4 quarterbacks go top-5 in latest 2022 NFL mock draft

2022 NFL mock drafts are already in full force. Here’s why Walter Football has four quarterbacks going in the top five picks next April. 

We are just two months removed from the 2021 NFL Draft, and already we are starting to see NFL mock drafts fire back up again. For teams without much hope in the upcoming season (I’m talking to you, Texans fans), mock drafts are a way to escape reality and look forward to the future.

Though three quarterbacks just went in the first three picks of the NFL Draft this past April, there are several quarterback-needy teams entering 2021. These teams either have a young quarterback who isn’t panning out or a veteran on his last legs.

Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger could be retiring following the 2021 season, while Deshaun Watson’s career looks iffy at best after recent sexual assault allegations. Meanwhile, despite their youth, Jared Goff and Jalen Hurts may not prove to be the franchise quarterbacks their teams are looking for. Additionally, Matt Ryan may not have much left in the tank, and Ryan Fitzpatrick can only be a stop-gap player for so long.

Recently, Walter Football released his 2022 NFL mock draft. He had a whopping 4 quarterbacks going in the top five picks of the draft.

Where quarterbacks fell in latest 2022 NFL mock draft

To no surprise, Walter Football had Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler going number one to the Houston Texans. While we obviously don’t know the draft order at this point, the Texans are projected by many to be the worst team in football next year because of Watson’s likely absence and the team’s nightmarish cap situation.

Rattler is just a redshirt sophomore this year but showed terrific promise last season. He’s got an effortless release and had one of the best seasons we have seen in years when it comes to his ability to escape the pocket and make plays down the field.

With the second overall pick, Walter Football had the Detriot Lions selecting North Carolina’s Sam Howell. Howell was impressive as a sophomore last season but needs to clean up his decision-making. He’s got athletic traits to move effortlessly in the pocket and a big arm to sling the ball down the sidelines.

While neither of these two projected picks was surprising, I thought it was interesting who followed. In the next three picks, Walter Football had two more quarterbacks going off the board – USC’s Kedon Slovis and Texas Tech’s Tyler Shough. Slovis was mocked to the Philadelphia Eagles with the third overall pick, while Shough made a surprising leap to be the fifth pick in this recent mock draft.

Slovis doesn’t have an insane arm or crazy athletic traits that get you excited. Rather, he wins with his savvy pocket presence and pinpoints accuracy in the intermediate game. On the other hand, Shough has more tools to work with, but is still very raw and a complete projection. The former Oregon quarterback will be slinging the pigskin for Texas Tech this year, and many expect him to make a big jump up as a full-time starter in 2021.

It will be interesting to see how these quarterbacks perform this season. Much of their performance will be tied to where they land in the 2022 NFL Draft.