Where should the QBs land in this years NFL Draft?
There has been a lot of negative press about this years Quarterback class for the 2022 NFL Draft. They don’t match up to the previous two years on paper for most people. I felt the same way until I watched the film. I see 3 year one starters at least (more may end up starting a game in 2022 w/ injuries or teams in desperate situations) and I see at least 3 if not 4 or 5 more that could develop into starters or good backups. It is about being optimistic people! Also you have to lean on what they currently do well and what things can be improved to be a focus in development.
As of this article my current QB rankings look like this:
1. Kenny Pickett — Pittsburgh, 2. Malik Willis — Liberty, 3. Desmond Ridder — Cincinatti, 4. Carson Strong — Nevada, 5. Matt Corral — Ole Miss, 6. Aquil Glass — Alabama A&M, 7. EJ Perry — Brown, 8. Sam Howell — UNC
As you can see there is some ‘controversy’ in those rankings. Some think Strong is undraftable. Some think Howell or Corral are the number 1 or 2 QB. Some think Pickett’s hand size won’t let him take a snap in the NFL. It is a very interesting class as you can see many different styles and get a sense of what people prefer.
I tend to lean on production, consistency, footwork, IQ, accuracy, arm strength, athleticism, and character. These bring me to my top 3 QBs.
Pickett is number 1 for me because of his progression arc at Pitt and the way he runs the offense there. He is a field general that can play out of structure with accurate passes (short-intermediate-long). His footwork in the pocket is excellent. For me the negative is sometimes he gets antsy in the pocket or gets caught looking down field instead of taking the easy slant across the middle. It doesn’t happen enough though for it to be a big concern. Another one I hear about is his fumble issues. He negated that this year and maybe injury, inexperience, or small hands with no gloves were the early issues. Whatever it was he has seemed to fix it. His production, consistency, footwork, accuracy, arm strength, and athleticism make him my number 1 QB.
Now onto my number 2 QB, but many peoples number 1, Malik Willis. Willis was my 4 or 5 all the way up to the Senior Bowl. Seeing him make some of the throws and miss a lot of easy ones justified me after day one. Then he got better and more in control day two, then day three was better. He showed be can improve with talent and coaching around him. He is by far the best athlete of the group and his wonderlic score of 32 matches what we saw in progress over the Senior Bowl. His character, athleticism, IQ, and arm strength make him my 2nd QB.
This leads me to my number 3 QB. Ridder. Not a lot of peoples favorite. I don’t believe he is a perfect prospect by any means myself. He has some footwork issues which can lead to accuracy issues. When going back and watching scout film on him recently I noticed some of that is from the interior line play. He has to rush progressions and move around to avoid rushes. When he has time he is accurate and has a rocket arm. He trusts that also a bit much sometimes. However, despite all those issues he is smart, athletic, and accompished. He has traits that teams like Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Detroit, and Indianapolis should covet to develop or start right away if he needs to he has the ability too.
Part 1 will end like this. Non of these QBs (including the top 3) are close to perfect. Even the might Joe Burrow wasn’t a perfect prospect. They are at the top because they hit the most of the traits I covet in a QB. Many will disagree, but this is just my breakdown of what I see. Part 2 will break down more of the QB class. I’ll dive into QBs 4–8. Part 3 will be a breakdown of more team fits and why for all of them plus the rest of the QBs.
