Todd McShay sees some Mac Jones in one of the better quarterback prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft class.
McShay admittedly isn't very high on this year's pool of signal-callers. In fact, the veteran draft analyst would take any one of the five QBs selected in the first round last year before he would pick a QB in the 2022 class. That said, a handful of these league hopefuls -- including Kenny Pickett -- have a level of promise.
Pickett, who figures to be one of the first quarterbacks off the board in late April, is a "poor man's Mac Jones," if you ask McShay. McShay's ESPN colleague, Mel Kiper Jr., currently projects the Pittsburgh project to land with the Washington Commanders at No. 11 overall, four picks higher than where the New England Patriots selected Jones last year.
Another NFL draft analyst, Lance Zierlein, sees Pickett as more of a prime-years Andy Dalton.
"Pickett has five years of game experience and four years of starting experience for Pitt," Zierlein wrote for NFL.com. "He's a fairly toolsy pocket passer with good mobility. He operated in a passing scheme featuring vertical concepts that created big-play opportunities but left food on the plate when he failed to play chess against the back-end of the coverage. Pickett works with average anticipation but drives the ball with good velocity, which should help him shine in pre-draft passing drills.
"Pickett's touch and placement need work, but his accuracy stats were damaged by an inordinate amount of drops throughout his career. The top indicator for future success or failure will likely rest in a team's ability to build Pickett's trust, poise and discipline from the pocket. He can make all the throws, but he'll only be able to execute against disguised fronts and NFL pressure if he's willing to hang in and win with his eyes first. He carries a boom/bust label, but the 2021 tape and productivity showed off his potential to become a good starter in time."
The 2022 NFL Draft begins April 28.
