3 2022 NFL Draft QB prospects who have higher ceilings than Baker Mayfield
NFL teams in need of a franchise quarterback on the cheap at this point in the offseason have two options: use a selection during the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft or buy low on Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield torched the relationship with his current employer during an appearance on the Ya Never Know podcast, saying that Cleveland set expectations for him that weren't met, causing the No. 1 2018 NFL Draft pick to feel disrespected:
“I feel disrespected — 100%. Because I was told one thing and they completely did another. That’s what I’m in the middle of right now. I've had 4 different head coaches in four years. A bunch of different coordinators."
That makes a trade from the Browns about as close to a certainty as you'll see this offseason. Unfortunately for Cleveland, Mayfield just destroyed any leverage they could have had in any potential negotiations.
Of course, Mayfield is speaking about the franchise that drafted him this way because of the recent Deshaun Watson trade that sent first-round picks in 2022, 2023, and 2024 along with a 2023 third-rounder and 2022 and 2024 fourth-round selections to the Houston Texans. Cleveland also returned a 2024 sixth-round pick in the deal. Watson received a guaranteed $230 million contract extension to make matters worse for Mayfield.
Watson didn't play a single snap in 2021 and has ongoing sexual assault and harassment cases, but the Browns still trusted him over Mayfield moving forward. Ouch!
Mayfield could be a buy-low trade candidate, but there's a reason he's available in the first place. His boom-or-bust tendencies, thriving every other year and suffering the others, coupled with his sixth-worst INT percentage among active quarterbacks, make giving him the reigns to the offense a risky proposition.
Obviously, taking an unproven commodity in the 2022 NFL Draft is too risky. But the teams that need a quarterback have a chance to get as close to a sure thing as they can in the first round of the NFL Draft.
The Houston Texans, the Carolina Panthers, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Seattle Seahawks need a quarterback and top 10 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. Mayfield is an option for all of them. Seattle is even considered (by Mayfield himself) the frontrunner for his services.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport believes that a Mayfield deal could happen in the days leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft and revealed as much on The Pat McAfee Show:
“I would imagine the week of the draft, they’ll be some things. We may get a Baker Mayfield trade… It just makes sense.”
"I would imagine the week of the draft we could get a Baker Mayfield trade" ~@RapSheet
#PMSLive https://t.co/5YQ9QxGZZX
The team that gets a deal done with the Browns will almost certainly have their first-round NFL Draft pick since Cleveland has no chance of landing a first-round pick for his services.
Assuming that the team bringing Mayfield into its quarterback room doesn't immediately undermine him by drafting competition with its first-round pick, the other teams will be better positioned to find their next long-term answer. But who qualifies as a superior long-term answer?
These 3 2022 NFL Draft quarterback prospects have higher ceilings than Baker Mayfield
#1 - Kenny Pickett
Kenny Pickett has the potential to be a gunslinger in the same vein as prime Andy Dalton, who NFL.com used as their pro comparison for the University of Pittsburgh quarterback.
As far as we know, Pickett's ceiling could be much higher than that of Dalton, whose career trailed off after five successful seasons, leading the Cincinnati Bengals to a winning record from 2011 to 2015.
At six-foot-three and 220 pounds, the former Pitt Panther has the ability to read defensive schemes pre-snap better than Baker Mayfield and has a bigger arm to boot.
#2 - Malik Willis
If you're not sold on the competition Malik Willis faced while starting under center for Liberty following a transfer from Auburn in 2019, perhaps you should be sold on his NFL Draft Combine performance.
Wowing scouts the most with his deep balls and accurate slant routes, Willis was impressive off the field as well in a viral video showing his empathy towards some struggling on an Indianapolis street corner:
Was having lunch yesterday and saw one of the Combine guys helping out someone on some hard times…
@malikwillis being great even when nobody is watching. How can you not be a fan of this guy? https://t.co/BmFzUM66NU
Athletically, Mayfield is barely in the same conversation as Willis. Franchises may be better off going for a high-character, hyper-athletic dual-threat instead of one with no issues airing out his dirty laundry to random podcast hosts.
#3 - Matt Corral
Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral became a star under Lane Kiffin for the Rebels in the past two seasons. But his decision to play in the Sugar Bowl vs. Baylor this past January ended up costing him his health for both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Draft Combine.
Still, Corral showed more than enough in his four-year career in Oxford to warrant being selected on day one of the NFL Draft. In fact, he might still have shown enough to be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft on April 28th.
The same teams considering the likes of Willis and Pickett are looking at Corral. If not for his injury, he would likely have no qualms drafting the quarterback that threw 258 completions on 378 attempts for 3,333 passing yards, 20 touchdown tosses, and only four interceptions.