Anybody can do a mock draft.

I mean that. Check back Thursday morning and you’ll see a mock draft that I did along with my SDS colleague Adam Spencer.

Can just anybody do bold predictions, though? Specifically, can anybody do bold SEC predictions for the 2022 NFL Draft?

Nope. It takes an in-depth understanding of both the conference’s players/draft history and what the NFL values. I don’t want to say that these are 10 “can’t-miss” SEC predictions for this weekend, but they have a significant chance of being right.

Let’s instead go with “bold” SEC predictions for the 2022 NFL Draft. Here are 10 of those:

1. The first SEC player off the board is … Evan Neal

Wait … I thought Travon Walker was supposed to be that guy? He might. The betting odds shifted to him being the favorite to go No. 1 overall. But instead of the Georgia defensive end, I’ll instead say that the former Alabama All-American comes off the board at No. 5 overall to the Giants. We know that they’re desperate for some offensive line help to pair alongside Andrew Thomas. We also know that there are seemingly several teams in need of a franchise offensive tackle near the top. Neal winds up being considered a “safe” pick in a draft full of dice rolls.

2. Georgia has exactly 5 players selected in Round 1 and 14 players total

Who will they be? I’m glad you asked. The 5 Georgia first-rounders I have are:

  • Travon Walker
  • Nakobe Dean
  • Jordan Davis
  • Devonte Wyatt
  • George Pickens

That would put the Dawgs 1 short of tying 2021 Alabama and 2004 Miami for the record for most first-rounders in NFL Draft history. The 14 total players selected would, however, tie 2020 LSU and 2004 Ohio State for the highest total in the modern NFL Draft era (it was condensed to 7 rounds in 1994). It’s well within reach for Georgia after it sent a record 14 players to the NFL Combine.

In case you were wondering, the 3-round record for most players selected is 10, and it also belongs to LSU (2020) and Ohio State (2016). In addition to those 5, the likes of Quay Walker, Lewis Cine, James Cook, Channing Tindall, Jamaree Salyer, Derion Kendrick and Zamir White could all be off the board in those first 3 rounds. In other words, records are on the line.

3. Derek Stingley Jr. isn’t a top-20 pick

I’ve been pretty adamant in the pre-draft process that using a top pick on Stingley would scare me. That’s coming from someone who banged the drum that he was the best player in college football entering his true sophomore season. But these past 2 years have been frustrating for various reasons, and I think that makes Stingley more of a late-first rounder instead of a top-10 guy. I won’t be surprised when Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner comes off the board well before him, and Stingley ends up falling to a playoff team like New England or Arizona.

4. But Nakobe Dean is a top-20 pick

It certainly feels like there have been far too many skeptics about Dean during the pre-draft process. This stuff reeked of a smoke screen.

I could absolutely see a scenario in which Lovie Smith, who is known for falling in love with his linebackers, takes Dean for the Texans at No. 13 overall. It’s hard to imagine Dean, who was about as close to perfect as an SEC linebacker in recent memory, slipping past the majority of NFL teams. Yes, I understand that not everyone needs an inside linebacker, but passing on a future All-Pro like Dean would be a classic case of overthinking things. My guess? Sanity prevails.

5. Texas A&M breaks its modern-day draft record with 9 total selections

It’s not going to sink in just how much 2021 was a wasted opportunity for A&M until the NFL Draft comes and goes. There’s a realistic path for at least 9 Aggies to come off the board. That would best the program’s previous modern-day draft record of 7 selections, which came after Jimbo Fisher’s first year in 2019. The 2021 defense was better than the casual college football fan probably realized. There are legitimately 5 guys from that front 7 who could come off the board.

  • DeMarvin Leal
  • Jayden Peevy
  • Michael Clemons
  • Tyree Johnson
  • Aaron Hansford

To be fair, A&M still had the No. 3 defense in America. It just never recovered from poor quarterback play and it didn’t have as dominant of an offensive line as it did in 2020. It’ll be a bittersweet draft feat if and when that record is broken.

6. 7 SEC programs have a first-round pick

Might as well just lay them out:

  • Alabama, 2: (Evan Neal, Jameson Williams)
  • Arkansas, 1: (Treylon Burks)
  • Auburn, 1: (Roger McCreary)
  • Florida, 1: (Kaiir Elam)
  • Georgia, 5: (Travon Walker, Nakobe Dean, Jordan Davis, Devonte Wyatt, George Pickens)
  • LSU, 1: (Derek Stingley Jr.)
  • MSU, 1: (Charles Cross)

That would give the SEC a total of 12 first-rounders. Go figure that only 2 of them look like they’ll be from Alabama. That would be the fewest since it had 0 selections after Nick Saban’s first season in the 2008 NFL Draft. Surely there won’t be any overreactions on Monday’s episode of Finebaum.

7. Matt Corral falls to the Falcons at No. 43 while 2 QBs go in the top 10

How’s that for a parlay?

Two things can be true at the same time. One is that this QB class is lacking the top-end, sure-fire talent. The other is that in this era of the rookie wage scale, quarterback-needy teams should still pick one in the top 10. Having a franchise quarterback on that rookie contract opens up so many possibilities.

That’s why I think we see the Giants make that move at No. 7 with Malik Willis (his comp is Josh Allen and Brian Daboll just worked with him in Buffalo), and I won’t be surprised if the Seahawks pull the trigger on Kenny Pickett at No. 9 (that Russell Wilson guy is gone).

What about Corral? It doesn’t seem likely that he’ll be drafted as a Day 1 starter. It’d be nice to see him go to a place like Atlanta, where there’s a clear path to eventually becoming the starter in the post-Matt Ryan world. We know that ideally, Arthur Smith would like a more mobile quarterback similar to what he had when he ran the 2019-20 Titans offense at a high level with Ryan Tannehill. Corral would check that box in the second round, and he wouldn’t necessarily cost them spending big on a quarterback at No. 8 overall.

8. Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M will lead the SEC picks, followed by … Kentucky

This really isn’t that bold. I mean, Kentucky was 5th in the SEC last year with 6 picks. I think we could see that number matched again with the following draft-able players out of Lexington:

  • Darrian Kinnard
  • Wan’Dale Robinson
  • Josh Paschal
  • Yusef Corker
  • Marquan McCall
  • Luke Fortner
  • Josh Ali
  • Dare Rosenthal

The first 6 guys on that list were all NFL Combine guys, too. In the 7-round NFL Draft era, Kentucky’s best 2-year stretch was actually 2020-21, and that was only a total of 8. In other words, there’s about to be a new best 2-year stretch once this 2022 class is official. You know, just in case you needed another reminder that Mark Stoops knows what he’s doing.

9. The SEC has at least 3 receivers in Round 1 for the 3rd consecutive draft

I actually did a deep dive in this subject last year. I’m assuming that Jameson Williams and Treylon Burks are both coming off the board in the first round. I’m also giving the nod to potential riser George Pickens. If that happens, the SEC will have 3 first-round receivers for the 3rd consecutive year.

Why is that significant? From 1994-2019, the SEC only had 1 year in which it had 3 first-round receivers (2007). In the entire 2010s decade, the SEC only had 8 receivers selected in the first round. We’re in our 3rd year of the 2020s, and the SEC already had 7 first-round receivers. That means as long as 2 are selected this year, the SEC will have already bested its 2010s total in the 2020s. Three receivers drafted would best the entire total (9) from the 2000s decade.

In a pass-happy world, the SEC is clearly adapting well.

10. The SEC fails to have the most draft picks for the first time since 2006

Just kidding. Wanted to see if you were still paying attention.

10A. The SEC bests its 2021 record for most draft picks

The number to beat is 65. Shoot, Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M should have the SEC halfway to that number. Don’t be surprised if those 3 teams outscore an entire Power 5 conference (looking at you Big 12 and Pac-12).

It doesn’t really feel like a question as to whether or not the SEC will have the most draft picks of any conference for the 16th consecutive year. It’ll almost certainly mark the 8th consecutive year in which it produced 50 NFL Draft picks. No other conference hit that mark since 2015. Something tells me it’ll be more of the same this weekend.

How’s that for bold?