The Houston Texans will need to keep an eye on the Top 5 college quarterbacks following Week 2 of the college football season
Going into week 2 of the college football season there were many red flags for the five signal-callers placed on the first list of quarterbacks to watch.
After a shocking first week in college football, the quarterback position left a lot to be desired for Houston Texans fans looking to see who the next franchise guy might be coming up in the 2022 NFL Draft.
While no quarterback stood out in the first week of games as a bonified franchise player going into Week 2 there was a reason for optimism with plenty of quarterbacks to watch for fans of the Houston Texans.
Following strong performances from multiple quarterbacks around the country in Week 2 of the college football season, there were many quarterbacks that could have made this list following Week 2 including the players from the initial list.
With the likelihood the Houston Texans will look to go quarterback high in the first round, possibly early second round of the ’22 NFL Draft if they decide to go defense high in the first round. Look for the Texans to strongly consider all five of these quarterbacks in the first two rounds in the draft.
Here are the Top 5 quarterbacks whose draft stock rose with the Houston Texans from the second weekend of the college football season.
5. Desmond Ridder
While being undoubtedly physically gifted with great pocket presence and decent decision making. Agility is also a strong part of Desmond Ridder’s game, which could benefit the Houston Texans in the near future.
His ability to step up in the pocket and run away from pressure are two things that really stand out with Ridder, although he struggled against Murray State with his accuracy whether it was on deep or shallow throws.
Throughout the game Ridder’s accuracy on passes continued to be an issue as his passes were thrown behind his targets. There is no denying Ridder’s talent and ability to throw the ball, and to drive the ball deep downfield. Ridder finished with a stat line of 14-of-22 while throwing for 243 yards with an average of 11 yards per pass attempt. Ridder also had two touchdowns and no interceptions against Murray St.
As long as he can clean up the accuracy issues quickly there’s no doubt Ridder will continue to be talked about as a quarterback option for the Houston Texans most likely late first round early second round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. His physical gifts coupled with the right offensive system would make Ridder absolutely deadly.
Pro comparison: The first comparison that jumps out is someone like Colin Kaepernick. Their skill sets are very similar whether it is the ability to run or rocket the ball downfield.
4. Carson Strong
Carson Strong had a very impressive showing against Idaho State in Week 2, as Strong continued to show his development as a pure passer from the pocket.
Strong finished the night with 381 passing yards while throwing 34-of-43 with a completion percentage of 79.1 percent, while averaging 8.9 yards per pass. To top off the performance, Strong also threw for four touchdowns.
The most impressive part of Strong’s performance was the lack of drop off. Every throw was as good as the one before it. Throwing the ball 43 times is nothing to turn one’s nose up at when some quarterbacks in the NFL already either can’t or aren’t trusted to throw that many times in a single game.
Improvement is the name of the game for Strong. From week-to-week he needs to show steady improvement. His talent is undeniable and the national media is starting to notice.
Pro Comparison: Derek Carr is the comparison that makes the most sense. Both players are not the fastest but can escape trouble when need be. Both Strong and Carr have extremely strong arms and have the ability to throw on the run.
The other side of the spectrum in comparison 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.
3. Sam Howell
Sam Howell had himself a day against Georgia State. Howell accounted for five total touchdowns while putting up numbers such as 21-of-29 with 352 passing yards, averaging 12.1 yards per attempt while throwing three touchdowns.
Howell didn’t stop there with his stellar performance. While throwing the ball all over the field Howell also ran for 104 yards on 11 attempts, average of 9.5 yards per attempt. To go along with his three passing touchdowns Howell capped off the night with two rushing touchdowns.
One thing is clear: Howell heard the noise. He heard the talking heads after his terrible performance against Virginia Tech in Week 1 and came out with something to prove against Georgia State. Howell looked more in control, calm and decisive and the stats show it.
This performance was an absolute bounce back from Week 1 and if Howell can stack performances like this together he may just end up at the top of the list. Continuing to play the way he did against Georgia State coupled with scouts already being high on Howell may lead to him being the top quarterback drafted in ’22.
Pro Comparison: Baker Mayfield is the comparison that makes the most sense. Their style of play is almost identical as are the players in stature. Whether it be the throwing motion or the way they play in space, Howell and Mayfield are almost the exact same player.
2. Malik Willis
Malik Willis put up another solid performance in Week 2 against Troy. Willis finished his performance 13-of-18 with 154 total passing yards averaging 8.6 yards per attempt with two passing touchdowns, while also having 20 rushing attempts 93 yards 4.7 YPC and one rushing touchdown.
Willis is an absolute star in the making a true dual-threat quarterback. While being able to hold his own in the pocket, go through his progressions and make the right decision time after time, it is when Willis gets loose from the pocket his true talent shows through.
The ability to throw 40 plus yards off his back foot or run to the left or right while throwing across his body is magnificent. With Willis the play is never dead, he has the ability to make something out of nothing time after time.
Lastly, the command of the huddle. This is a guy who transferred from Auburn University to Liberty due to him losing a quarterback battle, and yet the way his team stands around him and respects him as their leader is inspiring.
Willis clearly figured things out when he arrived at Liberty as he continues to shoot up everyones draft board, so don’t be surprised if Malik Willis is the first quarterback taken come draft day.
Pro comparison: Lamar Jackson as they have similar playing styles although one could argue at this point in his career Willis is farther along in his maturity as a passer than Jackson was at Louisville.
1. Spencer Rattler
Spencer Rattler had himself a day. Rattler put up 20-of-26 attempts 243 passing yards with an average of 9.3 yards per pass attempt while totaling five touchdowns. Rattler also had four rushing attempts 29 yards, 7.2 YPC in the first half.
Performances like this make it clear to see why there is so much hype surrounding Rattler heading into the 2022 NFL Draft, with many believing he will be the first quarterback taken if not the first player taken in the draft.
Rattler absolutely destroys opposing defenses in the screen game time and time again. The screen game is his strong suit while he also excels in the RPO (Run, Pass, Option) game due to the threat of his running capabilities. There was an improvement in Rattler’s decision-making from Week 1 to Week 2 with forcing passes into tight windows and throwing without planting his feet.
Even in a small sample size following Week 2 Rattler sits in the top spot with a big game against the Nebraska in Week 3.
Pro Comparison: A lot of people try to force the Patrick Mahomes comparison onto Rattler. While there are similarities in both players styles that seems to be a bit of a reach at least at this point. Rattler could and should be compared to someone like Michael Vick. Similar playing styles much more so than Rattler and Mahomes.
Recap from Week One to Week Two
To recap, Malik Willis falls from No. 1 to No. 2 through no fault of his own as Spencer Rattler just played better.
Also, Sam Howell moved up from No. 5 to No. 3 on the list as Howell had the definition of a bounce-back game in Week 2 following a terrible Week 1. Look for more improvement from Howell as the season goes on.
As previously mentioned, Spencer Rattler is the new No. 1 quarterback following this past Saturday. His play was nothing short of outstanding following a shaky performance in Week 1. Rattler started to show why people are so high on him going into the 2022 NFL Draft. Look for continued improvement from Rattler throughout the season.
In the fifth spot there is a new name on the list in Desmond Ridder. Ridder played very well in Week 1 and Week 2 just barely missing the cut last week. With Ridder on the list, someone had to go, and that someone is Kedon Slovis. Simply come down to the combined performances of the first two games between the two players.
Lastly Carson Strong fell to the fourth spot after being No. 2 last week. Strong played well his position on the list is due more to the other three playing better.