Welcome to The Quarterback-chelor! I am your host, Mitchell Wolfe, and we’re excited to bring you this new show, where the 2022 NFL Draft is looking for their QB1. Every week, we’ll break down the 2022 NFL Draft quarterbacks and how they are progressing in their relationship with the Draft to be the top-ranked quarterback.
Last year, our lead, the 2021 NFL Draft, had many exciting suitors. But in the end, the favorite from the beginning, Trevor Lawrence, established an incredible connection and went home as the top-ranked QB and the #1 overall pick. This year, our Draft has a litany of handsome and exciting prospects looking for love and the honor of winning QB1. Let’s meet our contestants!
Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma
First up is Spencer from Oklahoma. Spencer is actually from the same hometown as two previous winners (Kyler and Baker) of the show. Unlike them, he does not carry the baggage from previous relationships (aka transfers). Fans were very excited when they heard Spencer would be on the show this season. However, he did not have the best week. He made some strange decisions and said some weird things. These were concerns that many had about him before the season started, but he still has plenty of time to overcome them and make it up to our Draft.
Sam Howell, North Carolina
Sam from North Carolina was another highly-anticipated contestant on the show. Fans have been clamoring for him to join, even after the last contestant from his hometown (Mitchell Trubisky) flamed out after the show. However, he recently had a big employment change, and it could bring questions about his ability to start and maintain a family. When question by the Draft and special guest Virginia Tech about his ability to contribute by himself, Sam struggled to answer those questions. Like Spencer, Sam has enough time to redeem himself, but those issues will remain present.
Carson Strong, Nevada
Carson is the first of our contestants from small towns. But he seemed very calm and charmed our Draft with his poise and accuracy, not to mention his strong arm(s). Contestants from small towns (Carson Wentz, Josh Allen) have done decently well in recent years, but they struggled to win the show outright. We’ll have to see how Carson does down the stretch this season.
Malik Willis, Liberty
Malik from Liberty is another small-town guy. But he also has some of the baggage from a previous relationship, where he was passed over for another quarterback (Bo Nix at Auburn). Malik has an entertaining personality that could make him a favorite for our draft. But he could also rub some of the other contestants in the house the wrong way, like our next contestant. We will have to see how he compares to some of the other contestants in the group date later in the year.
Matt Corral, Mississippi
Matt from Mississippi is quite the character. He could be the villain of this season and wreck the house with his wildcard personality. However, that spark and unpredictability helped some contestants go far in this show’s past (Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen). Matt was one of the last ones out of the limo this week, but he did not disappoint, and our Draft was very impressed with his spontaneity and flair for the dramatic. He might not be well-liked in the house, but it doesn’t seem like he cares. Matt will be someone to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.
Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati
Fans of the show will definitely remember Desmond from last season. But they’ll also remember how he self-eliminated once the show started getting down to the wire. He’s one of the older contestants on the show this season, so fans and the Draft will surely be wondering if he’s ready for commitment. But Desmond is an entertaining contestant with a charming, multi-faceted personality. He could go far, and if some of the early favorites fall flat on their face, maybe he could swoop in and win the whole thing.
Kedon Slovis, Southern California
Our next two contestants will most likely be linked this entire season. They have quite the history, as Kedon swooped in and took JT’s spot while he was away due to an injury. We’ll get into JT next, but Kedon is from the big city that has produced some impressive contestants in years past (Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez, Sam Darnold). But the relationships for those contestants did not last long after the show in some cases. Kedon’s a little different than some of those guys, as he’s a little more reserved. While he’s a safe option and the Platonic ideal of a winner for this show, does he have that spark and chemistry with our draft?
JT Daniels, Georgia
As previously mentioned, JT from Georgia has a history with Kedon. He took a while to recover from his previous relationship ending. But he seems to have moved on and healed from that heartbreak. JT looks like another player who could be primed to win this show. But he could be gunshy and afraid to be vulnerable with our Draft. With how he’s been hurt in the past, it’s understandable. But if he wants to win this season, he’s going to need to open up and let it fly if he wants to win our Draft’s heart.
Phil Jurkovec, Boston College
Phil from Boston (College) is another player that brings some baggage from a previous relationship. However, he seems to be thriving in his current situation, living his best life, if you will. Phil had a great first episode, but he had some help from the supporting cast and was put in a pretty easy position where he just didn’t need to make any catastrophic mistakes. He’s a pretty open guy, but he may need to show more consistency and maturity with our draft if he wants to win this season.
Michael Penix Jr., Indiana
Michael from Indiana honestly had a pretty rough first week. Lots of people liked him before the season started. But he’s had issues committing to long-term relationships in his past. If he wants to win this season, he will need to show he’s here for the long haul. He’s got some very exciting traits that our draft finds desirable. Michael just needs to be there the whole time to show them.
Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina
Grayson from Coastal Carolina is another one of our small-town boys. He’s also one of the younger contests and has a questionable hairstyle. But his job is very exciting (the Coastal Carolina offense), and he’s got some fun-loving characteristics that could be very interesting for our Draft. At the end of the day, he may not be ready for a real commitment with this Draft. Grayson might need to take another season to figure some things out about himself.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
Dorian from LA, or DTR as he likes to be called, is an exciting prospect fans have been clamoring to have on the show for a long time. He’s a lot like a previous winner, Kyler from Oklahoma. DTR actually got an early start this year, as he was apparently talking to the Draft before the season technically began. He’s another spontaneous contestant with a lot to offer. But he also needs to show maturity and poise when asked to make tough decisions.
D’Eriq King, Miami
D’Eriq from Miami is a very flashy contestant this season. He’s fun-loving and creative, but our Draft has traditionally expressed more interest in taller contestants. Our show’s winners have typically been taller, but there are some exceptions (Kyler Murray). To make matters worse, King is dealing with an injury that could preclude him from winning this season altogether, as it limits his ability to reach his maximum potential. He struggled in his limited time with our Draft this week, so he has a lot of ground to cover.
Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh
Kenny is our oldest contestant this year, and while that hasn’t precluded contests from winning in years past, it’s something to keep in the back of your head. He had a decent week, as he displayed he’s a very safe option. However, he wore two gloves the entire episode, which was very strange. Is he hiding something? Are his hands really small? These are major questions he will have to answer in the coming weeks.
Brock Purdy, Iowa State
Brock from Iowa is a fascinating name. He apparently applied for the show previously but did not make it through the screening process. One has to wonder if he actually has what it takes to survive on this show. If he was passed over once, he could be passed over again. Brock’s conversation with our Draft did not go over super swimmingly this week, so he’ll have to redeem himself next week on the big group date.
Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
Tanner from Minnesota was actually the first one out of the limo this past weekend. But he was not overly impressive to our Draft. He did not display much personality, and his job (the Minnesota offense) does not indicate he’s a financially sound long-term investment for our Draft. Tanner could be one of the few contestants that are the first one out of the limo but don’t make it past night one.
Who Didn’t Get the Rose
One of our older contestants faced the chopping block after the first week: Tanner Morgan from Minnesota. Despite his early introduction to our draft, Tanner could not make an impact on an early one-on-one date. He shrunk under the bright lights, and our Draft was not impressed with how he responded to questions about his job (offense). He seemed boring and did not have the spark or chemistry to last on this show. For that reason, Tanner Morgan is the first one eliminated in our search for QB1. We’ll be back next week with an update from our Draft in this season of the Quarterback-chelor!
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