Longtime NFL writer Peter King is about as tuned-in with the league as anyone in the business. So, when he has a ‘hunch’ about who will be the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, it’s worth taking note of.
In King’s latest edition of Football Morning in America, he wrote that Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson remains the odds-on favorite to be the Jacksonville Jaguars pick. This, despite a national narrative suggesting the Jaguars will pick an offensive tackle at the top of the NFL Draft.
“My hunch is the Jaguars favor a spotless edge prospect over one of the tackles … I don’t believe Jags GM Trent Baalke and coach Doug Pederson will be unduly swayed by combine tests,” King wrote. “But the tape says a lot about Hutchinson’s raw power and instincts and drive. His college production (30.5 tackles-for-loss plus sacks last season) has made some scouts compare him to former NFL edge player Jared Allen, who put up 136 sacks in 12 NFL season. Their on-field zeal is certainly comparable.”
