Gunner's 2020 Draft Quarterback Evaluations (Pt. 2 now posted!)

[GunnerBill]

**** Warning Long Post ****

 

Here is the first instalment of my annual breakdown of the top Quarterbacks in the draft class. I have split into two halves this year - this part is the guys who likely go in the first round:

 

Joe Burrow

Tua Tagovailoa

Justin Herbert

Jordan Love

 

The second part will feature Eason, Hurts and Fromm as the other guys who teams could conceivably look at as potential franchise QBs at some point down the line.  

 

Remember folks, it is only an opinion.

 

A reminder of my process before we begin:.  

 

1. My process is four step as every year:

Try to identify the runners and riders at Quarterback the summer before - spoiler alert... Burrow was not on my radar;

Try and watch each at least twice in live game action on tv by mid season - by week 3 I was watching LSU most weeks;

From new year work on the film out there on each and start to break down for evaluation purposes;

Pick up on anyone who came late onto the scene and catch up with their film.  

 

2. I try and balance the games I watch back in the evaluation phase for each prospect. I want to see them at their best and their worst in so far as is possible and against a range of opposition where possible.  

 

3. My grades for each are against an objective scale…. They are not predictions of where players should go in the draft, nor are they relative to the strength of the rest of that year’s draft class.  Mid to late first round does not mean “oh my God Gunner only has player x 25th on his big board”. Second round grade does also not mean I'd never take the guy in the first. The one position where I think you can always justify what might on pure grade be a reach is for a potential franchise Quarterback.

 

 

Justin Herbert – Senior – Oregon

Games watched: California, Washington, Wisconsin, Utah, Arizona State, Auburn (all 2019) California, Arizona State, Stanford, UCLA (all 2018);

Initial Comments: I had some initial notes on Justin Herbert from my process last year when it looked like he might declare for the 2019 NFL Draft. One of the concerns at that point was that he was a better Quarterback at home than he was on the road and one of the more encouraging elements of his 2019 season was that he evened that up somewhat until the hiccup at Arizona State that finally put paid to any playoff hopes Oregon held. I've watched more of him than of any of the other Quarterbacks because I have found him a really frustrating prospect to try and get a handle on.  

Pros:

• Prototypical size and a really good arm that displays plenty of zip.  
• Good athlete. He can be a sneaky threat as a runner. He reminds me in Blake Bortles a little in that respect in that he doesn't exactly look a natural runner but he has some wheels and can extend plays and ultimately drives too.  
• That running ability helps him to be effective operating the RPO. Makes good decisions as to when to keep it and when to give to the back, and demonstrates an understanding of what the defense is doing pre-snap.
• My favourite thing about Herbert is he is willing to stand in the pocket and take a hit. Even when it is clear he is going to get whacked he will stand in and give himself every last second to make the throw. Despite this he doesn't take a crazy number of sacks. It is impressive.
• He does also demonstrate the willingness to throw into tight window. He is a little inconsistent in that area (more below on why I think that may be) but I think overall he is a sensible and proportionate risk taker.
• Experience. Herbert has started 42 games at the college level. Feels rare these days to be talking about a potential first round Quarterback who is a senior.

Cons:

• A lot of his yardage comes from throws in and around the line of scrimmage. Lot of swing passes, lot of screen passes lot of plays designed for YAC. Not necessarily a terrible feature in the modern NFL but I feel like it remains something easier to take away.
• Once he is off his base his accuracy falls off a cliff. When he is set and on his spot he can be an accurate Quarterback, but once he is moving, throwing on the run or having to throw on the backpedal it all breaks down too quickly.
• Part of that to me is because he just looks a bit "learned". I am not sure how much natural Quarterback there is in there. That is also evidenced by one of his most maddening features which is his lack of feel for where and when to use touch. He feathers balls that should be zinged and zings in balls that need a bit of air.  
• He is a streaky Quarterback and there is too much inconsistency on the tape. The Washington game this year is a classic example. You read the box score and think what a good game. You put the film on and there are streaks where Herbert looks like an NFL franchise Quarterback and then some of the most inexplicable misses of wide open receivers you will see. Baffling.
• When I tried to really break down the biggest cause of the inconsistency the one thing that I kept coming back to is that he is late on too many throws. It is the reason for at least half of his interceptions in 2019 and it is the reason for some of the most maddening misses. But it isn't a total excuse. There are throws that are just off.
• While Herbert improved as a road Quarterback in 2019 I still question his performances against the best opposition. Utah and Wisconsin both caused him some problems and he melted down a bit in that Arizona State game and threw two awful picks.

Draft Grade: Justin Herbert is a really difficult Quarterback to grade. When he is on I can totally see why people see a top 10 type talent there but I struggle with the "what is he exceptional at?" question. What is the one thing that when someone says to me "Justin Herbert" I am immediately going to respond with? There isn't a thing that he does at a consistently high level that I can point to and ultimately that is why I have to mark him down. I feel like he can be an NFL starter. I just don't know if I think he can be more than that. Mid to late 2nd round grade.

 - - - - - - -

Joe Burrow – Senior – LSU

Games watched: Texas, Auburn, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Oklahoma (all 2019); Florida, Alabama, Texas A&M (2018)

Initial Comments: At the start of the year nobody had Joe Burrow down as a potential first round Quarterback let alone the #1 overall pick. But he put together a historic campaign to lead the Tigers to a National Title and as such he is an intriguing prospect to evaluate.

Pros:

• Good size, and really tidy footwork for the most part. Has a good throwing base and wherever possible seeks to re-set that base before letting the ball go.
• Exceptional rhythmic, timing thrower. Those catch at pitch type plays that have become such a staple of NFL spread concept offenses in recent years are absolute bread and butter to Burrow - slants, crossers, quick hitches he is outstanding and on time again and again.
• From the pistol and the gun (where he almost exclusively operated in 2019) he has a fantastic ability to anticipate, see and feel the rush and know where his hot read is and get the ball out to him.
• He is a smart decision maker, protects the football, rarely puts it up for grabs in true 50/50 situations and has impeccable touch.   
• Intermediate accuracy is consistent and he doesn't get greedy. Takes what the defense gives him. Auburn this year in particular did a fantastic job of making him go underneath a lot and taking away the explosive play and he was Tom Brady like in staying patient and moving the ball down the field with death by a thousand cuts.
• Could be tempting to see him as just a really good, efficient, game manager, but make no mistake... he has some magic in him. Against Alabama and Georgia he makes incredibly plays when the down seems dead and that playmaking magic will be called upon at the next level.   

Cons:

• Overrates his athletic ability. Burrow isn't a statue but he should be making his living as a drop back, pocket Quarterback. At times when he escapes and runs he reminds me of Andrew Luck those early years in the league throwing himself around like a linebacker to make first downs. You can't make a living that way. He will have to adjust.
• His arm is only okay. I think he has an adequate NFL arm but sometimes, especially when throwing deep, you can see he is putting a little extra into it and those balls can occasionally sail on him as a result.
• He does get baited by cornerbacks showing man and then dropping into zones and breaking on the ball. Cost him a bad INT early in the year against Northwestern State and there were 4 or 5 similar throws on the tape where DBs couldn't haul it in that could have gone the other way too. Should improve with experience but one to keep an eye on.
• There are a couple of things that stand out from the 2018 tape. Firstly, when LSU are behind the sticks (they rarely were in 2019) he can get a tad conservative on 3rd and longs. Has a tendency in those scenarios to favour the checkdown and not allow things to develop deeper down field.
• The other 2018 flaw was that when he ran more under centre stuff during that season on traditional play action he seemed to really struggle with the backside pass rush. He didn't see it and didn't feel it. As above, he excelled in this area in 2019 but he was exclusively from the gun so there is a question mark there about his pocket feel on traditional play action type plays.
• Which brings us to the elephant in the room - his improvement rate between 2018 and 2019 was not a normal development arc. How much of it was Joe Burrow and how much of it was Joe Brady?

Draft Grade: I feel like Joe Burrow is a really high floor NFL draft prospect. I have said a few times but I think he could be the best version of Andy Dalton right off the bat and then any further development from there is found money for Cincinnati. He is a future franchise QB, the only niggling doubts are about ceiling (does he have true "elite" QB potential?) and scheme fit. I think for Burrow to be at his best he needs a lot of spread concepts. Forcing him into an old school west coast system would waste him. Top 5 grade.

- - - - - - -  

Tua Tagovailoa – Junior – Alabama

Games watched: Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi, New Mexico (all 2019); Louisville, LSU, Auburn, Georgia, Clemson (2018);

Initial Comments: Tua Tagovailoa had been the presumed number 1 pick in this draft since taking over for Jalen Hurts in the 2017 National Title game against Georgia, right up until Joe Burrow burst onto the scene. The injury concerns obviously have impacted on the degree of risk people now perceive in picking him early but on tape this is still a very able Quarterback.

Pros:

• Tremendous touch thrower with plenty of arm. Nobody in this class quite drops it in the bucket as well as Tua Tagovailoa. It is a thing of beauty.
• Smooth motion, very little wasted energy. Excellent fast release the ball fires out of his hand. Also a smart decision maker who protects the football.
• The corner route and the go route are two throws he makes better than anyone in this class and probably anyone in the last couple of classes too.
• Athletic, can run the ball, can extend plays but is more of an elusive runner than a dynamic dual threat.
• Patient and a full field reader. Gets through progressions and is willing to wait on routes to develop (though it should be said he gets excellent protection to allow him to do that).
• Competitor. That was, I thought, a genuine question. He has it so easy so often at 'Bama and then he really didn't respond well to the duel with Trevor Lawrence in the 2018 National Title game but that game against LSU this year demonstrated to me that when Tua needs to fight he can fight. Despite the Saban defense completely collapsing against the Joe Burrow onslaught in the second half, every time Tua got the ball he responded and dragged his offense down the field and his team back into contention. It was mighty impressive even if it didn't result in a W.

Cons:

• Size. He is only 6 foot and while smaller Quarterbacks have begun to succeed with more regularity in the NFL in recent years it does still limit some of the things you can do and call with them because you have to design and manufacture passing lanes.
• Related to that - he takes too many hits. As a smaller Quarterback he need to protect his body more. He is getting injured in contact situations that he should be avoiding.
• There is a lack of genuine tight window throws on his tape. Now part of that is the talent of his receiving corps and he shouldn't necessarily be marked down for that but you are having to take it on trust a little bit.  
• Feet are fidgety. Has this sort of "bunny hop" bounce when in the pocket that I really don't like.
• Stares down receivers occasionally. I think the really good DBs he has faced at the likes of Clemson and LSU over recent years seem to be able to read his eyes and get there to break up plays. Needs to develop his skill in terms of looking off defenders.
• I question his poise under pressure. As alluded to above he generally gets good protection from the Alabama Oline, but when he doesn't he can make rash decisions and panic a little. Needs to be better in those situations.

Draft Grade: I can never know what the medical reports into Tua's hip will say. But so long as they clear this is a first round Quarterback and he will be picked in the top 10. I think he has a good chance to be a franchise Quarterback but there are enough questions on his tape for him to grade that bit lower than Burrow. Mid 1st round grade.

 - - - - - - -

Jordan Love – Junior – Utah State

Games watched: LSU, Fresno State, BYU, Kent State (all 2019); Michigan State, San Jose State, New Mexico (2018);

Initial Comments: Jordan Love is the epitome of "toolsy". He is to me a complete boom or bust guy, but with good coaching the ceiling is a franchise Quarterback.    

Pros:

• Good height, though his frame could stand to add a bit of weight. Has plenty of arm to make NFL throws.
• Atheltic. When the play breaks down he can hurt you with his legs. Think he will take some teams by surprise as a runner.
• Love his ability to make plays on the move. Throw nicely on the run and his slightly unorthodox throwing motion which feels like a drawback in other scenarios helps him when in scramble drill mode because he doesn't need the time for a perfect over the top delivery.  
• Effective running the RPO. Sells it well and generally makes good reads off of it. You can imagine him having success with this in one of the more progressive offensive schemes in the NFL.
• There is no shortage of "big boy" throws on his tape. He throws the seam route well, he throws the corner route well and he throws the back shoulder fade really well.   
• Willing to attack tight windows. I think unlike the other three guys in this breakdown who by and large judge risk / reward pretty well Love is more of a gunslinger who has never seen a window he doesn't like but his natural desire to be aggressive remains, on balance, a positive.

Cons:

• His delivery is funky. It is a bit slingy and I think it explains some of his spotty accuracy.
• Throws into double coverage too often.  
• He is not a rhythmic, timing passer. He is going to need a bit more license to freestyle in the offensive scheme rather than being relied on to sit back orchestrate from the pocket. He is better in chaos than in calm at times.
• Don't love his field vision. Saw him throw 4 picks to linebackers in shallow zones who he just never seems to see. He did it twice in one game against BYU.
• Bails clean pockets too often and lacks instinctive pocket presence and feel. As a result he misses opportunities that develop later in the down as a result of having fled too soon.  
• The most worrying element is he badly declined in 2019. Yes, the talent around him also got worse and was never high level to begin with but the propensity for making mistakes that he demonstrated in 2019 has to be a concern for any team considering spending a first round pick on him.  

Draft Grade: Okay so Jordan Love is the sort of Quarterback I generally and traditionally do not like. He is toolsy, high risk and very much boom or bust. But I am trying to learn my lessons from evaluations such as Josh Allen and give a little more benefit to those tools that are natural and hard to coach - the arm, the legs, the desire to make plays. I'd probably have had a 3rd round grade on Love two years ago but as it is I am going to buy into the ceiling a it and have him a little higher. Mid to late 2nd round grade.

 

 

That is it for now, part 2 will follow later in the week.... but away you flame!

Edited April 19, 2020 by GunnerBill

[dave mcbride]

Great stuff. Thanks!

[ALLEN1QB]

 it looks pretty good to me by the way what did you think about Tom Brady when he was coming out of college

[GunnerBill]

Just now, ALLEN-2-DIGGS-TD!! said:

 it looks pretty good to me by the way what did you think about Tom Brady when he was coming out of college

 

That he was going to be a future franchise Quarterback and might even win some Superbowls. 

[ALLEN1QB]

1 minute ago, GunnerBill said:

 

That he was going to be a future franchise Quarterback and might even win some Superbowls. 

Nice!! Was reading about this kid coming out of Florida this year forget his name curious what you think about him in Part2. 

[GunnerBill]

2 minutes ago, ALLEN-2-DIGGS-TD!! said:

Nice!! Was reading about this kid coming out of Florida this year forget his name curious what you think about him in Part2. 

 

I was joking on Brady just for avoidance of doubt. Before my time even watching the NFL. 

 

The kid out of Florida is I presume James Morgan out of Florida International? I touched on him in my sleepers thread last week. I haven't broken him down in the detail above but I have the 4 in this thread, the 3 in part 2 and then Morgan. They are the only 8 I consider draftable this year from what I have watched. I like him. Good player. Ceiling might be a low end starter - a game manager type - but I think day 3 pick he is worth a flier for anyone. 

[Johnny Hammersticks]

6 minutes ago, ALLEN-2-DIGGS-TD!! said:

Nice!! Was reading about this kid coming out of Florida this year forget his name curious what you think about him in Part2. 

 

James Morgan?  Bills have shown legitimate interest.  I’d be interested in hearing a good evaluation on his also.

[TigerJ]

On one Bills Live, Greg Cosell, who watches as much film as anybody, suggested that Herbert does not make throws where he needs to anticipate where the receiver will be and that he will be open.  He's a QB who needs to see an open receiver before he'll let go of the ball.

[GunnerBill]

1 minute ago, TigerJ said:

On one Bills Live, Greg Cosell, who watches as much film as anybody, suggested that Herbert does not make throws where he needs to anticipate where the receiver will be and that he will be open.  He's a QB who needs to see an open receiver before he'll let go of the ball.

 

Some truth to that and it might be the reason he is so often a split second late on his throws. 

[stinky finger]

Terrific read! 

 

How would you grade the strength of this class compared to Allen's class? Or, if Allen himself were in this class. 

 

Thanks

 

 

[Coach Tuesday]

Your write up of Herbert reminded me a lot of the Jake Locker scouting reports when he came out.

[GunnerBill]

3 minutes ago, inaugural balls said:

Terrific read! 

 

How would you grade the strength of this class compared to Allen's class? Or, if Allen himself were in this class. 

 

Thanks

 

 

 

So I was not an Allen guy and hence I am trying to adjust to some of the lessons on the high ceiling low floor guys. I am still not sure that I'd have Allen as a 1st based on his college tape so he would be more in the Herbert and Love tier. Overall I think 2017 and 2018 were slightly stronger classes. If you took Burrow out of this class it would be towards the weaker end. I only have 8 draftable guys. 

[boater]

Good content. You could leverage your knowledge into making a living.

 

I appreciate your use of formatting to make the material more digestible.

 

[GunnerBill]

Okay, I decided to break this into two halves this year for basically two reasons: 1. It allowed me to split the writing up which is a chore  and 2. I genuinely think that there is a clear difference between the top 4 in this class all of whom have enough positives to enable you to fall in love with them as a potential franchise Quarterback if you are a GM and the next 3 who all show me enough to believe they can play in the league but who I think you'd really have to squint to see franchise altering potential in.

 

So without further ado, here is part 2:

 

Jalen Hurts – Senior – Oklahoma

Games watched: Kansas State, Texas Tech, Texas, Baylor (x2), LSU (all 2019) Clemson, Tennessee (2017);

Initial Comments: Like most people when I was watching Jalen Hurts Quarterback the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2017 I didn't really think he was draftable.... or certainly not draftable before the throw away rounds (6 and 7)... but when you watch the tape for 2019 with Oklahoma? There is a draftable player there. While I did watch two games from back in 2017 I have essentially ignored them in my final analysis because I am not sure they hold much relevance to the player we are trying to evaluate now.   

Pros:

• Nice arm with plenty of zip and can still get the ball to his targets even when throwing off sketchy base when running or off the back foot when pressured.  
• Weapon as a runner. This isn't just a guy who can get you out of some third and longs with scrambles, this is an elite athlete who forces you to play 11 v 11 every snap and whether you go zone or man he has the potential to gash you on the ground if he can find a lane as Texas found to their cost. Particularly good runner in the redzone.
• Throws a good deep ball.
• A leader whose competitive spirit is off the charts. Not only did he decide not to sit on the bench at Alabama but go and fight for a job elsewhere and prove people wrong but he never knows when he is beaten. The first Baylor game he had as bad a first half as you could wish to see and his team were down 25 points. He then fumbled when trying to run in a touchdown during the comeback and still managed to fight through to rally his team to a win in a game where they were without their main weapon in Lamb.
• Room to believe that he is still developing as a passer. Lincoln Riley certainly improved him and if he gets the right coaching in the pros we might not yet be at his ceiling.

Cons:

• In the Oklahoma system Hurts was clearly trying to go through progressions but he can be slow when doing it and he often drops his eyes and gets away from his progressions when he sees the rush. As a result still bails pockets too early when there are good checkdown throws available.
• For a guy who runs as well as Hurts I don't think he has really nailed the RPO pay fakes. I think it is pretty easy to tell what is a keep and what is a give and he might be even more difficult for defenses to stop if he improved his selling of the fake.
• Lacks touch on intermediate throws. Needs to take something off them and when he misses in the intermediate range he tends to miss high which often gives defensive backs opportunities to take the ball away.   
• Still gets off script too often for my liking and as a result might be tough to force fit into a scheme. His ball security when off script needs to improve too. Loses too many fumbles and holds the ball in some strange spots (behind his back on a couple of occasions I saw?!?) when spinning out of pressure and scrambling.
• Don't like him as a passer in the redzone. His lack of anticipatory throwing there catches him out.

Draft Grade: Jalen Hurts is never going to be a high level NFL pocket quarterback, but he is a guy who I think despite his flaws will find ways to move the ball. He is not someone who could start early but there might be packages you can use him in and there might still be development to come as a passer. When I match that with his intangibles I see a guy who could end up as a solid NFL backup and might even work as a bridge starter at some point.  Late 2nd / early 3rd round grade.

- - - - - - - -

Jacob Eason – Senior – Washington

Games watched: California, Oregon, Arizona, Utah, Stanford (all 2019) Vanderbilt (2016);

Initial Comments: Similarly to Hurts I did look back at a game from Eason pre-transfer when he was the Georgia Quarterback and played a pretty good game against Vandy. But as with Hurts I have largely dismissed it from my overall evaluation. My only live exposure to Eason this year was in the loss to Stanford where he was pretty awful and so I was surprised when I started seeing his name mocked in 1st and 2nd round territory in January. I think some realism has set in for the mockers since and I liked a bit more of his tape than I expected when I started my review.

Pros:

• Prototypical size and good arm strength can make boundary throws.
• Pro-style. Whether this matters as much as it was perceived to even 4 or 5 years ago given the early success of spread guys like Mahomes, Watson, Mayfield and Murray I am less sure but he plays under centre plenty and runs conventional play-action well.
• Willing to challenge tight windows. This has its drawbacks as I will come onto but he isn't as much of a "safe" checkdown Charlie as I thought he was when I first began my work on him.
• Accurate enough at the intermediate level. Wouldn't say Eason is an exceptionally accurate QB but his intermediate throws usually give his guys a fair chance to make a play.
• Like his touch on deep balls, especially on half field reads off play-action looks.

Cons:

• Stiff and robotic. He is the least mobile of the Quarterbacks I have looked at in this draft, can't get himself out of trouble and even his in-pocket footwork looks laboured and stiff.
• Definitively not an anticipatory thrower. If you are a pass catcher playing with Eason you better get separation because he isn't throwing it until he sees you. Despite this he still seems to end up throwing into double coverage way too often - the Utah tape is ugly in this regard. Not a good combination.
• Atrocious when pressured. Panics, drops his eyes immediately, makes poor decisions and puts too many balls up for grabs.
• When in the shotgun seems to really struggle reading the field. Don't see him getting the ball out quickly from there to those shallow crossers and slants which the spread guys make a living on in the modern NFL.
• Holds the football too long, is a slow processor and takes too many sacks. .

Draft Grade: I think Jacob Eason is one of these low ceiling but reasonably high floor type Quarterback prospects who projects to a replacement level starter or, more likely, a solid NFL backup. I think he could find success if he is able to get himself into a system that runs heavy play-action, lots of under centre stuff with half field reads and has an offensive line that can protect him and give him time to make his throws. I'm thinking a sort of more basic, traditional form of the Shanahan offense similar to what Rick Dennison ran here in Buffalo for a year. But as a backup for one of these teams who are fundamentally stretch zone - 9ers, Rams, Titans, Packers, Vikings... he could make some sense. Late 3rd round grade.

- - - - - - -

Jake Fromm – Junior – Georgia

Games watched: Florida, LSU, Baylor Tennessee (all 2019) Florida, Alabama, Texas (2018) Oklahoma, Alabama (2017);

Initial Comments: Fromm is the opposite of Hurns and Eason in that there is a pretty clear three years of evidence to sift through and take a view on. He is not the most physically gifted Quarterback and so the question that exists is whether he is smart enough to overcome those limitations and be successful in the NFL.   

Pros:

• Smart, experienced and mentally advanced Quarterback. Understands what he sees and appears to understand his physical limitation too.  
• Probably the most advanced Quarterback in this class in getting through progressions. Reads the field quickly and processes that information to make sound decisions with the football.  Good against the blitz, knows where his hots are and gets the ball there.
• Compact, tidy footwork. Has a good throwing base and slides and climbs well when required.
• Accurate when throwing between the hashes and in the short to intermediate range. Demonstrates some evidence of anticipatory throwing.
• Competitive and looks like a leader.

Cons:

• Lacks size and lacks arm strength.
• Not a guy who is going to beat you with his legs. He will take off and scramble when he needs to but I don't see him running away from NFL athletes.
• Accuracy drops off considerably outside the numbers and beyond 15 yards downfield.    
• Has at best plateaued and at worst regressed over his three years as Georgia's starter.
• Avoids tight windows like the plague. I think he knows he doesn't have the arm to give himself any margin for error there and as a result at times he is too safe with the ball.

Draft Grade: Jake Fromm is not an NFL starting Quarterback. He actually reminds me a little of Matt Barkley. Nice kid, mentally advanced, went to a big school and played lots of high pressure football but despite his intangibles just lacks the physical tools to become any more than a backup at the NFL level. I think he would be a good guy to have in your Quarterback room and I can imagine him ending up as a decent mentor to younger QBs if his talent allows him to hang around as a game manager type backup for long enough.  4th/5th round grade.

 

 

Okay folks... that is the Quarterback write ups done for another year. Hope you enjoyed reading.

Edited September 25, 2022 by GunnerBill

[FireChans]

Excellent stuff as always @GunnerBill. Any chance you can rank these QB’s and some of the other ones you’ve analyzed the last couple of years?

[Kirby Jackson]

@GunnerBill quick question and it’s okay to say “I don’t know yet.” Do you have Fields and/or Lawrence ahead of all of these guys? It feels like they are certainly considered better prospects from a talent/health standpoint but just wondering.

[GunnerBill]

Just now, Kirby Jackson said:

@GunnerBill quick question and it’s okay to say “I don’t know yet.” Do you have Fields and/or Lawrence ahead of all of these guys? It feels like they are certainly considered better prospects from a talent/health standpoint but just wondering.

 

I haven't studied them yet because I don't study guys a year ahead but based just on tv viewings.... yep, I do. 

[GunnerBill]

37 minutes ago, FireChans said:

Excellent stuff as always @GunnerBill. Any chance you can rank these QB’s and some of the other ones you’ve analyzed the last couple of years?

 

Okay so here is every QB I have done detailed work on since 2015... mixed bag of outcomes. 

 

1. Josh Rosen - ?

2. Deshaun Watson

3. Joe Burrow

4. Sam Darnold

5. Carson Wentz

6. Jameis Winston

7. Jared Goff

8. Baker Mayfield

9. Tua Tagovailoa

10. Kyler Murray

11. Marcus Mariota

12. Mitch Trubisky

13. Dak Prescott

14. Dwayne Haskins

15. Mason Rudolph

16. Lamar Jackson

17. Patrick Mahomes*

18. Josh Allen*

19. Deshone Kizer

20. Jordan Love

21. Justin Herbert

22. Drew Lock

23. Connor Cook

24. Paxton Lynch

25. Daniel Jones

26. Jalen Hurts

27. Mike White

28. Jacob Eason

29. Jake Fromm

30. Will Grier

 

*on Mahomes and Allen are because having missed on two guys who I thought had Franchise QB ceilings but low floors I have adjusted my grading scale so that is them graded against the new scale. I was still obviously way too low on Mahomes (though in fairness my scouting report did say the ideal situation for him was an experienced NFL coach who would let him sit and refine his footwork) and I was still too low on Allen as well and Lamar Jackson. 

 

There are some guys you miss on that you understand why you missed and then there are others and Rosen still falls in this camp that watching his UCLA film back today I'd still have a super high grade on it. Oh well ?

[Victory Formation]

So which one is in play for New England? I’m guessing Fromm. You?

[GunnerBill]

2 minutes ago, Victory Formation said:

So which one is in play for New England? I’m guessing Fromm. You?

 

Andy Dalton.