Raiders 2022 NFL Draft: Who are the top players at each position?
By Jason Willis
The 2022 NFL Draft will kick off tonight in Las Vegas, and here, we take a look at the top players at each position the Raiders could target.
In an NFL Draft where almost nothing is certain, most player rankings are quite different. While the Raiders do not pick until the third round on Friday, here are some of the players at each position who will be coming off the board by the end of the weekend.
Raiders 2022 NFL Draft: Who are the top players at each position?
Quarterbacks
- Malik Willis (Liberty)
- Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati)
- Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh)
- Carson Strong (Nevada)
- Matt Corral (Ole Miss)
- Sam Howell (North Carolina)
- Kaleb Eleby (Western Michigan)
- Bailey Zappe (Western Kentucky)
As always, the NFL Draft will revolve around the quarterback position. However, this year the debate is quite different than the one we experienced last season. In 2021, we saw five quarterbacks selected in the first round. In 2022, we may not even see five selected in the first three rounds. Regardless, there is potential here.
First and foremost, if you read the QB rankings article I released in February you will notice that the above list is much different. After much thought and consideration, I decided to change my mind on how I evaluate the position. This was the result.
The Raiders are not necessarily in the market for a quarterback during this draft season, especially early, so these names will not likely don the Silver and Black.
After watching uber-talented but raw passers such as Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes succeed in the NFL, there is a new standard set at the quarterback position. Now teams require their quarterbacks to be able to make plays out of structure due to their athletic ability and arm talent. No one exemplifies this more than Malik Willis. While he is a few years away from being an NFL starter, his physical gifts give him the potential to be a game-changing quarterback.
The rest of the group has some pretty glaring deficiencies as well but they lack the raw talent that Willis has. Ridder is incredible before and after the snap in terms of identifying where the ball should go. It’s his accuracy issues that hold him back here.
For Pickett, his small hands, age, and erratic style push him down the list. Strong has suffered injuries that will push him down the board and have limited his mobility severely.