College football feels so far away, yet so close at the same time. This means college fantasy football drafts are approaching as well. If you’re looking for an idea of which players will get drafted early, Pro Football Network has you covered!

This four-round college fantasy football mock draft is a short one but gives you a good idea of who you need to highlight on your cheat sheets.

2022 college fantasy football mock draft

First, we start with the team names. Everyone knows a good team name either makes your team elite or salvages a horrendous season. To give you a jump start on naming your college fantasy football team, we’ve provided 12 team names for this mock draft.

• Team 1: Rising to the Top (Cameron Rising, Utah)
• Team 2: He’s a Pinckney Eater (Sam Pinckney, Coastal Carolina)
• Team 3: All Aboard the Achane (Devon Achane, Texas A&M)
• Team 4: Will McDonald had a Farm (Will McDonald IV, Iowa State)
• Team 5: Isheem to have a Problem (Isheem Young, Ole Miss)
• Team 6: Can’t we all just Catalon (Jalen Catalon, Arkansas)
• Team 7: Storm (Mc)Duck (Storm Duck, North Carolina)
• Team 8: Rasheen TD (Rasheen Ali, Marshall)
• Team 9: Whyle Coyotes (Josh Whyle, Cincinnati)
• Team 10: Mutin Ninja Turtles (Donavan Mutin, Houston)
• Team 11 Jayden de Laura ya Voice (Jayden de Laura, Arizona)
• Team 12: It’s Misterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Candayyyyyyyyyy (Jadon Canaday, Tulane)

The first four rounds of any 2022 fantasy mock draft are the core of your team. They’re the guys that will carry your squad. In this mock draft, the setup is simple: one QB, one RB, one WR, and one FLEX (RB, WR, or a TE). For players in deeper leagues and formats check out our 2022 college fantasy football top 250 rankings.

Pick 1) QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State

If you haven’t heard about the Ohio State offense, you must be living under a rock. This unit is going to be one of the most explosive in the country, as evident by the three first-round picks in this mock draft. C.J. Stroud will have one of the deepest receiver rooms in the entire country on top of an elite running back that can be dynamic out of the backfield. Now that Stroud has a full year of experience under his belt, the 2022 season could go down in history.

Stroud’s first year as a starter required some patience, but the ball was rolling towards the end of the year. In his final four games, Stroud averaged 440 yards passing per game, while throwing 19 touchdowns and just one interception. Three of those defenses held their opponents to under 200 yards a game in 2021. So buckle up, because the Buckeyes are going to sling it a ton and do it with relative ease.

Pick 2) RB Bijan Robinson, Texas

Everything Bijan Robinson does seems effortless. It’s not that he’s not trying, he’s just that good. He’s yet to play a full season in his time with the Longhorns, but he still produced 1,830 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground with 491 yards and six more scores as a receiver. If he even keeps his pace from last year, a full season in 2022 would put him at 1,849 total yards and 20 total touchdowns.

Pick 3) QB Caleb Williams, USC

Caleb Williams only played a handful of full games last year, and his performances in a couple are a big reason for the hype surrounding his game. The dual-threat joined Lincoln Riley in heading west to join a Trojans program that needs a revival, and many believe he’s about to put up monster numbers. Given that he played eight games (well 7.5), his full-season projection last year would have produced 3,137 yards passing with 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions. On the ground, he was on pace for 766 yards and 10 more scores.

As a freshman, Williams shined at times while also showing that he was a freshman. However, the upside should warrant him to be a top-3 fantasy quarterback, especially in a Pac-12 that doesn’t feature many elite defenses. Now the unquestioned leader of his team, he’s a hot commodity in the fantasy world.

Pick 4) RB TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State

While everyone gushes over the passing attack in Columbus (and for good reason), Treveyon Henderson provides another dynamic weapon. He’ll contribute to the passing attack (312 yards, four touchdowns), but also makes an impact on the ground. He averaged 6.8 yards per carry as a freshman on 183 carries and scored 15 times on the ground. His ability to be versatile in this offense pushes Stroud for the top fantasy spot on the Buckeyes roster.

Pick 5) RB Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State

Mr. Dynamic comes in at 5’6” but brings a serious punch to the field. A major feature of the Kansas State offense, touches aren’t a concern with Vaughn’s game. The Wildcats got him the ball 284 times last year, resulting in 1,872 yards and a whopping 22 touchdowns. With Adrian Martinez taking over the offense, the star running back figures to remain a staple in the offense, and Martinez’s improvement as a passer could elevate Vaughn’s value even more.

Pick 6) RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama

Jahmyr Gibbs produced 1,974 yards and 13 touchdowns in his time at Georgia Tech. While those numbers might not jump out at you, it’s because he was on a team that didn’t provide much support. If you go back and watch the film, Gibbs did a ton of work on his own. This includes against some of the best teams in the country. That production should terrify you knowing that he’s on a team that will get him out in space more without him doing all of the work.

Alabama’s offense might be looking for new receiving threats, but it’s Alabama. You’re putting one of the best players in the country talent-wise on an offense that will meet his needs more. So expect an explosion in production from Gibbs, because he’s about to be appreciated way more than he was at his previous stop. He rightly deserves the position as the fourth back off the board in this college fantasy football mock draft.

Pick 7) QB Malik Cunningham, Louisville

Malik Cunningham enters Year 4 as a starter for the Cardinals offense, and last year has fans buzzing about his potential in 2022. If he takes a step forward as a passer on top of his elite running abilities, watch out. Yes, the Lamar Jackson comparisons will flow, but let’s hold off on them for now.

After a season in which he accounted for 3,972 yards and 39 total touchdowns, there’s plenty of excitement about the upcoming season. He’s a veteran leader with plenty of talent surrounding him at the skill positions and one of the best offensive lines in the entire country. It would be a major disappointment if he didn’t have another big year.

Pick 8) QB Bryce Young, Alabama

The returning Heisman Trophy winner always has a target on his back, but Bryce Young can handle the pressure. Arguably the most poised player in the entire country, Young has his sights set on winning a national championship over another Heisman. He must find multiple new weapons at the skill positions and overcome key losses along the offensive line.

While there are concerns about the Alabama offense, the talent returning should ease them. After a year in which he threw for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns, he’s still one of the top players even if he takes a step back in terms of production.

Pick 9) WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State

While many projected Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson to lead the team in receiving, it was actually Jaxon Smith-Njigba who led the way. And that even includes if you take out the 347-yard, three-touchdown performance in the Rose Bowl. His performance in the second half of the season (176 yards per game, six touchdowns) drove the hype surrounding his game and fantasy value, and now he gets a chance to prove those people right.

Pick 10) WR Xavier Worthy, Texas

The Oklahoma game showed us exactly who Xavier Worth will be for Texas. He took the opening screen pass to the house for a touchdown, fumbled at a critical time on a kick return, and avenged himself by scoring a huge touchdown late in the game. The kid is a star in the making, and a little adversity isn’t going to slow him down. A slow first five games (253 yards, four touchdowns) was followed by a strong finish to the season (718 yards, eight touchdowns) and should translate well into 2022.

Pick 11) RB Braelon Allen, Wisconsin

Wisconsin needed someone to emerge at running back, and freshman Braelon Allen took his chance and ran with it (literally). After rushing for just 49 yards and one score through his first 3 games, Allen exploded for 1,219 and 11 scores in his final nine games. Put that production into a 13-game season and you get 1,761 yards and 16 touchdowns. Now imagine if Wisconsin gets a decent passing attack to complement him.

Pick 12) RB Sean Tucker, Syracuse

One thing is for sure: Syracuse wants to run the football. Both Sean Tucker and his quarterback, Garrett Shrader, are great runners. Even when teams know where the ball is going, stopping that two-headed monster isn’t easy. Tucker’s power is highly underrated within the trenches and all he needs is one crease for his speed to take over. After a 1,496-yard, 12-touchdown season, he’s looking for more in 2022 and wraps up round one in this college fantasy football mock draft.

Rounds 2-4

Pick 13) WR A.T. Perry
Wake Forest (Team 12)

Pick 14) WR Jordan Addison
USC (Team 11)

Pick 15) RB Will Shipley
Clemson (Team 10)

Pick 16) RB Jordan Mims
Fresno State (Team 9)

Pick 17) RB Rasheen Ali
Marshall (Team 8)

Pick 18) WR Tank Dell
Houston (Team 7)

Pick 19) WR Quentin Johnston
TCU (Team 6)

Pick 20) WR Kayshon Boutte
LSU (Team 5)

Pick 21) WR Cedric Tillman
Tennessee (Team 4)

Pick 22) RB Devon Achane
Texas A&M (Team 3)

Pick 23) QB Hendon Hooker
Tennessee (Team 2)

Pick 24) RB Zach Evans
Ole Miss (Team 1)

Round 3

Pick 25) WR Dontayvion Wicks
Virginia (Team 1)

Pick 26) WR Josh Downs
North Carolina (Team 2)

Pick 27) WR Keytaon Thompson
Virginia (Team 3)

Pick 28) QB K.J. Jefferson
Arkansas (Team 4)

Pick 29) RB Tavion Thomas
Utah (Team 5)

Pick 30) RB Braydon Bennett
Coastal Carolina (Team 6)

Pick 31) RB Blake Corum
Michigan (Team 7)

Pick 32) WR Dontay Demus
Maryland (Team 8)

Pick 33) QB Quinn Ewers
Texas (Team 9)

Pick 34) RB Lew Nichols III
Central Michigan (Team 10)

Pick 35) RB Zach Charbonnet
UCLA (Team 11)

Pick 36) RB Keaton Mitchell
ECU (Team 12)

Round 4

Pick 37) QB Dillon Gabriel
Oklahoma (Team 12)

Pick 38) QB Sam Hartman
Wake Forest (Team 11)

Pick 39) QB Will Rogers
Mississippi State (Team 10)

Pick 40) RB Tank Bigsby
Auburn (Team 9)

Pick 41) WR Myles Price
Texas Tech (Team 8)

Pick 42) WR Jalen Cropper
Fresno State (Team 7)

Pick 43) QB Brennan Armstrong
Virginia (Team 6)

Pick 44) QB Anthony Richardson
Florida (Team 5)

Pick 45) RB Travis Dye
USC (Team 4)

Pick 46) WR Jermaine Burton
Alabama (Team 3)

Pick 47) RB DeWayne McBride
UAB (Team 2)

Pick 48) RB Chris Smith
Louisiana (Team 1)