It’s that time of year.
The offseason where college quarterbacks travel up and down prospective draft boards much more than other players. Happens every year.
Washington is slated to choose in the No. 11 spot for now, barring a trade.
All of December and January, we heard how none of the top quarterbacks in this 2022 draft class would have been in the top five of the 2021 class. You recall the 2021 QB class resulted in Trevor Lawrence going to the Jaguars (1), Zach Wilson to the Jets (2), Trey Lance to the 49ers (3), Justin Fields to the Bears (11) and Mac Jones to the Patriots (15).
Six quarterbacks were at last week’s Senior Bowl week in Mobile, Alabama. How are those six quarterbacks to be ranked? Who knows? Frankly, the rankings differ depending upon the publication, analyst, or scout.
After the Senior Bowl, Pro Football Focus has just ranked their top five quarterbacks for now:
1-Sam Howell, (UNC), 2-Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati), 3- Matt Corral (Ole Miss), 4- Kenny Pickett (Pitt), 5- Carson Strong (Nevada).
Some things jump out right away in their listing. Only three are listed in the top 32, and none are listed as the top 15 players to be drafted. Keep in mind Washington is slated to draft at No. 11.
Yet, according to some analysts, one quarterback actually performed much better last week than the rest, displaying his athleticism and strong passing arm. Which one of the five? Nope, it was actually Malik Willis of Liberty University who has not played against the competition of the other top five in the QB class.
During bad weather on Wednesday, through rain and wind, Willis displayed a stronger arm, generating velocity as his passes cut through the bad conditions better than all other passers.
Willis was projected last month to be a second-round selection. Now he will start moving up draft boards. Then it will be off to the NFL Combine (March 1-7), where quarterbacks will be under the microscope, leaping up and falling down draft boards.
We have a long way to go until April 28-30 for the 2022 NFL Draft, so don’t put too much into these Mock Drafts you see now.
