NFL Draft: Dekker Quarterback Rankings
It’s that time of year where everyone uses their detective skills to figure out who their team will pick in the NFL Draft. As mentioned before in one of my previous posts, having an elite quarterback (or even a slightly above average one) can determine a franchise‘s success.
Today I am going to review this quarterback class. Many scouts and insiders claim that this class is weak and will not yield any significant starters. I would disagree as there is almost a 100% gurantee that several of these players will be taking starter reps in 2022. In comparison, there were five QBs selected in the first round last year. Basic analytics will tell you that is quite the outlier, so I anticipate there will be, at most, three taken in the first round this year. The position is so important to a team so if you are interested in one player, it makes sense to get him earlier on in the round.
I’ll start my top five from the bottom and work my way up to number one on my QB List. I will do a brief profile based on what I have seen and then provide a small prediction as to where they could find themselves drafted.
5) Carson Strong - Nevada
Every year there is a quarterback who is a dominate pocket passer. While the league is obsessed with mobile quarterbacks now, there will always be a place and an offensive system where this type of player can be successful. Tom Brady has won several championships as a clear cut pocket passer; he has never been the archetype of an athlete. He has absolutely thrived in the league with his play style and being able to have a decent offensive line around him. Without a good protection unit, a QB who isn’t mobile can have a difficult time getting into a rhythm during a game.
Strong has a very strong arm (pun intended) and is an excellent ability to get the ball to his receivers on every level of the field. During his final season at Nevada, he amassed more then four thousand passing yards and and thirty-six touchdowns. Those are some pretty hefty numbers in comparison to some of the other top QBs in this class. He has the ideal size and strength at 6’4 And 215lb to play his position in the pros as well.
In conclusion, he has an injury history that may lower his draft stock. He had two knee surgeries on the same knee over the course of the last few years. Thus, he likely wont be picked any earlier then the third round or early second. For a team that needs a good backup or is interested in getting a young, talented guy in the QB room, Carson Strong offers an under the radar amount of potential.
Predicted landing spots: Predicting what teams draft a QB is nearly impossible, but I think he would be a great player in a play action offensive system or a system that has a lot of quick players already on the offense. A few teams that I see picking him could be the Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans, or the Indianapolis Colts.
4) Kenny Pickett - Pittsburgh
Pickett is perhaps most well known for his hand size at this point in time. It is truly amazing how a talented player with tons of experience can be overlooked due to a measurement that is completely out of his ability to control. He had an unbelievable senior season in which he had 4,319 yards and 42 passing touchdowns! His biggest highlight was against Wake Forest in the ACC Championship when he faked a slide, then ran a touchdown. The NCAA subsequently changed the rules to not allow an evasive move such as that in order to protect QBs and defensive players form potential head to head collisions.
Aside form the hand measureables, there is not much to dislike regarding his film. He also stands tall in the pocket but offers a good amount of athleticism when the pocket breaks down (he had five rushing touchdowns to add on to the year). Kenny Pickett has expressed a great amount of knowledge and proven ability in reading defenses which has him labeled in the media as “the most pro ready QB in the class.”
Closing out my review of Pickett, I think that he has proven he can be a solid option at the position who can add a little bit of a mobile factor to his game if schemed properly into the offense. Rumor has it, he could even be the first QB off the board, but I think he will likely be picked in the mid-to-late first round.
Predicted landing spots: I could see him being drafted by the Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, or Pittsburgh Steelers.
3) Matt Corral - Ole Miss
I think the next best quarterback of this 2022 draft class is Matt Corral. He leaves Ole Miss as an underclassmen, so you could argue that he offers a bit more upside since he hasn’t had his “peak season” yet. In reference, each of the other top QBs on my list have had their senior year to showcase their best football. Corral statiscally didn’t set himself apart from this group, but he showed great poise and accuracy against the toughest conference in college football.
NFL Insiders and scouts reportedly claim that he has talent but it is hard to predict if that will translate to the league since almost half of the offense he ran was based on RPOs (Run Play Options). I would be willing to argue that Corral could easily tailor his skills to mesh well with a pro-style offense.
In a lot of ways, this is the type of QB that would be a great long term prospect. I think he would be just fine coming in to start on Day One for a team, but would benefit learning from a veteran on how to get accustomed to the more complicated offensive schemes in the NFL. He projects to be a second round pick in the draft this month.
Predicted landing spots: I think that he will go higher then the media expects. I would guess he likely ends up with the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, or New Orleans Saints. A dark horse team could be the Minnesota Vikings, but I am not sure they go QB after selecting Kellen Mond last year in the third round.
2) Malik Willis - Liberty
Easily the most popular choice for the best quarterback in the draft due to his electrifying play style, Malik Wilis comes up as my second favorite in this class. He has so many traits that NFL teams look for in a franchise cornerstone. However, he does not have too much consistency to his name when it comes to statistics.
During his final year in college, he accumulated almost three thousand passing yards and twenty-seven touchdowns along with almost nine hundred rushing yards and thirteen rushing touchdowns. Often times, he was playing behind a less then stellar offensive line. This was a factor in how he was able to pile up a ton of highlights; when you are on the run, a deep ball on target is even more impressive.
I don’t see him waiting long for his name to be called on draft night, but Willis does provide a huge amount of upside, but will need to be given some time to adjust to the NFL level of speed as well as offensive system. He never had the same offensive coordinator throughout his college career. To be honest, his play style reminds me a lot of Lamar Jackson. His rushing ability is above anyone else, but he could use some of his rookie year to increase his completion percentage.
Predicted landing spots: Willis draft position is such a mystery and will likely influence a lot of the top picks in the draft if picked early in the night. I think he will ultimately, be selected in the top ten, by the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, or Seattle Seahawks. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been rumored to really like him as well, so they may offer up a lot of draft capital to move up and get him if he starts to slide a little bit.
1) Desmond Ridder - University of Cincinnati
My top ranked QB in this draft is Ridder. This guy is a clear cut winner. Throughout his career at Cincinnati he accumulated the third most victories in FBS history as a starter. He has been a solid all around player and put a relatively unknown football program in the spotlight especially this past season when they were in the College Football Playoff matchup with Alabama.
On top of his success, he is a sizable athlete who tested extremely well at the NFL Combine a few weeks ago. He had one of the fastest forty yard dash time for a quarterback in recent years. Speed st this position is a huge asset to running a quick offense. Ridder accumulated over 28 touchdowns and 1,800 yards on the ground over the last few seasons. These traits should definitely translate to the NFL.
In my opinion I feel like he has been a dark horse through out the entire draft process to this point. He has quietly proven how he is the best all around prospect and could be a great QB to build around for the next couple years.
Predicted landing spots: With the hype around Malik Willis continuing to rise, I think Ridder could possibly be the second QB off the board. The teams to watch for him would be the Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, and Tennessee Titans.
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