2022 NFL Draft - Quarterbacks

 I have a little more time this year and better data so we’ll be doing a bit more than we did last year and much more like previous years pre-draft process. I’m going to post this standalone quarterback post followed by posts about skill positions (RB/WR/TE), offensive line (OT/G/C), front seven (INT/Edge/OBLB), and secondary (CB/S). To recap I’m using a 2-8 rating system burrowed from baseball combined with a role grouping that works out to UDFA 2.1-3.0, Backup (B) 3.1-4.0, Potential Starter (PS) 4.1-6.0, Expected Starter (ES) 6.1-7.0, and Starter (S) 7.1-8.0.

 

Quarterbacks

It’s not the crop of QBs from last season but it’s still an alright class with some intriguing prospects and very little consensus. There is a relative consensus on the top 5 QBs, Willis/Pickett/Corral/Ridder/Howell, which I shirk a bit with Bailey Zappe just edging out Howell. Overall, I have 14 QBs with potential starter grades, 1 with an expected starter grade, and 0 starter grades in this class.

 

Name | Team (Conf.) | Height, Weight | Attempts | Adjusted Yards per Attempt (TDs +20, INTs -45) | Production | Role (Grade)

 

Top 10

Malik Willis | Liberty (IND) - 6’ 0 1/4”, 219 lbs | 339 Att. | 8.37 AY/A | 4.013 | ES (6.1)

Willis is good athlete with very good arm strength and shows command of his offense to hit throws in rhythm. As a smaller school prospect, he falls into the trap of trying to do too much and relying too much on his athleticism when there are smarter choices but he’s got all the tools and sits on a similar spot for me that Trey Lance did but with a better level of competition.  

 

Kenny Pickett | Pittsburgh (ACC) – 6’ 3 5/8”, 217 lbs | 497 Att. | 9.69 AY/A | 5.470 | PS (5.8)

Matt Corral | Ole Miss (SEC) – 6’ 1 5/8”, 215 lbs | 386 Att. | 9.09 AY/A | 5.055 | PS (5.8)

Pickett and Corral are similarily graded QBs while being very different players with similar ceilings and floors. Pickett is a Burrow mold prospect in that he broke out his senior season but hadn’t done much to that point. His year wasn’t as world breaking as Burrow but he burst onto the scene and led the Panthers to a New Year’s Six bowl. He has smaller hands than small hands Burrow and although it didn’t lead to an increase in fumbles it is interesting to note than in poor weather games, he had some of his worst performances. He has a limited arm but excels when throwing on the run. Corral played in a Ole Miss offense that did a lot pre-snap and relied on reading backers in RPO. Almost all of his reps came from some sort of run action but he does well moving in the pocket, possesses enough athleticism to make an undisciplined defense pay, and has the chutzpah to stick the ball in small windows. He’ll have an adjustment period to an NFL offense but he has the flash that gives him upside to be a good NFL starter.

 

Desmond Ridder | Cincinnati (AAC) – 6’ 3 3/8”, 211 lbs | 387 Att. | 9.18 AY/A | 4.753 | PS (5.6)

Ridder is the QB this year that I liked but he was too inconsistent and didn’t flash the way I thought he might and the way others raved about him doing. He has a good arm, solid process but he underthrew the deep ball quite often and had general accuracy issues that left me wanting more. Ridder had enough talent around him that he didn’t have to carry the load all by himself but especially in the Notre Dame game he left quite a few shot plays on the table especially in the first half.

 

Bailey Zappe | WKU (CUSA) – 6’ 0 1/2”, 215 lbs | 686 Att. | 9.72 AY/A | 5.449 | PS (5.3)

Sam Howell | UNC (ACC) – 6’ 0 5/8”, 218 lbs | 9.72 AY/A | 4.417 | PS (5.2)

Zappe was other-worldly at times last season for WKU and took advantage of good athletic weapons on the field against Conference USA opposition. Zappe gets the ball out on time, has functional arm strength but nothing to write home about, and has the willingness to fire into tight windows. Howell is a flawed bulldozer of a QB but throws one of the most consistently pretty deep balls you will ever see. He’s going to need a offense that utilizes his ability to hit those shot plays with a bit of help in the short to intermediate range but all in all he’s an intriguing prospect.

 

Cole Kelley | SE Louisiana (FCS) – 6’ 7 3/8”, 249 lbs | 10.01 AY/A | 4.464 | PS (5.0)

Carson Strong | Nevada (MWC) – 6’ 3 3/8”, 226 lbs | 8.62 AY/A | 4.424 | PS (5.0)

Brock Purdy | Iowa State (B12) – 6’ 0 5/8”, 212 lbs | 8.20 AY/A | 4.586 | PS (4.9)

Kaleb Eleby | Western Michigan (MAC) – 6’ 0 3/4", 208 lbs | 9.48 AY/A | 4.626 | PS (4.8)

Kelley is a small school kid who put up impressive numbers in the FCS, he pushed the ball downfield well and was impressive but level of competition and height are the biggest drawbacks. Carson Strong is a guy who many are hyping as a dark horse to be one of the best in the class and while he has a great arm, his lack of mobility and oft-injured knees mean he slips for me. Purdy is a solid QB who’s probably a backup most of his career, think along the lines of those career backup Badgers QBs and you got your man… He’ll be around a decade but have only a handful of starts. Eleby is a small school QB who helped Skyy Moore impress, he’s got a quick release, some mobility, and the stats to back him up but he’s a rough outline of what he’ll need to be at the next level.

 

The Rest (of the Potential Starters)

Skylar Thompson | Kansas State (B12) | PS (4.5)

Jack Coan | Notre Dame (INID) | PS (4.4)

Anthony Brown | Oregon (P12) | PS (4.2)

Dustin Crum | Kent State (MAC) | PS (4.1)