INDIANAPOLIS — The Kenny Pickett Show was perhaps the most anticipated of this week's NFL scouting combine, but the program-altering Pitt star isn't the consensus No. 1 quarterback in the 2022 draft class.
That's mostly because there is no consensus No. 1 quarterback in this draft class.
Pickett's most likely competition to be the first passer off the board in April is Liberty's Malik Willis, but Mississippi's Matt Corral might have an outside chance, too. Then there are a few other first-round candidates in North Carolina's Sam Howell, Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder and Nevada's Carson Strong.
"I think we're all just hard workers, overachievers," Ridder said Wednesday. "I know a lot of these guys — Carson Strong, Kenny Pickett, Malik, Sam — we're all overachievers. We all feel that there's almost a chip on all of our shoulders just because they're saying this draft class isn't as good as others. But I think you'll see a lot of success out of all of us in the league."
Ridder, at 6-foot-3 and 211 pounds, ran the fastest 40-yard dash time of any quarterback Thursday night in Indianapolis. But his 4.52 seconds could pale in comparison to Willis, generally regarded as the most mobile player at the position this year.
Willis opted to not run at the combine, though he'll "probably" do so at his pro day March 22. Whereas many NFL hopefuls, particularly quarterbacks, are used to having the spotlight on them and handle their media interviews accordingly, Willis was nonchalant behind the podium Wednesday, maybe even refreshingly so coming out of a program that just moved to the highest level of college football in 2018.
"This is a game," Willis said when asked about his relaxed attitude. "You can't be stressed. Life is stressful. You go through way worse stuff in life. I'm just grateful I get to come out here and play a game."
The 6-foot, 219-pound Willis even admitted he didn't have much of an NFL dream when he transferred from Auburn to Liberty in 2019, expecting "just to go and have fun" for two or three years. And he didn't watch much football growing up because he thought it was "boring" — until he blossomed as a player in high school.
That's not the case for Corral, who called being drafted "my dream since I started playing football." He'll need to adjust to going from a run-pass option, spread offense in college to the NFL, but he has a good story to tell teams. Corral could've skipped the Sugar Bowl to preserve his draft stock, but he opted to play and sustained a high-ankle sprain that kept him off the field for combine drills.
"They've asked if I regret it — absolutely not," Corral said of his conversations with coaches, which included the Steelers. "I never thought about opting out until teammates came up to me asking if I was going to play or not. It was never a thought in my mind. I was going to play regardless. ... I had to really make it a point to address the team and say I'm all-in. I would not be in this position if it wasn't for them. I took pride in being their leader."
At 6-1, 212 pounds, Corral will have to overcome not having prototypical NFL size, as will Howell, who measured at the same height but six pounds heavier. Both were productive rushers in college, though Howell didn't run at the combine, either, because of a minor injury.
Howell and Corral also were the only highly touted recruits in this group of quarterbacks, as both were four-star prospects coming out of high school. Naturally, they had all the right things to say when asked about whether the Steelers are considering them as the next face of their franchise, and they referred to outgoing Ben Roethlisberger as a surefire Hall of Famer.
"I think the world of the organization," said Howell, who had Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert check him out in-person at least a couple times last season. "I think it's a great-run organization. A lot of respect for coach [Mike] Tomlin and how he kind of carries his life, how he kind of goes about things. So, yeah, I like those guys a lot."
While all the aforementioned first-round possibilities would fit the Steelers' desire to get more athletic under center, Strong is the furthest thing from a dual-threat. He has appealing size at 6-3, 226 pounds, and a strong arm that he showed off during on-field workouts, but only twice last season did he have positive rushing yardage in a game (he was also sacked 37 times).
That's at least partially a result of his decision to play last year despite having surgery that February on his right knee, which he also injured in high school, forcing him to miss his senior season. Doctors told him it could take up to a year to recover, but he was cleared in six months and threw for 4,186 yards, 36 touchdowns and eight interceptions to help Nevada go 8-4 in the regular season (Strong opted out of the Quick Lane Bowl).
"Everyone's got a different opinion, but I know I'm ready to go," said Strong, who, like Willis and Howell, only chose to do the throwing session at the combine. "Everybody's judging me based on the tape that I put out last season, which makes total sense, but I wasn't healthy. ... What I proved at the Senior Bowl is that I can move fluidly and smoothly. No, I'm not going to stiff-arm someone and hurdle them and go run a 50-yard touchdown. But I can extend plays, I can do a play-action boot pass. I stepped up in the pocket, got 10 yards, and slid when I could at practice. I showed that I can move a little bit. I didn't wear a knee brace. It's way better than it was during the season. I think I proved that already."
Every quarterback in this draft had much to prove, and some still have more questions to answer. Does Willis boost his stock even higher with a blazing 40 time? Corral is playing catch-up a bit because of no Senior Bowl and his injury. And what will each team's medical staff make of Strong's injury history?
There may be no clear-cut top guy and no No. 1 overall pick for the first time since 2017, but that doesn't mean there's no intrigue — especially given the Steelers' situation. The timing could be wrong or it could be perfect for an organization staring at an uncertain future and No. 20 on the draft board.
"We will never narrow it down to one position — never have, never will," Colbert said Monday. "Quarterback is obviously a huge position in any given season, especially this year with our Hall of Fame quarterback calling it a career. So, is it different this year? Yes. But is it going to change how we approach things? No."
