2022 NFL Draft: 5 leading candidates to be the No. 1 pick
By John Buhler
QB. Sam Howell. 838. Pick Analysis. North Carolina Tar Heels. 2. player. Scouting Report
Sam Howell is Mack Brown’s best quarterback prospect since Vince Young
One of the players who has been in the mix for a while now to go No. 1 in 2022 is North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Sam Howell. Upon Mack Brown’s return to Chapel Hill, Howell has been a transcendent talent at the quarterback position for the Tar Heels. Do not let the idea of him being the next Mitchell Trubisky ruin him for you. He is one of two elite 2022 quarterback prospects.
What you have to like about Howell is his toughness and his willingness to throw the ball downfield. Yes, North Carolina has more talent in recent years under Brown, but Howell should be in the mix to win ACC Offensive Player of the Year, possibly getting invited to the Heisman Trophy ceremony. North Carolina quarterbacks do not contend for Heisman Trophies. Howell is that good.
815. Scouting Report. player. 1. Pick Analysis. QB. Oklahoma Sooners. Spencer Rattler
Spencer Rattler plays the right position at the right school to go No. 1 overall
Assuming he declares early, Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Spencer Rattler is the presumptive favorite to go No. 1 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. This looks to be the best Oklahoma team of the College Football Playoff era. Whoever wins in the Arlington rematch between Oklahoma and Iowa State will be a serious contender to win the national title. Rattler gives the Sooners the edge here.
Under Lincoln Riley, Rattler would be the third starting quarterback to go No. 1 overall, joining Baker Mayfield to the Cleveland Browns in 2018 and Kyler Murray to the Arizona Cardinals in 2019. Both of those guys won Heismans. 2019 runner-up Jalen Hurts is now the starter after being a second-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020. Rattler is every bit the real deal.
What star college players do you envision going No. 1 overall in next year’s 2022 NFL Draft?
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