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The Draft "Expert" - Wk 13 Quarterback Prospect Rankings

Welcome back one and all to the FINAL regular season Draft "Expert" blog post! For the rest of the way, we will be dealing with the college football "postseason" with conference championships starting this weekend and bowl games starting up on December 17th! Exciting stuff! (note: none of these quarterback will be playing week 15 as none of them play for either Army or Navy)


With that, this is yet another fairly boring list. Like we've said with the past two, not only is there little movement, there is no movement (apart from one player reappearing in the "honorable mention" section) in this weeks post. Which basically means we are starting to see the final rankings for the 2022 NFL Draft quarterback rankings!


Now, with this one, there were some close calls. I think it goes without saying that Kenny Pickett is thoroughly pushing Ole Miss' Matt Corral, Malik Willis and Liberty have been struggling recently (coming off three straight double digit losses), and Carson Strong is trying to push his way into the top three.


So, without any further delay, here is the Draft "Expert's" week 13 quarterback prospect rankings! Please enjoy!

Pictured: Kenny Pickett, Pitt; Malik Willis, Liberty; Carson Strong, Nevada

1. Matt Corral, Ole Miss

Wk 13 - 26/34 234 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/12 carries 45 yds 1 touchdown @ Mississippi State (31-21 W)

Season - 259/379 3,334 yds 20 touchdowns 4 interceptions/145 carries 597 yds 11 touchdowns

  • Once again, Matt Corral sits atop the Draft "Expert's" quarterback rankings. That being said, I can understand why people would have someone like Kenny Pickett above him, especially since Corral only has 20 touchdowns to Pickett's 40. Though Pickett may have better passing numbers than Corral, I think Corral may be the toughest quarterback in the upcoming draft. That being said, Corral's numbers are still very good, as he's the only quarterback in the FBS with over 3,300+ passing yards and 500+ rushing yards while also totaling 30+ total touchdowns playing in the toughest conference in college football with a top 10 strength of schedule, which is better than Corral's Heisman rivals CJ Stroud and Bryce Young. Even with the 10th toughest schedule in the country, Corral still led the Rebels to their first 10-win regular season in program history, while also taking the Rebels into the top 10. Corral has been great for Ole Miss this season, becoming an even better leader while also cutting down on the lapses in judgement, cutting his interceptions down from 14 to four this season. Now, I do think if Pickett has a great performance against Wake Forest it'd be hard to keep him out of number one. For now though, Corral holds on to his number one ranking, for now.

  • Pre-Season - 8*

  • Wk 1 - 6

  • Wk 2 - 5

  • Wk 3 - 4

  • Wk 4 - 3

  • Wk 5 - 2

  • Wk 6 - 2

  • Wk 7 - 1

  • Wk 8 - 1

  • Wk 9 - 2

  • Wk 10 - 1

  • Wk 11 - 1

  • Wk 12 - 1

  • Wk 13 - 1

  • Wk 14 - BYE

2. Kenny Pickett, Pitt

Wk 13 - 28/38 209 yds 4 touchdowns 1 interception/3 carries 4 yds 0 touchdowns @ Syracuse (31-14 W)

Season - 314/464 4,066 yds 40 touchdowns 7 interceptions/91 carries 221 yds 4 touchdowns

  • This past Saturday against Syracuse, Kenny Pickett broke Dan Marino's 40-year old record for touchdowns in a season, tossing four against the Orange to make it 40 touchdowns for him this season. This season has been nothing short of spectacular for Kenny Pickett, who has easily passed all of his previous career highs in passing yards, passing touchdowns, completion percentage, and has passed his career high in rushing yards as well by one. Before this season, combined, Pickett had thrown 39 touchdowns, never passing for more than 13 in a season. Now, it is kind of weird to see Pickett sitting second on this list, especially because of the fact he has double the number of touchdowns as the person at number one, and I think it may just be a matter of time before Pickett passes Corral in the Draft "Expert's" rankings. For Pickett, this season he became the first quarterback in ACC history with 4,000+ passing yards and 40+ passing touchdowns through 12 games in a season. Just for reference, the ACC started back in 1953. The only other quarterbacks to post similar numbers were Jameis Winston in 2013 and Deshaun Watson in 2016, though that was through a full season, not only 12 games. This has been a historic season for the Pitt QB and a dominant performance in the ACC Championship game against Wake Forest and we may just see Pickett move on up to the number one ranking.

  • Pre-Season - 16*

  • Wk 1 - N/R

  • Wk 2 - N/R

  • Wk 3 - 9

  • Wk 4 - 9

  • Wk 5 - 7

  • Wk 6 - 6

  • Wk 7 - 6

  • Wk 8 - 5

  • Wk 9 - 5

  • Wk 10 - 3

  • Wk 11 - 3

  • Wk 12 - 2

  • Wk 13 - 2

  • Wk 14 - v no.18 Wake Forest (ACC Championship)

3. Malik Willis, Liberty

Wk 13 - 24/46 305 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/16 carries 37 yds 1 touchdown v Army (31-16 L)

Season - 194/315 2,626 yds 24 touchdowns 12 interceptions/189 carries 820 yds 11 touchdowns

  • I feel kind of bad for Malik Willis. These past few weeks have not been easy for the Flames, losing three straight by double digits, with a combined score of 100-44. Not only have the Flames dropped a few games, but Willis' stock, to some people, is starting to fall. In these past three games, Willis has thrown six interceptions to just three touchdowns while also posting back-to-back season lows in completion percentage. Like we've said for the past couple weeks, Willis needs to stop playing hero ball. It's obvious he's the best player on the field, but when you combine a losing team with a quarterback that's trying to force things, it normally doesn't equal something good. And though his passing numbers haven't been the best, Willis has been getting beat up, getting sacked 21 times during these three loses, while getting sacked a career high nine times against Ole Miss. This season, total, Willis has been sacked 50 times, which makes these last three games even more crazy, since almost half the sacks he has taken this season have come in these three loses. Though I said above that Willis' stock may be falling, I still have faith in Liberty's quarterback due to his skillset. It's no secret this hasn't been Willis' best run. football, but the kid can still ball, and holds on to the number three spot in this weeks rankings.

  • Pre-Season - 3*

  • Wk 1 - 2

  • Wk 2 - 2

  • Wk 3 - 1

  • Wk 4 - 1

  • Wk 5 - 1

  • Wk 6 - 1

  • Wk 7 - 2

  • Wk 8 - 2

  • Wk 9 - 1

  • Wk 10 - 2

  • Wk 11 - 2

  • Wk 12 - 3

  • Wk 13 - 3

  • Wk 14 - BYE

4. Carson Strong, Nevada

Wk 13 - 17/22 288 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/4 carries -11 yds 0 touchdowns @ Colorado State (52-10 W)

Season - 367/524 4,186 yds 36 touchdowns 8 interceptions/51 carries -208 yds 0 touchdowns

  • Carson Strong put a struggling Colorado State team to the sword on Saturday, throwing for 288 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions as the Wolf Pack breezed through this one winning 52-10. Though that was the first time Strong had thrown for less than 300 yards in a game since October 2nd, it was still a very impressive performance from the Nevada signal caller. Strong may not be the most mobile quarterback out there, but he'll pick apart defenses with some precise passing. I don't know if there's a better deep ball thrower in this draft than Carson Strong. His timing and touch on those deep throws were really on display on Saturday, with every touchdown pass coming off of fade routes/verts and every one being completed 10+ yards down the field. Random factoid about me, I'm not the biggest fan of fade routes to the corner of the end zone, but Strong and Romero Doubs have such a great connection, to the point of it being free points for Nevada. Though Nevada missed out on the Mountain West Championship, this was still a very nice season for Strong and the Wolf Pack in a very tough conference.

  • Pre-Season - 5*

  • Wk 1 - 6

  • Wk 2 - 6

  • Wk 3 - 6

  • Wk 4 - 6

  • Wk 5 - 6

  • Wk 6 - 4

  • Wk 7 - 4

  • Wk 8 - 3

  • Wk 9 - 3

  • Wk 10 - 4

  • Wk 11 - 4

  • Wk 12 - 4

  • Wk 13 - 4

  • Wk 14 - BYE

5. Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati

Wk 13 - 17/28 301 yds 2 touchdowns 2 interceptions/10 carries 17 yds 0 touchdowns @ East Carolina (35-13 W)

Season - 223/338 3,000 yds 27 touchdowns 8 interceptions/93 carries 342 yds 6 touchdowns

  • To the demise of the College Football Playoff committee, Cincinnati has finished the regular season 12-0, beating East Carolina 35-13 on Black Friday, with Desmond Ridder having himself an up and down game. In the game, Ridder threw for 301 yards with two touchdowns, yet threw two interceptions, which is the first time this season Ridder has thrown two interceptions in a game this season. Not only that, but Ridder has thrown six of his eight interceptions this season in five of their last six games, which is not ideal. Oddly enough, in five of those past six games, that coincides with Cincinnati's really weird run of form, where they struggled against Navy, Tulane, Tulsa, and, even at times, against USF. The one game Ridder didn't not throw an interception was in their dominant win over SMU, a game where he also threw three touchdowns. That tells ya if Ridder steers clear of the turnovers, Cincinnati will dominate teams. So, if he can do that against a good Houston team on Saturday, Cincinnati should win the AAC Championship and lock up their place up for the College Football Playoff.

  • Pre-Season - 4*

  • Wk 1 - 3

  • Wk 2 - 4

  • Wk 3 - 5

  • Wk 4 - 5

  • Wk 5 - 5

  • Wk 6 - 3

  • Wk 7 - 3

  • Wk 8 - 4

  • Wk 9 - 4

  • Wk 10 - 5

  • Wk 11 - 5

  • Wk 12 - 5

  • Wk 13 - 5

  • Wk 14 - v no.24 Houston (AAC Championship)

6. Sam Howell, North Carolina

Wk 13 - 14/26 147 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/18 carries 98 yds 2 touchdowns @ no.20 NC State (34-30 L)

Season - 205/327 2,851 yds 23 touchdowns 9 interceptions/170 carries 815 yds 11 touchdowns

  • This is not the season Howell and North Carolina were hoping for this season, finishing 6-6 on the regular season and losing to your in-state rival in the final game of the regular season. Though this season didn't go as planned, I would say North Carolina wouldn't have won three games, let alone six, if Sam Howell wasn't their quarterback. The dude put the entire team on his back the entire season, doing everything he could to hopefully will his team to a victory. Sadly, he would come out on the wrong side of that more often than not, losing five of their six games by 10 or less points. This season though we did see Howell become a lot bigger threat in the rushing attack, finishing the regular season with 815 yards and 11 touchdowns, which is almost exactly equal to the numbers Malik Willis posted this season on the ground. I could be wrong, but I don't think there was a lot of people preseason that said Howell and Willis would post similar stats on the ground, especially since Howell's previous career highs on the ground were 146 yards and five touchdowns. Much like Corral above, Howell showed a lot of toughness this season, clearly playing hurt through portions of the season before finally missing UNC's match-up against Wofford on November 20th. Before the season started, I had Howell ranked as my number two quarterback, though he's not ranked that high now, I still think Howell will make a team very happy at the next level. He's got the arm talent, the mobility, the toughness, and the leadership to be a very good quarterback at the next level, lets just hope he finds some consistency.

  • Pre-Season - 2*

  • Wk 1 - 4

  • Wk 2 - 3

  • Wk 3 - 3

  • Wk 4 - 4

  • Wk 5 - 4

  • Wk 6 - 5

  • Wk 7 - 5

  • Wk 8 - 6

  • Wk 9 - 6

  • Wk 10 - 6

  • Wk 11 - 6

  • Wk 12 - 6

  • Wk 13 - 6

  • Wk 14 - BYE

7. Hendon Hooker, Tennessee

Wk 13 - 10/18 156 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/11 carries 75 yds 0 touchdowns v Vanderbilt (45-21 W)

Season - 180/261 2,567 yds 26 touchdowns 3 interceptions/148 carries 561 yds 5 touchdowns

  • Much like last week with Hooker, there isn't really a whole lot to talk about. Much like South Alabama, Tennessee took care of a team they should easily beat, taking down their in-state rival Vanderbilt 45-21 in Knoxville. Even though Hendon Hooker didn't have his most efficient game throwing the ball, he still threw for 156 yards with two touchdowns, adding a further 75 yards on the ground to boot, which is the most yards he's. had on the ground this season since the October 16th loss to Ole Miss. With the regular season now over, I would like to put fourth how much Tennessee's offense changed once Hendon Hooker took over as the Vols' starter, going from pretty much nothing to a pretty explosive one. Hooker has really put himself up their with the best quarterbacks in the draft.

  • Pre-Season - N/A*

  • Wk 1 - N/A

  • Wk 2 - N/A

  • Wk 3 - N/A

  • Wk 4 - N/A

  • Wk 5 - N/A

  • Wk 6 - N/A

  • Wk 7 - N/A

  • Wk 8 - H/M

  • Wk 9 - H/M

  • Wk 10 - 8

  • Wk 11 - 7

  • Wk 12 - 7

  • Wk 13 - 7

  • Wk 14 - BYE

8. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA

Wk 13 - 19/28 164 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/13 carries 102 yds 0 touchdowns v Cal (42-14 W)

Season - 176/284 2,409 yds 21 touchdowns 6 interceptions/130 carries 609 yds 9 touchdowns

  • Last week, I said that I thought UCLA's game against Cal would be a tough one. Looking at Cal this season, sure they were 4-6 on the season going in, but five of their six losses were by one score. Not that I thought they'd win, but I sure as hell thought they'd pose a little more of a challenge to DTR and the Bruins than getting blitzed 42-14 on Saturday, with Thompson-Robinson going off with over 200 yards of total offense and three touchdowns through the air, which is the fourth time he has thrown for three or more touchdowns in a game this season and the second in the past two weeks, throwing four against USC. Ever since getting hurt against Oregon and missing the next game against Utah, DTR has looked a lot more effieicent. Though he threw three interceptions in two games, he's been more libel to take what the defense gives him, making him more dangerous through the air but also making him an even bigger threat on the ground, rushing for around 100 yards against Colorado and now Cal, while averaging season highs of yards per carry in both of those games as well. I've really liked what DTR has done this season and am excited to see where Thompson-Robinson and co. go for their bowl game, the first time UCLA has been bowl eligible in DTR's tenure with the Bruins.

  • Pre-Season - 13*

  • Wk 1 - H/M

  • Wk 2 - 10

  • Wk 3 - 7

  • Wk 4 - 7

  • Wk 5 - 8

  • Wk 6 - 8

  • Wk 7 - 7

  • Wk 8 - 7

  • Wk 9 - 7

  • Wk 10 - 9

  • Wk 11 - 9

  • Wk 12 - 8

  • Wk 13 - 8

  • Wk 14 - BYE

9. Sam Hartman, Wake Forest

Wk 13 - 20/32 236 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/11 carries 51 yds 1 touchdown @ Boston College (41-10 W)

Season - 255/423 3,711 yds 34 touchdowns 10 interceptions/100 carries 342 yds 10 touchdowns

  • I honestly feel kind of bad for having Sam Hartman this low on the quarterback prospect rankings. It's not really anything he is or isn't doing, it's just a matter of fact that I just like the other quarterbacks ahead of him better. Like, this week against a top four pass defense, Hartman threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns with one interception while also compiling 51 yards on the ground with another touchdown, giving him 10 rushing touchdowns on the season, becoming the fourth player in the top ten to reach that number. Now, though his numbers this week were pretty nice, this is the fourth consecutive game he has thrown an interception, and also the sixth time in the past eight games he has done so. It has been nice seeing Hartman being a little more efficient than he was against his North Carolina rivals, but I would like to challenge him to not throw an interception against Pitt in the ACC Championship. Though that'll be easier said than done, since Pitt is on par with North Carolina in the interception department with 11, the same North Carolina team that picked Hartman off two times while also causing him to miss a lot of throws. I think Hartman is a very nice quarterback, and with a good performance in the ACC Championship, he could slide his way up the list.

  • Pre-Season - N/A*

  • Wk 1 - N/A

  • Wk 2 - N/A

  • Wk 3 - N/A

  • Wk 4 - N/A

  • Wk 5 - N/A

  • Wk 6 - N/A

  • Wk 7 - N/A

  • Wk 8 - N/A

  • Wk 9 - 10

  • Wk 10 - 7

  • Wk 11 - 8

  • Wk 12 - 9

  • Wk 13 - 9

  • Wk 14 - v no.17 Pitt (ACC Championship)

10. Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky

Wk 13 - 25/48 328 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/3 carries -11 yds 0 touchdowns @ Marshall (53-21 W)

Season - 406/580 4,968 yds 52 touchdowns 9 interceptions/42 carries 17 yds 3 touchdowns

  • What is there to say, really? Another week, another game which saw Bailey Zappe put up really nice yards through the air. Though it wasn't his most efficient game, against a good Marshall pass defense, Zappe threw for 328 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions, making this the eighth time this season Zappe has thrown for four or more touchdowns in a game, which is just stupid. Again, much like last week, Zappe still leads the nation in passing yards and passing touchdowns, now pushing his total to 52, which in 12 more than Kenny Pickett, who sits second nationally. This week, Zappe and Western Kentucky are taking on a really tough UTSA team in the Conference USA Championship. A UTSA team that is fresh off of their first loss of the season (losing 45-23 to North Texas) and a team that has a fairly solid defense. That being said, UTSA hasn't faced an offense as potent as Western Kentucky's, and I fully expect this game on Saturday to be an absolute barn burner.

  • Pre-Season - N/A*

  • Wk 1 - N/A

  • Wk 2 - N/A

  • Wk 3 - N/A

  • Wk 4 - N/A

  • Wk 5 - N/A

  • Wk 6 - N/A

  • Wk 7 - N/A

  • Wk 8 - N/A

  • Wk 9 - N/A

  • Wk 10 - N/A

  • Wk 11 - 10

  • Wk 12 - 10

  • Wk 13 - 10

  • Wk 14 - @ no.22 UTSA (Conference USA Championship)

*out of 20

Others

*in order of last name

  • Brennan Armstrong, Virginia

    • Wk 13 - 30/46 400 touchdowns 1 touchdown 1 interception/8 carries 12 touchdowns 2 touchdowns v Virginia Tech (29-24 L)

    • Season -

  • Dustin Crum, Kent State

    • Wk 13 - 24/33 325 yds 2 touchdowns 2 interceptions/11 carries 5 yds 1 touchdown v Miami (Ohio) (48-47 W)

    • Season - 217/334 2,794 yds 15 touchdowns 4 interceptions/132 carries 565 yds 11 touchdowns

  • Aqeel Glass, Alabama A&M (NEW-ish)

    • Wk 13 - BYE

    • Season - 259/414 3,568 yds 36 touchdowns 7 interceptions/50 carries -90 yds 1 touchdown

  • Jake Haener, Fresno State

    • Wk 13 - 27/36 343 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries 3 yds 0 interceptions @ San Jose State (40-9 W)

    • Season - 303/449 3,810 yds 32 touchdowns 9 interceptions/68 carries 3 yds 3 touchdowns

  • Devin Leary, NC State

    • Wk 13 - 19/30 247 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/8 carries -30 yds 0 interceptions v North Carolina (34-30 W)

    • Season - 283/431 3,433 yds 35 touchdowns 5 interceptions/54 carries -73 yds 2 touchdowns

Thank you for taking the time to read through the list! Hope you enjoyed it! If you did, give the article a like and comment down below how you felt!


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