2019 NFL Draft: Eight quarterbacks to watch out for
The 2018 NFL Draft is in the books, which means work on the 2019 NFL Draft begins. Here are eight quarterbacks to watch out for…
The oven is still hot from the 2018 NFL Draft, but we’re already looking forward to the football season and that means taking a look at some of the top draft-eligible quarterbacks for the 2019 NFL Draft.
Which ones are the most intriguing?
The class of 2019 is already getting a bad rap in comparison to the star-studded class of 2018, and rightly so. This year’s class featured a Heisman Trophy winner in Baker Mayfield to start off the first round, and a Heisman Trophy winner in Lamar Jackson to cap off the first round.
There was so much intrigue with guys like Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, and Josh Allen, and even mid-round guys like Mason Rudolph, Kyle Lauletta, Mike White, and Luke Falk.
Here’s a look at some of the most interesting players eligible for the 2019 class, in no particular order…
1. Justin Herbert, Oregon (Junior)
Herbert was injured last season, so we didn’t get a full season’s worth of work from him to evaluate, but he has great size at 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, and a quick release. Last season, he completed 67.5 percent of his passes with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions.
2. Drew Lock, Missouri (Senior)
Drew Lock is probably going to be the most highly anticipated quarterback in the country going into next season. He has a huge arm and put together some great performances for Missouri this past season, but he’s got to get his completion percentage up.
3. McKenzie Milton, UCF (Junior)
McKenzie Milton was the leader of the only undefeated team last season and had a humongous year statistically. Despite being just under 6-feet tall, Milton completed 67.1 percent of his passes with 37 passing touchdowns, just nine interceptions, and eight rushing touchdowns.
4. Jake Browning, Washington (Senior)
Jake Browning had a monster sophomore season at Washington, throwing 43 touchdown passes and just nine interceptions while completing over 62 percent of his passes. This past year, he took a pretty significant dip in the production department. He improved his completion percentage to 68.5 percent, however, and could be a candidate to re-emerge this season.
5. Jordan Ta’amu, Ole Miss (Senior)
Jordan Ta’amu transferred from junior college to Ole Miss where he became the starter about halfway through last season, and he played really well. He completed 66.5 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns and only four interceptions, and rushed for another four scores. There’s talent worth extracting here. Ta’amu is very athletic with a strong arm, and he makes good decisions with the ball. He could be a sleeper.
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6. Will Grier, West Virginia (Senior)
Grier is a former Florida transfer who has excelled in Dana Holgorsen’s offense at West Virginia. Perhaps he’s simply a product of the offense, but to me, Grier has shown some really nice traits for the next level and the ability to avoid pressure in the pocket and make some tough throws. He had 34 touchdowns and 12 interceptions this past season.
7. Trace McSorley, Penn State (Senior)
McSorley is a natural leader and playmaker at the quarterback position, but he’s slightly undersized and the ball doesn’t always come out of his hand with a clean spiral. Too many of his passes get wobbly, but he puts the ball on the money most of the time and he can make plays with his legs. McSorley has really good field vision, and is a big time playmaker in the clutch.
8. Jarrett Stidham, Auburn (Junior)
Jarrett Stidham’s got the size, athleticism, and big arm to play at the next level, but he’s raw. He’s playing in a very tough conference and I could see him being a player that takes a big leap forward in 2018. He does a good job of keeping his eyes downfield and moving around in the face of pressure, as well as improvising when protection breaks down.