By this point in the season, you probably know if your team is a contender or not. Don’t fall into the trap of being stuck in the middle, barely making the playoffs, getting ousted in the first round year after year. This is the point to make a decision: go all in for a title, or sell the farm and start your rebuild. To help you better understand the value of the draft pick assets you may be giving or receiving in a trade, here’s my first look at the 2022 NFL Draft QB Class.
*DISCLAIMER*
These rankings will change as new information becomes available. Not everyone on these lists will declare for the 2022 NFL Draft. These rankings on based on fantasy football production, not where I think they will get drafted. Please take this into consideration as you navigate trades.
1. Malik Willis
Liberty, 6-1 225lbs, RS Junior
Willis has the highest upside out of any QB in the 2022 class. Despite his raw ability as a passer, Willis possesses the rushing ability to vault him into the QB1 conversation. The former Auburn Tiger exploded onto the scene in 2020 posting 2,250 yards passing and 20 TDs on while completing 64.2% of his passes. What caught the attention of draftniks was his 944 yards rushing and 14 TDs on the ground. Willis is passing at a better clip this season (9.2 yards per attempt in 2021 as opposed to 8.5 in 2020), while maintaining his insane rushing ability (over 80 yards per game and over a TD on the ground). I don’t think Willis ends up as the first QB off the board during the NFL Draft, but his insane rushing ability should make him a high floor/high ceiling asset for fantasy managers.
2. Matt Corral
Ole Miss, 6-2 205lbs, RS Junior
Corral has benefited from the overall “down” year in the QB class. From an NFL perspective, Corral is in the conversation to be the QB1. Corral pairs well with HC Lane Kiffin and has done extremely well with ball security in 2021. Boasting a 15/1 TD to INT ratio as of this writing, while throwing for 273.3 yards per game. Corral is no slouch on the ground either, posting 67.7 yards per game and whopping 9 rushing TDs so far. While his best attribute isn’t his rushing ability, Corral can get it done on the ground, meaning he will have a stable floor for fantasy managers.
3. Kenny Pickett
Pittsburgh, 6-3 220lbs, RS Senior
Pickett is the riser from this class. Prior to 2021, you had probably heard of all of these guys on the list, but Pickett had been largely “boring” prior to picking up steam this season. Pickett is a 4 year starter for the Panthers and has built on every season, crescendoing in 2021. Prior to this season Pickett only had a season high in passing TDs of 13, and had only eclipsed 3,000 yards passing once. Pickett is currently pacing for over 4,400 passing yards and 46 passing TDs (assuming a 14 game schedule). Remarkably, he currently has a 23/1 TD to INT ratio. Not much of a runner, so projecting him for fantasy would be based on his arm talent and IQ. Pickett has been getting it done in 2021, and could very well be the QB1 in this draft class.
4. Sam Howell
North Carolina, 6-1 220lbs, Junior
The much presumed 1.01 of this class, Howell has fallen off a bit in 2021 after the departure of high-round draft picks Dyami Brown, Javonte Williams and Michael Carter. Howell stepped on campus at Chapel Hill in 2019 and was the guy from day one, and dominated posting 3,641 passing yards and a 38/7 TD to INT ratio. He saw a dip in raw numbers but improved his efficiency stats in 2020. I think Howell is trying to play too much “hero ball” with the lack of talent around him, and is making mistakes. Howell has shown more of a running game this season, rushing for a career high 494 yards through 7 games. This isn’t an original comparison, but he strikes me as a Baker Mayfield type in the NFL. Probably a solid, steady starter, but may not be an elite fantasy option.
5. Desmond Ridder
Cincinnati, 6-4 215lbs, Senior
Ridder was talked about as a potential class of 2021 QB, Ridder went back to the Bearcats to try and make the College Football Playoffs and improve his draft stock. Ridder was probably the QB6 in the 2021 class, and I don’t think he has done enough to significantly improve his draft stock in 2022. Ridder is going to set career highs in passing yards and passing TDs this season, and has a shot to show what he’s got if he can get Cincinnati into the playoff. Ridder has a nice running game, posting nearly 2,000 rushing yards in his career and 25 rushing TDs. I’m not really sure what the NFL will think about Ridder, but out of these 5 QBs, Ridder has the best chance to vault to the top of this class through his performance in some big time games.
Let’s chat about it. What are your rankings for this class? Anyone that I missed? Let me know and stay tuned for RB edition dropping next!
