2022 Post-Combine Rookie Draft Big Board

This upside obviously comes with a lot of risk. Willis is an unfinished product and doesn’t possess the unconquerable size of past league-winners like Josh Allen and Cam Newton. And this ranking is dependent on an NFL team liking Willis enough to take him in the first round and give him a long enough leash to grow into the role of Franchise Quarterback. But if he does get the commitment from his future team, he should be the unquestioned 1.01 in the upcoming rookie draft.

2: Breece Hall – RB Iowa State

Player Comps: Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Gibson

After a very good Combine, Hall is the consensus RB1 of this year’s class.  At 6’1 and 220 lbs, Hall has the frame for 20+ carries a game at the next level. He certainly has the history of carrying such a load as well with 3,900 yards and 50(!) TDs in three years of college play. He plays with exceptional patience as a runner, and knows when to cut or fight for extra yards.

A favorable draft position may be able to bump Hall up to the 1.01 spot on my big board. But we have seen how badly drafting a RB can be for teams (CEH, ETN), so a first round selection to a contender (Buffalo??) may be out of the question. Nonetheless, Hall should be the first RB taken this spring.

3: Treylon Burks – WR Arkansas

Player Comps: DK Metcalf, Deebo Samuel

Burks is a prospect that checks nearly every box: size, speed, acceleration, strength, solid production history, SEC competition, YAC ability, awesome name. 

A somewhat disappointing Combine will keep him out of the unanimous 1.01 discussion. But Burks should be the first WR taken on draft day.

4: Garrett Wilson – WR The Ohio State University

Player Comps: OBJ, Bobby Trees

Knowing our league, I don’t need to tell you who Garrett Wilson is. The question is, why is he ranked higher than all of the RBs about to come up? Because this guy has “stud” written all over him. He was a five star recruit out of high school and played immediately as a true freshman in one of the most crowded WR rooms in the country. 

Wilson’s final ranking is going to be dependent on his draft slot. Most mocks have him going somewhere in the top 15, usually as the first or second WR taken along with Burks. Wherever he goes, Wilson is quickly going to become his QB’s new best friend with his amazing hands and catch radius. And if he goes at #13 to the Cleveland Browns? The homers in this league will be salivating to take him at all costs. Don’t sleep on Wilson as a top 2 pick.

5: Kenneth Walker III – RB Michigan State

Player Comps: Tony Pollard, Chase Edmonds

A lightly recruited prospect out of high school, Walker exploded onto the draft scene in one year at MSU after transferring from Wake Forest. His lack of size (5’10 210lbs) and early production is a red flag to be sure, but anyone who watches his 2021 tape should have few doubts about his running ability. A strong Combine helped confirm his status as a premier RB in this class. NFL teams love a player’s most recent tape (see Kadarius Toney), so expect Walker to be taken somewhere in the second round. If he can show his new team that he can handle third down responsibilities, Walker may be the steal of this draft.

6: Isaiah Spiller – RB Texas A&M

Player Comps: Melvin Gordon, TJ Yeldon

Spiller and Hall were the consensus top RBs coming into this season. While Hall has been able to show the consistent tape and production to keep his top ranking, Spiller has fallen back a bit. Despite his ability to put great highlight plays onto film, Spiller struggled in pass protection and didn’t show much as a receiver, leaving doubts towards his ability to be a three-down back in the NFL. 

After skipping the Combine, Spiller is making us rely on his likely more favorable Pro Day measurements to see how he stacks up athletically in this class. A favorable landing spot should cement his spot as a top back in this class, but the gap between him and the backs behind him is smaller than ever.

7: Drake London – WR Southern California

Player Comps: Mike Evans, Tee Higgins

London was a three year starter at USC who had by far his best year in 2021, finishing with 1,084 yards and 7 TDs in 8 games. His size and skill set make him a top tier red zone threat as well as a reliable 3rd down option on the outside. 

He lacks elite speed or strength, and the ankle fracture that prematurely ended his 2021 season could be a red flag. But London should be catching TDs early and often in his NFL career.

8: Desmond Ridder – QB Brcts

Player Comps: Daniel Jones, Dak Prescott

I’m not going to pretend I know how to evaluate QBs. I thought the Browns should have drafted Josh Rosen. Even NFL GMs get the quarterback position wrong. All the time.

Here’s what I do know: Ridder has great size and seems like a pretty good athlete after running a 4.5 at the Combine. Your guess is as good as mine for if he will be a successful NFL quarterback. If he hits, he was a steal at this point of the draft.

9: Matt Corral – QB Ole Miss

Player Comps: Marcus Mariota, Ryan Tannehill

Again, not sure what to say about these QBs. Corral has the arm talent and rushing chops that translate into big fantasy points. He is inconsistent with his accuracy, and doesn’t have the speed of a guy like Willis, but if this guy hits it’s going to be in a big way. 

10: Chris Olave – WR The Ohio State University

Player Comps: Calvin Ridley, Jarvis Landry

Despite being one of the top draft eligible WR prospects, Olave decided to forgo the draft last year in the hopes of raising his draft stock and bringing his Buckeyes to the national title in his senior year.

Whoops.

Olave now enters this off-season still as a likely first round pick, but after seeing his numbers plateau in his senior season it’s fair to ask if he has peaked as a player. He projects to work a lot in the slot at the next level thanks to his slender frame and great hands. While there are plenty of useful fantasy players that operate mostly out of the slot, Olave seems to lack the upside of the top WRs in this class.

11: Jameson Williams – WR Alabama

Player Comps: Henry Ruggs, Will Fuller

Williams is that guy who couldn’t crack the Ohio State WR rotation, but then transferred to Alabama and immediately became their Alpha WR. Make it make sense.

His biggest strength is his speed, and it shows up on tape. He was still recovering from his torn ACL during the combine, but expect this guy to run in the 4.3s. Williams is also an above average route runner. The combination of these traits should make him a nightmare to cover one on one.

But like Jeudy and Smith before him, Jameson is but a wee lad at 6’1 180lbs, and is going to struggle against the grown ass men playing outside press on him at the next level. Burners like this tend to bust as often as the hit in the NFL, and just because a team values his speed enough to take him in the first round doesn’t mean he is going to be a fantasy relevant player.

12: George Pickens – WR Georgia

Player Comps: Mike Williams, Terrace Marshall

Pickens burst onto the scene after a true freshman year where he posted 49 catches and 727 yards for 8 TDs. Add in his great size at 6’3 200lbs, and Pickens was the WR to beat in this class after year one. However, a slew of injuries over the past two years, including most recently an ACL tear that held him out of every game save the National Title, has slowed down the hype train considerably. 

Pickens still has the potential to be the premier outside threat of this class, so is worth drafting highly for fantasy owners. 

13: David Bell – WR Purdue

Player Comps: Keenan Allen, Jakobi Meyers

Bell is another WR with the coveted true freshman breakout. At 6’1 210lbs and with average athleticism, Bell doesn’t win by overpowering or outrunning his defender; he wins with route running and great body control. He should slot in as a team’s WR2 right away, but I’m dubious he can be a fantasy stud.

14: Jahan Dotson – WR Penn State

Player Comps: Tyler Lockett, Brandon Cooks

Dotson is an above average athlete with below average size. He did it all for the Nittany Lions in his senior season, including a few designed runs, Wildcat snaps, and punt returns. His size will limit his ceiling at the next level and likely keep him in the slot, but he has shown he can make highlight reel grabs and run away from defenders when he gets in open space.

15: Kenny Pickett – QB Pitt

Player Comps: Teddy Bridgewater, Mitch Trubisky

Lol, 8 & 1/2 inch hands!

…

(Furiously checks own hand size)

16: Kyren Williams – RB Notre Dame

Player Comps: Devin Singletary, James White

While Spiller and Walker project as early down backs, Kyren may be the premier third down back in this class. An accomplished pass blocker and route runner, Williams is not the type of back that is going to see a ton of volume. But the touches he does get should be super valuable. With his slight frame at 5’9 and 200lbs, fantasy managers need to ask: can he handle the kind of workload that can propel him into fantasy superstardom?

17: Christian Watson – WR North Dakota State

Player Comps: DJ Chark, Hakeem Butler

The physical freak of this fantasy class. 6’4, 210 with a 4.36 forty and a 38″ vertical. Watson played for a smaller school so he isn’t going to get the hype that he likely deserves, but having a father who played in the NFL and a former teammate in Trey Lance may help assuage those concerns. A 1st round selection would push this kid near the top tier of WRs in this class with Burks and Wilson.

18: Rachaad White – RB Arizona State

Player Comps: James Conner, Kenyan Drake

An older prospect with above average Combine numbers and terrific production in his RS-Senior season, most notably as a reciever. Seems like he lacks the upside of a consistent starter, but has a good chance to be a high level RBBC guy.

19: Zamir White – RB Georgia

Player Comps: Rashaad Penny, Rhamondre Stevenson

A very physical back with great athleticism but a scary injury history, including two ACL tears. No history of producing on third down means his touches will be limited; maybe that’s a good thing if his team wants to keep him healthy. As boom-bust as RBs get.

20: Skyy Moore – WR Western Michigan

Player Comps: KeeSean Johnson, Andy Isabella

A small school player with great three-year production and a very good Combine. Likely too small to be the Alpha WR for his future team, look for this kid to soak up slot snaps, screen passes, and the occasional deep target as his new team’s WR2.

Notes:

• This class is not top heavy, but has some SERIOUS depth. I decided to stop at 20, but easily could have gone further as there are many interesting prospects to be had in later rounds.
• This does not apply to the TEs of this class, which looks horrendous. We may see less than three TEs taken in our draft this year.
• You may have heard about the record breaking Combine this year. Many players were running sub-4.4 40s, with most of these times being disputed by outside sources. This is not a coincidence as the NFL tries to navigate a world where sports betting is legal, including wagers on Combine results. I am putting less stock in the Combine this year than years past; I recommend you do the same.
• These rankings are fictitious and not representative of my actual opinions or rankings. Use at your own discretion.