Mel Kiper Doesn't Think 2 QBs Go in Top 10 After Calling Teams Ahead of NFL Draft

No position on a football field is more important than quarterback, but there may not be a run on signal-callers in the top 10 of the 2022 NFL draft.

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. said Monday on the First Draft podcast he listed one QB in the top 10 of his forthcoming mock draft, but he doesn't expect two QBs to come off the board that early.

"I made a lot of calls over the weekend, talked to a lot of people," Kiper said at the 7:27 mark. "... I don't think two (quarterbacks) go in the top 10. I think one probably does. I say probably because there's no certainty that will happen."

There isn't a clear can't-miss prospect at quarterback this year, nor is there much depth at the top end.

Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder is the highest-ranked quarterback on Bleacher Report's big board, and he's the only one to crack the top 40 at No. 17. Liberty's Malik Willis is next at No. 46 and followed by Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett (No. 60) and Ole Miss' Matt Corral (No. 73).

Still, the scarcity of starting-caliber quarterbacks and the benefits of having one on a rookie deal could significantly trump value on Day 1 of the 2022 draft.

In B/R's most recent mock, Willis was projected to be the No. 2 overall pick to the Detroit Lions. Ridder was off the board to the Seattle Seahawks at No. 9.

Jordan Reid of ESPN also had Willis landing in the Motor City but had Pickett leapfrog Ridder to go sixth overall to the Carolina Panthers. Reid had Ridder slipping to the Indianapolis Colts at No. 42.

Especially for fans of teams that are most likely to target a quarterback, Kiper's mock draft will represent another data point from which to get a good idea as to how positively or negatively general managers and coaches are judging the incoming class.