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2020 NFL Draft: Time to jump aboard the Jordan Love hype train

By Jacob Schyvinck

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images /
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Utah State Aggies quarterback Jordan Love has immense potential for the 2020 NFL Draft.

The 2020 NFL Draft talk will revolve a lot around quarterback talk. The current headliners in the quarterback class are Oregon’s Justin Herbert and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa. While they are tops at the moment, the class isn’t just built on those two names. The name to watch for a big rise throughout the college football season is Utah State’s Jordan Love.

Quick Release

The first thing to note when it comes to Love is his quick release. Often times, we see quarterbacks come out who have longer deliveries, which makes it more difficult for them because they have to process and anticipate windows that much quicker to compensate for that delivery. Love has the quick release to get the ball out on time where it needs to go. The second video shows him getting the ball out quick on a key third-down against Michigan State.

Ball Placement

We talk a lot about “accuracy” when it comes to quarterback prospects and quarterbacks in the NFL. We use stats to contextualize that word, whether it be completion percentage or adjusted completion percentage. The word accuracy is tired and needs to be replaced. The real term we need is placement. Tracking placement, where the ball is placed by quarterbacks for their receivers, is the new way to scout quarterbacks.

After his quick release, the next trait that showed in a big way is Love’s placement at every level. He shows great touch on the ball when he needs to and can also zip the ball into tight windows. Here are a few examples of that.

In that second video, he’s patient, steps up to buy some time, and delivers this above a defender on the money.

On that 3rd and 11, with under two minutes to go in the game, Love finds his guy between a few defenders on a beautiful throw.

Here, against BYU, Jordan Love makes an excellent throw off play-action in the red zone between a couple of defenders.

The last one, even though it was dropped by his receiver. Love puts it right on the back shoulder deep down the field where no one but his receiver can make the play.

There are many more examples in my thread, but those few show the talent Love has for fitting the ball into tight windows. He’s not hesitant to make these throws either.

Off-Platform and Off-Schedule

Nowadays in the NFL, it’s important to note what a quarterback can do when things break down and you have to improvise. Yes, playing within the structure is important, but it’s also important to see how a quarterback responds to pressure and what he can do outside the pocket when the protection goes awry.

Love shows on tape a few examples of throwing on the run and making plays rolling left when he’s off his platform, footwork wise.

Love makes this throw on the run look very easy. He keeps his body controlled when he throws and doesn’t sacrifice his mechanics to make it.

First off, Jordan Love does well escaping the quick pressure applied by the defensive line but then delivers a strike rolling left. He’s got the arm to make these happen, and the placement to boot.

Right after the money throw, he made on that 3rd and 11 play discussed earlier, Love gets the team up and set for the snap, ends up rolling left and firing a dart on a comeback route. The arm strength shows here, along with his ability to put it on the money off-platform.

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What Can Love Improve On For 2019?

When it comes to Love’s development this year at Utah State, there are a couple of things I want to see.

First, the offense for the Aggies gives Love good first reads where he can get the ball out quickly and on time. However, there isn’t a lot of reading the full field for him in the offense. He often stares the first read down and waits for it to be open. When it isn’t, Love occasionally has a tendency to panic. So, in 2019, I want to see if Love can handle more when it comes to progressions and reading the defense.

Second, Love has a tendency to fade on his back foot when applying downfield touch on the ball. When he does so, his accuracy and placement falter a bit, and the ball ends up a bit short of the target. This isn’t a huge issue, as it only shows up a handful of times, but I want to make sure it isn’t a tendency that grows in 2019.

Games To Watch

Utah State plays in the Mountain West, so we will get to see Love play against the top teams in the conference, like Boise State, BYU and Nevada. That is nice, but it’s even better to get to see small school quarterbacks compete against top teams.

We get that luxury with Jordan Love in 2019. Utah State plays both Wake Forest and LSU, two teams in power five conferences. His game against LSU will be a difficult test, and that game is one to circle for those who follow the NFL draft and prospects closely.

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Where Love Stands

Right now, I have Love as the third-best quarterback in the 2020 NFL draft class, following Tagovailoa and Herbert. However, I believe that Love has extremely high potential, enough to elevate him from a mid-round grade (for most) into a surefire first-round selection.

The hype train is filling, folks. Don’t get on it too late.

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