapons.

14. BALTIMORE RAVENS: Jermaine Johnson, EDGE, Florida State- Ravens continue to bolster their pass rush.

15. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (via Miami): Andrew Booth Jr, CB, Clemson- Eagles solidify the corner opposite Darius Slay.

16. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (via Indianapolis): Kenyon Green, IOL, Texas A&M- Eagles established their identity as a running team last season, adding another mauler to the trenches makes sense.

17. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS: Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia- Pairing Walker with Joey Bosa will give opposing QBs nightmares.

18. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss- This pick hinges on Jameis Winston’s availability, but the Saints are in cap hell, so a cheaper option at QB might be the way to go.

19. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue- Eagles use their third first rounder on an Edge rusher many see as a top ten pick.

20. PITTSBURGH STEELERS: Tyler Linderbaum, IOL, Iowa- Steelers are certainly in the QB market after Big Ben’s retirement, but the best center in the draft is too good to pass up.

21. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah: Lloyd just feels like a Belichick type defender.

22. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS: Zion Johnson, IOL, Boston College- New HC Josh McDaniels may opt for a WR, but I think offensive line is the top priority.

23. ARIZONA CARDINALS: Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington- Cardinals mantra for this draft should be defense, defense, defense.

24. DALLAS COWBOYS: Devante Wyatt, IDL, Georgia- Cowboys do need to consider re-tooling the offensive line, but adding a guy like Wyatt could help raise the Dallas D to elite levels.

25. BUFFALO BILLS: Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn- Bills are on the cusp of title contention, bolstering the pass defense is the smart move.

26. TENNESSEE TITANS: Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia- This just feels like a Mike Vrabel type of pick.

27. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama- Tom Brady retired, but I don’t feel like the Bucs will try to draft his replacement here. Instead, they’ll take a WR to replace the likely to depart Chris Godwin.

28. GREEN BAY PACKERS: Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa- What the Packers do here depends on what happens with Aaron Rodgers. Assuming Rodgers stays in GB, and Davante Adams does too, pass protection seems like a good bet.

29. MIAMI DOLPHINS (via San Francisco): Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State – Pairing Wilson with last year’s first rounder Jaylen Waddle will give Tua some serious weapons.

30. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State- As if the Chiefs offense wasn’t scary enough, Olave may be the perfect running mate for Tyreek Hill.

31. CINCINNATI BENGALS: Daxton Hill, S, Michigan- Bengals offensive line is bad, but it got them close to a Super Bowl championship, Cincy opts for best player available instead.

32. DETROIT LIONS (via Los Angeles Rams): Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati- Lions use their second first rounder on a possible starting QB, giving them that fifth year of team control as he develops.

We’re down to two. If you had Cincinnati versus the LA Rams in your preseason picks, stop reading now, you obviously know more than I do.

This is shaping up to be a crazy offseason. Tom Brady retired. Ben Roethlisberger retired. Nine coaching vacancies. Uncertainty surrounding Aaron Rodgers’ future, which has the domino effect on all of free agency as the top WR on the market, Davante Adams, is undoubtedly tied to Rodgers.

I’ll address all these possible moves in future writings, for now I’ll focus on the two teams whose offseasons have begun.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: On the one hand, this is still the Kansas City Chiefs and they still have Patrick Mahomes and it’s hard to pinpoint an exact reason for why they fell short, unlike last season where the offensive line was a point of focus.

On the other hand, the Chiefs and Mahomes never really felt the same this year. Sure, there were stretches where it looked like they were ascending back to the mountain top, but unlike years past, there were also a lot of moments where they didn’t come close to resembling the dominant unit of the past 3 years.

The AFC is loaded with young and coming teams, Cincinnati & Buffalo are on the cusp. Tennessee, Indianapolis, New England, Los Angeles, Baltimore and even Cleveland are a couple of tweaks away. Even the rest of the AFC, outside of Houston and Jacksonville, could be next year’s Bengals.

This is all to say, the road doesn’t get any easier for the Kansas City Chiefs. They’re still the big dog in the AFC, but they’ll be in a fight for that supremacy.

Defensive secondary and another WR should be top priorities for the Chiefs this offseason.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: The Niners had a great run in the post season, one that fell short because of their biggest weakness. Jimmy Garrapolo is a fine QB, but he’ll never carry a team over the hump. He won’t make the big play when his team absolutely needs it. Maybe, just maybe, San Francisco has that in Trey Lance, we’ll see.

The Niners have everything else, a great defense, strong running game, good pass catchers. If Lance’s learning curve was sufficiently flattened by his year of apprenticeship, San Francisco could very well find themselves in the Super Bowl next year, especially in a weakened NFC.

All eyes are on Trey Lance.

I went 1-1 on Championship Sunday, putting me at 8-4 for the playoffs. On paper, everything tells me to pick the Rams, but I’m officially on the Bengals train. I will not pick against Joe Burrow and company.

Super Bowl Pick: BENGALS 30 Rams 27

I’ll go a step further and make a bold MVP prediction, Evan McPherson will be the first kicker to raise the trophy after hitting a 50+ yard walk off.