2022 NFL Draft trends to watch for on draft weekend
By Khari Demos
2022 NFL Draft Trend #5: QBs will be involved in the first round
Whether we like this QB class or not, there will be some teams that take one come Thursday. Betting odds are listing the over/under for first-round quarterbacks at 2.5. Is it realistic to think more will go? I honestly believe it’s possible.
Kenny Pickett and Malik Willis have duked it out as to who the top QB selection will be. But I also like Matt Corral or Sam Howell as names to watch for late in the first as well. But there’s no denying this group of passers is less heralded than most years, even last year’s class too, which featured five first-rounders.
I don’t believe it’s 2013-level bad, but this class as a whole does leave a lot to be desired from a high-end and depth perspective. I like the players I mentioned earlier, but in most years, there’s no way any of them are being discussed as potential top-10 picks, let alone first-rounders.
If I had to predict where they land, I’ll go with this: Pickett to the Carolina Panthers, Willis to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Corral going to the Detroit Lions.
I think Pickett ends up in Carolina just because he’s the safest bet. He may not bring a wow factor to the table, but he also will be the most pro-ready of all the QBs from day one.
I think there will be the urgency to add a QB too since the Panthers won’t be picking again until the fourth round.
Plus, he wouldn’t have the worst roster to start with, as Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore, and Robby Anderson are all back in the mix.
As for Willis, there’s been a lot of smoke connecting him to the Steelers. And while I do believe the team is in a tough spot now with them picking No. 20 overall, I could see Pittsburgh going to get “their guy,” which they’ve done in the past, including their trade up for Devin Bush in 2019.
I could see the Steelers trading up with a team like the Houston Texans at No. 13, as Houston has two first-round picks.
Willis is probably the most physically gifted of the QB in the class, but he may also be the rawest of the bunch. Thankfully, if he were to become a Steeler, he would not need to start immediately, as Mitchell Trubisky should be holding down the set for 2022.
Now Corral is the wildcard. Maybe the Lions have another particular QB in mind, whether that’s Corral, Howell, or even Desmond Ridder. But I do believe having the Rams’ pick at No. 32 from the Matthew Stafford trade gives them the flexibility to take a QB in the first so they’ll have the fifth-year option to play with.
Corral, to me, is one of the most intriguing QBs in the class, just due to his dual-threat ability and status as a playmaker. But he may not be every team’s cup of tea being 6-foot-2 at a slight 212 pounds. And he comes from a very collegey system from Ole Miss.
But again, similarly to Willis, Detroit could have Corral sit behind Jared Goff for a year or two. And if so, he could be the team’s solution as it looks for a future starter under center.
Now before we go, here’s one last trend of note.