The Houston Texans will need to keep an eye on the top 5 College Quarterbacks following week one.
With all the uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position in Houston, along with an almost surefire top 5 draft pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Houston Texans need to keep an eye on these collegiate field generals. A weekly analysis/ stock report will be done each week as the season progresses.
With Houston having drafted QB Davis Mills out of Stanford in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft, the door remains open for another quarterback to get the call from General Manager Nick Caserio. There’s also no way to know if Tyrod Taylor will retain his starting job when it comes time to suit up next season.
The biggest factor will be determining how well the offense does this year. One could make the case that the wide receivers are so unknown, especially after the stunning cut of Keke Coutee. Also having 5 running backs on the roster doesn’t make sense either, but this is the first year of the David Culley-Caserio regime.
The NFL is still a quarterback’s league- a team can only get so far without a decent one. This is why the scouts for the Houston Texans will be busy leading up to the NFL draft. As for the list of signal-callers, the list includes some familiar powerhouse schools and some that have virtually no history at all.
These are the top 5 quarterbacks whose draft stock rose with the Houston Texans from the opening weekend of the College Football season. Quarterback #5 is up first.
Sam Howell
Sam Howell’s first game of the season did not go as planned, resulting in a bad day for the North Carolina quarterback. Howell is highly regarded as the second-best Quarterback in this upcoming draft in terms of raw football skills. The film from Friday night’s game against Virginia Tech gave a different impression instead.
Howell looked rattled from the jump against Virginia Tech finishing with a stat line of 17-32 with 208 yards passing, one touchdown, and three interceptions. The stadium was loud but that’s no excuse Sam looked completely lost.
Time and time again Howell made terrible reads, none worse than the last pass he threw of the game. While under pressure and being spun around Howell chucked the ball downfield blindly in an attempt to make a play. That pass would be intercepted, ending the game and securing the win for Virginia Tech.
For an NFL hopeful quarterback, Howell can’t continue to make plays like that. If those continue scouts will start to question his entire makeup as a player and his draft stock will fall. Hopefully, Howell can fix what went wrong and bounce back in his next game.
Pro comparison: A passer that has the ceiling of Baker Mayfield- the arm talent is similar between these two, as is the ability to create plays when everything breaks down. Like Mayfield when he came out of Oklahoma, Howell struggles with decision making which often leads to interceptions.
Kedon Slovis
All around Kedon Slovis had an impressive game on Saturday against San Jose State. He ranks 4th on the list due to the Trojans reliance on the running game. Sounds familiar to the current approach the Houston Texans are taking.
When Slovis was throwing, there were a few things that stood out. His deep ball is mostly accurate, although there were multiple times where the ball was underthrown. Next to his mobility, Slovis has more speed than originally expected.
While he’s no speedster, his legs came in handy multiple times escaping pressure. Sometimes as a quarterback that’s all you need to extend plays.
Lastly, Slovis is extremely comfortable in the play-action game. His best passes came on play-action sets where he found open targets downfield on Multiple occasions. Slovis’ final stat line was 24-36 while throwing for 256 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions.
This was an impressive outing for Slovis, and look for the competition to increase against his squad. Will the Trojans increase their reliance on the passing game and look for him to climb the list? Time will tell.
Pro comparison: A ceiling of Joe Burrow but a floor of Kirk Cousins. The comparison to Burrow has to do with the ability to run and his success in the play-action game: both things that Burrow is very good at.
The comparison to Cousins is no knock on his talent, it just means he would be a decent starter his entire career but never be a legitimate difference-maker. As far as skillset goes, Slovis’ throwing motion and arm talent are what led to the Cousins comparison.
Spencer Rattler
With many believing Spencer Rattler will be the top quarterback off the board in the 2022 NFL draft, one expected an impressive showing from Rattler. While the final stat line of 30-39 while throwing for 304 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions is nothing to be mad about, it’s the interceptions that are alarming. This was also against Tulane of all teams.
On his first pass of the game, Rattler forced the ball into triple coverage and was intercepted. With plenty of time to throw and a solid pocket around him, Rattler clearly didn’t go through his reads and instead went for the home run play which didn’t go his way.
After the interception, Spencer calmed down and started looking like the number one player at his position that everyone thinks he is. The deep ball and the screen game are the two areas of the game where Rattler seems to shine the most.
Look for Spencer Rattler to climb the list as the weeks go on his talent is obvious, his arm strength is ridiculous and he’s extremely elusive.
Pro comparison: With Rattler, the spectrum is much bigger on his comparison. His absolute ceiling is Patrick Mahomes as crazy as that may sound. The reasons for that comparison are: arm talent, off-script playmaking ability, throwing power on the run, the gunslinger mentality, and the ability to escape and run for yards when needed.
The other side of the spectrum is Jeff Garcia-meaning Rattler wouldn’t ever fully develop into his full potential and be a serviceable starter but not the guy to get the Texans to the promised land.
Carson Strong
Talk about a surprise. Carson Strong is a name usually mentioned in the top 10 picks in the 2022 NFL draft. Strong’s play in Saturday night’s game against Cal was extremely impressive.
While lighting up the sky with seemingly every pass he threw, Carson finished with a Stat line of 22-39 while throwing for 312 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. The interception was on a play where Carson got a little too greedy and tried to force a deep ball into an extremely tight window. The safety from Cal was able to come over the top and pick it off.
Other than the one interception Carson was dynamite, and his deep ball is outstanding. Time and time again, Strong was out there dropping deep passes in buckets. While his attempts/completions aren’t as high as Rattler’s, there was less reliance on the screen game with Strong.
Strong is not only a sleeper pick for the Texans at quarterback in general, but he’s also a sleeper at number one overall if the Texans are picking first.
Pro comparison: With Strong, the comparison that stands out the most is Derek Carr. The throwing motion, deep-ball accuracy, and gunslinger mentality are reasons for the comparison between the two.
The other side of the spectrum in comparisons would be Case Keenum, a player similar in skillset but not able to ever stick on one team while also suffering from the turnover bug.
Malik Willis
Talk about electrifying on his very first attempt of the year Malik threw a bomb on a rope for a touchdown to start the game. The hype on the kid is real; he shows all the attributes of a player that’s going to be a star in the NFL.
Willis possesses the skill set that fits the way the NFL play style is headed. The ultimate dual-threat Quarterback with the perfect balance between speed and arm strength.
While playing pretty much lights out through the air, his mobility also shined. Willis ended with a stat line of 15-23 while throwing for 217 yards and one touchdown. Now his stats are not the best on the list, but his overall play is what lands him at number one after the first week. Willis looks to be a bigger, stronger version of Spencer Rattler.
The only knock on Willis will be the level of teams he plays against. But in recent years that has seemed to fall away as a problem when it comes to drafting a player (Carson Wentz and Trey Lance faced similar critiques) with the skill set being the most important factor.
The speed factor is huge with Willis- he can hurt you as much with his legs and he can his arm. The best part of that is he’s not reliant on his legs. Willis stays steady, goes through his progressions, and makes the right play. When it’s all said and done don’t be surprised if Malik comes off the board on draft night before the likes of Rattler, Howell, and others.
Pro Comparison: Based on Willis’ skillset, his comp is Lamar Jackson. Both players are absolutely electrifying and dynamic with the way they run, pass and get out of trouble. The other side of the spectrum would be a player like Jalen Hurts. Similar in play style but the inability to use his legs to his advantage.
There are the top 5 Quarterbacks ranked based on their play in week one of college football. Be sure to check back next week to see if there’s movement in the top 5!