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Is Justin Herbert under-hyped for the Chargers in 2020?

By Sayre Bedinger

MOBILE, AL - JANUARY 25: Quarterback Justin Herbert #10 from Oregon of the South Team warms up before the start of the 2020 Resse's Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 25, 2020 in Mobile, Alabama. The North Team defeated the South Team 34 to 17. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
MOBILE, AL - JANUARY 25: Quarterback Justin Herbert #10 from Oregon of the South Team warms up before the start of the 2020 Resse's Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 25, 2020 in Mobile, Alabama. The North Team defeated the South Team 34 to 17. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /
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Is rookie quarterback Justin Herbert under-hyped for the Chargers heading into 2020?

When quarterback prospects are hyped in the early portion of their college career, they go under the microscope and tend to get a little bit over-analyzed as time goes on.

This is especially true for Justin Herbert out of Oregon, who started as a true freshman and showed off his phenomenal arm talent and athleticism for four seasons, passing up potential QB1 status for the 2019 NFL Draft for what would ultimately be QB3 status for the 2020 NFL Draft.

The decision to return to school didn’t end up costing Herbert in terms of his draft status too much. He was still a top 10 pick (6th overall to the Chargers) but he took some shots from the NFL Draft community along the way.

Not that Herbert necessarily cares about that, but there were enough holes poked in his game throughout the 2019 season that it’s fair to wonder whether or not Herbert is being under-hyped heading into his rookie season in 2020.

How quickly can Herbert become the Chargers’ QB1?

One of the reasons Herbert is being sold short is possibly because the Chargers are not anointing him as their QB1 right away.

Veteran Tyrod Taylor served as Philip Rivers’ backup last season with the Chargers, and will presumably open the 2020 season as the team’s starting quarterback.

There are definitely aspects of Herbert’s game that are under-developed at this point, but there’s no question that he could go out and have at least a Josh Allen-type of impact for the Chargers right away.

People seem to forget that Herbert is an elite athlete at his position:

Interestingly enough, Herbert’s highest physical and athletic comp is Josh Allen, whose ability to make plays with his legs has propelled his career early on.

Herbert offers the same upside if the Chargers want to use him that way, and he’s certainly more accurate with the football as a passer than Allen was coming out of Wyoming a couple of years ago.

Next. 2021 NFL mock draft update. dark

Even though Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa deserved their pre-draft hype as prospects, their presence in this class along with Herbert being a bit over-analyzed has caused him to be one of the more underrated and under-hyped first-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft.

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