2022 NFL Mock Draft: Malik Willis in the top 5, Cowboys get elite EDGE
By Randy Gurzi
Every NFL team has now set their initial 53-man roster as well as their first practice squad lineups. It was a flurry of activity and for the first time in recent memory, there’s now a moment to breathe after.
That’s because the NFL decided to give teams a week off after their third preseason game before gearing up for a 17-game schedule — and this will be the first year we are ever treated to 17 regular-season games.
While teams are using this time to game-plan for Week 1, we are using it to look ahead to the next class of rookies with this first-round 2022 NFL Mock Draft.
Scouting Report. Oklahoma. 10. Pick Analysis. QB. Spencer Rattler. 1. player
1. Houston Texans: Spencer Rattler, QB, Oklahoma
The Houston Texans are going to head into this season with Tyrod Taylor as the No. 1 quarterback and that could work if he had a great team around him. If the running game could help move the chains and if the defense kept it low scoring, Taylor would be a solid option capable of winning nine-to-10 games.
Unfortunately, none of that describes the Texans.
Instead, this is a team that’s hurting for talent all over the board. Even with Deshaun Watson starting in 2020 and playing incredibly well, they struggled to win any games and finished with a record of 4-12. Now with Taylor in and with J.J. Watt leaving in the offseason, this could be a tough season for Houston.
The one positive is they can end up with the No. 1 pick which is what happens in this mock draft. And with that No. 1 pick, they grab Spencer Rattler from Oklahoma.
One of the more exciting young prospects in the game, Rattler burst onto the scene in 2020 after replacing Jalen Hurts. He’s the next in a long line of NFL-worthy quarterbacks that the Sooners have produced and he becomes the third since 2018 to go first overall.