2022 NFL Draft: Five teams on the clock for a QB
From Matt: Our NFL content creator Corey Seeley returns with another great look at the league with his spin on which teams are in the mix for a quarterback in 2022. We know A LOT of NFL teams will have an eye on an immediate upgrade and few will be looking for the long-term replacement at the position. Corey breaks it all down with a must-read look at the top five clubs on the clock for a quarterback.
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The 2022 NFL draft is less than a year away and draft fanatics across the globe have been studying and writing about their favorite early first-round projections. It’s time to jump ahead and look at how the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas could shape up next year.
A lot will change between now and next April, but one thing we can all agree on – quarterbacks will once again rule the draft board.
Which NFL teams could be looking at next year’s top QB prospects?
1. Houston Texans
The 2021 NFL season doesn’t look promising for the Texans, as many believe that quarterback Deshaun Watson will sit out the season in hopes of resolving his off the field legal stuff. The entire situation between Watson and the Texans is a lose-lose situation for both sides. Watson wants to be traded and the team simply cannot trade him, even if they wanted to.
The outcome of all of this should come in due time.
But until then, the Texans won’t be very good which could lead them to look at the top quarterback prospects in next year’s draft class.
If I were betting right now, I’d say that Houston will secure a top-three pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
2. Detroit Lions
It’s a transitional season for the new regime in Detroit. It would take one heck of a season out of Lions signal-caller Jared Goff for Detroit to not look at a quarterback in next year’s draft class.
Could Goff and the Lions surprise a few people? Sure.
But don’t bet on Detroit being a sleeper playoff team this season.
I really liked a few of their decisions in the 2021 draft. Players like Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown should step in and help Goff immediately.
At the end of the season, I would expect the Lions to have a top-five pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, and I fully expect them to be looking at quarterbacks come April.
3. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles season could go a few different directions and neither of them would surprise me. Second year signal-caller Jalen Hurts displayed both promise and leadership last season, promptly forcing Carson Wentz to want out.
Yet, rumors swirled throughout the draft process that the Eagles were interested in the top quarterback prospects.
I’m not entirely confident the Eagles are “all in” on Hurts.
If Hurts has an average to below average sophomore season, I wouldn’t be stunned to see the Eagles be aggressive at finding their next guy in 2022.
4. Carolina Panthers
I really like what they’re building in Carolina. Panther’s owner David Tepper is proving to be a motivated owner who is more than willing to take risks in order to build a sustained winning culture down in Carolina.
Trading for Sam Darnold was a great low-risk, high-reward move for the Panthers. Could it work? Certainly.
But asking Darnold to be high and above better for this offense than Teddy Bridgewater was is a tall ask.
Sam Darnold did not get a fair shake in New York – that we can all agree on. Pairing Darnold with offensive coordinator Joe Brady looks great on paper, but it needs to translate to production and wins – this season.
As I mentioned earlier, Tepper and this Panthers team want to build something special. Darnold has a season to prove he can be a part of it, or Carolina will be looking at quarterbacks in next year’s draft.
5. New York Giants
This one may surprise a few people, and I know, I know, the Giants had a nice offseason surrounding Jones with talented offensive weapons to put him in positions to have a great season.
And that is exactly why the Giants are on this list.
Daniel Jones now has Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, first-round rookie Kadarius Toney, Evan Engram, and last but not least – Saquon Barkley.
That’s quite the group of playmakers, right?
If Daniel Jones doesn’t have a big time bounce back season, the Giants will absolutely be looking at replacing him in next year’s draft.
As a Colts fan, I wonder how close you were to putting them on this list? It’s not a guarantee Reich is just an automatic fix for Wentz. Yes, 2017 was great, but that was one year. Were they in consideration here as well?
The addition of the Giants is fair. Yes, they put a lot of weapons around DJ, and personally I think he's going to go off. But if he doesn't, we have all the resources needed to secure our next QB.