2020 NFL Draft: Early look at top five quarterbacks

It is never too early to look towards the future, especially when we are talking quarterbacks. Today, we take a look at the top quarterbacks for the 2020 NFL Draft. There’s a lot of time between now and next April. Maybe something crazy will happen, like a first-round baseball pick wanting to put some pads on?

As always, if you would prefer to listen to the reasoning behind these rankings feel free to check out The NFL Mocks Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or below.

1. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

As it currently sits, Tua is atop the 2020 NFL draft class by the narrowest of margins in my opinion. Tagovailoa is at the top of this list for many reasons, beginning with the young man’s pocket presence. The relief given to offensive linemen from knowing where your quarterback will be is far too overlooked. In modern collegiate football, there are few programs who are asking these young signal callers to read progressions from within the pocket. This is not the case here.

What surprises me most about Tua’s pocket awareness is that unlike the “Statue in the Pocket” quarterbacks who are so limited physically they can’t leave the pocket, Tua has the ability to extend plays with his legs. Better yet, when the play finally breaks down he escapes well and avoids contact.

To me, that’s the aspect I’m investing in if I take him as the top quarterback next season. The idea that not only is he incredibly talented, at one point through six games last season he had just seven fewer touchdowns then completions, but he is also dedicated to greatness enough to develop a part of his game that goes against the initial “bail the pocket” instinct young mobile quarterbacks have.

Ask Mitch Trubisky how hard it is to turn off that little voice in your head telling you to get out of there before Jadeveon Clowney destroys you. Or better yet, this next guy.