3 standout Senior Bowl stars to watch out for in 2022 NFL Draft
The Senior Bowl is similar to the Pro Bowl, as it consists of college football all-stars who have completed their college eligibility. It also serves to help showcase the top NFL Draft prospects.
The media and scouts gain an additional opportunity to see some of the best prospects in a live-game situation as teams start to build their draft boards.
There were easily a dozen or more college prospects who greatly helped their draft stock in the Senior Bowl and will be some of the highest-trending names leading up to the combine and draft. The National Team defeated the American Team 20-10 with Kenny Pickett and Desmond Ridder as the quarterbacks.
Pass-rushers Perrion Winfrey of Oklahoma and Boye Mafe of Minnesota each had two sacks. Quarterback Sam Howell from North Carolina had a miserable game, which will only further drop his stock into the second or third round.
With many great performances all around, there are three players that stand out above the rest. These men will see their draft value trend upwards over the next few months and will be a gem for an NFL team within the first three rounds.
#1 - Malik Willis further cements himself as the likely first QB to be drafted in NFL Draft
Many scouts have been criticizing this year's draft class for its lack of any real quarterbacks ready to start at the pro level. Malik Willis was viewed as being flawed after coming from offenses like Auburn and Liberty, but he is proving it doesn't matter where you play in college.
#Liberty QB Malik Willis has a message to those criticizing him for playing at “small school”: “Y’all do us dirty.” #SeniorBowl #NFLDraft #NFLDraft2022 https://t.co/Hsytwdmu7I
Willis showed the most "big-play" ability in the Senior Bowl, despite some rocky reps in practice. His arm strength stands out above all else, and many NFL scouts are drawn to his impressive throwing ability.
Willis won't end up getting drafted as a top-10 talent, but a team in need of a quarterback could trade up into the #12-#15 range if Washington passes on him at #11.