2022 NFL Draft QB rankings: Top-25 draft-eligible QBs after college football's first weekend
2022 NFL Draft QB rankings: Top-25 draft-eligible QBs after college football's first weekend
Ranking the top 25 QBs in the 2022 NFL Draft
There is no Trevor Lawrence in the 2022 NFL Draft. There could turn out to be a Zach Wilson or a Joe Burrow, a quarterback who emerges as an elite prospect over the course of the college season and draft preparation period, but there is not one consensus first round QB that we know of today.
These rankings are going to change a lot as we go from the first week of the college season to the final week of draft season.
Yes, these are just my opinions.
Yes, Grayson McCall is my current number one.
No, nobody else is even talking about Grayson McCall as an NFL prospect at any point, let alone the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
No, I don’t give a shit if I’m alone on that island.
No, I won’t feel bad if McCall never comes close to the NFL.
The following quarterbacks are:
a) eligible for the 2022 NFL Draft
b) considered notable enough to me for acknowledgment, but as the season goes on, other names will emerge that I’m not even considering right now
c) that’s it.
I’m not super well-versed in the styles and abilities of all of these names yet. That knowledge can only unveil itself as the weeks drift by us over the coming months. So, please feel free to expand my knowledge in the comments if you have any thoughts on this order.
But don’t try to budge me off of McCall.
Top-Ten
1. Grayson McCall, CCU vs Citadel (16/19, 262y, 1 TD/0 INT, 2rush/24y)
Next up: Kansas
2. Carson Strong, Nevada vs Cal (22/39, 312y, 2 TD/1 INT, 3rush/-7y)
No question about it: Strong looks like and throws like a good NFL QB. Multiple deep passes of note and he’s just slicing Cal up the middle of the field. Can stick in the pocket but nimble enough to move outside of it.
Next up: Idaho State
3. Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati vs Miami (OH) (20/25, 295y, 4 TD/1 INT, 6rush/31y/1TD)
First pass by Ridder is a wide open deep touchdown. Miami (OH) brought zero defense to the game, but Ridder can still show off his exceptional arm strength.
Next up: Murray State
4. Malik Willis, Liberty vs Campbell (15/23, 217y, 1 TD/0 INT, 5rush/55y/1TD)
Finding full highlights for Willis will prove difficult. He does seem to do quite well. Backup Johnathan Bennett also went 4-of-6 for 102 yards, 1 TD/0 INT. Campbell QB Hajj-Malik Williams wasn’t terrible either.
Next up: Troy
5. Kedon Slovis, USC vs San Jose St (24/36, 256y, 2 TD/0 INT, 4rush/7y)
Slovis forced J.T. Daniels, another QB getting first round buzz, to Georgia and I think it’s always notable when a QB wins a competition over another QB. There’s no need to spin it any other way: consider the leadership qualities of a player like Justin Herbert, who won a starting QB job over multiple college football veterans and higher-rated prospects as a true freshman at Oregon. That mattered. Winning over coaches matters a lot. And Daniels could end up as a good QB …but Slovis has been better.
On the other side, his play is a bit robotic. Seems like he’s still trying to get comfortable playing the part of quarterback.
Next up: Stanford
6. Matt Corral, Ole Miss vs Louisville (22/33, 381y, 1 TD/0 INT, 12rush/55y/1TD)
People are treating Matt Corral the same way that I treat Grayson McCall…and I’m trying desperately not to hold that against Matt Corral. But trust me, I saw Corral last year too. I didn’t overlook him. He was intriguing enough to be this high on the list.
He also threw six interceptions against Arkansas last year — and he should have probably had more. He was bad on almost every throw. He threw five interceptions against LSU last year, and they all came within the first 31 minutes of the game.
Would Grayson McCall make those errors? Not my Grayson McCall.
You can’t ignore that he threw 14 interceptions on only 326 throws. You also can’t ignore the arm talent, size, and that he’s got the potential to create plays that most quarterbacks could never dream of; but that’s still only potential. Interceptions are a death sentence. No individual threw more than 15 interceptions last season, but seven teams had at least 16 interceptions; all seven underwent QB changes during the season.
Also, he doesn’t know how to slide and I think that could lead to an injury.
It’s interesting that nobody just posts video on Twitter without adding their commentary. I think I would like a Twitter account that didn’t tell me what they think about the highlight they’re showing. (This is not an endorsement, is what I’m saying. I’m just trying to post this article and they withheld the Ole Miss game until Monday night…)
Next up: Austin Peay
7. Phil Jurkovec, Boston College vs Colgate (16/24, 303y, 3 TD/0 INT, 5rush/61y)
He just seems very solid. Let’s see him against better brands of college teams.
Next up: UMass
8. Sam Howell, UNC vs Virginia Tech (17/32, 208y, 1 TD/3 INT, 13rush/35y)
Howell dominated Virginia Tech last year. From watching the film, Howell’s clearly got athletic gifts and arm talent that few college quarterbacks have; it also seems that he was bothered by the pressure from VT early and that kind of altered his mindset for the rest of the game. Howell throws a “long TD” at 6:40 here, but you can see all the yards came after the catch. A lot of his throws were uncatchable and I think he earned all three picks. But you can’t say he doesn’t have NFL traits.
Next up: Georgia State
9. Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma vs Tulane (30/39, 304y, 1TD/2 INT, 8rush/7y/1TD)
A chance to see all the highs — and all of the lows — of Rattler. I think this performance is a lot less satisfying than the one by a player like Strong, who doesn’t seem to create nearly as many pressure situations as Rattler does. I do not like to see a quarterback dropping 10-15 yards behind center, dancing with his feet, looking to “create a play.” The plays were already created by the coaches and improvisation should only begin to happen as a last case scenario. Rattler could have had at least five interceptions and that’s against Tulane. His athletic traits and arm talent is obvious but why so many issues against Tulane when he has so much going in his favor in a game like that? It might be fine for an Oklahoma QB to struggle like that, but it’s not necessarily what you see in a first round pick.
Next up: Western Carolina
10. Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland vs West Virginia (26/36, 332y, 3 TD/0 INT, 6rush/3y)
Really good pass at 3:35. I also just believe that Tagovailoa will be shown favoritism because of his brother and his last name and that will at least help him get opportunities and improve his draft status.
Next up: Howard
And 15 More (not in order)…
Jayden Daniels, ASU vs Southern Utah (10/12, 132y, 0 TD/0 INT, 6rush/40y)
Bryce Young, Alabama vs Miami (27/38, 344y, 4 TD/0 INT, 2rush/-1y)
Jake Haener, Fresno State vs Oregon (30/43, 298y, 1TD/0INT, 9rush/-10y/1TD)
D’Eriq King, Miami vs Alabama (23/31, 178y, 1 TD/2 INT, 9rush/10y)
Michael Penix, Indiana vs Iowa (14/31, 156y, 0 TD/3 INT, 2rush/-7y)
Brock Purdy, Iowa State vs N Iowa (21/26, 199y, 0 TD/0 INT, 9rush/58y)
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA vs LSU (9/16, 260y, 3 TD/1 INT, 13rush/5y)
Will Levis, Kentucky vs UL-Monroe (18/26, 367y, 4 TD/1 INT)
Tanner McKee, Stanford vs K-State (15/18, 118y, 1 TD/0 INT, 4rush/-1y)
Kenny Pickett, Pitt vs UMass (27/37, 272y, 2 TD/0 INT, 6rush/39y)
Bo Nix, Auburn vs Akron (20/22, 275y, 3 TD/0 INT, 3rush/32y)
Tyler Shough, Texas Tech vs Houston (17/24, 231y, 1 TD/0 INT, 1 rush TD)
Chase Garbers, Cal vs Nevada (25/38, 177y, 1 TD/1 INT, 6 rush/-5y)
Jack Coan, Notre Dame vs Florida State (26/35, 366y, 4 TD/1 INT, 9rush/-3y)
Tyler Shough, Texas Tech vs Houston (17/24, 231y, 1 TD/0 INT, 6rush/-2y/1TD)