ESPN’s Mel Kiper’s 2022 NFL Draft top-10 lists littered with Sun Devils
May 23, 2021, 7:30 AM
Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels (AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
Arizona State may have only played just four games last season, but that didn’t stop ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. from including a handful of Sun Devils in his early 2022 NFL Draft rankings.
Though it’s still very early, the analyst broke down his top-10 list of players at each position Thursday, naming five Sun Devils across the board.
That includes ASU quarterback Jayden Daniels, who Kiper ranks as the ninth best signal caller in the 2022 class.
This is another strong class, and I expect a lot of movement in the top 10 by the time we get to next April.
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Daniels ranked seventh in QBR last season, one spot ahead of Trevor Lawrence.
As a sophomore last season, Daniels completed 49 of his 84 passes (58.3%) for 701 yards and five touchdowns to one interception.
He ran for an additional 233 yards and four scores on 33 carries.
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Leading Kiper’s 2022 quarterback class ranking is a familiar name in Arizona native and Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler.
Coming in at No. 6 among running backs was ASU’s Rachaad White.
White rushed for 420 yards and five touchdowns on 42 attempts, averaging 10 yards per carry, in his first season at ASU. White posted back-to-back multi-touchdown games to close out 2o2o.
He also caught eight balls for 151 yards and a score. For his efforts, White was named an All-Pac-12 honorable mention.
Rounding out the honors on the offensive side are linemen Kellen Diesch (tackle) and Dohnovan West (guard).
Diesch, who Kiper listed as the ninth best tackle, played three seasons with the Texas A&M Aggies before joining the Sun Devils last season. He was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2020.
West came in at No. 2 among guards after earning numerous accolades for his play last year, including All-Pac-12 first team honors.
As for the defensive side of the football, Kiper pegged Jermayne Lole as the eighth best tackle.
Lole as a junior last season recorded 24 tackles, five of which were for losses, 1.5 sacks, two passes defensed and a forced fumble. He was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2020.
