Potential Landing Spots for Desmond Ridder, Matt Corral, Christian Watson (2022 Fantasy Football)

It’s officially NFL Draft week, and fantasy managers in dynasty and redraft leagues will be keeping a close watch on the landing spots for the top skill position players in this year’s draft class. Our analysts have been studying these prospects and their potential fits with NFL teams over the last several months, and they’ve written tens of thousands of words and created over a dozen mock drafts while evaluating the different ways they see the 2022 NFL Draft playing out.

Below are the potential landing spots they considered for Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder, Mississippi QB Matt Corral, and North Dakota State WR Christian Watson. You can find our full set of consensus dynasty rookie rankings for superflex leagues here.

Desmond Ridder (QB – Cincinnati)

47. Washington Commanders

Poor quarterback play kept Washington from being able to take a step forward in 2021. They had the league’s seventh-worst offense, per PFF. As the newly named Commanders, they needed to upgrade the position.

Carson Wentz is far from perfect, but he’s still an upgrade from what Washington was thrusting under center in 2021. But keep in mind that the Commanders can get out of Wentz’s contract in 2023, so they are still in the market to draft a signal-caller.

And the value is too good to pass up with Desmond Ridder at pick 47.

Ron Rivera is attending Cincinnati’s pro day. This is the only one of the four main QB sessions he's attended this week. Have mentioned previously Washington has interest in Desmond Ridder. It's also a quick trip from Ohio State, where many with the organization were yesterday.

— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) March 24, 2022

Ridder made a strong NFL push uring his senior season, leading Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff against Alabama. PFF’s seventh-highest-graded 2022 draft-eligible quarterback then turned heads at the 2022 Senior Bowl, showcasing accuracy and polish.

Ridder also offers juice with his legs, having rushed for over 2,700 yards during his four-year career (58 per game). His athleticism was at the forefront of his testing at the NFL Combine.

The Bearcats quarterback ran a 4.52 40-yard dash (96th percentile) and jumped a 36-inch vertical (92nd percentile) and 127-inch broad jump (98th percentile).

With speed and predictive passing metrics working in his favor – Ridder was a 97th percentile passer on early downs, per PFF (91.0) – the Cincinnati product possesses all the ingredients to become a fantasy-friendly quarterback at the next level.
– Andrew Erickson, Mock Draft 6.0

Matt Corral (QB – Ole Miss)

20. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers have not been shy about making their draft plans known to the media and the other 31 teams. Last year, everybody knew they were going to select Najee Harris, and this year it seems obvious they will draft a quarterback at some point – most likely at pick No. 20.

Head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert have been highly involved in pro days featuring this year’s top rookie quarterbacks.

So with the 20th overall pick, the Steelers select Matt Corral as their future franchise quarterback. Pour one out for Mitchell Trubisky.

Corral rallied Ole Miss to a 10-2 record while finishing third in the SEC in passing yards (3,343) and 11th in the nation in PFF passing grade from a clean pocket (91.6). Corral’s expected throw air time is the lowest in the class, which is a reflection of his quick release and imposing arm strength.

He also rushed for nearly 750 yards and 11 scores. It’s that dual-threat ability that fantasy football dynasty managers should be looking to invest in for years down the line. He could make some noise in an offense littered with playmakers.

Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada thrives on designing offensive plays around RPOs, bootlegs, and pre-snap motion, which aligns perfectly with what Corral did at Ole Miss.
– Andrew Erickson, Mock Draft 6.0

Christian Watson (WR – North Dakota State)

48. Chicago Bears

The wide receiver room in Chicago remains thin, as a trio of Darnell Mooney , Byron Pringle , and Equanimeous St. Brown should not get anybody overly excited.

Chicago adds North Dakota State’s Christian Watson to fill the void.

Very interesting to hear specific names being dropped for once when involving #Bears draft coverage.

Tyler Smith, George Pickens, Christian Watson, and Alec Pierce were the names said to be “buzzing” in Chicago. https://t.co/ijkdmOIiMb

— Erik Duerrwaechter (@EDuerrwaechter) April 21, 2022

Watson was the talk of the town as a standout in the 2022 Senior Bowl. The North Dakota State prospect showed that his 35% dominator rating and No. 1-ranked 4.33 yards per route run were no fluke, even if they came against an easy schedule of opponents.

And his draft stock continued to ascend with a blazing 4.36 40-yard dash (92nd percentile) during Combine testing. That speed at Watson’s size is ludicrous.

Combine that with his 38.5-inch vertical (84th percentile) and 136-inch broad jump (98th percentile), and all that’s left is calling the dude a certified stud who has likely earned top-50 draft capital.
– Andrew Erickson, Mock Draft 6.0

FantasyPros Mock Drafts

Andrew Erickson:

Matthew Freedman:

Version 1: Post-free agency
Version 2: Post-Eagles & Saints trade
Version 3: Mid-April
Version 4: 10 days away
Version 5: Seven days away
Version 6: Week of the Draft
Version 7: Day Before the Draft
Version 8: Day of Draft (Final Version)

Derek Brown:

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Dynasty Mock Drafts NFL NFL Draft Desmond Ridder Matt Corral Christian Watson Carson Wentz Najee Harris Mitchell Trubisky Darnell Mooney Byron Pringle Equanimeous St. Brown