Category: 2022 NFL draft

Check out Derek Stingley Jr.’s awesome ‘DBU’ tattoo

LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. has his opinion on the “DBU” debate emblazoned on his arm

There’s a strong case to be made for plenty of college football programs in the “DBU” debate, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better one than they have in Baton Rouge.

The LSU Tigers have been churning out top defensive back prospects for years, and the 2022 NFL draft class will be no exception.

Derek Stingley Jr. is widely regarded as the top cornerback prospect in the nation heading into the 2021 college football season, and his opinion on the topic of which school is best at generating blue-chip defensive backs is emblazoned on his arm.

If Stingley has the kind of campaign we expect from him this season, he should be a top-five lock in next year’s draft.

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Can Kayvon Thibodeaux become the next DeMarcus Ware?

Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux is drawing comparisons to one of the NFL’s best pass rushers in recent memory

Even back in high school, Kayvon Thibodeaux was the kind of prospect who seemed destined for the top of the NFL draft as soon as he was eligible.

That will happen next offseason, when Oregon’s star pass rusher is likely to be one of the first names called in the 2022 class.

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah recently broke down Thibodeaux with an early scouting report ahead of the 2021 college football season, and he sees similarities between him and one of the best pass rushers in recent memory, DeMarcus Ware:

There isn’t a perfect comparison for Thibodeaux, but I see a lot of similarities to Ware when I evaluated him coming out of Troy in 2005. They have the same long, wiry build and they both have an explosive first step. I would give Ware the edge as a pure bender at the top of his rush, while I see a little more power from Thibodeaux at the same point in their development.

Ware had a Hall of Fame-caliber NFL career and Thibodeaux has the potential to become a similar player. Ware became a pass-rush student and constantly added to his game, improving along the way. That will be the challenge for Thibodeaux. If he puts in the work, the sky is the limit.

He may not end up being the No. 1 overall pick thanks to the annual need for quarterbacks at the top of the draft, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be the best overall prospect in next year’s class. If he can become what Ware was throughout his long and productive NFL career, he’ll be well worth that high of a draft slot.

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Houston Texans 2022 NFL draft target: Is Oregon DE Kayvon Thibodeaux the next DeMarcus Ware?

If the Houston Texans pick high in the 2022 NFL draft, DE Kayvon Thibodeaux should be a target, especially if the comps to DeMarcus Ware are legit.

Nothing triggers Houston Texans fans more than telling them they could spend a top-5 overall draft pick on a defensive end.

The club drafted Mario Williams No. 1 overall in 2006 and then did the exact same thing with Jadeveon Clowney in 2014. Although both were Pro Bowlers, neither had careers that lived up to the billing of being the first pick in the draft.

Conversely, former Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware didn’t even go in the top-10 of the 2005 NFL draft. However, the 11th overall pick from Troy finished with 138.5 career sacks along with four All-Pro selections, nine Pro Bowls, and a Super bowl ring at the end of the 2015 season.

What if the Texans actually picked a player like Ware with their first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft?

According to Daniel Jeremiah from the NFL Network, Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux is similar to Ware.

He reminds me of: DeMarcus Ware. There isn’t a perfect comparison for Thibodeaux, but I see a lot of similarities to Ware when I evaluated him coming out of Troy in 2005. They have the same long, wiry build and they both have an explosive first step. I would give Ware the edge as a pure bender at the top of his rush, while I see a little more power from Thibodeaux at the same point in their development. Ware had a Hall of Fame-caliber NFL career and Thibodeaux has the potential to become a similar player. Ware became a pass-rush student and constantly added to his game, improving along the way. That will be the challenge for Thibodeaux. If he puts in the work, the sky is the limit.

Co-assistant directors of player personnel Matt Bazirgan and James Liipfert will have to trust their scouts and give the best information to general manager Nick Caserio by April next year. If Thibodeaux is the best player on their board, regardless of scheme and the situation at quarterback, Houston should consider adding the next Ware to their edge defense.

Sam Howell draws comparisons to Baker Mayfield

See why NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah sees similarities between Baker Mayfield and North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell

The debate surrounding who will be the top quarterback prospect in the 2022 NFL draft is already heating up, and North Carolina’s Sam Howell appears to be one of the leading candidates.

A highly touted recruit coming out of high school, Howell has lived up to the hype at the college level so far, and is already drawing comparisons to a recent No. 1 overall pick.

In his early scouting report on the Tar Hells signal-caller, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah says he sees plenty of Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield in Howell’s game:

I wrote Mayfield’s name down in my notes after watching about 15 plays by Howell. They have the same build, similar arm strength (Howell’s is slightly stronger) and athletic ability (again, slight edge to Howell in this department). They both are ultra-competitive when they carry the football, and they bring juice/energy to their teams. Howell is a better deep-ball thrower, while Mayfield was a better decision-maker and didn’t force as many balls into coverage back when he was a prospect.

Jeremiah’s assessment is spot-on, as it doesn’t take much time with Howell’s tape to see the similarities between him and the former Oklahoma star. If he continues his current track of development, Howell could easily be next year’s top pick.

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Summer Scouting: USC QB Kedon Slovis

USC quarterback Kedon Slovis is another passer getting buzz this summer. Let’s take a look at what he does well, and a question he faces.

We continue summer study of potential 2022 NFL draft quarterbacks with a stop out west. USC passer Kedon Slovis is another quarterback getting first-round buzz this summer. According to NFLMockDraftDatabase.com, Slovis is placed in the first round of current mock drafts almost 74% of the time, and has been as high as fifth-overall in some of the early mock drafts this cycle.

From a production standpoint, you can understand why Slovis is getting this attention. Last season he completed 67% of his throws for 1,921 yards and 17 touchdowns, against just seven interceptions, and he did that over a condenses, six-game schedule. For his career Slovis has completed 70% of his passes for 5,423 yards and 47 touchdowns, with 17 interceptions.

But numbers alone do not make a prospect. One must dive into the traits. In this video we’ll examine how Slovis handles pressure, his footwork in the pocket, his understanding of trajectory and the biggest question many have regarding his game:

https://youtu.be/OiiV246A58c

As noted, Slovis was dealing with a shoulder injury that lingered into last season. If he is fully healed and the velocity improves on his throws next fall, that could clear up some of the concerns people have about him right now.

If not, then expect the arm strength question to be revisited in the fall.

Chris Olave draws comparisons to Will Fuller, Jerry Jeudy

Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave is already drawing high praise from NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah

Ohio State keeps churning out some of the best NFL draft prospects on an annual basis, and their 2022 class is sure to include more of the same.

One of their top players in that group is wide receiver Chris Olave, who gives the Buckeyes one of the most polished, explosive big-play threats in all of college football.

In his recent scouting breakdown of Olave, NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah drew comparisons to Will Fuller and Jerry Jeudy:

My first thought was to compare Olave to Jerry Jeudy. They have similar body types, top speed and production. However, I think Olave has better hands while Jeudy is a little more explosive in his release and at the top of the route. Fuller is a better comparison. Both guys are special when they work over the top of the defense and both needed to add strength coming out of college. When healthy, Fuller has been one of the best deep threats in the NFL. I think Olave has the chance to be even better because he’s a more polished player than Fuller was at that same point in his career.

That’s high praise for Olave, who could have been a fairly early selection in this year’s draft, but elected to return to Columbus for another season. Alongside Garrett Wilson, Olave will help give the Buckeyes arguably the best pass-catching tandem in the country, as both could end up being first-round picks in the 2022 NFL draft.

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Houston Texans 2022 NFL draft target: Texas A&M receiver Ainias Smith

If the Houston Texans are looking for a younger option at receiver in 2022, Texas A&M WR Ainias Smith could be an option in the NFL draft.

The Houston Texans drafted Nico Collins in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft, but they still have some questions to answer about the position going forward.

Randall Cobb will be entering the final year of his contract, and it would only cost $2 million in dead money to part ways with the former 2011 Green Bay Packers second-round pick, who will be 32 years old. It will also cost $2.5 million to cut Brandin Cooks, although he will just be 29 years old and still with a couple good years remaining.

Wideouts Chris Conley, Alex Erickson, and Donte Moncrief will be out of contract as their one-year deals will have expired.

If Houston wants to look to the draft for a younger solution at receiver, they need to keep an eye on Texas A&M receiver Ainias Smith, who is considered a wild-card in Pro Football Focus’ college receiver rankings.

WILD CARD: AINIAS SMITH, TEXAS A&M (JUNIOR)

While the 2021 receiver class was chock full of players, like Smith, who fit into the “offensive weapon” category, he stands nearly alone in his own category in 2022.

The Texas A&M pass-catcher took 143 snaps from the backfield, 323 from the slot and only 60 out wide in 2020. He is pure dynamism, and the Aggies’ offense wanted to get the ball in his hands as easily as possible. He broke 21 tackles on 65 catches the past two seasons with an average depth of target a mere 9.4 yards downfield while adding 18 broken tackles on 55 rushing attempts over that span. At 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, he may never fit the mold of an outside receiver, but he’s a playmaker who will be coveted nonetheless.

Smith would be an ideal replacement for Cobb, who produced 38 catches for 441 yards and three touchdowns through 10 games last season. If Cobb has a similar year, including having his season cut short by mid-November, general manager Nick Caserio may be inclined to go younger at the position.

USC’s Kedon Slovis gets a Joe Burrow comparison

See why Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus finds a link between USC’s Kedon Slovis and Joe Burrow

Joe Burrow delivered arguably the best season a quarterback has ever seen in college football history back in 2019, going from draft afterthought to the unquestioned No. 1 overall pick while leading the LSU Tigers to a national title.

Burrow enjoyed a successful rookie campaign for the Cincinnati Bengals until it was cut short by a season-ending knee injury, but his NFL future is still extremely bright.

That’s evidently good news for whichever NFL team ends up with USC quarterback Kedon Slovis in the 2022 NFL draft.

Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus says Slovis’ accuracy is on the same level as Burrow’s:

Next year’s quarterback class is loaded with talent, but there’s still plenty of early debate in terms of who will be the best of the group. A stellar 2021 campaign could put Slovis right in the middle of that conversation.

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The best draft scouting matchup games in the 2021 NCAA season

Pouring through the 2021 college football schedule, here are some of the games that will be fascinating to study for the 2022 NFL draft.

The summer is all about building watch lists in the scouting world. Lists of players to study over the next few weeks and into the fall, and even lists of games to keep an eye on once the season begins.

With life getting back to normal in an almost post-COVID world, college football fans have a full slate of action to anticipate this fall. That means a ton of games to study from a scouting perspective, and some incredible one-on-one matchups that we’ll be debating into the winter. Here are just some of the games that I have circled on my schedule that you should keep an eye on over the next few months.

What do Simone Biles and Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler have in common?

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Spencer Rattler and Houston Texans super fan and Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles have some athletic traits in common.

It isn’t every day that a four-time Olympic gold medalist and a redshirt sophomore quarterback get compared.

However, according to Mark Schofield of the Touchdown Wire, there are some athletic comparisons between gymnast Simone Biles, who won her seven national all-around championship earlier in June, and Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler, who led the Sooners to their second consecutive Big 12 championship at the end of the 2020 season.

Where Biles and Rattler share the biggest athletic comparison is with their balance.

One of her best events is the balance beam, and at the nationals this month Biles secured the top spot in that event with a score of 29.250.

What does this have to do with Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler? Well, beyond reminding you to tune in when Biles an the rest of the national team competes in Tokyo later this summer, Rattler is like many quarterbacks in that he needs to balance his athletic ability and creativity outside the pocket, with how he manages life inside the pocket.

Rattler is getting a ton of attention as a potential QB1 next cycle, and with good reason. Athleticism, confidence and the ability to create outside the pocket are desired traits at the next level. In this video we’ll dive into these traits, and also highlight areas where he can clean up his pocket management a bit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhioOLzF2uU

Rattler does a number of things well as a quarterback, including his ability to create outside the pocket. If he improves at how well he handles things inside the pocket, he has the makings of QB1 next spring.

If Rattler is an effective QB1 by the end of his 2021 campaign with the Sooners, Texans fans are hopeful he will share another commonality with Houston super fan Biles: a desire to see the Texans win. Houston will have a shot at Rattler, if he decides to leave college for the NFL, as the Texans will have a first-round pick in 2022.