2022 NFL Draft: 7 quarterbacks who could breakout in a big way

The 2022 NFL Draft does not have a “Trevor Lawrence” type of prospect that, a year in advance, people are going to be talking about tanking the 2021 season for. There may not be a no-brainer, but there is so much intrigue all over this class while, a year ago at this time, there were really three guys everyone was talking about (Lawrence, Trey Lance, and Justin Fields).

With the 2021 NFL Draft in the books, the focus is shifting rather quickly on a class of quarterbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft that could be one of the deepest in quite some time if all of these players show growth in the 2021 season.

At this point, most NFL Draft fans are familiar with names like Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma) and Sam Howell (North Carolina), two players who could be among the odds-on favorites for the Heisman Trophy this coming season.

But what about players you may not have heard about?

What about players whose hype has yet to really build all that much?

The way things are these days, there are very few players who slip under the radar entirely but in the past few drafts, there have been players who emerged from as close to anonymity as you can possibly get to become top-five NFL Draft picks.

Zach Wilson went from not being talked about at all to being the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Joe Burrow went from day three pick to number one overall in 2020 and arguably the best single-season from a college quarterback ever.

Kyler Murray went from Baker Mayfield’s backup who was likely bound for Major League Baseball to the top overall pick and one of the NFL’s bright young stars atop the 2019 NFL Draft.

Needless to say, we should expect a meteoric rise from someone who is relatively unknown or unheralded at this point.

Here are seven names that could potentially be breakout quarterbacks for the 2022 NFL Draft.

2022 NFL Draft Breakout QBs

Malik Willis, Liberty

Of all of the players on this list, it’s probably the biggest stretch to call Malik Willis a “breakout” player for the coming college football season as he already has the attention of many.

A lightly recruited three-star to Auburn, Willis saw action in just a handful of games from 2017-18 with the Tigers before he transferred to Liberty in 2019.

Getting his first shot to play in 2020, Willis did not disappoint.

It was far from a “perfect” season for Willis which is why we didn’t see him declare for the 2021 NFL Draft and capitalize on some decent hype after last season.

He returns to Liberty for another year and he has a legitimate shot to become a top-10 NFL Draft pick if he shows growth in the 2021 season.

His arm talent is undoubtedly first-round worthy and he has the playmaker gene at the quarterback position, showing his ability to make plays as a runner with 944 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns last season in addition to his 2,250 passing yards and 20 passing touchdowns.

Five of Willis’ six interceptions in 10 games last season came down the stretch against North Carolina State (3) and a tough Coastal Carolina defense (2). Those multi-interception games against top competition are noteworthy, but it’s also noteworthy that Willis had one of his best games against Virginia Tech.

Willis is going to draw a ton of attention all season long as a possible top 2022 NFL Draft pick.

JT Daniels, Georgia

JT Daniels graduated high school early and enrolled early at USC what seems like not that long ago.

Although his fast-track to being a potential top pick in the NFL Draft was not as fast as he perhaps originally anticipated, he has a shot to be one of the top quarterbacks off the board in the 2022 NFL Draft after an impressive debut “season” at Georgia last year.

To gain a better understanding of Daniels’ game given a smaller sample, I reached out to my most trusted Georgia source, friend of NFL Mocks, and The Film Guy himself, Brooks Austin.

"Detail-oriented football freak. Obsessive about it. If he’s not playing 2K, he’s watching film. Elite processor both pre-snap and post-snap. Above average pocket mobility. Limited top end athlete however. Quick-twitch motion, mechanics in the lower half are Rodgers-esque, but the consistency is a concern for me. Also got a solid vibe about him. Breathes a level of confidence into those around him. Brooks Austin, SI.com"

That’s the kind of evaluation you want for a quarterback with the possibility of breaking out in 2021.

Daniels is a former five-star recruit who put some big-time throws on tape in 2021.

Daniels is primed and poised to become a first-round player at the quarterback position. Could he challenge for QB1?

That discussion is not out of the realm of realism.

Carson Strong, Nevada

There are not a lot of eyes on Nevada football these days, at least not by comparison to power five programs.

Nevada has put plenty of talented guys into the NFL in the last decade-plus, but Carson Strong has a chance to be their most highly-touted prospect in quite some time.

Strong has a chance to be the first Nevada player selected in the first round of the Draft since 1984.

In the past two seasons, Strong has been very good for the Wolfpack, completing over 70 percent of his passes last year (70.1) with 2,858 yards in nine games and 27 touchdowns compared to just four interceptions.

Strong’s arm talent is a tremendous weapon and he can put the ball on a dime really anywhere on the field.

For the most part, Strong sees the field well and throws with anticipation and timing. He has a strong arm but he understands when to make throws with touch and when to put something behind the ball to get it into a window.

He doesn’t look like a dynamic dual-threat athlete, though he does have the ability to extend plays. We’ll see how much growth he shows in 2021 but the foundation is there for Strong to be a coveted quarterback prospect.

Jayden Daniels, Arizona State

Fun may be the best possible word to describe Arizona State’s Jayden Daniels.

A freshman All-American in 2019, Daniels threw for 2,943 yards and 17 touchdowns with just two interceptions as a freshman for the Sun Devils and ran for another three scores.

In just four games in 2020, Daniels accounted for nine touchdowns and showed even more than in year one what kind of dynamic runner he is capable of being at the quarterback position.

A true definition of “dual-threat”, Daniels is the type of quarterback who can drive defenses nuts by converting long third downs with his legs even if a defense has perfect coverage downfield.

There are questions regarding Daniels’ slender frame and weight translating to the next level, and he’s apparently up over the 190-pound mark as of Arizona State’s Spring practices.

He doesn’t need to add a ton of weight but he’s definitely got to be able to take hits against NFL defensive players and 175 pounds won’t cut it.

Consistency can be an issue but the ball jumps out of Daniels’ hands and he’s capable of making tough throws off-platform, extending plays, pushing the ball deep downfield, and creating offense.

He has such a high ceiling, but will he be ready for the NFL by 2022? The 2021 season will give us a clear answer to that.

Tyler Shough, Texas Tech (Oregon transfer)

Instead of risking having to split time with Anthony Brown, Tyler Shough made the decision to transfer away from the Oregon Ducks program and finish his collegiate career at Texas Tech.

Shough took over for 2020 rookie sensation Justin Herbert and in seven games he threw for 1,559 yards and 13 touchdowns compared to seven interceptions.

An impressive talent in terms of his size (6-foot-5, 221 pounds), sneaky mobility, and arm strength, Shough has a chance to be a hot riser in the 2022 NFL Draft circuit playing in the pass-happy Big 12.

A big-time recruit in the 2018 circuit, Shough was offered by a ton of big-name schools like Alabama, Georgia, and Michigan before settling on Oregon. The path to playing time for Shough was pretty clear back then as it seemed there was a decent chance that Justin Herbert would declare for the 2019 NFL Draft after the 2018 season, but that didn’t happen.

Waiting a bit longer than he perhaps originally thought, Shough then got his first real shot to play during the pandemic-altered 2020 season.

He put some good things on tape and will have a chance now with Texas Tech to become one of the hottest prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati

When the 2021 college football season is all said and done, don’t be shocked if Desmond Ridder is QB1.

Ridder has three years of starting experience under his belt, and he’s proven he’s a guy who can raise all boats and make the players around him better.

Through three seasons with the Bearcats, Ridder has 79 total touchdowns (57 passing, 22 rushing) and 20 interceptions. He’s thrown for nearly 7,000 yards in 33 games and by the time he gets to the point of being evaluated as a possible NFL Draft choice, he will likely have more than 40 games for NFL teams to study to see where he’s made changes and improvements to his game.

Despite having 20 interceptions in three seasons, Ridder is an accurate passer and has made tremendous strides in that regard, seeing his completion percentage jump from 55.1 in 2019 to 66.2 percent in 2020.

He has dual-threat abilities and is one of the most dangerous threats on the ground at the quarterback position in all of college football, ranking second among all QBs in 2020 (Malik Willis, 14) with 12 rushing touchdowns.

Ridder makes throws on the move, he has an absolute cannon for an arm, and how many quarterbacks can do this?

Although Ridder has been starting for three years, he’s not necessarily being projected by everyone to be this year’s “it” guy at the quarterback position. He should be getting a lot more hype.

Kaleb Eleby, Western Michigan

Kaleb Eleby has only played in 11 games so far for Western Michigan, but boy has he made an impression.

Someone had to get the ball to eventual second-round pick D’Wayne Eskridge (Seahawks) last year, didn’t they?

Who was the guy chucking those passes? That would be Eleby, who might be one of the best kept secrets in all of college football right now.

Eleby averaged 11.2 yards per attempt last season for Western Michigan with 18 touchdowns and only two interceptions despite a lot of downfield throws (13 air yards per attempt). His deep ball touch and accuracy proved to be deadly last season.

More than just eye-popping accuracy downfield, look at this play from Eleby recognizing coverage before the snap, pumping off a safety, and throwing a wide-open strike down the middle of the field for a touchdown.

He’s got three hopeless defenders biting on one route on this play before throwing to the wide open receiver.

This guy is going to be fascinating to watch in year three as a starter where he will hopefully get the chance to play and start in double-digit games.