The East-West Shrine Bowl practices start up this weekend, which means the 2022 pre-draft process is officially underway. Many unheralded Day 3 picks will be on display with the potential to raise their stocks. Here are the top guys on the PFF big board at every position group.
Click here for more PFF tools:
Rankings & Projections | WR/CB Matchup Chart | NFL & NCAA Betting Dashboards | NFL Player Props Tool | NFL & NCAA Power Rankings
Best Bets Tool
QB: Dustin Crum, Kent State Golden Flashes
While almost the entire top of the quarterback class will be present at the Senior Bowl, Crum offers more developmental tools than the rest of the Shrine Bowl entries. It will be a great showcase for him as a passer because we already know he’s one of the more dynamic runners in the class. Last season, he put up 930 rushing yards and a 90.4 rushing grade.
Dustin Crum with the impressive touchdown run for @KentStFootball! 😤 pic.twitter.com/C2kNmx9yXb
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) November 28, 2020
RB: Pierre Strong Jr., South Dakota State Jackrabbits
Strong lives up to his last name with his running style. He battered his way to 1,694 yards and 18 touchdowns this past season for the Jackrabbits, with 49 broken tackles on 239 carries. He can raise his stock by showing improved hands, as he dropped nine of his 71 catchable targets in his college career.
FINAL | SDSU 35 Villanova 21
Pierre Strong Jr, the best RB in the FCS, exited the game in the first quarter. Enter the 2nd best RB in the FCS, sophomore Isaiah Davis
25 rushes, 174 yards, 3 TD's
The offensive line was dominant pic.twitter.com/3m38D0nHjP— Tanner Castora (@Tanner_Castora) December 11, 2021
WR: Jaivon Heiligh, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Heiligh was the go-to receiver for a potent Chanticleers passing attack this season. He caught 66 passes for 1,128 yards and seven scores and averaged a hefty 3.4 yards per route. He possesses good size for the position at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds with some route-running skills.
😳 Jaivon Heiligh hit the juke stick on this route@CoastalFootball is running away with it in the first half! pic.twitter.com/JyPhGtzIL1
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 13, 2020
TE: Derrick Deese Jr., San Jose State Spartans
After years of being an afterthought for the Spartans, Deese broke out for 720 yards on 47 catches in 2021. He is an undersized athlete at the position, checking in around 6-foot-4, 235 pounds. To get by at that size, he needs to show better ball skills than he did in college, where he dropped 10 of his 96 catchable targets.
Put this catch from San Jose State's Derrick Deese Jr. down as one of the best of 2020. pic.twitter.com/CwTGNswS3i
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) November 7, 2020
OT: Kellen Diesch, Arizona State Sun Devils
Diesch, ranked 70th overall on the PFF big board, is the top Shrine Bowl attendee on PFF's board. He has some of the best feet in the tackle class with easy mirroring ability. He just needs to up his play strength, as he may not even tip the scales at 300 pounds.
Eliminating RPOs/Screens is a good way to filter and evaluation pass blocking reps for OL.
Among the highest graded (per @PFF_College) this season:
–@ASUFootball’s Kellen Diesch (#74 below)
–@WSUCougarFB's Abraham Lucas
-@USC_FB's Andrew Vorhees
–@BCFootball's Alec Lindstrom pic.twitter.com/IOQQYFu8b5— Eric Galko (@EricGalko) November 15, 2021
2022 NFL Draft position rankings:
Top 10 players at every position
QB | RB | WR | TE | iOL | OT | DI | EDGE | LB | CB | S
IOL: Alec Lindstrom, Boston College Eagles
Lindstrom won’t be everyone's cup of tea as an undersized center, but schemes that want athletes at that position will love him later in the draft. He’s the brother of Atlanta Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom but didn’t quite get the same size genes. He’s been terrific in pass protection in his career, with only 24 pressures allowed in three seasons.
C Alec Lindstrom – Boston College
One of top center prospects in CFB – brother of Chris, now with Falcons. This kid is fun @MoveTheSticks
Lindstrom plays a physical brand of 'Bully Ball' – you're in for a fight against this OL. Always looking to finish defenders! @BigDuke50 pic.twitter.com/Xgb9QCwY0m
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) September 27, 2020
DI: Matthew Butler, Tennessee Volunteers
Butler showed flashes throughout his redshirt senior season, but it wasn't enough to get projected earlier than Day 3. He possesses an NFL body type with enough athleticism to be a rotational player in the league.
Tennessee DT Matthew Butler is a little-known prospect but is still intriguing nonetheless.
Here he shows a great first step matched with even better use of the rip move to leverage a sack here in the 1st quarter. pic.twitter.com/6qfgmTlHkr
— Nick Price (checkmark) (@PriceCheck3) November 15, 2021
EDGE: Jeffrey Gunter, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Gunter has arguably the most intriguing tools of any prospect in attendance in Las Vegas. Just check out the way he moves for a 6-foot-4, 260-pounder in the clip below.
Jeffrey Gunter just terrorized the Arkansas State O-Line 😳
— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 8, 2021
He’ll need to show off more refined pass-rushing moves at the Shrine Bowl in one-on-ones than he did for the Chanticleers this past season if he wants to make his way up draft boards. Gunter put up just 34 pressures on 258 pass-rushing snaps in 2021.
LB: Jack Sanborn, Wisconsin Badgers
Sanborn checks in at 120th on the PFF big board and could very easily move up with a strong showing at the Shrine Bowl. He’s an all-around three-down linebacker, but he lacks any high-end traits to go high in the 2022 NFL Draft. One of the biggest concerns for him is how simplistic his role in coverage was at Wisconsin and how he’ll fare in tougher assignments in the league. That’s a red flag he could put to bed in Las Vegas.
I know my guy @TampaBayTre just put out a fantastic article on the Wisconsin LBs in Jack Sanborn and Leo Chenal. Be sure to check that out!
Meanwhile, watch Sanborn (Wisconsin LB 57) with the arm over on the RB to clean up the QB in the backfield. pic.twitter.com/uUyukYT6Se
— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) November 17, 2021
CB: Jermaine Waller, Virginia Tech Hokies
Waller is a ball-hawking corner who endured an up-and-down senior season after missing almost all of 2020 with an injury. His high-end reps and ball skills are great, but he needs to show more consistency in the Shrine Bowl. He had four picks and three pass-breakups on only 42 targets this season.
Jermaine Waller intercepts Sam Howell 🥶
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 4, 2021
S: Brad Hawkins, Michigan Wolverines
Hawkins is a throwback 221-pound safety who may end up at linebacker in the NFL with how comfortable he is playing in the box. He was one of the highest-graded safeties in the country against the rushing attack this year, earning an 84.9 run-defense grade.
💪
Brad Hawkins' 2019 Highlights ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/4rdBNh58zI
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) April 21, 2020
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.