NFL Draft prospects: Ranking quarterbacks heading into the 2022 NFL Combine

We’re still over two months away from the NFL Draft in Las Vegas but we’ll reach a major juncture next week with the NFL Combine taking place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

This is a rare year where quarterback isn’t the focal point of draft build as this is considered one of the weaker QB classes in recent memory. There isn’t a consensus franchise guy at the top of the boards like Trevor Lawrence last year and several teams with QB needs are opting to try their luck with free agency and trades before considering to use a high-round draft pick in this class. With that being said, there are some intriguing prospects who could thrive if put into the right situation.

At the top of the quarterback rankings are Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett and Liberty’s Malik Willis. Pickett had a meteoric rise as a fifth-year senior in 2021, leading the Panthers to an ACC Championship and earning a trip to New York City as a Heisman finalist. He passed for over 4,200 yards and 42 touchdowns, a sudden rise that some like Split Zone Duo’s Alex Kirshner have compared to Joe Burrow in his senior year at LSU. Willis was a dynamic dual-threat QB for this past season, accounting for 40 touchdowns on both the ground and through the air for the Flames. The former Auburn prospect turned heads with his athleticism in the Senior Bowl a few weeks back.

The next tier of signal-callers includes college football veterans like Ole Miss’ Matt Corral, North Carolina’s Sam Howell, and Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder. All three QB’s experienced various levels of success throughout their collegiate careers but flaws like accuracy and turnovers knock them down a peg. Sleeper prospects include Western Kentucky’s Bailey Zappe, Nevada’s Carson strong, and Alabama A&M’s Aqueel Glass, among others.