NFL Scouts claim 2022 QB Draft class lacks a "single NFL starter"
Several NFL teams are in the market for a quarterback prospect in the 2022 Draft, but some scouts are claiming there aren't any that are "ready". Even after the Senior Bowl this past weekend, scouts believe teams shouldn't draft a quarterback in the Top-20 in hopes they can start as a rookie.
Multiple NFL Evaluators Say There's Not a Single Starting QB in 2022 NFL Draft. #Steelers #NFL bleacherreport.com/articles/10026… https://t.co/7n3tA0CyoQ
As reported by MMQB's Albert Breer, there are a few veteran NFL scouts and evaluators who have looked through the draft class and were not impressed.
"A couple of veteran NFL evaluators told me...they don't believe there's a single NFL starter in this year's quarterback class...Not everyone was that harsh, but it was unanimous...these quarterbacks aren't close to last year's...all five of last year's first-round [QBs] would've been the top guy at the position in the 2022 Draft."
To back up the statement, Bleacher Report's Scouting Department did not list a single quarterback in the top 15 players on the draft board.
Scouts were able to see projected first-round picks Desmond Ridder, Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett and Sam Howell in the Senior Bowl on Saturday.
They called it an "average showing" and no one "stood out as a top-level guy". Malik Willis was seen as the best in the group but is a question mark as a guy coming out of Auburn and Liberty.
Who will be the first QB taken in 2022 NFL Draft?
2022 could be the first draft since 2013, with zero quarterbacks drafted in the first 15 picks. But teams are always willing to select players far before they are projected, especially when it comes to getting a potential starting quarterback. There are a handful of players who could be the first quarterback off the board.
Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett had a breakout season this year, going from an unknown to a Heisman finalist with the Panthers. Some analysts view him as the best quarterback in the draft.
Others see Liberty's Malik Willis as the top quarterback, as he stood out above the rest in the Senior Bowl and checks the proverbial boxes for a pro quarterback.
ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Todd McShay on Liberty QB Malik Willis: "He's the most dynamic athlete of all the quarterbacks in this class. He has the strongest arm of all the quarterbacks in this class. The ball absolutely explodes off his hand." #NFLDraft #SeniorBowl https://t.co/XV4Fs3MLui
Ole Miss' Matt Corral has been in the mix in some mock drafts, but Willis and Pickett have the best chances of going first.
Most sports books have Kenny Pickett as the first quarterback to be drafted between pick #16 and pick #24.