The 2022 NFL Draft lacks clarity at the top of the board and a major reason behind that is because of the quarterback position.
Just about every analyst has expressed what a down draft it is at the signal-caller position. There is no Trevor Lawrence nor is there a Joe Burrow. And the depth doesn't exactly stand out either. NBC Sports' Peter King bluntly called it a "Bad QB draft" in his his latest Football Morning in America column Monday.
"Only once in the 21 drafts of this century has there not been a quarterback drafted in the top five -- or top 10, for that matter," King wrote, referencing the 2013 draft when E.J. Manuel was the lone first-rounder. "Looking like it could be similarly slim pickings this year, unless a QB-desperate team falls in love with Pitt's safe Kenny Pickett or a project like Liberty's Malik Willis."
NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah depicted much of the same as he ranked the top 50 players and did not include a quarterback in the top 25. Pickett is the first quarterback listed (No. 28) while Willis (No. 32), Mississippi's Matt Corral (No. 34) and North Carolina's Sam Howell (No. 47) also were included.
Does the top 50 players directly correlate to draft day? Well, maybe not. Jeremiah mock-drafted Pickett to be selected No. 18 overall by the New Orleans Saints with Willis going No. 20 overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Other draft analysts like ESPN's Todd McShay and NFL Network's Lance Zierlein believe Pickett could be selected No. 11 overall by the Washington Commanders.
NFL Media's Chad Reuter is perhaps the one who sees it the most drastically different as he mock-drafted the Carolina Panthers trade up and select Willis at No. 3 overall with Pickett selected ninth by the Denver Broncos. Two quarterbacks selected in the top 10, by most accounts, would be a stunner.
DraftKings Sportsbook also hinted at the essential toss-up with their odds on who will be the first quarterback selected. Pickett is a short favorite at +120 (a $100 bet pays out $220) while Willis (+150), Howell (6-to-1), Corral (10-to-1) and Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder (40-to-1) round out the signal-callers on the betting board, as shared by PFF Bet.
The quarterback position, however, is not the only area in which there are some questions. Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal has improved to a -150 favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick at DraftKings, a jump from +150 last week, but Michigan edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (2-to-1) isn't far behind.
The 2022 NFL Draft will begins April 28 in Las Vegas.
