Jake Fromm early 2020 NFL Draft scouting notes and thoughts

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm is eligible for the 2020 NFL Draft and could be one of the first players selected. Here are some notes on his game.

The 2020 NFL Draft could rival the 2012 and 2017 NFL Draft classes as one of the best we’ve seen in the last couple of decades.

One of the players who could be coveted most by NFL teams is Georgia Bulldogs star junior Jake Fromm.

Fromm led Georgia all the way to the College Football Playoff his true freshman season, and although the Bulldogs lost three games (including Fromm’s second loss to Alabama in as many years).

After completing just 50 percent of his throws against ‘Bama in the National Championship, Fromm came out firing in their 2018 SEC Championship matchup, connecting on 64.1 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and no interceptions as Georgia dropped a close one.

Can Fromm take down Alabama in year three? Does that matter for his NFL evaluation?

Opinions in the NFL Draft community on Twitter seem somewhat split on Fromm. Some feel like he’s got number one overall pick abilities, while some think he’s another Kirk Cousins type of guy.

I’m one of the suckers who fell for Fromm watching the QB1 show on Netflix during Fromm’s sensational freshman season at Georgia. Fromm comes across as an incredibly likable human being but he is also just a natural-born quarterback, it seems.

As it translates to the NFL, I think there are a couple of things I see from Fromm looking back at some of his biggest games on the biggest stages over the last two years that stand out.

Under Pressure

Fromm has a great offensive line in front of him at Georgia. In fact, many college football experts feel like it’s going to be the best offensive line in the country this season.

Because of that, it’s a bit concerning to see Fromm struggle so often under pressure, not to make throws under pressure but just to make plays at all. He eats a few too many sacks for my liking.

He’s not like Baker Mayfield, who simply refused to go down no matter what. Mayfield was able to occasionally turn on ‘backyard football’ mode in order to make plays off platform, outside the pocket, and off-schedule.

You don’t see that too much from Fromm.

On Schedule

This (Fromm’s willingness to eat sacks) plays into what I believe is one of Fromm’s best qualities and at times one of the things that also has kept people from truly believing he can be a top pick — he’s always on schedule.

Fromm keeps the offense moving and humming. He has a touchdown to interception ratio of 54:13 as a result.

When Fromm has a clean pocket, he can pick you apart.

He can run an up-tempo attack and beat defenses or he can sit under center and bore defenses to death by simply just taking what he’s given pre-snap.

But there are also times where this trait becomes a negative. Sometimes defenses know when Fromm is simply taking layups, and they try to steal a cookie from the cookie jar. This has resulted in a number of near interceptions or batted passes or plays that could have otherwise put Georgia in jeopardy of losing.

Most of the time, Fromm’s ability to keep everything on schedule is one of his best qualities, but it can hold him back as well.

Velocity issue?

I don’t see it. I just don’t see an issue here.

Fromm has no problem putting the ball from the far hash to the opposite sideline. He drives the ball downfield whenever he needs to, and he puts enough behind the ball with timing that I don’t see velocity being any issue whatsoever at the next level.

This seems like one of the big questions with Fromm, and while it’s apparent he doesn’t have the velocity of a guy like Josh Allen, I don’t think this is a detriment to his game or his translatability to the NFL.

Back shoulder master

There might not be a better quarterback in the country at making back shoulder throws. I had to hit rewind a number of times studying Fromm just to admire the timing, ball placement, and accuracy on some of these throws.

That throw is from just over midway through his true freshman season. It was clear early on in his career that Fromm had NFL caliber skills, and this is one of his best weapons.

This throw more than a year later in the 2018 SEC Championship game is one of the most ridiculous I’ve seen from Fromm.

Fromm certainly has areas where he can get better in 2019. He is not a finished product but not many guys his age are.

He will continue to be a polarizing prospect and every game he plays will be under the scrutiny of Draft experts, supporters, and critics alike.

The reality is, Fromm is going to be the type of player coaches love. He’s easy to like in terms of his intangible qualities and just how clean of a prospect he is off the field. It’s clear he is a student of the game who prepares well and knows his role as the leader of the team, which is so important transitioning from college to the NFL.

My money is on Fromm emerging as a true threat to be the number one overall pick in 2020.