The Houston Texans will need to keep an eye on the Top 5 college quarterbacks following Week 6 of the college football season.
Going into Week 6 there were multiple quarterbacks with questions surrounding their performances throughout the season thus far. Looking to separate themselves from poor performances in the past with strong performance this past weekend solidifying their position in the Top 5 as the Houston Texans could be in the market for their next quarterback.
After a hard Week 5 in college football, the quarterback position left Houston Texans fans uneasy about the possibility that the next franchise guy might be coming up in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Following Week 6, Texans fans are starting to signal to outplay callers that they want to be the future of their franchise. Although quarterback may not be the position the Houston Texans need to be looking at in the 2022 NFL Draft with their not being a clear-cut franchise guy.
Following Week 6 where quarterbacks around the country played well while others got benched on national television, there were few quarterbacks that made their case to be on this list following Week 5 including the ones from the previous week’s list.
Here are the Top 5 quarterbacks whose draft stock rose with the Houston Texans from the sixth weekend of the college football season.
No. 5: Sam Howell
Sam Howell played subpar against Florida State over the weekend. Howell went 17-of-32 passing while throwing for 203 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. Howell also rushed 11 times for 108 yards averaging 9.8 yards per carry.
Howell continues to stack solid performances together making his case to be taken high in the 2022 NFL Draft. While Howell isn’t as mobile as some other quarterbacks coming out this year he has a “sneaky fast” feel to him where he can hurt you with his legs given the opportunity.
There is no beating around the bush when it comes to the fact that Howell looked like he regressed this week. His feet weren’t steady. his accuracy was terrible and Howell under-threw multiple wide-open receivers going down the sideline. This performance was almost as bad as the Virginia Tech game earlier in the season.
This performance was shaky and is something to try to avoid building on. If Howell continues to stack performances like this together he may just end up off the list like Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler when the season is over. His arm strength is obvious but tends to be a crutch at times. Howell needs to see more in his overall game going forward.
Pro Comparison: Baker Mayfield is the comparison that makes the most sense. The style of play is almost identical as are the players in stature
No. 4: Carson Strong
Welcome back Carson Strong! Talk about an electrifying and statement-making performance. Strong was absolutely brilliant against New Mexico State in Week 6.
Strong finished the night with 377 passing yards while throwing 25-of-32 with a completion percentage of 78.1 percent with an average yardage per throw at 11.8 yards. To top off the performance Strong also threw for six touchdowns on the night with one interception.
The most impressive part of Strong’s performance was the lack of drop-off. Every throw was as good as the one before it. The arm talent is undoubted with Strong, and he can make every throw there is and make it look easy too.
Improvement and consistency are the names 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. Up-and-down performances have hampered his stock so far, but look for that to change.
Pro Comparison: Carson Wentz is the comparison that makes the most sense. Both players are not the fastest but can escape trouble when need be. Both Strong and Wentz have extremely strong arms and have the ability to throw on the run.
No. 3: Malik Willis
Malik Willis is a solid quarterback. His game is the complete package with the ability to continue to keep the defense guessing. Willis’ ability to run as impressive as it is isn’t nearly as impressive as his passing ability. Willis’ most impressive ability is his leadership and accountability, things that can’t be taught.
Willis finished with a stat line of 17-of-30 while throwing for 222 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions, while also rushing for 80 yards on 16 attempts and one rushing touchdown. The concerning part about Willis’ game this weekend was the inaccurate passes leading to interceptions which might concern the Texans.
Willis’ ability to impact the game in multiple ways makes him the definition of what a dual-threat quarterback should look like. The ability to account for three touchdowns in a single game from the quarterback position is impressive especially when it’s done in multiple different ways.
Going into the game Willis hadn’t thrown an interception, yet while he was out there Willis looked like he was doing his best Brett Favre impression and just throwing the ball wherever.
While Willis’ talent will still translate to the NFL level making the team that drafts him immediately extremely hard to defend due to his ability to beat defenses with the deep ball, screen game, RPO, and direct quarterback run game.
He needs to protect the ball with wills already having the level of talent he plays against already working against him there is little room for other errors. Look for Willis to bounce back in his next game he has shown the ability to learn from mistakes.
Pro Comparison: Russell Wilson is the player that comes to mind while watching Malik Willis play. Lamar Jackson is also a name that comes to mind but with Willis being a more sturdy-built player coupled with the overall game he possesses Russell Wilson is the comparison that makes sense.
No. 2: Desmond Ridder
There is a lot to like when it comes to the prospect of Desmond Ridder of the University of Cincinnati, whether it be his physical gifts to the obvious knowledge of the game that Ridder poses. The arm talent with Ridder is unquestioned whether it be letting loose downfield or putting some air on passes while dropping them in buckets.
As the weeks go on, the decision-making and poise of Ridder continue to improve as he continues to impress, which has to be drawing interest from Texans scouts.
Ridder led his team to a no-doubt win over Temple when some wondered if there would be a letdown after beating Notre Dame the week before. Cincinnati was once again the best team on the field on Thursday night and that confidence and poise come directly from their quarterback.
Ridder finished with a stat line of 22-of-30 while throwing for 259 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Those numbers don’t jump off the page but it’s the level of consistency week-to-week that does. Ridder continues to impress while putting up almost identical stat lines every week. Consistency is a major factor in scouts’ opinions on players, especially quarterbacks.
Performances like this while continuing to keep the Bearcats undefeated will push Ridder more and more into the national spotlight. Look for Ridder to move up mock draft boards following this performance as he solidifies himself as a top college quarterback.
If the right team takes Ridder with the ability to groom him in their system there is no doubt he can become a solid NFL starting quarterback.
Pro comparison: Justin Herbert is the player that comes to mind similar play style and physical build. Collin Kaepernick makes the most sense strongarm and ability to run. Like Kaepernick, Ridder struggles with accuracy and overthrowing his receivers.
No. 1: Matt Corral
Matt Corral is a player who arguably could be the first quarterback taken in the 2022 NFL Draft. After a bounce-back showing against Arkansas, one is left wondering if Matt Corral is the best quarterback in this class?
There is so much to like about Corral starting with the fact that he plays in a pro-style system at Ole Miss making the eventual transition to the NFL slightly easier for Corral. With his ability to run keeping the defense honest Corral has the ability to be an extremely successful quarterback at the next level in the right situation.
While throwing for 287 yards on 14-of-21 passing and two touchdowns, Corral also rushed for 94 yards on 15 carries with two rushing touchdowns. The most impressive part of that is being able to time and time again answer the bell with Arkansas not going away quietly. This game went back-and-forth from start to finish.
Needless to say, Corral bounced back against Arkansas after a tough game against Alabama where he didn’t play at his best. Corral needs to continue to play the way he did against Arkansas the rest of the season if he can.
Not only will he solidify his position in the Top 5 looks for NFL scouts to start taking notice. The talent is obvious, the dual-threat ability is there Corral just needs to gain consistency in his game and his stock will skyrocket as the scouts of the Texans have to be watching his film each week.
Pro comparison: Matt Stafford is the player that comes to mind watching Corral play. Skills are very similar from a passing standpoint. Both players have the ability to beat a defense with their legs.
Recap
After a crazy week in college football, here are the changes to the list from last week.
Malik Willis falls from No. 1 overall to No. 3. This is based purely on not taking care of the football. Willis is extremely talented and will bounce back.
Sam Howell falls from third place to fifth overall after another shaky performance in a year where that’s become normal for Howell. That’s not good.
Spencer Rattler fell completely off the list and that’s most likely where he will stay. Talk about a train wreck. Rattler was supposed to be the one in this draft and he’s not even the best quarterback on his team. Rattler is replaced by Carson Strong at No. 4 in the rankings.
Desmond Ridder stays at No. 2 following another solid performance in Week 6. The biggest mover of the week is Matt Corral moving up from No. 5 to the top of the rankings. Corral continues to impress and when it’s all said and done might be the first quarterback taken in the draft.
Be sure to check back next week to see how the top 5 shakes out following Week 7 of college football.