Top 10 Quarterbacks in the 2020 NFL Draft: No. 4 Jordan Love, Utah State

Film Review

When watching Love on film, it becomes immediately clear he is far from a finished product. There are serious issues with his quarterback mechanics, along with his decision-making. In 2019, he pressed a lot more than was necessary and made very risky throws to receivers that were wholly unqualified to be catching such difficult passes.

His best quality, however, is his ability to look a lot like Patrick Mahomes did when he was in college. Which is to say, a quarterback with shaky mechanics but a vertical pass that looks elite.

On top of having a strong vertical passing game, one of the first things you notice about Love as a quarterback is his accuracy. In the intermediate part of the field, Love will make passes over the middle of the field that at first seem highly questionable. But when you watch it on replay, Love’s passes are actually pretty accurate.

Love’s ball placement is excellent. Rarely do his passes land over or under the targeted receiver. His form when coming out of the snap is excellent. Everything from his ball release to his stance are fantastic and it shows that Love has the technique of a pro quarterback down. His quarterback fundamentals are outstanding.

Love also moves through his progressions well and gets the ball out of his hands quickly. In 2019, the loss of the previous season’s offensive line was noticeable, as Love was often rushed out of the pocket quickly and forced to make throws early, before the receiver’s routes could develop.

When Love throws the ball deep, it soars and it is obvious the Utah State quarterback has the arm strength to get the ball to every level of the field. He has a quick windup and releases the ball quickly, using both his raw arm strength and whole body to launch the ball downfield. His throws have very little hangtime and they reach their destination quickly.

Watching Love throw deep is exciting and terrifying at the same time because he will give his receivers an opportunity to get the ball, even when it isn’t advisable to do so.

Which is where Love’s downside comes in. Love presses far more often than you’d like to see. I watched multiple plays where open receivers within ten yards of the line of scrimmage were ignored for a contested-catch receiver further down the field. This doesn’t go so far as to indicate he has bad decision-making. But it does show that, in certain circumstances, he has far more faith in his receivers than he should.

The second and third throw in the video below is a good example of what I mean. Initially, the passes look like a bad decision, a miracle they were even completed. After rewinding it, you can see just how good Love’s placement of the ball is. It was still a bad decision to throw here, but at the very least we know he isn’t scared to throw into tight windows.

Love is an excellent scrambler, having come from high school as a dual-threat quarterback. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Love is sneaky fast and tough to bring down. While his deep passes are reminiscent of Mahomes in college, Love reminds me of Russell Wilson when he is running around. When the run is planned, he is fast and elusive.

Love had a lot of success running the ball in high school and could have been a quality dual-threat quarterback at Utah State. But design run plays were not often incorporated into the Aggies offense, as he only averaged 2.2 yards on 81 rushing attempts last season. To be fair though, several of those runs were the result of a collapsed pocket and Love needing to take the initiative on his own rather than designed runs.

During Love’s three seasons playing for Utah State, the coaches seemed more than content to let him throw the ball rather than design him some run plays. Whichever team selects him in the 2020 NFL Draft should attempt to incorporate his ability to run more often, as he is fast and elusive when running with the ball.

While Love can throw some questionable passes at times, the good on Love’s film far outweighs the bad. Considering the talent on the Utah State’s team, it is exceptional he was as productive as he was. The video below in the type of NFL throw general managers and scouts salivate over. In the 2020 NFL Draft, throws like this will determine a quarterback’s future.

Love still has a lot he needs to work on once he is in the NFL. His decision-making at times can be very sketchy. His deep passes can look immaculate in one play and suspect the next. As stated at the beginning of this film review, Love is far from a finished product.