2022 NFL Draft scouting notes for week four of the college football season

This past weekend we saw some of the biggest upsets of the year. One of these upsets happened when Minnesota was knocked off by Bowling Green and another major upset of the weekend happened when Baylor defeated Iowa State. Along with these upsets, we also saw some prospects like Kenny Pickett raise his 2022 NFL Draft stock with another strong week.

Stock on the Rise

A prospect who had a great September and is seeing his draft stock on the rise is Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett. Going into the season Pickett was rated as a seventh-round prospect on my board and also received a sixth-round draft grade by Pro Football Network. However, after an outstanding start to the season, Pickett has raised to stock to an early day three selection.

In the first four games of the season, he has completed 74% of his passes while throwing for an average of 336 yards a game. Pickett has also thrown for 15 touchdowns and only one interception during this time period.

His latest impressive performance came against New Hampshire on Saturday. Against the Wildcats he was able to complete 24 of 28 passes for 403 yards and five touchdowns. In this game, he showed the touch and accuracy to get the ball into his playmaker’s hands consistently and also did a good job of throwing on the run.

Kenny Pickett raising 2022 NFL Draft stock

While New Hampshire is far from elite competition, Pickett will have a chance to put up strong numbers against tougher teams starting next week when he plays Georgia Tech. If he can continue to produce at this level it would not be a shock if he heard his name called in the 4th or 5th round area of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Rough day for Tanner Morgan

One of the biggest upsets in college football happened this weekend when Minnesota lost to Bowling Green 14-10 and one player who has to shoulder much of this loss is Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan. On the day Morgan went 5-13 for only 59 yards with two critical interceptions at the end of the game.

NFL scouts have to have serious questions about Morgan after watching this game. One of these questions is his pocket presence. He looked uncomfortable most of the day in this area hanging onto the ball too long most of the day. This led to him taking four sacks on the day. Another issue they will likely have with him is his lack of ability to throw under pressure.

After watching Morgan over the past two seasons, it is hard to believe he was mocked as a first-round quarterback by some draftniks going into the 2020 season. Instead with the way he is currently playing he will be lucky to be signed as a priority free agent after the 2022 NFL Draft.

Impressive performance by Panasiuk

One of the most dominant performances of the college football season happened in the Michigan State vs. Nebraska game. In this game, Michigan State’s Jacub Panasiuk was a consistent force when it came to getting after the quarterback. Overall on the day he finished with 7 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss and according to Pro Football Focus was able to pressure the quarterback 14 times on the day.

These numbers should help put Panasiuk on the NFL radar which was not the case entering this game. Going into this game he was not on the Senior Bowl watch list and was considered a free agent prospect at best. However, if he can continue to produce like he did on Saturday he could raise his stock as high as a day three selection.

Small school QB putting up eye-popping numbers

A small school quarterback who is putting up impressive numbers is Eastern Washington quarterback Eric Barriere. In his latest game against Southern Utah on Saturday he threw for 518 yards and four touchdowns. This is the second straight week he has thrown for over 500 yards as he also threw for 542 yards against Western Illinois last weekend.

One of the most dominant players in college football

A Group of Five prospect who has been dominant this year is Colorado State tight end Trey McBride. Over the first four games of the season, he has racked up 36 receptions for 398 yards. This includes 59 receiving yards on six catches against Iowa who has one of the toughest defenses in the nation.

In terms of where McBride ranks as a pro prospect, he has the potential to be a 3rd or 4th round draft pick in the 2022 NFL Draft if he keeps producing at this level. One of his top traits is his sure hands which makes him an effective receiver in the intermediate passing game. He also is a physical player who has the ability to run over defenders in the open field.