Final 2022 NFL Draft Quarterback Rankings
Quarterback is the premier position in the NFL. No matter what, conversations about football begin and end with the man getting paid the big bucks to make the throws. Even in a “down class”... nobody can stop talking about it. With the draft just around the corner, here are the top six quarterbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft
6. Sam Howell, North Carolina
I really wanted to be a big fan of Sam Howell. What stands out right away for me is his toughness. It doesn’t matter how many times the offense falls apart around him, or how many times he gets knocked down, Howell has the toughness to keep chugging along. He has a good arm and can be a suitable downfield passer. He lacks game-changing mobility, but you cannot just ignore him as a scrambler.
Let's be perfectly clear. Howell isn’t just a perfect player who was held back by an RPO-heavy system (though it doesn’t do his evaluation any favors). I specifically remember watching North Carolina’s offense last year and pondering, “This is the guy who’s supposed to be a top-five pick?!” He has talent some talent, but he doesn’t move the needle in a lot of areas. Yes, he has a good arm, but his accuracy is simply adequate. His reads, when allowed to make them, are just passable. Sam Howell's footwork and composure in the pocket genuinely flair up my anxiety worse than a big test. I think he’s worth a shot late on day three as a developmental quarterback but there are better dart throws this year.
5. Carson Strong, Nevada
Despite being #5, Carson Strong has some quality attributes. As a pocket passer, he looks the part. He has a good command of the Nevada system and commands the pocket. He has acceptable accuracy at all levels of the gridiron and has the arm talent to make any throw on the field. As a pocket passer, he is more advanced than a lot of the rest of the class, but there are a few massive flaws in the Nevada seniors game.
Right off the bat, you don’t need any experts to tell you that Carson Strong is not very mobile at all. At no point will the defense have to worry about Strong as a running threat. It goes further than that. Strong already struggles at times on film to escape defenders once the pocket collapses, something that will not go away against superior NFL athletes. His upside is limited by his legs.
Furthermore, that knee is a possible concern. There are times when you see Strong throw with just his arm. While he’s able to throw far due to his fantastic arm, it will hamper his accuracy down the field. He leaves me wanting a lot more… because again he does have a really good arm. I have fears about his ability to drive with his knee on short throws. Sometimes he does it… sometimes he just relies on his arm. Whether this is a knee issue or a mechanical flaw, it concerns me a lot moving forward. He needs to clean it up and prove the knee is not an issue if he wants to maximize his arm talent.
4. Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati
I think Ridder was the quarterback who rose the most for me in the draft process. In a class full of 3rd-4th round players, I’m more willing to take a shot on Ridder than some of the others. That said, my concerns with him have still not gone away.
He flat out struggles with accuracy. There were times when Alec Pierce had to perform his best Mister Fantastic impression and stretch his arms out to catch errant passes. There are instances where he’ll throw a dime into coverage… but those moments are far and few between. However you chop it up, he is not a complete player yet, and won’t be a year one starter despite turning 23 before the season. Currently, he’s a good college quarterback with some NFL traits, but those are some traits that I’m willing to bet on.
I’ve seen several people downplay his arm, something that I’ve wrongly done so in the past, but it is pretty dang good. There are throws on tape that are absolutely bonkers. His floor is higher than people think, as he’s going to be a dangerous running threat with his size and athleticism. While he started out very rough at the Senior Bowl, I believe he was the best quarterback at the end of the day. He needs the right situation, but he definitely can win in a Ryan Tannehill role. Don’t forget, Tannehill was also a trait-heavy quarterback coming out, and it took him some time and going to the right situation in Tennessee to really figure it out.
3. Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh
Kenny Pickett was not the player I expected him to be upon evaluation. I thought we were going to get a surgical pocket passer. The kind of player who was a bit dull, but used his high football IQ and nuance to win. Basically, I expected him to be a better Jimmy Garoppolo.
Kenny Pickett was not nearly the game manager I expected, and that’s a good and bad thing. Pickett was more than willing to leave the pocket and make plays… with mixed results. He’s a pretty good athlete, so it’s something that he potentially can do in spurts in the NFL. I think he’s a player that will be better once reigned in a bit by a smart offensive coordinator.
I get why the league’s high on him. He’s going to be a coach's darling who is a leader and possesses a high football IQ. He’s just so limited. At Pittsburgh, he played a lot of times above his arm and athleticism. I’m really not sold that he’s the franchise-altering quarterback, but that doesn’t mean he’s bad at all. The most likely scenario is that he's Derek Carr.
2. Matt Corral, Mississippi
BOY Matt Corral is a tough evaluation. In his redshirt sophomore season, there were times when we saw a dynamic passer who looked the part of a star ready to take the league by storm. He could make all of the big-boy throws into tight windows. We also saw a quarterback who threw over five picks in two separate games… yikes. We all hoped that we’d see more of the dynamic Corral rather than the turnover king Corral… and we really didn’t see either version.
Corral’s 2021 film was mostly frustrating and boring and most of this was not his fault either. The number of times Lane Kiffin had Corral run the ball made me bang my head against the wall. Corral’s not a bad athlete, but he’s not an elite runner. You don’t want Corral running the ball a bunch during the game, much less the THIRTY rushing attempts he had against Tennessee. Matt Corral should not be rushing nearly 12 times a game, and it made his most recent film near useless.
Watching Corral, he honestly reminds me of Jalen Hurts with a better arm. Both were entering the league as developmental passers who were one-read and running quarterbacks. While Hurts is a bit of a better athlete, Corral does have a better arm. I will 100% take a shot on that. I think he’s further along as a prospect than Ridder, and his ceiling is higher than Pickett’s. He's still a volatile prospect, but in this weak class why not take the shot above some of the "safer" options?
1. Malik Willis, Liberty
I REALLY did not see myself having Malik Willis as the QB1 entering the season. But now? Nobody can convince me that he’s not. In a normal class, Willis would be the high potential 3rd-4th QB who receives the internet's adulation. With absolutely nobody standing out much, the potential of the Liberty quarterback is just too much to ignore.
Let’s get it out of the way: Malik Willis is not pro-ready. There are many “Traditional Quarterback” things that I’m not sure if he can do yet. I cannot say with conviction that tomorrow he can drop back and read the field… because Liberty NEVER let him do that! Play Calling this past year ranged from gimmicky hero-ball... to cruel and unusual punishment (such as bubble screen RPOs on the GOALLINE.) That system did no favors to Willis moving forward, not asking him to make reads as he will in the NFL… "just go out and make a play Malik!"
The tools are the best in the class and some of the best we’ve seen in some time. Willis will walk into the NFL and immediately be a top ten runner at the quarterback position, if not higher. He has a good case for being the most agile player in the class regardless of position. Not only the best running quarterback in the class, he most certainly has the best arm too. I didn’t really understand quite how special his arm was until I saw it in person down in Mobile.
Above all, I love his unwavering willingness to just chuck it deep. He just has that baller mentality where a bad throw or two will not inhibit him from taking a shot. He has all of the confidence in the world in his abilities, and that's what makes him different. Patrick Mahomes has all of the arm talent in the world, but what makes him unique is the ability to just pull the trigger and go for the throws others are too afraid to make. I don’t care how low his floor is. I’m not drafting to find the 14th best quarterback in the league. I want a quarterback who can change the trajectory of a franchise and that’s why I’m willing to bet on Willis.
Writer
-By: Jacob Keppen