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By: Jay Pounds (@JayPoundsNFL)
Welcome everyone to my first look at the incoming 2022 NFL draft class. While there may be some players who declare early and jump ahead of the players on this list, these are the players that numerous major sites have listed on their big boards. As we all know by now, the scouting process of football players can be a daunting task, just look at the how often top picks fail, and late round picks succeed in the NFL compared to a league like the NBA. It is a rare occurrence that a good starter is found in the second round of the NBA draft, yet every year we see numerous late round players turn into studs in the NFL. And don’t forget about those hungry undrafted kids. What I am trying to say here is it is never too early to start doing your homework when it comes to NFL prospects. Enough of the talking, let’s get familiar with these guys!
Quarterback
- Malik Willis – Liberty University
| 2021 Season Stats | Passing Attempts | Completions | Passing Yards | TDs | INTs |
| Malik Willis | 235 | 156 | 2,159 | 21 | 9 |
In the Number 1 spot at the most important position in sports, we have Malik Willis, the Liberty University phenom. Willis started his college career at Auburn, but decided to transfer after things did not go according to plan. What I like most about Willis is the fact he was able to transfer away from a true-blue blood program like Auburn and found a way to massively increase his draft stock. I can easily see Willis going Number 1 overall in next year’s NFL draft because of how he just oozes with talent in both his legs and arm. If I had to compare Willis to anyone in the NFL today it would be Josh Allen. I honestly feel Willis is the better athlete while Allen has a stronger arm, though it’s closer than most think. In 2020, Willis had some serious accuracy issues but has seemed to put those worries to bed in 2021 with a 66.4% completion percentage. It may take Willis a year or two to figure things out, but he should be a future star in the league and a QB1 for fantasy.
2. Sam Howell – North Carolina
| 2021 Season Stats | Passing Attempts | Completions | Passing Yards | TDs | INTs |
| Sam Howell | 301 | 191 | 2,704 | 22 | 8 |
The freshman phenom Sam Howell slots in as our Number 2 signal caller as of now. In 2021, Howell has slightly underperformed but has played well enough that it has not hurt his draft status. In fact, the play of others (Spencer Rattler) may have improved it. As a freshman and sophomore, Howell was excellent and threw for 30 or more touchdowns to only 7 interceptions in both seasons. The best quality Howell possess is his accuracy with the football after having a better than 60% completion percentage in all three of his college seasons with the Tar Heels. My NFL comparison for Howell is Baker Mayfield and while I’m sure you think that is a bad thing because of how much I trash Mayfield, I assure you it’s not. I believe Howell, as well as Mayfield, can be more than serviceable starters in the league. They just need to be in the right system with the right pieces around them to win. The big knock I have seen on Howell is that the system he plays in does not translate well to the NFL, but the talent is there regardless. Look for Howell’s name to be called in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.
3. Matt Corral – Ole Miss
| 2021 Season Stats | Passing Attempts | Completions | Passing Yards | TDs | INTs |
| Matt Corral | 308 | 205 | 2,773 | 17 | 2 |
In the #3 spot we have this year’s biggest riser at the quarterback position, Matt Corral. Corral plays in a pro-style offense for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss, which is sure to help him throughout the draft process. Corral lacks all the ideal measurables and does not have the biggest arm, but I do feel he is good enough to get the job done on a NFL field. During my time watching film on Corral the main thing that stuck out to me is how athletic he is for someone who reportedly runs a 4.8 in the 40-yard dash. The best comparison I have seen for Corral is a shorter Derek Carr as both have an uncanny ability to take care of the football on top of great accuracy. Keep an eye on Corral as he may end up as this year’s Zach Wilson in the draft.
Other Names to Watch For: Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh), Carson Strong (Nevada), Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati)
Running Back
- Breece Hall – Iowa State
| 2021 Season Stats | Rushing Attempts | Rushing Yards | Receptions | Receiving Yards | TDs |
| Breece Hall | 216 | 1,172 | 31 | 246 | 18 |
At the top spot for everyone’s favorite fantasy football position we have Breece Hall from the Iowa State Cyclones. Hall had a slow start to the 2021 season, but I feel the slow start Iowa State has had every season under Matt Campbell is solely to blame. Hall is an excellent running back prospect who excels in virtually every area of the game. While Hall does not have true high-end speed, he is plenty fast enough to break big plays at the next level and has excellent pass catching ability for such a physical back. After watching as much Breece Hall tape as I could find the best NFL comparison I can think of is Ezekiel Elliott. The one thing that worries me with Hall is he can be suspect at times as a pass blocker which may keep him off the field some to start his career in the NFL. I can’t see a scenario, outside of injury, where Breece Hall is not one of the first two running backs taken in the 2022 NFL draft.
2. Kenneth Walker III – Michigan State
| 2021 Season Stats | Rushing Attempts | Rushing Yards | Receptions | Receiving Yards | TDs |
| Kenneth Walker III | 228 | 1,483 | 12 | 85 | 18 |
As much as I wanted too, I just couldn’t bring myself to put Walker above Breece Hall. While I am no college football expert, I have seen enough good out of Breece Hall to become a truther already. In Walker’s defense, he has a great shot to win the Heisman Trophy this season if he can stay hot down the stretch, especially against the fourth ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. If things stand as they are projected right now, Walker will likely end up being drafted ahead of Breece Hall. When digging into Walker, I was unable to find much negative about his game aside from a somewhat nonexistent role in the passing game. At 12 catches for 85 yards this season Walker is having what is by far his best receiving college season in three years of work, which will likely worry some scouts and of course, those dreaded fantasy football managers. As far as my thoughts on his pass catching abilities, I would say pump the brakes as I don’t think he was utilized well at Wake Forest and Michigan State does not use their backs much in the passing game. If Walker proves to have above average skills in the passing game down the stretch, or at the combine this off-season, he will no doubt be viewed as the total package at the running back position. The best NFL comparison I can think of for this kid is going to be Jonathon Taylor lite.
3. Isaiah Spiller – Texas A&M
| 2021 Season Stats | Rushing Attempts | Rushing Yards | Receptions | Receiving Yards | TDs |
| Isaiah Spiller | 159 | 914 | 25 | 189 | 6 |
At the Number 3 spot for the running back position, we have Isaiah Spiller who plays in the SEC for the Texas A&M Aggies. When watching film on Spiller the things that jumped out more than anything are that he is an extremely violent runner who seems to look for contact, but also has great patience when needed. Spiller has proved to be an extremely elusive running back throughout his time in college averaging 5.6 yards per carry overall. Spiller has all the measurables teams look for in a running back at 6’ 1” tall, 215 pounds and runs a 4.50 in the 40-yard dash. The one big knock on Spiller’s game heading into 2021 was if he could contribute in the passing game but he has shown he can be more than capable this season catching 25 balls for 189 yards and a touchdown so far.
4. Zach Charbonnet – UCLA
| 2021 Season Stats | Rushing Attempts | Rushing Yards | Receptions | Receiving Yards | TDs |
| Zach Charbonnet | 152 | 864 | 17 | 150 | 11 |
Zach Charbonnet is one of the more interesting prospects I have looked at thus far. While Charbonnet is an extremely talented running back who runs with a purpose, has great balance, and is tough to bring down, he doesn’t exactly have a huge body of work to look at after transferring. Charbonnet started his college career for Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines before eventually transferring to UCLA to finish out his college career under Chip Kelly. Once Charbonnet was in a Bruins uniform, all bets were off, and he has looked nothing short of special since Day 1. If Charbonnet continues this path he is on, he will be a lock to become a Day 2 selection in the 2022 NFL draft. After watching more than 50% of his Bruins snaps, I think the best comparison for Charbonnet is peak Arizona Cardinals David Johnson. Call me crazy but I feel this kid has a good chance at becoming a big time NFL player.
Other Names to Watch For: Brian Robinson Jr. (Alabama), Kyren Williams (Notre Dame), Zonovan Knight (North Carolina State)
Wide Receiver
- Garrett WIlson – Ohio State
| 2021 Season Stats | Receptions | Receiving Yards | TDs |
| Garrett Wilson | 53 | 813 | 9 |
In the top spot at the receiver position, we have Garrett Wilson who plays for the greatest college team on earth, The Ohio State Buckeyes. Wilson was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school and he has done nothing but live up to the hype since stepping on the field as a true freshman in Columbus, Ohio. Wilson is unbelievably athletic and the best route runner of the 2022 draft class which should make him a lock to be the first receiver drafted come Draft Day. As a sophomore in 2020, he was able to post a stat line of 43 catches, 723 yards, and 6 touchdowns, despite the shortened season due to Covid- 19. When watching Garett Wilson’s film, the thing that stood out to me like a sore thumb was his ability to go up and get the ball. Wilson is as close to a lock at the next level as I have seen, and I cannot wait to have him on some of my fantasy teams. I have thought long and hard about this and my bias still shows through as my NFL comparison for Garrett Wilson is none other than Michael Thomas.
2. Chris Olave – Ohio State
| 2021 Season Stats | Receptions | Receiving Yards | TDs |
| Chris Olave | 51 | 708 | 11 |
The only reason I do not have Chris Olave in the Number 1 spot is because the great Ricky Bobby once said, “You can’t have two number ones” to which Cal Naughton Jr. replied, “Yeah, ’cause that makes 11.” All jokes aside folks these two wideouts could easily be considered 1a and 1b, but that could also be my Ohio State bias showing through again. I have watched the majority of Olave’s collegiate snaps as a Buckeye fan and I have always been impressed with how fluid he looks on the field and the way he is able to get off the line because of how fast and twitchy he is. Olave is every bit a burner as much as he is a route runner, when he runs by someone (he does this often) it looks completely effortless like a gazelle in an open field of daisies. The NFL comparison I have for Olave is great route running Will Fuller which sounds like something that will keep defensive coordinators up at night. Like Garrett Wilson, look for Olave to be a Top 10 pick come Draft Day.
3. Treylon Burks – Arkansas
| 2021 Season Stats | Receptions | Receiving Yards | TDs |
| Treylon Burks | 52 | 815 | 8 |
If I am being completely honest if I had gone into this completely blind and only watched YouTube highlights of these three receivers, Treylon Burks may have wound up as my Number 1. He didn’t because the Buckeye greats are ahead of him. Burks is a physical specimen who stands at 6 feet 3 inches tall, 225 pounds, and runs between a 4.4-4.5 in the 40-yard dash. When looking at some of the measurables for Burks, I happened to notice he has a 10 ¼ inch hand and wears a 5XL glove. I think it’s safe to say he won’t be dropping many balls. Burks is an excellent athlete who does a great job of high pointing the ball and routinely coming down with tough contested catches. My NFL comparison for Burks has got to be Julio Jones as they can both beat you with speed, smarts, or just by being a better athlete than whoever is trying to guard them.
Other Names to Watch For: Drake London (USC), Jameson Williams (Alabama), Jahan Dotson (Penn State)
Tight End
- Jalen Wydermyer – Texas A&M
| 2021 Season Stats | Receptions | Receiving Yards | TDs |
| Jalen Wydermyer | 35 | 474 | 4 |
Finally, we have the tight end position and I have to say I don’t think I am all that excited about any of these prospects, except Jeremy Ruckert from Ohio State…… I am kidding my favorite prospect thus far is Jalen Wydermyer from Texas A&M. While I think Wydermyer has the potential to become a good NFL tight end, I am not sure I see him ever becoming an elite fantasy option as he compares well to Martellus Bennett and Jonnu Smith. Wydermyer is an excellent blocking tight end and from everything I have researched he could be a solid offensive lineman, which will help him get on the field early in his career. Wydermyer is very athletic for his size, but he I don’t think he is fast enough to put up huge numbers at the next level.
Other Names to Watch For: Isaiah Likely (Coastal Carolina), Jeremy Ruckert (Ohio State), Trey McBride (Colorado State)
I hope all of you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. I love having a reason to start digging into next year’s Dynasty Owner season and I am honored to be able to help you guys prepare for a second Dynasty Owner rookie draft. If there are any players, you feel should have been in the article, I would love to hear who you would have considered and why.
Thank you for reading and as always good luck on your 2021 Chase for the Ring!