Todd McShay explains how NFL Draft weekend could be filled with chaos

The 2022 NFL Draft is just a week away, but there is still a lot of certainty at the quarterback position for some teams around the league. Because of that, ESPN NFL Draft expert Todd McShay believes that draft weekend could be filled with chaos depending on how the final quarterback dominoes fall.

Baker Mayfield is expected to be on the move sometime soon, as the Cleveland Browns added Deshaun Watson to their quarterback room. One team that has been linked to Mayfield is the Carolina Panthers. If the Panthers make a move for Mayfield ahead of the NFL Draft, it would likely take them out of the draft’s quarterback market, which McShay thinks could be chaotic for how the first round shakes out.

“I think there could be chaos, we just don’t know where it’s going to start,” McShay said. “Carolina is the first team. If they do make a deal for Baker Mayfield on draft weekend potentially, then they’re out of the quarterback market, at least for this year would be my guess. So where do these quarterbacks fall.

“In my opinion, the only team in the top ten considering these quarterbacks – Malik Willis from Liberty and Kenny Pickett from Pittsburgh – is Carolina at six. Atlanta at eight, I think they’re going to take the best player available, probably a wide receiver at that spot. And then at nine, Seattle. They like Drew Lock more than people want to deal with and admit. So I think they could take a quarterback in the second round, they pick at 40 and 41. But I don’t think it’s going to be a quarterback then.

McShay: Not many teams outside of the top ten are looking for quarterbacks in the NFL Draft

Outside of the Panthers, and maybe the Falcons and Seahawks in the top ten, there is no sure bet on where a quarterback could go in the first round. The Lions could be in the market for one, whether that’s with the second overall pick, the 32nd overall pick, or a pick later on. But once you get through Seattle at ninth overall, there is a lot of uncertainty at quarterback. And McShay believes that could result in Willis or Pickett going closer to their projected range.

“If you look at picks 10 through 19, there’s no teams in the market for a quarterback,” said McShay. “Let’s be honest, Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett are good quarterbacks, they have the chance to be solid starters in the league. Malik Willis has a higher ceiling, Kenny Pickett has a higher floor. But ultimately, they kind of belong in terms of their grades in the mid-to-late first round range. So you could see one if not both of these quarterbacks fall to 20 if Baker Mayfield goes to Carolina.”