NFL Draft 2022: Final 32-pick Round 1 mock with trades

NFL Draft Pick No. 16: New Orleans Saints – Trevor Penning, Offensive Tackle, Northern Iowa

Terron Armstead was a good left tackle for the New Orleans Saints if somewhat fragile at times, so it devastated them to see him move to the Dolphins. A replacement will be desperately needed.

There are always some small-school prospects who rocket up draft boards, and Trevor Penning is the latest in that long line. His quality of competition is always going to be questioned given he played at Northern Iowa.

Similar to Jordan Davis, Penning is a big man (6-foot-7, 327 pounds) with exceptional speed for his size (40-yard time of 4.91 seconds) who took advantage of the Senior Bowl and then the NFL Combine to showcase his physical skills.

A mauler on the offensive line, Penning is in his element when he can use his hands to punch through on defenders. He has some defects with lateral mobility, but he has the speed to develop that for the pros.

His strength, however, remains his best feature, and it’s almost impossible to go through him. He holds his position well, and it’s a rare defender that can disengage themselves when he has them caught. If he can develop his lateral ability to stop defenders moving around him, he could be the best tackle in this draft class.