The first day of workouts at the NFL combine is fun for the media and fans. First, you have football, sort of, and it’s the official kickoff for draft season. Fans making their draft boards pay close attention to what players do at the NFL combine, probably more than NFL teams.
NFL coaches and evaluators look for specific things at the combine, while fans want to see how far a quarterback can throw the football or how fast skill players can run the 40-yard dash. As we know, neither guarantees success at the next level.
On Thursday, we saw the quarterbacks take the field. As usual, each quarterback looked good, while some looked even better. Nothing happened Thursday that will change the minds of NFL GMs regarding where players are slotted. That’s what the game tape and interview sessions are for.
There is no clear-cut top quarterback in the 2022 NFL draft. Most consider Kenny Pickett as the top prospect and Malik Willis as having the highest ceiling. Matt Corral, Sam Howell, Desmond Ridder and Carson Strong are also in the first-round discussion. All of these quarterbacks aren’t going in the first round, but some will, even if several teams do not have a first-round grade on most of this year’s crop of passers.
Here are some highlights from each quarterback during Thursday’s on-field sessions.