While the 2021 quarterback class isn’t quite as talented as the 2020 class, which had future superstars such as Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, there are still some intriguing prospects.
The Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers and other quarterback-needy teams might end up talking themselves into any of them. The Tier 1 quarterback group is split between those who played in RPO-heavy offenses and more traditional units. Team personnel departments are going to have to parse through each prospect's tape to find who projects as a competent NFL quarterback. These are the top five quarterback prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft.
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Player Grades
Note: These rankings are different from the PFF big board.
1. Malik Willis, Liberty
Willis struggles with anticipation and finding open receivers, yet in this class, he’s still my top quarterback, which is more of a testament to the whole class than to Willis’ ability and projection. The top quarterback in this year’s class might not crack the top five from last year's class.
Willis gets the nod because of his tools, as he can throw the ball far and run with the ball fast. With all the rest of the quarterbacks' issues, Willis will, at least, enter the league with two elite traits — something the other quarterbacks can't say.
Even with the areas of concern, those elite traits might give him a high ceiling as he starts his professional career. Whether he can actually “put it all together” from a processing standpoint might not matter during his rookie deal if his team puts a formative scheme and players around him. If he figures it out, his team will be cooking with gas with its next superstar quarterback but at this point, is there a reason to bet on his processing improving enough?
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