2022 Rankings: 10 Newcomers To Watch

We’ve updated our 2022 prospect rankings with the Top 150 rising seniors in the state of New Mexico. You can check out the complete rankings RIGHT HERE. Right now, we’re taking a look and putting a spotlight on 10 prospects that made their way onto our rankings for the first time. They are newcomers to watch when the fall season begins in August. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135110" first="Cayden" last="Dunn"], Moriarty</strong>: Dunn is one of the most underrated running backs in the state. In 15 career games for Moriarty, he’s rushed for 1,046 yards and 9 touchdowns on 165 carries, an impressive average of 6.34 yards per attempt. He’s No. 29 in our updated 2022 ranking and he deserves to be that high. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135313" first="Matthew" last="Quartieri"], Raton</strong>: The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Quartieri has been a weapon for the Raton offense since he was a freshman in 2018. For his career, he has 65 receptions for 750 yards and 7 touchdowns. The Raton offense should do big this things this fall in Class 3A. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135097" first="Kaden" last="Valdez"], Volcano Vista</strong>: Valdez leaped into our 2022 ranking as a result of a sensation spring in which he caught 22 passes for 422 yards and 3 touchdowns in just 3 games for the Hawks. Now he’ll get a chance to do it over a full 10-game schedule in the fall. 60 receptions? Possible. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134986" first="Maverick" last="Gracio"], Cibola</strong>: The underrated Cibola defense is often overshadowed by a Cougars offense led by talented QB [player_tooltip player_id="118805" first="Aden" last="Chavez"]. Gracio had 60 tackles as a sophomore in 2019 and enjoyed a solid spring. Definitely one of the top linebackers in the City of Albuquerque. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134908" first="Colton" last="Graham"], Hobbs</strong>: After serving as Hobbs’ backup quarterback in 2019 (404 passing yards), Graham made the most of his first season as the Eagles’ starter, throwing for 649 yards and 5 touchdowns in 5 games. He’s the No. 7 rated QB in our new 2022 ranking. He should enjoy a solid senior season for the Eagles. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134982" first="Hagen" last="Rains"], Portales</strong>: One of the top two-way players in Class 4A, Rains had 28 tackles as a defensive back in four games for the Rams defense this spring. Don’t be surprised if he plays some quarterback too. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134973" first="Braydon" last="Mignard"], Portales</strong>: Mignard left little doubt as to who was the Rams’ best defensive player in the spring, collecting 35 tackles, 8 tackles for loss and 5 sacks in four games. He should be the Preseason Class 4A Defensive Player of the Year. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134998" first="Manny" last="Bustillos"], Clovis</strong>: If Mignard is the preseason choice for best defensive player in Class 4A, you could make the same claim for Bustillos, who had 55 tackles and 8 tackles for loss from his linebacker spot to spark the Wildcats defense. Bustillos and DE <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134991" first="Jaden" last="Nigreville"]</strong> should develop into a formidable defensive duo for the Wildcats. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134979" first="Anthony" last="Mello"], Alamogordo</strong>: Mello threw for 570 yards and 7 touchdowns in the spring for the Tigers. Now that prolific RB [player_tooltip player_id="26190" first="Sean" last="Hays"] has graduated, Alamogordo could lean on Mello and the passing game more in 2021. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135118" first="Aldo" last="Argott"] Hobbs</strong>: The Eagles finished the spring season with a flourish, posting back-to-back victories over Artesia and Onate, and the defense was a major reason for the surge, blanking Onate in the finale. Argott had 48 tackles, 6 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. He’ll combine with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="135117" first="Josh" last="Miller"]</strong> to give Hobbs one of the top linebacker duos in Class 6A. https://twitter.com/MatthewQuartier/status/1378800225008021506 https://twitter.com/valdez_kaden/status/1379835385543454721 https://twitter.com/AdenChavez08/status/1387481345975226368 https://twitter.com/rains72/status/1371357920944910336 https://twitter.com/Mello2022QB/status/1381716627629170695