2017 NFL Draft: Iowa QB C.J. Beathard is top QB

2017 NFL Draft: It’s extremely early, but it’s never too early to educate yourself on good quarterbacks, and Iowa QB C.J. Beathard is one of them…

It was a miserable finish to the 2015 college football season for the Iowa Hawkeyes and quarterback C.J. Beathard, losing a heart-breaker to Michigan State before getting sliced to pieces by Christian McCaffrey and the Stanford Cardinal.

Of course, those final two games don’t tell the entire story of what this Hawkeyes team accomplished with Beathard as the QB over the past couple of seasons, including winning every single one of his starts prior to the Big Ten championship game against the Spartans.

Beathard didn’t put up numbers that are going to have anyone tickled pink, but he did an incredible job of not only keeping the Hawkeyes in games, but delivering in key moments where the outcome was in the balance. He did everything he could to will the Hawkeyes to the Big Ten title game, and they came within inches of winning it.

After completing just under 62 percent of his throws with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions to go along with six rushing touchdowns, I’m here to tell you that C.J. Beathard is the best quarterback prospect for the 2017 NFL Draft among seniors.

The Iowa Hawkeyes don’t produce the best NFL quality quarterbacks. That’s pretty obvious, but also quite confusing. Iowa is a strong program led by head coach Kirk Ferentz, who employs a pro-style offense and has for years. Ferentz has hired some of the best coaches in the country over the years, and still the Hawkeyes have not produced a starting NFL quarterback.

Heck, they haven’t even really produced many backup caliber QBs.

It’s extremely odd, but just happens to be the way things are right now, though Beathard figures to change all of that.

I don’t think you’ll find a more NFL-caliber pass from this past season in college football than Beathard’s bomb to Tevaun Smith in the Big Ten title game. Check this out…

One reason why the Hawkeyes were so successful offensively last year was because Beathard gave them the ability to push the ball vertically like this on a relatively consistent basis. Guys like James Vandenberg or Jake Rudock didn’t really give the Hawkeyes that option. Things were much more vanilla for them.

So why is Beathard the best senior QB in this draft? Am I basing this off of one throw? Absolutely not. The entire body of work speaks for itself, though Beathard still has a lot to prove this season. I look at a few things in potential NFL quarterbacks, and Beathard checks most if not all boxes.

1. Arm talent

This is more than just throwing bombs to Tevaun Smith for 85-yard touchdown passes. This is making tough throws look easy, and routinely completing the easy passes. Not only that, it’s throwing on the run, making throws across his body, and pushing the ball through tight windows that not many other QBs can.

Beathard can do all of that.

2. Poise

I love what Beathard brings to the table in this regard. There is no one cooler under pressure than this guy, and that’s a big reason why the Hawkeyes were among the best teams in the country this past season at extending drives with third down conversions.

Beathard was also not phased late in close games. He didn’t make many mistakes, and was willing to be a gunslinger when asked to do so as well as run the offense as bland as possible at times. He was more than a game manager, but willing do be just that when the Iowa coaches called for it in tight situations.

3. Dual Threat

I don’t know what kind of 40 time he’s going to run, but Beathard is a really good runner. He is able to run designed QB run plays as well as option plays, or extend plays with his legs. There were a number of times last season where the pocket would break down or coverage downfield would be tight, and Beathard would convert long third downs by making guys miss and running for a first down.

This is also a cause for concern in some ways, because it leaves him open to some big hits and Beathard got hurt quite a bit this past season.

4. Toughness

Despite having a number of injuries, Beathard proved to be one of the toughest players on the team, fighting through the injuries and playing with a pretty significant groin injury that limited his mobility significantly.

His ‘show must go on’ approach is something that coaches love, and despite his injury and a key piece of his game being taken away, Iowa was still able to be successful and win a lot of football games.

After his groin injury came a hip pointer after he was hit hard in the hip by the helmet of an opponent.

This offseason, Beathard had hernia surgery. He’s been through a lot, but he also plays through a lot.

5. Pro-style background

As mentioned previously, Kirk Ferentz employs a pro-style offensive scheme that gives Beathard an edge in terms of knowing a complex playbook rather than getting signals from the sideline.

It also gives Beathard an edge over other prospects because not only does he possess the requisite size and arm strength, but he’s going to have plenty of experience with different drops from under center, unlike other guys.

Despite the way last season ended for the Hawkeyes, it’s easy to see why NFL scouts will take a liking to Beathard. He doesn’t come from a program that is storied in sending QBs to the NFL, but he has a chance to be a pioneer of sorts for Kirk Ferentz in terms of a player who has franchise QB abilities.

His toughness, poise, arm strength, ability run the ball, intelligence, and football savvy all have contributed to him being the top senior QB on my board heading into the 2016 college season.