Kenny Pickett 'I am QB1' among 2022 draft class

Malik Willis or Kenny Pickett? Or are we ignoring Desmond Ridder and Matt Corral? NFL evaluators may have their own ideas and thoughts on who the best quarterback in the 2022 NFL draft class is, but for the most part, you’ll find two names at the top of their QB rankings.

Whether you are team Willis or team Pickett doesn’t matter, but to some of the franchises picking in the top 10, well one decision could shape their organizations for the next 15 years.

Who’s the top draft QB? According to Kenny Pickett, he is

If we asked Kenny Pickett who the best draftable quarterback is, there’s no question in his mind.

“I think so,” Pickett recently told Breneman Shows Up with Adam Breneman. “I think there’s a lot of reasons for it. You look at the game now and how it’s changing. . . . I’m a mobile guy that [played] in a West Coast pro-style system. I started at a program that was 5-7 the first year I was in. We left as ACC champions, 11-2. So I know how to win. I know the process it takes to get there. It’s never an easy thing and I’ll make that transition, I feel like, faster in the NFL now because [of] that experience . . . that I know how to go about my business as a pro, kind of being an older guy. At the end of the day, that’s what . . . coming around to the position, it’s like, ‘Can you win? Do you know how to handle all the things it takes to be a quarterback?’ I definitely do. So I think I am QB1.”
Kenny Pickett on his strengths entering the draft (H/t to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk)

Sure, to some this may come off as brash or egotistical but what did you expect him to say? Did you think Pickett was going to suggest Willis has a stronger arm and since he doesn’t have “small hands” that he’s going to be more successful at the next level? Of course not. Every quarterback is confident in their abilities and that’s no different with Pickett.

It’s not like Pickett took a shot at anyone in his interview, so no one should be particularly bothered by it. After all, Willis feels he’s the best too. This is a common practice.

There’s a lot of intriguing landing spots for both Pickett and Willis in the draft. While early on some would suggest that there wouldn’t be a quarterback selected in the first round, that appears to be far from the truth now that we’re closer to draft season.

Instead, there could be two quarterbacks selected in the first 10 picks. It’s funny how teams in desperate need always change the narrative by the time they’re on the clock. Time will tell, whether Pickett is truly QB1 or not, that may take years to uncover, but for now, he’s generating a lot of smoke leading up to draft day.