Previewing 8 more QB prospects for the 2022 NFL Draft, including Desmond Ridder, Carson Strong
2022 NFL Draft Thoughts
2022 NFL Draft Notes
Last time, I ranked 9 QBs based on a Yahoo article about matchups of 2022 eligible players who will be facing off against each other next season. I didn’t get to all 24 quarterbacks in that article obviously, so let’s fill in some gaps. The quotes on the players under their names are not from me, they are from Yahoo.
EMORY JONES, Florida, 6’2, 210 lbs:
If you’re looking to buy stock early in a QB prospect before the price jumps — whatever that means — then Jones might be your man. He has more rush attempts (92) than pass attempts (86) at this juncture but has all the upside to be a breakout player this season. He has first-round talent.
He has performed well in a reserve role the past two seasons behind Kyle Trask, throwing only one interception, completing 64% of his passes and averaging 5.6 yards per run. How Jones handled replacing Trask in the bowl game slaughtering by Oklahoma showed a lot about Jones’ character and toughness.
Just to be clear, Jones completed 8-of-16 passes for 86 yards in that game. The score, by the way, was 17-13 midway through the second quarter, then 55-13 midway through the fourth. College football! In that game, he seems to have some arm strength, but I have no idea where people are getting “first round talent”.
DESMOND RIDDER, Cincinnati, 6’4, 215 lbs:
Ridder eschewed the draft and returned to the Bearcats, making him one of college football’s more experienced passers (34 starts). He’s also among the most improved at the position. After a dip in his 2019 play, Ridder helped guide Cincinnati to a 9-1 record and a top-10 ranking, throwing for 19 TDs and running for 12 more in his 10 starts.
I’ve probably mentioned Ridder once or twice before. He’s the first QB on the Yahoo list that I’ve mentioned so far who is over 6’3. Most of them are 6’2 or under, I think. Height can be overrated, but that is interesting. Grayson McCall is 6’3. This will be Ridder’s fourth season as a starter and his numbers have only improved slightly from an impressive freshman campaign. That must be why he went back to school — plus the Bearcats should compete for the CFP. Ridder also rushed for 12 touchdowns and 6.0 YPC in 2020. He definitely looks more like an NFL QB — in size and arm strength — than most of the quarterbacks I’ve evaluated so far, if not all. But there are names left to go …
MICHAEL PENIX, Jr., Indiana, 6’3, 218 lbs:
Penix is a crafty lefty with a lanky build and good athleticism, but his accuracy must improve. He completed 60% or lower in four of his six starts before suffering a torn ACL, which will provide another hurdle this season.
Ridder is the more accomplished of the two, but Penix’s thrilling upside — on full display in his battle against Ohio State’s Justin Fields last season — cannot go overlooked.
As a redshirt freshman, Pennix had 68.8% completions, 8.7 Y/A, 10 TD, 4 INT in six starts. They asked him to throw it more often as a sophomore last year and his rate stats went down — 54.4% completions, 7.5 Y/A — but at least he threw fewer picks per attempt. Against Ohio State, Penix only completed 27 of 51 passes, but he had 491 yards and five touchdowns. Not a dual threat. There still isn’t a notable lefty in the NFL, so long as Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t solidify himself as a starter. He seems to ball, honestly.
CARSON STRONG, Nevada, 6’4, 215 lbs
Strong was the Mountain West’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2020, and he gets back a slew of weapons in WRs Romeo Doubs and Elijah Cooks, and TE Cole Turner — all three of whom are on NFL radars. So is the 6-4, 215-pound Strong, who had a 27-4 TD-INT ratio and excelled on the deep ball in 2020.
Strong’s numbers with Nevada last season are about as good as any I’ve seen from any of the 2022 quarterbacks so far. He averaged 9.1 adjusted Y/A and completed 70.1% of his throws, while whipping it 355 times and throwing 27 touchdowns in only nine games. He threw the ball more times in nine games last season than Trey Lance did in his entire college career. Though I’ll say, Lance’s numbers were even better when he did throw it.
He has a more natural delivery than many other quarterbacks, I just wish that the college game did more to emulate the pro game. Every quarterback is in shotgun on every play. Why? Because some college team gets nervous that they’ll go 5-6 instead of 7-4. College is only supposed to exist as a way to prepare young people for their real world profession, not to make money for the school by winning football games. It’s absolutely asinine to train football players this way and on top of that no college has a real shot of a national championship outside of a few select programs. I really hate the NCAA. #PutCarsonStrongUnderCenter
CHASE GARBERS, Cal, 6’2, 225 lbs
Garbers took a step back last season, hurt by the post-COVID adjustment to new coordinator Bill Musgrove’s offense. He comes into 2021 with 23 starts (25 games) of experience, has shown toughness and fits a pro-style offense well. Can he repeat his 2019 performance (especially in wins over Stanford, UCLA and Illinois) this fall?
Garbers was great as a sophomore, throwing 14 touchdowns and three interceptions in nine games, with 8.2 Y/A. He wasn’t good in four games of the messed up 2020 season and Cal ranked 111th in scoring. They ranked 119th the year before. That Cal offensive line is atrocious.
PHIL JURKOVEC, Boston College, 6’5, 226 lbs:
Jurkovec was a fine addition via Notre Dame, showing the kind of big-play ability that once made him a heralded Irish recruit. The 6-5, 226-pound QB has some Ben Roethlisberger-like skills and, despite losing favorite target Hunter Long, has an exceptional offensive line behind which to work and a deep threat in Zay Flowers. By season’s end we could be talking about Jurkovec as a possible first-rounder.
He couldn’t beat out Ian Book, but he could be a better NFL prospect. Another sign of failure by college football, in my barely-educated, off-the-cuff opinion. I’m sure there’s a lot more to it than I could possibly understand or comprehend in this quick blog post. Anyways, Jurcovec had pretty good numbers at BC: 17 TD, 5 INT, 61% completions, 8 AY/A. He nearly led an upset against Clemson, getting Boston College out to a 28-10 lead just before halftime. Boston College was outscored 21-0 in the second half, lost 34-28. But Jurcovek seemed to have a good day against a defense with NFL players. He played okay against Notre Dame too.
MYLES BRENNAN, LSU, 6’4, 210 lbs:
LSU opens the season at the Rose Bowl, and it will be a chance for Brennan to remind folks of how highly recruited he was out of high school and how he has the skills to be an NFL draft pick. Brennan might even be more toolsy than Joe Burrow was, featuring a big-league arm. He also improved with his pocket sense prior to suffering a season-ending abdomen injury.
From Burrow to Brennan … He’s got the size and pedigree, but Brennan is entering his fifth year of college and he’s thrown 201 career attempts. last season, he went 79-of-131, 1,112 yards, 11 TD, 3 INT. To be fair, Burrow entered his final college season with perhaps an even worse resume than Brennan. Burrow worked with offensive coordinator Joe Brady, now one of the fastest-risers in the NFL, and Brennan is working with Jake Peetz and DJ Mangas. But Brennan hasn’t even won the starting job yet … Max Johnson, who replaced Brennan after season-ending abdominal surgery, has opened spring as the 1. Another interesting development at LSU is wide receiver Kayshon Boutte: in the final three games of his freshman season, against Alabama, Florida, and Ole Miss, Boutte caught 27 passes for 527 yards and four touchdowns. His 308 yards against Ole Miss is an SEC single-game record. Next Burrow? This might be the next Ja’Marr Chase.
DORIAN THOMPSON-ROBINSON, UCLA, 6’1, 200 lbs:
Thompson-Robinson is entering Year 3 as Chip Kelly’s starter and had a few moments during an abbreviated 2020 season, just as DTR had in his first two seasons. Unfortunately, the results have been decidedly mixed. If he’s going to put himself forth as an NFL prospect, starting the season with a statement performance vs. the Tigers would be a good route to take.
I have not yet wrapped my head around the fact that Chip Kelly is a college coach again. Kelly went 46-7 at Oregon, prior to coaching the Eagles and 49ers. He is 10-21 at UCLA and has yet to even post a five-win season. Thompson, a four-star prospect and one of the top QB recruits in the nation in 2018, has to be the key to unlocking something better. Thompson threw 12 touchdowns in only five games last season, but also four interceptions. He was somewhat of a dual threat, including 109 rushing yards and four passing touchdowns (with 303 passing yards) against Colorado last year.