2022 NFL Draft Positional Rankings

[HarveyWallbangers]

These are my rankings. I added the consensus rankings for those that are interested. This year I primarily focused on players who were invited to the Scouting Combine, so this is not a complete list. I did add some players who performed well during the all-star bowl season and/or who tested really well at their pro days. I spent a lot of time on this, but I still didn't have the time to study every prospect.

[B]QBs[/B]

[B]My Rk  My Rd  Player           College              Con Rk  Con Rd  Con Pos Rk[/B]
 1     1-2    Malik Willis     Liberty               1      1-2     1-2
 2     1-2    Kenny Pickett    Pittsburgh            2      1-2     1-2
 3     2      Sam Howell       UNC                   5      2       4-5
 4     2      Matt Corral      Ole Miss              3      2       3-4
 5     2-3    Desmond Ridder   Cincinnati            4      2-3     3-5
 6     4      Carson Strong    Nevada                6      3-4     6-7
 7     5-6    Jack Coan        Notre Dame            8      4-FA    6-10
 8     6      Cole Kelley      SE Louisiana         10      5-FA    8-13
 9     6-7    E.J. Perry       Brown                12      6-FA    9-13
10     6-7    CHASE GARBERS    California           15      7-FA    12-16
11     7      Bailey Zappe     Western Kentucky      7      4-FA    7-10
12     7-FA   Kaleb Eleby      Western Michigan      9      5-FA    8-15
13     PFA    Skylar Thompson  Kansas State         11      6-FA    8-15
14     PFA    Brock Purdy      Iowa State           13      7-FA    11-14
15     PFA    COLE JOHNSON     James Madison        17      7-FA    13-18
16     PFA    BRYCE WITT       Chowan               18      FA      13-18
17     FA     Dustin Crum      Kent St              14      6-FA    8-15
18     FA     AQEEL GLASS      Alabama A&M          16      FA      13-17

Kenny Pickett had the best tape from 2021. Sam Howell's 2020 tape was the best from this class. For some teams I see Pickett being the top prospect. However, his hand size is a major concern. I don't think his hand size meets the threshold for some cold weather teams (like the Packers), so ultimately that was the deciding factor with him not being ranked #1. Willis is similar to Trey Lance in some ways, but I don't think he's as good of a prospect. Lance was much bigger than Willis, had an even stronger arm, and was a really good decision maker in college (1 interception in his college career). Willis shows a lot of promise. He has a big arm and is relatively accurate. He has great mobility and throws really well on the run. However, his decising making was suspect, and he was really loose with the football in the pocket. He does have the most upside in this draft though.

For me accuracy is a very important trait--which led to Ridder being last amongst the top tier QBs. Corrall was hard to evaluate because he was a one read and run QB in college, but there are some interesting traits. He has a quick release, and he's one of the more accurate QBs in the class.

Coan was interesting because I thought he improved a lot throughout the year. He was much better the last 4-5 games (especially against Oklahoma State) than he was at the beginning of the year.

My deep sleeper this year is Chase Garbers. I wish he would have been invited to the combine. I've been relatively decent with my deep sleepers. Logan Woodside in still toiling in the league and Jake Luton got some starts as a rookie--which is pretty good for guys who were weren't projected to get drafted by a majority of sites.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I had Breece Hall ranked as the top RB since before the combine. He was the consensus #3 RB heading into the combine, but then measured 9.96 RAS at the combine. Kenneth Walker is a really good prospect himself, but Hall reminds me of Curtis Martin. I didn't like Spiller that much before the combine, and I think the combine validated it. Same with Kyren Williams. I'm higher on Jerome Ford and Kennedy Brooks than most. I was higher than most on Ty Chandler, but he had a really good combine and moved into mid round range for most.

[B]RBs[/B]

[B]My Rk  My Rd  Player              College           Con Rk  Con Rd  Con Pos Rk[/B]
1      1-2    Breece Hall         Iowa State        2       1-3     1-5
2      2      Kenneth Walker      Michigan State    1       2       1-2
3      3-4    Brian Robinson      Alabama           4       3-7     3-20
4      3-4    Zamir White         Georgia           9       3-7     3-17
5      3-4    Pierre Strong       SDSU              10      3-FA    4-25
6      4      James Cook          Georgia           6       3-6     3-15
7      4      Rachaad White       Arizona State     7       3-6     4-15
8      4      Dameon Pierce       Florida           5       3-5     4-18
9      4      Jerome Ford         Cincinnati        11      4-6     10-20
10     4-5    Isaiah Spiller      Texas A&M         3       1-4     1-4
11     4-5    Ty Chandler         UNC               14      4-7     9-19
12     4-5    Tyler Allgeier      BYU               12      4-FA    7-22
13     4-5    Kyren Williams      Notre Dame        8       4-5     5-14
14     5      Kennedy Brooks      Oklahoma          21      5-FA    12-31
15     5      Tyler Badie         Missouri          13      3-FA    7-28
16     5-6    Hassan Haskins      Michigan          16      4-FA    8-27
17     6      D'Vonte Price       FIU               18      5-FA    9-26
18     6-7    Kevin Harris        So Carolina       19      4-FA    8-31
19     7      Snoop Conner        Ole Miss          29      6-FA    18-34
20     7      Tyrion Davis-Price  LSU               27      5-FA    9-35
21     7-FA   Abram Smith         Baylor            15      4-7     7-23
22     7-FA   Jerrion Ealy        Ole Miss          17      4-FA    10-25
23     7-FA   Jaylen Warren       Oklahoma State    32      7-FA    21-36
24     7-FA   Tyler Goodson       Iowa              23      4-FA    14-37
25     PFA    Jashaun Corbin      Florida State     24      4-FA    6-35
26     PFA    Zonovan Knight      NC State          20      4-FA    10-29
27     PFA    Zaquandre White     South Carolina    22      5-FA    16-32
28     PFA    Max Borghi          Washington State  28      6-FA    16-32
29     PFA    Keaontay Ingram     USC               26      6-FA    18-35
30     PFA    Isaih Pacheco       Rutgers           30      7-FA    23-36
31     FA     Sincere McCormick   UTSA              25      5-FA    16-33
32     FA     C.J. Verdell        Oregon            34      7-FA    24-36
33     FA     Greg Bell           San Diego State   37      FA      24-37
34     FA     Ronnie Rivers       Fresno State      31      7-FA    21-33
35     FA     T.J. PLEDGER        Utah              35      7-FA    19-37
36     FA     Trestan Ebner       Baylor            33      7-FA    22-35
37     FA     Leddie Brown        West Virginia     36      FA      27-37

[Fritz]

I had Breece Hall ranked as the top RB since before the combine. He was the consensus #3 RB heading into the combine, but then measured 9.96 RAS at the combine. Kenneth Walker is a really good prospect himself, but Hall reminds me of Curtis Martin. I didn't like Spiller that much before the combine, and I think the combine validated it. Same with Kyren Williams. I'm higher on Jerome Ford and Kennedy Brooks than most. I was higher than most on Ty Chandler, but he had a really good combine and moved into mid round range for most.

[B]RBs[/B]

[B]My Rk  My Rd  Player              College           Con Rk  Con Rd  Con Pos Rk[/B]
1      1-2    Breece Hall         Iowa State        2       1-3     1-5
2      2      Kenneth Walker      Michigan State    1       2       1-2
3      3-4    Brian Robinson      Alabama           4       3-7     3-20
4      3-4    Zamir White         Georgia           9       3-7     3-17
5      3-4    Pierre Strong       SDSU              10      3-FA    4-25
6      4      James Cook          Georgia           6       3-6     3-15
7      4      Rachaad White       Arizona State     7       3-6     4-15
8      4      Dameon Pierce       Florida           5       3-5     4-18
9      4      Jerome Ford         Cincinnati        11      4-6     10-20
10     4-5    Isaiah Spiller      Texas A&M         3       1-4     1-4
11     4-5    Ty Chandler         UNC               14      4-7     9-19
12     4-5    Tyler Allgeier      BYU               12      4-FA    7-22
13     4-5    Kyren Williams      Notre Dame        8       4-5     5-14
14     5      Kennedy Brooks      Oklahoma          21      5-FA    12-31
15     5      Tyler Badie         Missouri          13      3-FA    7-28
16     5-6    Hassan Haskins      Michigan          16      4-FA    8-27
17     6      D'Vonte Price       FIU               18      5-FA    9-26
18     6-7    Kevin Harris        So Carolina       19      4-FA    8-31
19     7      Snoop Conner        Ole Miss          29      6-FA    18-34
20     7      Tyrion Davis-Price  LSU               27      5-FA    9-35
21     7-FA   Abram Smith         Baylor            15      4-7     7-23
22     7-FA   Jerrion Ealy        Ole Miss          17      4-FA    10-25
23     7-FA   Jaylen Warren       Oklahoma State    32      7-FA    21-36
24     7-FA   Tyler Goodson       Iowa              23      4-FA    14-37
25     PFA    Jashaun Corbin      Florida State     24      4-FA    6-35
26     PFA    Zonovan Knight      NC State          20      4-FA    10-29
27     PFA    Zaquandre White     South Carolina    22      5-FA    16-32
28     PFA    Max Borghi          Washington State  28      6-FA    16-32
29     PFA    Keaontay Ingram     USC               26      6-FA    18-35
30     PFA    Isaih Pacheco       Rutgers           30      7-FA    23-36
31     FA     Sincere McCormick   UTSA              25      5-FA    16-33
32     FA     C.J. Verdell        Oregon            34      7-FA    24-36
33     FA     Greg Bell           San Diego State   37      FA      24-37
34     FA     Ronnie Rivers       Fresno State      31      7-FA    21-33
35     FA     T.J. PLEDGER        Utah              35      7-FA    19-37
36     FA     Trestan Ebner       Baylor            33      7-FA    22-35
37     FA     Leddie Brown        West Virginia     36      FA      27-37

When the Packers pick someone early on whom I've never heard of at a position for which I think they have no need, and I panic, I will look to this thread to find the name, probably a high ranking, and reassurance.

Thanks, Harv, for the work.

[run pMc]

Agree - thanks for the work. I wasn't a big fan of Hall at first but am coming around. I think either he or Walker will be the first RB taken, likely in R2.
As for QB, I think Ridder is the best of a bad lot but Pickett is probably my #2. Garbers, Zappe, and Thompson also intrigue as late pick gambles.

Malik Willis scares me - he's overrated. Very raw prospect who some team will turn into a bust before he can develop. The name that comes to mind for some reason is EJ Manuel even though I doubt it's a fair comparison.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I must say that RB, especially those that aren't obviously special on film, is probably my worst position at evaluating. I liked Jonathan Taylor two years ago and Javonte Williams last year as RB1, and I think those guys will end up being the top dogs. However, I've pretty awful at the position. I will post more positions this weekend. I'm out for a bit and I'm still finishing up some of the defensive rankings.

[call_me_ishmael]

Do you ever think about doing this professionally Harv? I bet you could build a nice following and thus $$$ if you did this on Twitter or something. Matt Miller probably makes bank and I bet you could do it in more detail.

[run pMc]

Just saw McGinn getting in on the fun:

https://www.golongtd.com/p/part-1-wrte-does-size-matter

the summary is free but the details are behind a paywall. Interesting to hear what his scouts have to say about the class, size, bust potential, etc.

[RashanGary]

Just saw McGinn getting in on the fun:

https://www.golongtd.com/p/part-1-wrte-does-size-matter

the summary is free but the details are behind a paywall. Interesting to hear what his scouts have to say about the class, size, bust potential, etc.

Its almost like he read our conversations because he used the top 25 all time receiver list to see if these size ranges work. His weights were much lower than the ones listed on pro football reference but McGinn has draft weights and I had their maxed out NFL weights.

[RashanGary]

Draft weights of a few good players

Isaac Bruce (5-11 1/2, 173, 4.53)
Marvin Harrison (6-0, 180, 4.29)
Andre Reed (6-1 1/2, 185, 4.55)

[RashanGary]

Dotson weighed 184 at his pro day. He might have lost some weight so he could run a faster 40 time.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Do you ever think about doing this professionally Harv? I bet you could build a nice following and thus $$$ if you did this on Twitter or something. Matt Miller probably makes bank and I bet you could do it in more detail.

I'm not remotely good enough to do this professionally.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Draft weights of a few good players

Isaac Bruce (5-11 1/2, 173, 4.53)
Marvin Harrison (6-0, 180, 4.29)
Andre Reed (6-1 1/2, 185, 4.55)

I don't think anybody's ever argued that there wasn't room for a small WR in the right system. My guess is that most of the small WRs have elite agility. I'm going to look that up.

In my draft DB--going back to 2014:

Little guys who were good--since 2014:

Brandin Cooks (5'10" 189) = 6.76 3 cone
Tyler Lockett (5'10" 182) = 6.89 3 cone
Tyreek Hill (5'8" 185) = 6.53 3 cone
Diontae Johnson (5'11" 183) = 7.09 3 cone
Hunter Renfrow (5'11" 180) = 6.80 3 cone
Elijah Moore (5'9" 178) = 6.65 3 cone (he wasn't technically good last year, primarily because of injury, but I liked what I saw when he did play)

Other little guys last year: Rondale Moore (5'7" 181, 6.68 3 cone), D'Wayne Eskridge (5'9" 190, 6.95 3 cone)

NOTE: Marquise Brown, Devonta Smith, and Jaylen Waddle didn't test in 3 cone.

[bobblehead]

I'm not remotely good enough to do this professionally.

I don't think being good is really a priority. Entertaining with bold, often wrong, opinions is what it takes. That description fits a good many of us here on packerrats.

That said, are you as down on this QB class as I am? I think the top 3 or 4 will be total busts with the dude from Reno being a career backup and possibly the best of the bunch. If I were a GM trying to trade Jordan Love, this would be the time. If you can't leverage him for a 2nd in this draft you never will. Then bring in my boy Blake Bortles as the backup and have fun with your 5 picks in the first 2 rounds.

[Fritz]

Yeah, Harv, when did you get the idea that knowing what you are doing is a requirement?

In fact, your level of expertise would probably be above and beyond what most of these entertainment yahoos post, and that could be your calling card - "Hey, that HarveyWallbangers guy actually looks at film and compares these guys! It's crazy!"

[run pMc]

Mel Kiper has no qualifications other than he was a draft fan and he got into it early.