With the college football regular season now complete, it is decision time for NFL prospects.
Leave for the NFL or go back to school?
Play in the bowl game or start prepping for the NFL Draft?
The answers to those questions will come over the next month followed by the all-star circuit, scouting combine and team visits, which will all shape how NFL teams stack the 2022 draft class. With several steps left on the draft calendar, positional rankings at this point in the process are firm, but will fluctuate.
Two players who have been steadily rising all season are Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo. The Wolverines pass rush duo could be two of the first half-dozen defenders drafted in April, including Hutchinson competing for No. 1 overall pick status.
* Indicates draft-eligible underclassman who has yet to declare. I did not include underclassmen who have announced they will return to college football next season, such as Arizona State QB Jayden Daniels, Boston College QB Phil Jurkovec and Texas LB DeMarvion Overshown.
Quarterback
In a draft class lacking a clear top quarterback, Matt Corral of Ole Miss has an exciting combination of traits that stress the defense in different ways. With his size, athleticism and the creative instincts, there are a lot of parallels between Corral and Zach Wilson (for better and worse), who was the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft. However, the main difference there is the level of competition in college (Corral posted 67.8% completions and 17 total touchdowns in SEC play this season).
Corral has quick feet, a quick release and also a quick mind to make snap decisions. This play from the Liberty tape shows that quickness along with his ability to move the pocket and work off-schedule.
