As an exciting offseason event known as the NFL Scouting Combine is about to unfold, it is fun to take a look at this year’s NFL prospects as they stand. With this Combine data looming, as well as draft capital and NFL landing spots, it is important to note that these players are not locked in where they currently stand. 

Your author has broken down his pre-combine rookie rankings into positional rankings with tier designations to help you better view the dynasty rookie draft landscape. It is important to remember these rankings are created with fantasy football purposes in mind. We will dive eight players deep with the QB and TE positions and ten players deep with the RB and WR positions. Up first, the QB position is detailed for the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft. 

Tier 1 

1. Malik Willis, QB Liberty 

Willis was relied on heavily by the Flames to produce offense and keep them relevant as they competed as an FBS Independent. For the most part, he was able to do so. He is a difficult evaluation, but his dynamic physical gifts are too much to pass on. Willis’s most favorable appeal is his ability to create with his legs–both in terms of buying time to throw and chewing up rushing yardage. 

While he does not possess the top-end speed of a Lamar Jackson or a Michael Vick, he is a player in a similar vein. However, it is important to note that Willis is very stout and built to carry that load, with an “RB-esque” 6’1” 220 lbs. frame. He does possess an absolute cannon for an arm and can make any throw on the field. He will need an offense catered to his strengths, as Greg Roman has done with Lamar Jackson, but the upside of a perennial top-five season at QB is certainly there. 

2. Matt Corral, QB Ole Miss 

Matt Corral probably has the best complete resume from his collegiate career and is probably the most polished passer in the class. He’s got outstanding statistics over his previous two seasons, even showing improvement in 2021 with ball security and decision-making. He has produced at the highest level of college football in the SEC. 

The primary knock on Corral is his lack of ideal size and elite-level arm strong. He has a more than capable arm and will enter the league somewhere in the middle of the pack when ranking the 32 starters’ arm strength next season. Still, he does not possess the cannon many teams look for in a #1 overall QB selection. Similarly, standing at 6’1” and 208 lbs. while certainly is a capable NFL playing size, it is smaller than the prototypical QB many franchises envision. Corral makes up for these concerns with legitimate mobility. Make no mistake about it, not only can he buy time, he is a rushing threat. His lightning-fast release also helps ensure he will take fewer unnecessary hits. 

Tier 2

3. Kenny Pickett, QB Pittsburgh

The biggest and fastest riser at the QB position and the current media darling is Pitts’ Kenny Pickett. Pickett has the size, strength, awareness, and poise that NFL scouts and head coaches have desired for decades. As a traditional pocket passer, Pickett does possess enough mobility to get himself out of trouble. A four-year starter, Pickett leaves Pittsburgh as the school’s all-time leading passer. He is a gritty player that shows great leadership ability and would certainly earn the respect of your grandfather. 

Pickett enjoyed a meteoric rise in his play and effectiveness as a passer, after not necessarily a lackluster, but previous three seasons in which more was left to be desired. He routinely shows the ability to go through progressions and read defenses. There are concerns about hand size, but ultimately, this should not hinder his draft stock. The ever-evolving NFL game gives your author the notion that Picket might be better suited as a QB of the past. Additionally, his single-season statistical explosion is more reminiscent of Zach Wilson’s final year than Joe Burrow’s utter dominance before entering the league (though Pickett will be a 24-year-old rookie as Burrow was).

4. Desmond Ridder, QB Cincinnati

While Ridder has proven to be maddeningly inconsistent, he possesses all the tools to become a franchise NFL QB. He is one of the fastest players on the field and he can make every throw on the field. Ridder has probably the second-best arm in this class. He also can look defenders off and work through progressions. Ridder can fit the ball into tight spaces and has the arm talent to improve the play of the WRs around him. He is also the next most accomplished rusher at the position behind the aforementioned Malik Willis. 

Ridder’s inconsistencies lie primarily with decision-making. However, he does show errant passes from time to time. Ridder is the first player on the list that most likely needs to sit, learn, and develop before becoming a full-time starter. Still, his long-term prospects are bright and he has immense potential as a fantasy QB. Your author likes the long-term upside of Ridder or the next QB on this list more than Kenny Pickett, but Pickett is ready to start immediately for his NFL team. 

5. Carson Strong, QB Nevada

Carson Strong has the elite arm talent that NFL coaches and scouts fall in love with. Strong is a standard pocket passer that makes any throw in a football game look easy, but he affords little pocket mobility. He is also a three-year starter with back-to-back seasons of a 70% completion percentage. However, against the competition he saw at Nevada it leaves scouts to wonder why he did not dominate more so than he did. 

Strong has the prototypical height and weight that NFL teams covet as well. From the eyeball test, he checks every box and likely would have been a #1 overall pick a decade or so ago. He is a good steward of the football, but at times will take sacks at the next level because he cannot escape pressure. Strong needs to clean up some of the mechanics of his motion and release, which will help him to get the football out sooner at the next level. This work should require some time, but is very achievable. Strong is a player that can sit for a year and take the reigns in 2023 for a long time, for maybe a Pittsburgh, New Orleans, or Detroit squad that currently rosters a transition QB. 

Tier 3

6. Sam Howell, QB North Carolina 

Your author is admittedly lower on Sam Howell than the consensus community. He has a lot of desirable tools, but largely he has been underwhelming throughout his career. Your author said the same things about Kellen Mond but put simply: Howell should have achieved so much more with his supporting cast of talent over the years than he did. His talent and abilities remind your author of a blend of Baker Mayfield and Mitchell Trubisky. 

While Howell is an accurate passer and possesses an above-average arm, he often gets locked in on his target. He has been asked to do a lot of pre-snap decision-making at UNC, so this does help his prospects at the next level. Sam Howell may receive decent draft capital and get an opportunity to start, but he appears to be a player that your author feels will not have success at the next level. 

Tier 4

7. Kaleb Eleby, QB Western Michigan 

This final tier of QBs is for players who have some desirable traits but probably end up on the fantasy football spectrum as either career back-ups or players that never see a second contract.

Kaleb Eleby has a slingshot arm with incredible zip. It is easily his best attribute. He probably has the third-best arm in the entire draft class. Eleby needs to learn how and when to utilize velocity and touch on his throws. He also can improve his decision-making and pocket presence. He is mobile enough to maneuver the pocket but has not shown to be a real threat as a rusher. 

8. a) Bailey Zappe, QB Western Kentucky 

Bailey Zappe is your cinderella small-school superstar who has become a community darling of late. Since departing FCS Houston Baptist, Zappe maximized his one-year opportunity at Western Kentucky and put up video game numbers. He does not possess ideal height and has an underwhelming arm, but he can read a defense and go through progressions. He put out elite-level production for Western Kentucky in 2021. This will get him drafted, but it is hard to be excited about his fantasy football future. 

8. b) D’Eriq King, QB Miami 

With D’Eriq King it is a story of what could have been. While he is not quite as fast as Malik Willis, the hope was that he would develop and become a similar prospect as Willis. Injuries have significantly hindered his growth as a passer, but also have raised concerns about his rushing acumen. Standing at 5’11” 200 lbs. he is already undersized. He will also be a 25-year-old rookie when the NFL season begins. He may become a priority UDFA to work on an NFL practice squad. While this is valuable to real NFL squads and can be lucrative for him personally, this does little for us as fantasy gamers. 

Come back tomorrow for the pre-combine 2022 pre-draft RB rankings! If you enjoy this content, become a subscribing member of DFF for post combine reactions here. 

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