Anyone hoping to get a little more clarity about the somewhat murky QB situation for the 2022 draft at today’s Senior Bowl probably came away a little disappointed as it is unlikely anything changed much after today. In particular, none of the 6 QBs in Mobile really stood out this afternoon. Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, who is generally considered to be the most likely QB to be the first one off the board this coming April, for example, did have a clean sheet as he completed all 6 of his pass attempts for 89 yards and a score. In the process, Pickett moved around the pocket pretty well and showed a nice high release point. However, at least a couple of his completions were behind the receiver and two others, including the TD pass, were simple dump-offs.
For his part, Liberty’s Malik Willis, who was arguably the best QB at this week’s practices in Mobile, impressed today with his speed and quickness as he was able to almost effortlessly avoid pressure in the pocket and ended up making several big plays with his legs. He also threw some bullets, but had a pretty extended release to get them off; he also was late and low on several deliveries and on a couple of other throws ended up getting a little too much air under the ball as he was falling back during his deliver. Meanwhile, if any QB really did help his cause today it was Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder. Forget that he was 4 for 6 with two TD passes, but he just looked very smooth and in control in the pocket as he slid away from trouble, showed a very easy release and generally put the ball on the numbers.
North Carolina’s Sam Howell also had an interesting day. Howell finished 6 for 9 on the day as he showed a quick set-up, compact delivery and pretty good good velocity on his throws. He also showed plenty of athleticism moving around the pocket to escape trouble and made several plays with his legs. However, at the same time, we thought we saw some antsy feet back there on occasion; he also had a tendency to hang onto the ball too long at times and ended up giving up a couple of sack-fumbles. On the other hand, if one QB struggled today it was Nevada’s Carson Strong. He did appear reasonably comfortable sliding around the pocket in a restricted area; he also showed a quick release, but his lack of athleticism showed up when he was forced to run. However, he often didn’t get much mustard on his passes and wasn’t very accurate to boot. Lastly, Western Kentucky’s Bailey Zappe was Bailey Zappe. He isn’t going to wow anyone with his arm strength or athleticism, but he did appear to see the field well and generally did a good job finding his underneath receivers, but he did have one badly underthrown ball that was picked off.
