The opening round of the NFL Draft is less than a month away, and of the top quarterback prospects featured in the 2022 class, the only consensus is that there's no clear-cut favorite across the league's reputable mock draft boards. This batch pales in comparison to the 2021 crop, which had five signal-callers -- including Trevor Lawrence -- selected in the top 15 picks.
Since there's no tantalizing, must-have quarterback available in this season's draft, league projections are more wide-ranging. Some teams may believe in Malik Willis' potential to develop into a pro-level starter, and doubt the skillset Kenny Pickett possesses. Naturally, there'll be at least one quarterback taken in the first round. But due to the position's uncertainties, NFL on CBS analyst Charles Davis isn't entirely sure when -- or where -- the dominoes will fall.
"I don't have a single quarterback that I'd spend a first-round draft pick on in this year's draft. But that doesn't mean they're not good players," Davis told The Zach Gelb Show on Tuesday. "Just don't have them all as highly rated as the guys last year. Thus, would I go into the first round and get one? Well, all things being equal, answer's no for me... If Davis Mills of the Houston Texans stayed in school at Stanford, he'd be the unquestioned No. 1 QB in this draft."
Mills, who was selected 67th overall by the Texans last April, is currently atop the depth chart. As the stand-in for Deshaun Watson, who missed the entire 2021 campaign due to nearly two dozen lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct, the 23-year-old racked up 2,664 yards with 16 touchdowns and 10 picks over 11 games. Houston has the third-overall pick in the 2022 draft, and right now, it's unclear whether they'll pounce on a quarterback or build around Mills.
Davis released his first mock draft via NFL Network on Tuesday, and projected that Willis -- Liberty's electric dual-threat starter -- will be taken sixth overall by the Carolina Panthers. Two more quarterbacks -- Pittsburgh star Kenny Pickett (No. 20 to Pittsburgh Steelers) and Ole Miss playmaker Matt Corral (No. 32 to Detroit Lions) -- have been pegged as first-round picks. The NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 28, in Las Vegas.
The entire NFL Draft conversation between Davis and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.