Ian Rapoport: Three quarterbacks viewed as potential first-round picks

NFL insider Ian Rapoport spoke to 10 general managers to see how many quarterbacks might go in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Based on their responses, Rapoport believes there are three first-rounders among the eligible quarterbacks. However, the No. 1 quarterback in the group is not as clear as it was in 2021.

Five quarterbacks went in the first round of last year’s draft with the first three teams all going for quarterbacks. Four went in the 2020 NFL Draft, three in 2019, five in 2018 and three in 2017.

“Nearly all of the evaluators surveyed believe that Ole Miss QB Matt Corral – who this weekend indicated he plans to enter the draft – would go in the first round,” Rapoport said. “Many felt the same about Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett and Liberty’s Malik Willis. Despite a more difficult than expected year, North Carolina’s Sam Howell remains in the first-round conversation, while Nevada’s Carson Strong, does as well. Pickett and Willis are seniors, while Howell and Strong are juniors.

“Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler, a redshirt sophomore and an early media darling who eventually lost his starting job to freshman Caleb Williams, was not as high in the eyes of the NFL world as he was in the public. And Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder, a senior, has impressed, but most (not all) of the GMs contacted felt he was more of a post-first-round selection.”

Matt Corral, as Rapoport pointed out, had another good performance on Saturday versus Vanderbilt. He put up his fourth 300+ yard passing game of the season with two scores and a pick. The junior from Ventura, California, fell behind in the Heisman race but is still in the top five in Vegas.

Between Corral, Pickett and Willis, the Pitt quarterback leads in passing yards per game, while Corral leads in completion percentage.

“There isn’t a guy where I’m like, ‘That’s definitely a franchise QB,'” one source told Rapoport. “Corral has guts and swagger, some people are really high on the kid from Liberty (Willis), and Pickett has had the best year of all of them. I know people have some love for the Nevada kid (Strong). It could be five guys in any order.”

Top Heisman contenders not eligible for NFL Draft

Luckily for all the aforementioned quarterbacks, the top Heisman Trophy contenders are still too young for the 2022 NFL Draft. Alabama star Bryce Young and Ohio State freshman C.J. Stroud have a tight grip on the top of the odds after Week 12.

Young threw for 561 yards against No. 21 Arkansas in a 42-35 win. The number broke the Alabama single-game passing record of 488 yards set in 1969 by Scott Hunter. Young’s 561 yards were also the second-most in SEC history. 

Additionally, Young threw five touchdown passes and had zero interceptions as Alabama clinched the second spot in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia. He entered Saturday with 3,025 yards passing and 33 touchdowns, the latter statistic leading the SEC.

Ohio State trounced Michigan State 56-7 in a top-10 battle. Stroud was 32-for-35 with 432 yards, six touchdown passes and no interceptions. He finished the game with a QBR of 98.6, his second-best of the season. Stroud has now posted a QBR of 90 or higher in seven of Ohio State’s 11 games this year.