Most analysts agreed that the 2022 N.F.L. draft featured the weakest crop of quarterbacks in at least a decade. But few expected quarterback-needy teams to be almost historically unimpressed:
The Atlanta Falcons entered the draft having already signed Marcus Mariota as their starting quarterback. Mariota is so fragile he lands on injured reserve if he bumps into a porcelain vase. Yet the Falcons did not select a potential replacement for him until Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder in the third round.
Sam Darnold was rejected by the Jets after the 2020 season and has been losing ground ever since, yet his current team, the Carolina Panthers, waited until the third round before selecting Matt Corral of Mississippi as a possible successor.