Top 10 Quarterbacks in the 2020 NFL Draft: No. 6 Jake Fromm, Georgia

Film Review

Looking at Fromm’s statistics the past three seasons show a consistent college quarterback. In 2019, he had a 60.8 percent completion rate, 62 percent in 2017 and 67 percent in 2018. He threw for 2,860 yards this past season, which was a career-high for Fromm, but the passes only traveled an average of 7.4 yards, which was a career-low.

With single-digit interception rates his entire college career along with 24 touchdowns in his freshman and junior season, Fromm never got too high or too low.

Starting off in 2019, Fromm improved his passing in big play situations when compared to the 2018 season. Despite a slight decrease in completion percentage, Fromm earned 2,860 yards in 2019, an increase from 2018. According to PFF, on late downs, under pressure and no play-action situations Fromm improved his grades, making Fromm one of the best quarterbacks through the first six weeks of the season.

Watching his film, the young quarterback shows he is gifted athletically. At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, Fromm is not a behemoth out on the field, but he is physical enough to hold his own against pass-rushers. Fromm only took 15 sacks this season, which was the lowest rate he had playing for the past three seasons.

Fromm is slower than you’d like to see when reacting to pressure and his dropbacks are also on the slower end of the quarterback spectrum. He looks much more comfortable taking balls under center, but that may have more to do with the play calling than anything else.

Fromm thrives on the short and intermediate passes, which makes those throws from under center a good strategy for coach Smart to take advantage of. Fromm consistently takes advantage of slant routes and in-breaking routes, allowing his receivers to stay ahead of the defenders downfield.

His passes deeper than 15 yards are disappointing however. Fromm has the arm strength to get the ball there, but the passes have a long hang time in the air and in the NFL this will invite all sorts of problems from the opposing team’s secondary.

On the positive side, Fromm’s accuracy deep looks decent and he has the ability to place the ball where only his receivers can catch it. When he has the time in the pocket to make the throw, he can place the ball right on target.

Fromm does work through his progressions very efficiently and is well above average for most quarterbacks coming into the NFL. Except for perhaps Anthony Gordon from Washington State, there is no better quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft than Fromm to spread the ball around. Multiple plays this season Fromm moved on from his primary target quickly and found open receivers.

According to Sports-Reference.com, Fromm had six receivers with more than 200 yards receiving in 2019, indicating he can spread the ball around and build a rapport with several receivers at the same time.

On the flipside, Fromm has also enjoyed having several NFL-ready running backs on the Georgia roster, guaranteeing the game is not completely on his shoulders week to week. In his freshman season, Michel and Chubb accounted for 31 touchdowns for the Bulldogs, each surpassing 1,300 yards from scrimmage, per Sports-Reference.com. And from 2018-2019, Fromm had D’Andre Swift in the backfield with him, ensuring defenses took the run game seriously.

Fromm rarely puts the ball into dangerous situations, throwing just five interceptions in 2019, tied for tenth best in college football. While on its surface this may seem to be a good thing, he will leave plenty of yards on the field from his conservative decision-making. Fromm threw 2,860 yards in 2019, which was his most productive season at Georgia. But according to ESPN, this only made him the 46th best producer of yards in 2019, averaging 7.4 yards per pass.

Foregoing those long chunk plays makes his offense have to work for every yard and gives the impression Fromm is more of a game manager than a dynamic thrower of the football. How much of this is play calling versus Fromm’s choosing to throw short is hard to say. Fromm has shown in the past to have the ability to throw it deep and make the big plays that decide games.

Fromm is the prototypical quarterback who is going to keep the ball safe. He can also sling it down the field for large gains, in certain circumstances. Fromm had the sixth-best success rate in the red-zone in 2019 but was tied for 51st in 3rd down conversions, according to NCAA.com.

In the 2020 NFL Draft, there will be a handful of quarterbacks that can hold their own against NFL defenses. Fromm is one of those quarterbacks that can go out there and help a talented team win games. He can be a solid game manager, that can dink and dunk down the field, with safe passes and thrive in the quick passing game. And, at times, Fromm can make those big throws that open up a game for the offense.

But in the NFL, coaches will have to work with Fromm on his drop back speed and help teach him to take chances down the field if he is going to be a franchise quarterback a team can build around for a decade. They will also have to get Fromm to react quicker to pressure, as NFL pass-rushers will be much quicker to move in for the kill than their college contemporaries.

Fromm will have to show scouts he is open to training if he hopes to move up in the 2020 NFL Draft. But there is enough passing accuracy and solid quarterback mechanics on film to show he could be a starter in the NFL, either in 2020 or in the future.