Skill Position Players Primed to Rise in the 2022 NFL Draft

Pass-catchers and defensive backs who can shoot up draft boards with a strong 2021 season

Chris Spooner | Aug 25, 2021

Skill Position Players Primed to Rise in the 2022 NFL Draft /

Last Saturday was officially our final Saturday without college football. From here through the new year, our weekends will be a veritable treasure-trove of football content. While next Saturday isn’t a full slate of games, it’s a nice appetizer for the main course coming the week after. But before we get to the main event, we have more prospects to talk about for the 2022 NFL Draft!

Last week I gave you three prospects primed to see their draft stock rise during the college football season. Those three players were at the most crucial positions in the game: quarterback, left tackle, and EDGE rusher. Today, we’ll focus on the guys the quarterback is throwing to and the guys defending those players. We’ll look at one wide receiver, one tight end, one cornerback, and one safety.

Just like last week, we’re defining “primed players” as players who have a significant difference in their Current and Potential Player Values as determined by the scouting team at NFL Draft Bible. Let’s dig in!

Reggie Roberson, WR, SMU

The first player on our look of four more prospects primed to see their draft stock rise comes with some significant caveats. Reggie Roberson is an ultra-talented receiver for the SMU Mustangs, but he has some significant red flags in his medical background. Roberson is entering his fifth season -- another red flag, though minor -- and has only one healthy season under his belt.

The Mustang's receiver transferred to SMU from West Virginia in the 2017 season and played a full season for the Mustangs in 2018. During the 2019 season, Roberson suffered a foot injury that brought his season to a premature end. Last season, Roberson once again suffered a season-ending injury, this time to his knee. His medical evaluations will go a long way towards determining how he’s valued in the 2022 NFL Draft.

As for the product on the field, Roberson has excelled at being a home-run threat in the Mustangs’ pass-happy offense. Roberson has solid route-running traits -- showing varied releases and good footwork and technique -- despite not being asked to run a full route tree in the offense. Roberson wins by setting up cornerbacks and beating them by being fluid into and out of his breaks. He also has the speed to get behind a cornerback and take it to the house.

One of the biggest things Roberson will need to show scouts to reach his full potential is winning at the catch point. Roberson is skilled at creating separation for himself at this level, but he hasn’t shown consistency in going up and coming down with contested catches. Scouts are also going to want to see a complete route tree, though the traits he’s shown in his route-running have the makings of a receiver who can do more than he’s being asked to in his offense.

The scouting team with NFL Draft Bible has Roberson with a 6.0 Current Player Value, placing him in the “Developmental” prospect category. However, if he reaches his full 8.0 Potential Player Value, he would jump up to an average NFL starter and a solid mid-round prospect.

Austin Stogner, TE, Oklahoma

Oklahoma tight end Austin Stogner is the biggest projection of all the prospects we’ll cover in this series. Stogner only has four starts under his belt during his Sooners’ career and is still massively raw. That said, he’s shown enough to our scouting department to be sitting with a 7.0 Current Player Value and has a Potential Player Value of 8.4. What has Stogner done in such limited action to give our department so much faith in him?

The biggest thing Stogner has going for him right now is his prowess as a blocker. While blocking has become somewhat devalued at the position, it is still an important skill to exhibit, especially if you’re going to be used in-line. Though he has only four starts, Stogner has already shown to be an elite run blocker at the position, owing to his large frame (6’6” and 260lbs) and solid technique.

That big frame also allows him to provide his quarterback with a solid safety blanket over the middle. Stogner is good at making himself a target and has the build to come up with catches while defenders attempt to get physical with him. It’s a small sample size, but there are some significant building blocks there.

Obviously, that small sample size is the most significant thing working against Stogner. There isn’t much film on him, and he hasn’t had many opportunities to showcase what he can do. That shouldn’t be an issue for him this season. He should have plenty of chances to show NFL scouting departments what he can do and how big an asset he can be to a big-time quarterback like Spencer Rattler.

Chase Lucas, CB, Arizona State

For the third player on our list, we’re once again taking a trip out west—this time to visit Herm Edwards and the Arizona State Sun Devils. Edwards has quietly put together a formidable team out in the Pac 12, and one of the key players on their defense is cornerback Chase Lucas.

The fifth-year senior displays positional versatility, making him a coveted prospect at the next level. Lucas has the ideal size for an inside corner at 6’0" and 180 pounds and has the skill set to be a solid next-level player at either cornerback or safety. Lucas is a fluid athlete with a great football IQ. He transitions smoothly from his backpedal to a full run and shows great instincts when playing in man coverage. Lucas consistently displays good eye discipline and is quick to click-and-close on the play in front of him.

As it sits today, Lucas projects as a backup at the position with a Current Player Value of just 7.1. A lot of that is owed to the fact that Lucas displays poor tackling skills -- a brutal trait to have for the position. Lucas’ problems in this department are two-fold: He takes poor angles to the ball carrier, and he’s not sound in his tackling technique when he gets to the ball.

The Sun Devil corner has limited experience playing in press-man coverage. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not a skill he possesses. Still, between the lack of experience and his ability in off-coverage, some teams may question whether Lucas projects as a corner or safety. Positional versatility is excellent; positional confusion, on the other hand, isn’t. If Lucas can clean up the angles and learn to be more of a technician when tackling, it will go a long way towards living up to the All-Pro Potential Player Value Lucas has at a 9.1.

Bubba Bolden, SAF, Miami

Finally, we head to the ACC for our final player, Miami Hurricanes safety Bubba Bolden. The Clemson Tigers grab most of the headlines from the ACC -- and for a good reason, but they’re far from the only team stocked with talent. Bolden has a chance to be one of the best safeties in the 2022 NFL Draft class, not named Kyle Hamilton.

Teams looking for a deep safety who can cover sideline-to-sideline will love the skills Bolden possesses. Bolden has the long frame most defensive coordinators covet in today’s defensive backs. He’s got excellent range and has the speed to close on receivers on either side of the field. He’s a very instinctual player, and it works out for him more often than not.

Along with his duties as the proverbial “center fielder,” Bolden can be trusted to come up and play off-man coverage on slot receivers or tight ends. He has excellent recovery speed if he gets beaten and is solid enough in his technique that getting beat often doesn’t happen.

The most significant improvement to Bolden’s game is going to have to be in the tackling department. Most of his issues can be chalked up to taking poor angles to the ball carrier. However, even when he does get to the ball cleanly, he too often fails to wrap up and make a clean textbook tackle. Should he clean up these two aspects of his game, Bolden can go from his Current Player Value of a backup-level player (7.1) to a potential borderline All-Pro with a Potential Player Value of 8.8.