2015 NFL Draft Prospect Watch: UCLA QB Brett Hundley
Jul 24, 2014; Hollywood, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley poses for a photo during the Pac-12 Media Day at the Studios at Paramount. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
As we continue to dive into 2015 NFL Draft prospects, one player you will need to keep your eye on as a possible top pick is UCLA’s Brett Hundley, who might have been a top 10 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft had he chosen to leave school early.
Hundley is physically as impressive as any QB in the country. He’s got a great frame at 6’3″ 227 pounds and athleticism for days. The arm talent and athletic ability are all there in spades for Hundley, but no one really disagreed with his decision to return to UCLA for another season of college football.
Playing in an offense where so much success comes off of pre-snap reads, Hundley’s adjustment to the NFL speed and complexity will be a tough one. It’s not that his offense at UCLA is so simplified that a complicated NFL offense will blow him away, but certainly the offense for the Bruins has set him up for success.
If Hundley can improve on reading defenses and ensuring his receivers have a chance to make plays with the ball after the catch, I see no reason why he can’t be in the discussion with Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota as the best quarterback in next year’s draft potentially.
He does a really good job of moving his feet in the pocket, buying himself extra time if the need arises as well as keeping his eyes downfield. There are times when you wonder if he’s tucking and running with it a bit too early, but for the most part, this is a really smart young QB who can make the necessary strides in 2014 to be a first round pick come time for next year’s draft.
One thing that I really love about Hundley and one game you need to see in particular is his comeback against Nebraska. On the road against the Blackshirts is one of the toughest environments for a young QB to play, much less make a significant comeback. Hundley got something going in the second half of this game and absolutely ended up dominating Nebraska’s defense in the later stages of the game.
His touchdown pass in the third quarter to give the Bruins a lead is absolutely going to be the one that he wants to show all the NFL scouts when he is interviewing for a job at the highest level. It’s a perfect throw, perfect timing, and shows his resilience even as a young quarterback. He stared the Nebraska defense in the face and just said, “I’m better than you,” and he made it happen.
This is a really impressive young kid, and I can’t wait to see him progress in 2014. Here’s a bunch of prospect video cutups from the great folks at Draft Breakdown, as well as the Nebraska game I mentioned.