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Spencer Rattler, Sam Howell lead early 2022 quarterback rankings

By Tommy Jaggi

The Student Athlete Name, Image and Likeness Rights Act that was signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt last Friday would allow college athletes, such as OU quarterback Spencer Rattler, to cash in on their fame. However, athletes will not be permitted to use the school's logos in advertisements or marketing.rattler
The Student Athlete Name, Image and Likeness Rights Act that was signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt last Friday would allow college athletes, such as OU quarterback Spencer Rattler, to cash in on their fame. However, athletes will not be permitted to use the school's logos in advertisements or marketing.rattler /
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The 2022 NFL Draft has a number of intriguing quarterback prospects. Here are the passers currently highest on Pro Football Focus’s list. 

With the 2021 NFL Draft in the books, it’s never too early to start sizing up the quarterback prospects in 2022. In football, nothing is more important than the quarterback position, and some of these young college starts will have a chance to go on and become franchise-changers for a few NFL organizations.

Recently, Pro Football Focus released their 2022 quarterback rankings of the top passers in college football. To no surprise, Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler and North Carolina’s Sam Howell lead the pack.

Both Rattler and Howell are young players that are expected to declare early for the NFL Draft. Despite their youth, they have some intriguing tools to work with. Both quarterbacks can effortlessly sling the ball down the field and neither is afraid of letting it rip. Though this can get them in trouble at times, it’s a large part of why both Rattler and Howell have been so successful early on.

A deeper look at PFF’s 2022 quarterback rankings

In PFF’s rankings, Rattler is currently listed as the number one quarterback in college football this year. PFF’s Mike Renner notes how absurdly good Rattler was outside of the pocket last season – going 53 of 76 for 830 yards with 9 touchdowns and just 1 interception. This is an extremely important trait for today’s NFL quarterback, and Rattler’s ability to expend the play could get him drafted with the number one overall pick next April.

Renner also spoke highly of Sam Howell – praising him for having the second-highest graded season as a true freshman that Pro Football Focus had ever recorded (Trevor Lawrence had the only grade higher). However, Renner is sure to point out some of the flaws in Howell’s game, as he was knocked for some of his performances against top-flight defenses.

After the top two passers, Pro Football Focus had Liberty’s Malik Willis third on their list of 2022 quarterback rankings. Willis is an older prospect at a small football program, but Renner notes that he has the best physical tools of any quarterback in this class. Willis’s creativity as a runner and cannon as a passer has caused some to compare him to the late Steve McNair.

Rounding out Renner’s top five 2022 quarterback rankings are USC’s Kedon Slovis and Nevada’s Carson Strong. Slovis’s calling card is his intermediate accuracy while Strong is praised for his good mechanics and strong arm to push the ball down the field.

Next. NFL Rookie quarterbacks who could unexpectedly start in 2021. dark

A lot can change between now and the end of the college football season, but these five prospects are sure to be on NFL teams’ radars in 2022. It will be interesting to track their performances this year.

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