Trevor Knight, Quarterback, Texas A&M: NFL Draft Scouting Report
Many college football fans have known about Trevor Knight for years now, as he initially started for Oklahoma as a freshman in 2013. He led the upset of Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, taking home MVP honors (348 yards, 4 touchdowns).
Unfortunately, the Sugar Bowl was likely the peak of Knight’s stardom, as injuries and the emergence of Baker Mayfield led to sparse playing time over the next two years and an eventual transfer to Texas A&M after the 2015 season. Since he had graduated from Oklahoma, he was able to play right away in 2016, starting 11 games for the Aggies.
Measurables
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 219 lbs
Arm Length: 30 5/8″
Hand Size: 9 7/8″
40 yard dash: 4.54 seconds
Games watched: Alabama (2013), Baylor, TCU, West Virginia, Iowa State (2014), TCU (2015), Auburn (2016)
Strengths
The biggest strength for Knight is undoubtedly his speed and escapability. Playing in a spread offense throughout college, Knight would often tuck and run after seeing his first read covered. This speed was confirmed at the combine, as he ran a 4.54 second 40 yard dash.
He ran for 614 yards and 10 touchdowns in 11 games for the Aggies in 2016. Running the ball is clearly a big part of his game, and this is the reason why some believe he may be able to play another position in the NFL. His size (6’1″ 219 lbs) could possibly work as a running back.
Here’s an epic run against Iowa State in 2014 when he was still a Sooner:
The former Sooner turned Aggies quarterback thrives when forced to improvise when a play breaks down. He is capable of making some phenomenal plays, even if the consistency isn’t always there. His deep ball accuracy has been very good at times, and his accuracy while throwing on the run is arguably as good as when he sets his feet:
Weaknesses
There are several areas of concern with Knight’s game that don’t bode well for his success at the next level.
His eagerness to run can lead to big plays, but more often than not it prevents him from noticing when a second or third read is breaking open. Many college quarterbacks have had to transition from a spread offense in recent years, and Knight faces as big a learning curve as anyone.
Knight’s poor accuracy will likely prevent him from being drafted next month. His completion percentage declined in each of his four college seasons, from 59% as a freshman to 53.3% as a senior. He tries to force balls quite a bit, often making throws without his feet set:
He has also has issues with staring down his receiver and making ill-advised decisions. On this throw against TCU, Knight stares down his receiver and almost gets picked off:
The former Sooner and Aggie possesses fairly average arm strength, especially struggling with throws to the sidelines and within intermediate distances.
Outlook
Knight’s mobility was able to mask his inaccuracy in college, but his game is unlikely to translate to the NFL. He needs a lot of work with reading defenses and working on his decision-making. One area that is not likely to improve to an NFL level is his accuracy issues. Completing 53% of passes in your Senior year of college is not going to project well to an NFL offense.
His size and speed may resemble an NFL running back, but there’s simply not enough to determine if he could make the switch at the next level. His best chance will be to develop on a teams practice squad for a few years as a quarterback.
I will be surprised if Knight is drafted at all, but will likely be signed on after the draft as a free agent.