2018 NFL Draft: Lamar Jackson has ridiculous next-level potential

2018 NFL Draft: Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson has ridiculous next-level potential. Here’s why he could be the most dynamic player available…

It’s very rare that any quarterback prospect can channel the type of playmaking ability and physical talent that we have seen from reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson.

Jackson’s elite speed, arm strength, and knack for making plays are traits that remind me of one — and only one — prospect to come before him:

Mike Vick.

When Mike Vick came to the NFL as the top pick of the 2001 NFL Draft, there was really no one like him before, and honestly not many — if any at all — like him since. Quarterbacks that can run faster than the fastest running backs, receivers, and defensive backs but can drop the ball 70, 80 yards down the field with relative ease?

You can count those guys on one hand, and there are even less that can play at a high level in the NFL consistently.

Jackson is going to come into the NFL with an unfair scouting disadvantage that a guy at his size (6-foot-3, 211 pounds) with his speed won’t last at the next level in terms of taking hits as a runner. I think at this point, that’s a fair criticism given what we saw with Robert Griffin III, really the only recent prospect coming out of college who could do anything close to what we are seeing from Lamar Jackson.

Griffin, of course, was injured in the playoffs in his rookie season, and was never the same after that. The Redskins rushed him back into action, and Griffin’s injuries got worse and worse, and the league adapted to the style of football he played and the rest is history.

But while Griffin regressed fairly quickly, Mike Vick evolved over the course of his career. The crazy things he could do as a runner became secondary, although still a very effective weapon, and after coming back from his off-field incidents, Vick was a dynamic threat both as a quarterback and as a runner.

With Andy Reid and the Eagles, Vick became a 3,000 yard passer in addition to running for nine scores. Vick played MVP caliber football as his ability to process the game pre-snap evolved, and as his understanding of defensive tendencies evolved.

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Jackson is showing early signs that his evolution as a player is on a fast-track.

While Jackson is still one of the most impressive runners in all of college football, regardless of position, he’s become a much more refined player from the pocket this season. Like Vick, Jackson can simply flick his wrist and watch the ball travel with velocity and a perfect spiral pretty much anywhere on the field. It’s almost like Jackson is out there throwing a Nerf football or something.

He makes it look that easy.

His arm talent and running ability are two elite traits that some NFL team has to find a way to hone at the next level.

Jackson is the first quarterback in NCAA history to throw for 3,000 yards and run for 1,000 in two consecutive seasons. Statistically, he’s right on pace with his Heisman campaign a season ago.

The NFL is longing for young quarterbacks to step up and step into starting roles early on, and Jackson’s running ability could allow him to have better success at an early stage than any other player in this class. With his accuracy and consistency as a passer improving, this is a player that five years from now could be one of the most feared in the National Football League.

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