Senior Bowl standouts: 5 players that boosted their 2022 NFL Draft stock

Jermaine Johnson bet on himself after leaving Georgia and it is working out

While his former college teammates won a national title last year, Jermaine Johnson bet on himself by transferring to Florida State. He would have been a rotational player alongside Davis and Wyatt in Athens, but he was the best pass-rusher in the ACC a season ago. Johnson had 11.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for a loss of yardage playing for a sub-.500 Florida State Seminoles team.

Though he did not take part in every practice down in Mobile, there was no doubt who the best edge player at the Senior Bowl was. The 6-foot-5 and 260-pound outside linebacker/defensive end will make someone’s pass rush immediately better upon arrival. Even though Florida State did not win enough games to go to a bowl last season, Johnson made a smart decision for his career.

Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux will go off the board first, but keep an eye on Johnson.

Malik Willis may have done enough to be the first quarterback drafted in 2022

Though it remains to be seen how the rest of the draft process shakes out, Liberty Flames quarterback Malik Willis did his part to insert his name into the candidacy of being the first signal-caller selected this spring. While this is not a great quarterback draft class by any means, expect at least one or two of them to go inside of the top 10. Willis could be the first guy off the board now.

Of course, he will be compared and contrasted with Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, Ole Miss’ Matt Corral and North Carolina’s Sam Howell throughout the next several weeks. However, what Willis showed in Mobile was undeniable. He has the highest ceiling of any quarterback entering the draft. While he does offer a great deal of variance, Willis is a lock to go in the first round and probably top-16 now.

Willis could be the next franchise quarterback in cities needing one like Pittsburgh or Washington.

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