Top 10 Quarterbacks in the 2020 NFL Draft: No. 3 Justin Herbert, Oregon

2020 NFL Draft Prediction: Middle first round

Despite some disappointing moments in his senior season, Herbert will still be an intriguing option at quarterback for most teams in need of a quarterback. His arm strength and passing accuracy will make him a hot commodity in the 2020 NFL Draft. His ability to throw deep down the field with a solid accuracy rate will help many general managers overcome a few bad games in Herbert’s college career.

The Los Angeles Chargers would likely take on Herbert as the quarterback of the future. After releasing long-time quarterback Philip Rivers, they will be in need of a starting quarterback heading into 2020. They have many quality pieces on offense for Herbert to use, still retaining a large portion of their 2018 talent that brought them to the AFC Divisional round.

However, some rumors have suggested the Chargers would be interested in a free-agent quarterback, in a bid to “win-now”, rather than build for the future. Names like Tom Brady, Cam Newton and Teddy Bridgewater have been brought up as possible candidates at quarterback. It will depend on the machinations of the Chargers front office for 2020 if they decide to take Herbert or decide to wait another year for their franchise quarterback.

The Indianapolis Colts are likely to be interested in Herbert too, as Jacoby Brissett proved in 2019 to be an ineffective deep pass quarterback. The Colts also have a solid core of positional talent that could help Herbert succeed in 2020.

A really interesting potential landing spot for Herbert would be the freshly minted Las Vegas Raiders. The team will be in a precarious spot entering their first season in their newly adopted city. They dumped $1.84 billion into the construction of their stadium and are looking to avoid the situation the Chargers had when they moved to Los Angeles: alienating the previous cities fan base while arriving in a new city to find a disinterested population.

Current quarterback for the Raiders Derek Carr has had a few below-average seasons for the team now, and would only cost $7.5 million in dead cap space to move on from him this offseason. The front office might be interested in bringing in a new quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft to excite the local fan base and spend the savings from the Carr contract to surround him with big-name free-agents.

The Raiders may be lacking in big-name receiving threats, but with a solid coach like Jon Gruden and a fresh start in Las Vegas, Herbert could start a new chapter of his career, with a team specifically built around him.

Herbert had NFL scouts and coaches in the Senior Bowl practices absolutely ecstatic and is likely to have left a very good impression on NFL decision-makers while in Mobile. Herbert helped solidify himself in the Senior Bowl by throwing the first touchdown in the game. The throw epitomized all the good quarterback tendencies Herbert has when he is playing at his best.

The Oregon senior may not have had the 2019 season that Joe Burrow did, but Herbert has been a consistent winner during his time playing for the Oregon Ducks and should be a hot quarterback name heading into the Combine. If he can keep this momentum going into Indianapolis, don’t be surprised if he moves past Tua on some team’s draft board.