If a team uses a high pick in the upcoming NFL draft on a quarterback, there will be some executives out there who think they are making a big mistake.
The 2022 NFL Draft class was never thought to be a quarterback-loaded one. Malik Willis, an undersized signal-caller out of Liberty who has a cannon for an arm, is perhaps the most interesting prospect. There are flaws in his game that need refining before he becomes a starter, but he is uber-talented and some expect he could go as high as No. 6 to the Carolina Panthers.
Then there’s Kenny Pickett out of Pittsburgh, who has been bombarded with all sorts of questions about his hand size and is considered talented but with a low-ceiling.
It’s anyone’s guess where they all will fall. But former executive and current Audacy NFL Insider Mike Lombardi said on his podcast “The GM Shuffle” that at least one team didn’t give any quarterback a first-round grade.
"I was talking to a team yesterday who has a pick in the top 15," Lombardi said. "And I know for a fact that they don't have any of these guys graded with first-round grades, and they could use a quarterback, they’re eventually going to need one. I don’t know everybody’s grading system … but for me, most of these players – the best you could make any of these quarterbacks would be a 62 player, they’re mostly 59s. And if you’re picking a 59 player at the top of the first round, you’re really making a huge mistake.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean every team views all of the quarterbacks this year as Day 2 or 3 picks -- rightly or wrongly. However, it does substantiate the theories that the level of confidence in any of these quarterbacks is all over the map league-wide.
There are multiple teams in the top 15 that reasonably could select a quarterback – the Panthers, Lions, Commanders, Falcons and Texans among them. But all have other glaring needs, so we’ll soon know if any value a quarterback high enough to burn their highest pick on them.
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