2022 NFL Draft Risers and Fallers
Between the Senior Bowl and the NFL Draft, players see their stocks rise and fall for various reasons on their way to being drafted. These are some of the guys who have seen the biggest swings in recent weeks.
For more on the 2022 NFL Draft, check out Jody Smith’s mock draft, my latest mock, and the FullTime Fantasy football industry mock.
Risers
Derek Stingley (CB) – Not too long-ago Stingley was a lock to be an easy Top 10 pick and probably higher. Then he didn’t perform at quite as high a level in 2020 and missed most of 2021 with a Lisfranc injury. Then he also missed the combine while rehabbing and saw his stock drop. However, after an outstanding Pro Day and positive reports across the board as of late, his stock is back on the rise and he will likely still be drafted as a Top 10 pick.
Malik Willis (QB) – We have seen Willis go from a potential high-upside project who hasn’t played against top competition to the likely first quarterback off the board since the Senior Bowl. He displayed his athleticism at the Senior Bowl and every workout since, and scouts and analysts have fallen in love with him. Now, he’s expected to be drafted ahead of every other quarterback in the class and some believe more than 10 spots higher.
Rachaad White (RB) – The Top 3 running backs heading into the offseason were Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker III, and Isaiah Spiller. There wasn’t a ton of debate about that. After them, the most popular names were James Cook and Damion Pierce. After an impressive Combine analysts started reevaluating White’s film and statistics. We began to hear, “Spiller is still my RB3 but…” Which has now evolved into, “White has jumped up to my RB3 in this draft.”
Treylon Burks (WR) – Burks has worked his way into the Top 10 pick conversation this spring after a rough combine. He ran a 4.55 forty which was slower than expected and many bumped him down their draft boards. However, it seems most are back on board after remembering just how physical and talented he is. The 40-yard dash causes big changes after the combine, but usually cooler heads prevail, and we remember it’s far more important to be good at football than to run fast in a straight line in shorts. Or you end up drafting Denzel Perriman or Darrius Heyward-Bey in the first round. Either or.
Travon Walker (EDGE) – After displaying otherworldly athleticism at the combine, Walker shot up draft boards. You can make an argument he wasn’t a Top 3 player on his college defense before that. Now he’s the betting favorite to go first overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday. There’s no doubt he’s seen the greatest rise this spring of any player looking to join the NFL on April 28.
Fallers
George Karlaftis (EDGE) – Some considered him the top edge rusher in the draft heading into a combine. After a poor showing at the combine, he has fallen down draft boards. Many had who had him as a single-digit pick now have him going much later in the first. He looked stiff and didn’t show great bend in combine drills and opted not to participate in speed drills which were his biggest question mark.
Isaiah Spiller (RB) – Spiller was locked in at the RB3 heading into the offseason, but that may not be the case anymore. He battled an abductor injury at the combine and other backs have climbed up draft boards. This isn’t to say he can’t still be a Top 3 back off the board, nevertheless, heading into the combine he was more likely to go No. 2 than No. 4. That’s no longer the case.
Jamison Williams (WR) – Williams was at one point a lock to be the WR1 in this draft. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn ACL in the National Championship Game which puts his early-season availability in question. He will still be a high pick, and someone could even reach for him. However, others believe with the unbelievable speed we saw at the combine, teams may not be as inclined to reach for him because there is plenty of speed at the position. Although I will say, of everyone in this article, he’s the most likely to make me look like an idiot and fly off the board early.
Sam Howell (QB) – Howell stinks and everyone knows it. However, in a bad draft class, he was still near the top of the list at his position heading into the offseason. Then we saw the ascension of Willis and Desmond Ridder. Even Carson Strong has made some noise this spring. Heading into the season Howell was a potential first-overall pick. Heading into the offseason he was a potential first-round pick. Heading into the draft he’s a potential Day 2 pick.
Justyn Ross (WR) – Ross is polarizing, to say the least. He has plenty of raw talent and showed it off during his first two seasons at Clemson. Then he had a serious spinal injury that required surgery. He followed that with a lackluster 2021. We knew we would see a wide range of opinions of him because of course he wasn’t as good in 2021 coming off that injury, but that injury is very real and scary for an NFL team investing in him. Nevertheless, all the athleticism we saw at the combine from receivers likely tanked any chance of him being a high draft pick. Now he needs to hope he doesn’t fall past Day 2.
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