Have You Heard Of: NC State QB Jacoby Brissett
Have you heard of Jacoby Brissett? Every year there are guys who place themselves on the top of stat charts with a ridiculous amount of touchdowns, passing yards or a high passing percentage. Yet every year the guy who tops those charts isn’t necessarily the best quarterback going into the NFL draft next year. Future quarterbacks are clearly regarded for their stats but there are other factors for college success that don’t translate to the professional level. Some guys are able to play at a high level because of the lack of competition, some guys play in a system that allows them to make the easy reads, other guys have all the quarterback qualities you want they just happen to stand under the 6’2 line of “traditional” quarterback height and or 220 lbs of weight.
Today I want to take a look at a guy by the name of Jacoby Brissett, quarterback for North Carolina State. Brissett passes all the initial questions, plays in the ACC, takes snaps from under center in a pro style offense and is listed at 6’4 235lbs. Brissett is a guy who has all the tools to be an NFL quarterback. Lets take a look at what he provides:
Brissett is a guy who can thread the needle at any time. He makes solid and efficient throws almost every time he drops back. Not only that but the guy is somewhat of a playmaker, here’s a clip of that (my apologies to FSU fans)
So what does he do well? Makes great reads, can go through progressions, he is his own play-maker, has the physical tools to succeed at the next level and plays against quality competition week in and out. He’s a guy who makes the easy throws and can lead you down the field, in 2014 despite an 8-5 record Brissett threw 23 touchdowns against only 5 interceptions.
For Brissett, those things alone will have him on somebody’s roster come next September but there are issues for why he’s not regarded as the king of the quarterbacks.
With the position that Brissett plays sometimes it’s not the quantity of flaws you have but the quality of them. I like Jacoby Brissett and I like him as a quarterback; the problem is that far too often he’s on the run he pulls the football down too fast to be successful in the NFL. He’s a guy who feels pressure and channels his inner Ron Dayne. It’s fun to watch in college but it’s both helped and hindered him as a quarterback and with the upgrade to the professional level his running abilities will only further diminish and his lack of pocket presence will create a glaring issue.
Here’s a clip against Clemson in a game where he was pressured constantly and turned in one of his worst performances of 2014
As you can see in the clip Brissett pulled the ball down while he still had time in the pocket, his ability to not direct his receivers into open space and his awareness in the pocket are going to create red flags in the draft next year.
So what doesn’t he do well? He runs, and he runs far too often. Ben Roethlisberger makes incredible throws on the run but he makes his money in the pocket. Brissett is going to have to learn how to be more of a pocket passer and create a more efficient in the pocket clock. He takes a lot of hits because of his desire to run but if he would keep his head up and continue looking down field he could have an assortment of top 10 plays. With that he needs to understand that if nobody is open it’s ok to throw the ball away. At the next level 10 yards of running space will probably translate to 3 when you’re picking yourself off the turf. Most players who have the ball are asked to run north and south but if a guy like Brissett can extend the play east and west to throw it north and south then he can find success at the next level.
Like I said before it’s not about the quantity of flaws but the quality and for Jacoby those issues are going to need to be fixed if he wants his stock to rise.
For right now I see Brissett as a Day 3 prospect but if he finishes out the year well and improves on some of his flaws he could find himself moving up boards in a very unpolished quarterback class.