2022 NFL Draft Big Board: Ranking the top-10 quarterbacks

The 2022 NFL Draft is not as powerful when it comes to the quarterback position, but the competition is heated. Here are my top-10 quarterbacks this year.

While we don’t have an elite player, we have several players with some great ability or things they can do. We have a grab bag this year between, pocket quarterbacks, rushing quarterbacks, and hybrids.

This is great for teams as you can find the best system fit, rather than forcing a quarterback into a system they don’t fit. That has been an issue for several teams over the last couple of years, as far as the quarterbacks go, we may only see two or three taken in the first round when it is all said and done. Here are my top-10 quarterbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft:

2022 NFL Draft Big Board: Top-10 quarterbacks

1. Matt Corral, Ole Miss

2021 Stats: 67.9% completion, 3,349 yards, 20 touchdowns, five interceptions, 25 sacks, 155.3 rating. 614 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.

2020 Stats: 70.9% completion, 3,337 yards, 29 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, 18 sacks, 177.6 rating. 506 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Matt Corral is one of these new-age QB`s the NFL is going nuts over, he can run and throw. Accurate in and out of the pocket and is more than capable of taking off and running when he needs to. He has a live arm, with good consistency and was coached by one of the better offensive minds in college football.

The 1-2 in this draft will come down to if a team wants a hybrid QB or a pocket passer, as Pickett is much more your traditional QB.

2. Kenny Pickett, Pitt

2021 Stats: 67.2% completion, 4,319 yards, 42 touchdowns, seven interceptions, 29 sacks, 165.3 rating. 241 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

2020 Stats: 61.1% comp, 2,408 yards, 13 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 18 sacks, 129.6 rating. 145 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

Kenny Pickett would be your prototype pocket passer. He made a major jump forward this season and showed up when he needed to. He may be a little indecisive at times, but he can fit the ball anywhere he wants to and is good about going through reeds. There is still some progress to be done but should be a day-one starter.

3. Malik Willis, Liberty

2021 Stats: 61.1% completion, 2,857 yards, 27 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 51 sacks, 151.1 rating. 878 rush yards and 13 touchdowns.

2020 Stats: 64.2% completion, 2,260 yards, 20 touchdowns, six interceptions, 19 sacks, 156.2 rating. 944 rush yards and 14 touchdowns.

I have called Malik Willis a bigger McNabb since I watched him last year and stick by that, his massive 51 sacks this year is a little concerning. He is holding onto the ball too long, and when he does take off he can crush a defense.

Willis needs to work on his reads and the internal clock on when to move out of the pocket. Though in his defense at Liberty it was not like he had tons of talent around him to help him progress to the next level. I look at Willis more like a Trey Lance from last year, he will need a year. But, if he is thrown to the wolves day-one he can hold his own, might just be a little ugly at times.

4. Carson Strong, Nevada

2021 Stats: 70% completion, 4,186 yards, 36 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 37 sacks, 156.8 rating. -208 rushing yards and zero touchdowns.

2020 Stats: 70.1% completion, 2,858 yards, 27 touchdowns, four interceptions, 20 sacks, 160.6 rating. -95 rushing yards and zero touchdowns.

Carson Strong`s arm is as strong as his running game is week. Less mobile than Pickett, but might have the strongest arm in the class. He can be quite accurate, as shown by his low interception numbers. He has the ability to jump Willis in the draft if a team values a pro-ready arm over a slight project.

5. Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati

2021 Stats: 64.9% completion, 3,334 yards, 30 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 26 sacks, 158.7 rating. 355 rush yards and six touchdowns.

2020 Stats: 66.2% completion, 2,296 yards, 19 touchdowns, six interceptions, 18 sacks, 152.9 rating. 592 rushing and 12 touchdowns.

Desmond Ridder might be the most talked-about quarterback with a shot to not get taken in the first round. He is much more of a game manager which is not a bad thing, and he is not elite at anything, but he’s very well-rounded and good in every aspect.

He can run and throw, he was not asked to do an elite amount of reads or difficult plays in college and could have a large learning curve at the next level, if he cants lean on the run game like he did this year.

6. Sam Howell, UNC

2021 Stats: 62.5% completion, 3,056 yards, 24 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 48 sacks, 154.2 rating. 828 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns

2020 Stats: 68.1% completion, 3,586 yards, 30 touchdowns, seven interceptions, 37 sacks, 179.1 rating. 146 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

It is hard to make out what we will get from Sam Howell, in 2020 I thought he was average at best, but he came on strong this year. He spent more time rushing after losing the amazing 1-2 punch at RB to the draft last year. He has a really strong arm, but he can make several easy mental mistakes and can get lost in big games.

7. Brock Purdy, Iowa State

2021 Stats: 71.7% completion, 3,188 yards, 19 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 21 sacks, 149 rating. 238 rushing yards and one touchdown.

2020 Stats: 66.6% completion, 2,750, 19 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 13 sacks, 142.1 rating. 382 rushing and five touchdowns.

Purdy was up and down last year but showed good promise this year. His completion % went up and his yards, while cutting down on the picks. He is coming out similar to a Drew Lock where he has all the ability, but lots of questions about how he handles the game mentally.

He will be one to watch in all three facets Senior Bowl, Combine, and Pro-Days to see what we will truly get out of Purdy. While a project, he might not be as far off as we think.

8. Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky

2021 Stats: 69.2% completion, 5,967 yards, 62 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 16 sacks, 168.9 rating. 17 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

2020 Stats: Played at Houston Baptist Univ 65.6% completion, 1,833 yards, 15 touchdowns, one interception, seven sacks, 159.3 rating. 14 rushing yards and zero touchdowns.

Zappe is another pure passer and will avoid running the ball. He lit up the league this year with massive yardage and touchdowns. He can sling it all over the field, but one year removed from a low-end school making the jump to D1 there are still questions.

I like his arm and his decision making getting rid of it quickly, but I didn’t see enough of it over a long period of time for him to be higher on this list.

9. Dustin Crum, Kent State

2021 Stats: 64.1% completion, 3,238 yards, 20 touchdowns, six interceptions, 38 sacks, 149.5 rating. 703 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.

2020 Stats: 73.5% completion, 1,181 yards, 12 touchdowns, two interceptions, three sacks, 192.7 rating. 240 rush yards and four touchdowns.

Crum will be another one of these hybrid quarterbacks. However, he is a large project as he can be wildly inconsistent not just year-to-year, but throw-to-throw. There is enough to work with for him to be viewed as a fourth or fifth-round pick and let him sit. His ground game could set him apart from some of the others in this class.

10. Chase Garbers, Cal

2021 Stats: 64.1% completion, 2,531 yards, 16 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 21 sacks, 135.7 rating. 456 rush yards and four touchdowns.

2020 Stats: 62.5% completion, 771 yards, six touchdowns, three interceptions, 15 sacks, 120.3 rating. 75 rush yards and two touchdowns.

Garbers has been around for quite a while, which as history shows might not be a positive when it comes to the NFL and the NFL Draft. Nothing really excites me about Garbers, but he has plenty of games under his belt, he should have a smaller learning curve in the NFL. But, a big arm that cant always hit the target is not going to make his career an easy one.

Keep in mind that 2020 for many schools was not a full season and several players had opted out which adjusted some of the quarterback’s stats and abilities.