NFL Draft

There is a major shakeup in Todd McShay's latest big board.

Just not at the top.

Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson remains the top player on the ESPN draft expert's latest rankings, with Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal coming in as the new No. 2. Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton comes in at No. 3, and North Carolina State guard/tackle Ikem Ekwonu and Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad Gardner round out the top five.

Ekwonu is among the biggest risers in the rankings, moving up 17 spots from No. 21. McShay highlights the 6'4", 320-pound lineman's brilliance in run blocking and suggests his "mauler" style may be better suited for a guard spot than at tackle in the NFL.

Gardner likewise continued his ascent up the rankings and has potentially locked himself in as the top cornerback in the draft. He's coming off a stellar season that saw him allow zero touchdowns in coverage and pick off three passes for the Bearcats.

LSU's Derek Stingley Jr., who dropped from No. 4 to No. 8 in the latest rankings, is the other option for first cornerback off the board. Washington's Trent McDuffie has also opened eyes in recent weeks, making his debut at No. 12 after being off the board in McShay's previous rankings.

The quarterback position remains completely up in the air, with Liberty's Malik Willis (No. 17), Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett (No. 19) and Ole Miss' Matt Corral (No. 27) all in contention to be the first drafted in April. Willis and Corral swapped places between the two McShay rankings; Willis was previously No. 27 and Corral No. 17. Pickett, meanwhile, moved back three spots to No. 19 to leave Willis as the top quarterback on the board.

Willis has been a riser thanks in large part to his prodigious skill set, which has drawn comparisons to Josh Allen. 

HEIGHT: 6'4 1/8"

WEIGHT: 330

HAND: 10 1/8"

ARM: 32 1/4"

WINGSPAN: 6'5 3/8"

40-YARD DASH: 5.41

3-CONE: 8.41

SHUTTLE: DNP

VERTICAL: 21.5"

BROAD: DNP

POSITIVES

— Thick frame with his weight well distributed.

— Very good upper-body strength. Hands don't pop, but he has no issues taking control of blocks after engagement.

— Plays with good length and extension. Keeps OL out of his frame.

— Great eyes and discipline to the backfield. Can maintain his gap control without losing vision.

— Above-average lower-body strength. Can handle double teams well enough.

— Above-average movement across the line of scrimmage and when coming off blocks for his size.

— Good flexibility. Can contort his body while remaining balanced to make it difficult for OL to take over blocks.

NEGATIVES

— Hands do not pop when engaging. Needs to find a quicker strike.

— Below-average snap get-off. Not someone who will find themselves in the backfield immediately.

— Occasionally gives up an extra step of ground upon first contact by engaging with the wrong foot and forcing himself to reset/recover.

— Does not add much value as a pass-rusher. Average pocket-pusher and clean-up guy.

2021 STATISTICS

45 TOT, 9.5 TFL, 2 SK, 2 PD

NOTES

— Four years of playing time, one-and-a-half as a starter.

— 3-star recruit in 2017.

OVERALL

Neil Farrell Jr. is yet another SEC big man in this class with the tools to be a solid nose guard for any defense. Farrell played a majority of his snaps in the A gap as a 1-tech at LSU, though he could probably slot in directly over the center as a true 0-tech with ease in the NFL as well.

Farrell's calling cards are his strength and disciplined upper-body technique. Farrell's raw strength takes over once he gets engaged, allowing him to extend his arms and keep offensive linemen out of his frame while controlling the block with his tight grip. From there, Farrell does an excellent job playing with his eyes through the block and to the backfield. Couple that with Farrell's feel for what kind of block schemes he is getting, and you end up with a nose guard rarely out of position. Furthermore, Farrell has the lower body strength to anchor effectively, even against most double-team situations.

Most of Farrell's weaknesses stem from his lower body. Every now and again, Farrell can get caught taking on the block with the wrong foot forward and get blown off his spot. That is more of a foot quickness and technique issue than raw strength. Granted, Farrell often recovers well and stays off the ground, but it's a concern worth keeping an eye on. Additionally, Farrell does not come off the ball well for the most part. He is not going to be a menace in the backfield in the NFL.

The same is true of his pass-rushing work, where Farrell is mostly dependent on decent leg drive and the occasional swim move, but nothing more. In fairness, Farrell does play with good enough effort to be a somewhat valuable clean-up player. It is just more likely that Farrell is a complementary pocket-pusher than a real difference-maker in that respect.

In all, Farrell is one of the better nose guards in the class. He has the size, strength, discipline and experience to come in right away as a fairly reliable space-eater in the middle. Lack of explosive playmaking tools put a cap on Farrell's ceiling, but there should be a long-term starting role for a player with his kind of run defense chops up the middle.

GRADE: 7.5 (Potential Impact Player - 2nd Round)

OVERALL RANK: 59

POSITION RANK: DL7

PRO COMPARISON: Derrick Nnadi

Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen

Liberty's Malik Willis might have cemented his status as the best quarterback in the 2022 NFL draft class through his work during the week of the Senior Bowl.

During Monday's edition of First Draft, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. said (at the 30:20 mark) that Willis, "if things go the way it's trending, could still be the first quarterback taken on talent."

Earlier in the program, ESPN's Todd McShay said he thought Willis "played really well," particularly in a practice when inclement weather was causing problems for other quarterbacks.

McShay went on to say (5:34) that Willis "has the strongest arm—and that was obvious on tape and obvious again at the Senior Bowl." He added the Flames signal-caller is the "most mobile and electrifying player at the quarterback position."

However, McShay expressed some concerns about whether the 6'1" passer will make a quick transition to the NFL but still lobbied for starting him right out of the gate.

After transferring from Auburn in 2019, Willis spent two seasons at Liberty and threw for 5,107 yards, 47 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in 23 games. He also ran for 1,822 yards and 27 scores while averaging 5.4 yards per carry.

The B/R NFL Scouting Department projected Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder and Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett to be the only QBs off the board in the first round. But in a year without a standout prospect at the position, the door is wide open for somebody to surge up draft boards. It appears that somebody could be Willis.

Teams looking for a quarterback in the 2022 NFL draft might not be excited by the scouting reports after Saturday's Senior Bowl.

"A couple of veteran NFL evaluators told me late in the week that they don't believe there's a single NFL starter in this year's quarterback class," Albert Breer of MMQB reported. "Not everyone was that harsh, but it was unanimous that these quarterbacks aren't close to last year's—and most agreed that all five of last year's first-round signal-callers would've been the top guy at the position in the 2022 draft."

The 2021 draft featured five quarterbacks selected in the first 15 picks, including the top three overall. It might be a different story this year—Bleacher Report's Scouting Department listed zero quarterbacks among the top 15 players available. Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder is the top passer listed at No. 17 overall, while no one else at the position is inside the top 40.

The Senior Bowl featured several potential first-round picks, including Ridder, Malik Willis, Sam Howell and Kenny Pickett, but scouts were reportedly not impressed.

"It was an average showing all the way around," an AFC executive told Breer. "No one really stood out as a top-level guy. Malik showed the most athleticism and arm strength. You just question how ready he is, coming from the offenses [at Auburn and Liberty] he is."

A team that reaches for a quarterback early in April's draft could regret it. 

ESPN's Todd McShay threw some cold water on the idea that Oregon edge-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, who has long been projected as a strong candidate to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, could even land in the top five.

Reporting from the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, McShay said there were questions about his competitive fire relative to other prospects:

I heard a lot about Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, including concerns that he just doesn't play with the same fire as some other top prospects. His ceiling is high, but the floor is lower than what you want for a top-five pick. And based on a handful of conversations, it wouldn't shock me if Thibodeaux fell out of the top five. Speaking of which, it was very apparent this week that the top of the draft isn't nearly as set as it normally is at this point. Picks at the top of the first round might be a little more based on team flavor than recent years.

Thibodeaux took note of the report and responded on Twitter:

Thibodeaux had 49 tackles and seven sacks in 10 games for the Ducks last season.

Some people at the Senior Bowl may be down on Thibodeaux relative to commentary on where he may land in April, but there's frankly a lot of positives in his game.

There isn't a shortage of draft analysts who have raved about Thibodeaux's potential.

The latest big board from the B/R NFL Scouting Department lists Thibodeaux as the top player in the draft class. He was the only player to receive a grade above nine out of 10 on the grading scale, and he's also listed as the best speed-rusher in the class.

"Thibodeaux can be a good player in any scheme right out of the gate and has the long-term potential to be an All-Pro," Derrik Klassen wrote.

He's also No. 1 on CBS Sports' big board, and Danny Kelly of The Ringer has him leading the pack as well.

"Thibodeaux is an ascending pass rusher with rare traits; he's long, explosive, and can bend around the corner and get to the quarterback," Kelly wrote in part. "He's still scratching the surface of his potential."

Pro Football Focus is also a big fan, ranking him second overall in the class behind only Michigan edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson.

"Thibodeaux is an explosive, long and bendy edge rusher who's only just scratching the surface of what he could be," PFF wrote. "Thibodeaux has a 91.5 pass-rushing grade and 46 pressures this season, even with a limited set of pass-rush moves."

Top-tier pass rushers were everywhere to be found in this year's playoffs, with players such as the San Francisco 49ers' Nick Bosa, the Los Angeles Rams' Aaron Donald and the Cincinnati Bengals' Trey Hendrickson dominating games. 

Thibodeaux can be that type of game- and season-altering player for a team in the NFL. For now, he'll roll through the predraft process before the draft itself begins April 28.