Sam Darnold, QB, USC: 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Sam Darnold looks like he might be the best quarterback in the 2018 NFL draft. Does his scouting report back up such a claim?

Position:  QB

School:  USC

Year:  Sophomore

Height:  6’4″

Weight:  220 lbs

STRENGTHS:

• Arm strength is not an issue. Has more than enough juice on his throws to hit a receiver at any level of the field.
• Accuracy in general is solid. It really stands out though on deeper throws. Often able to fit a ball in to his receivers despite good coverage.
• Also accurate when throwing on the run. This will open up a lot of possibilities on roll outs and moving pocket plays.
• More than athletic enough for his size. While not a pure runner he can definitely keep plays alive with his feet and pick up the occasional first down.
• Just a natural playmaking instinct. Seems to be at his best when forced to improv. Makes a lot of big throws from awkward angles and positions.

Remember how coaches and executives constantly talk about the “things you just can’t teach”? This is what they’re talking about. The play breaks down. Darnold, using his athletic ability, avoids the pressure and keeps his head on a swivel. After evading to his left he throws the ball running to his opposite shoulder to a spot where only his receiver could get it. That is a throw maybe a handful of quarterbacks in the NFL can make.

• Certainly a clutch factor in his game. Several times over the past two seasons USC has needed him to make a drive or big play. He almost always delivered.
• Fearless both in his aggressive mentality and his willingness to take the hits. Also shows a short memory whenever he makes a mistake.
• Sells the pump fake while doing a good job of always keeping two hands on the ball. Can often get defensive backs to bite just enough.
• Constantly keeps his eyes down the field. Does the proper job of looking high-low, which is why he’s able to connect on a lot of big plays.

WEAKNESSES:

• Footwork is erratic at times. Relies a bit too much on his natural talent when it comes to positioning his feet for more accurate throws.
• Somewhat of an elongated delivery. Most of the time this isn’t a problem but it will open him up to a lot of strip sacks in the NFL.
• Not the most comfortable sitting in the pocket. Tends to start dancing around when he feels pressure. Can get happy feet.
• That in turn leads to problems him handling heavy blitz teams. Ohio State gave him a lot of problems in that department, which he’ll seen plenty of in the pros.

Darnold feels like a classic gunslinger quarterback. He’s simultaneously great and horrible when allowed to just go out there and freewheel it. On this play he gets pressure in his face late. Rather than just throwing it away (being out of the pocket) he instead just chucks it down field and should’ve been intercepted.

• Doesn’t always do the best job of reading coverage. He’s been caught a number of times by well-disciplined defenses for big turnovers.
• A little too unwilling to take the sack or throw the ball away. Constantly trying to save the play rather than just live for the next one.

Pro Comparison:  Ben Roethlisberger

An accurate way to put this is he’s a slightly smaller version of Big Ben. Darnold doesn’t have quite the thick build but the two share a lot of the same styles in common. They both throw accurate deep balls and came out of college with somewhat long, three-quarter deliveries. They are good on the move, don’t fear contact and seem to execute at their best in high-stakes situations. Yet at the same time they’ll have those games and occasional moments that make you cringe.

Projection:  Top 5

The only reason Roethlisberger lasted until #11 was because he came out of Miami of Ohio. Given that Darnold has done his work at USC, everybody knows about him. He’s reportedly a sharp kid and outstanding interview. Odds are he’ll crush the pre-draft process. At this point it is hard to seem him somehow dropping out of the top five and should be considered a heavy favorite to go #1 overall to Cleveland.