2022 NFL Draft: 10 lesser-known offensive prospects to follow

Here’s an interesting note on the 2021 NFL Draft: Three of the top 16 picks came from non-Power 5 schools, including two of the top three.

There were plenty of other early-round picks from non-Power 5 schools as well. There will be in the 2022 NFL Draft, too. With that in mind, On3 gathered feedback from sources in the NFL scouting world to get a feel for some under-the-radar players worth keeping an eye on heading into the season.

Here are 10 offensive guys who came up (listed alphabetically). We’ll have a rundown of 10 defensive players Monday. 

The list doesn’t include Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder, Nevada quarterback Carson Strong and some other non-Power 5 players who already are well-known prospects.

SMU tight end Grant Calcaterra

The buzz: Just a few years ago, Calcaterra (6 feet 4, 242 pounds) was a first-team All-Big 12 tight end at Oklahoma and one of the top targets for eventual No. 1 overall draft pick Kyler Murray. That was before concussion issues led to Calcaterra deciding to retire from football in 2019. Now he’s back, at a different school but still very much on the radar for NFL scouts. Both of the scouting services used by NFL teams — Blesto and National Football Scouting — have Calcaterra with early Day 3 grades entering the season.

Tulsa wide receiver Josh Johnson

The buzz: Johnson (5-11, 171) wasn’t even in the top two on his own team in receiving yards last season. Yet, Johnson — who began his career at Iowa State — is in position to potentially be one of the first non-Power 5 receivers taken in the 2022 NFL Draft. The NFL scouting services have Johnson, who had 38 catches for 499 yards and six touchdowns in 2021, as an early to mid-Day 3 draft prospect. Fellow Tulsa receiver Keylon Stokes, who also is a big-time return man, has grades in that same range.

Buffalo running back Kevin Marks Jr.

The buzz: Jaret Patterson wasn’t the Bulls’ only highly productive running back the past three seasons. And while Patterson compiled the bigger numbers (he had 3,884 yards and 52 rushing TDs in that span), Marks is the better pro prospect and now gets his chance to be the team’s lead back with Patterson in the NFL. Marks (6-0, 205) was a third-team All-MAC selection in 2020, when he had 741 rushing yards, seven touchdowns and averaged 6.6 yards per carry while backing up Patterson. Current feedback gathered by On3 has Marks a mid-Day 3 prospect for the 2022 NFL Draft.

SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai

The buzz: We had to get a quarterback on the list, right? Like Calcaterra, Mordecai (6-2, 211) landed at SMU after beginning his college career at Oklahoma and will have a chance to put up big numbers in a passing game that includes a talented weapon at tight end (Calcaterra) and a Day 2 draft prospect at wide receiver (Reggie Roberson). While this one may be more for down the road since Mordecai is a redshirt junior, it’s worth noting that a veteran NFL talent evaluator brought up Mordecai, a former four-star recruit, as someone who’s on his radar heading into the year.

Northern Iowa offensive lineman Trevor Penning

The buzz: Get ready for a Northern Iowa offensive lineman going early in the draft for the second year in a row. Spencer Brown was a third-round pick this year and it’s possible Penning (6-7, 330) could go even earlier next year. Penning, who recently broke the school record with a 625-pound squat, has been UNI’s starting left tackle the past two seasons. Early tape study of him led to this from a longtime NFL personnel official: “Now we know why Spencer Brown was the right tackle.”

FIU running back D’Vonte Price

The buzz: The top senior running back in Florida isn’t from any of the schools you’d think. It’s this guy from FIU. After starting just six games total through his first three years with the Panthers, Price broke out last season and ranked 10th nationally with 116.2 rushing yards per game. An FIU staffer recently told On3 that the 6-2, 220-pound Price was timed at 4.4 in the 40-yard dash during the Panthers’ summer workouts.

South Alabama wide receiver Jalen Tolbert

The buzz: Only 11 FBS players finished 2020 with 1,000 receiving yards. Tolbert (6-3, 195) was one of them. He finished the Jaguars’ 11-game season with 64 catches, 1,085 yards and eight touchdowns. And the numbers could be even better in 2021, at least if the spring is any indication. Working with former South Carolina and Utah starting QB Jake Bentley, Tolbert posted combined totals of 13 catches, 242 yards and five touchdowns in South Alabama’s first two spring scrimmages. At least some in the NFL personnel world think he could go in the first three rounds.

Nevada tight end Cole Turner

The buzz: Want to know why Wolf Pack coach Jay Norvell and offensive coordinator Matt Mumme should feel really good about their offense heading into the season? They have a top draft prospect at quarterback in Strong, a potential Day 2 pick at wide receiver in Romeo Doubs and — oh, by the way — one of the nation’s better tight ends in Turner (6-6, 240). He was a first-team All-Mountain West selection last season and tied with Doubs for first in the conference with nine touchdown catches. 

North Dakota offensive lineman Matt Waletzko

The buzz: We already threw out one interesting FCS offensive line prospect in Penning. Here’s another. Waletzko (6-7, 300) returned to action as North Dakota’s starting left tackle last season after suffering a season-ending injury in 2019. The early grades gathered by On3 have him in the third- to fifth-round range for the 2022 NFL Draft.

North Dakota State wide receiver Christian Watson

The buzz: Trey Lance is in the NFL. Soon, his former go-to receiver from North Dakota State will be, too. While his 2020 numbers won’t jump off the page (19 catches, 442 yards), Watson (6-5, 208) had 34 catches for 732 yards (21.5 yards per catch) and six touchdowns with Lance as his QB in 2019.  Lance sat out last season. Watson played at prep powerhouse Tampa Plant and his dad, Tim, was an NFL safety from 1993-97 with the Chiefs, Giants and Eagles.

(Top photo of Marks: Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)