2024 NFL Draft: Will the real Quinn Ewers please stand up?

Quinn Ewers is the single most polarizing quarterback prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Longhorn signal-caller is a former No. 1 overall recruit out of high school and has famously led the charge for the NIL generation of college football.

Quinn Ewers: The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Before Ewers ever took a snap at the collegiate level, he had a nine-figure NIL deal lined up. After a redshirt season at Ohio State, the gifted passer opted to transfer to Texas for more immediate playing time. It’s hard to crack the lineup when C.J. Stroud is entrenched as the starter; such is life.

His arrival to the burnt orange was met with hype and hysteria. Sporting a killer mullet and the moxie of a movie star, Ewers quickly made his mark on the Longhorn program. In only his second start, the former Buckeye carved up the Nick Saban-led defense before succumbing to an untimely injury that knocked him out of the game.

Ewers returned for the 2022 Red River Rivalry vs. hated rival Oklahoma. He proceeded to beat the brakes off the Sooners, spearheading a 49-0 rout. But this is where things get weird for the young signal-caller. Ewers’ play for the remainder of the year was inconsistent at its best and abysmal at its worst.

He had no problem getting up for the Alabama and Oklahoma games in 2022, but the rest of the schedule saw Ewers and his Longhorns sleepwalk more times than not. One of the biggest knocks on Ewers’ NFL Draft profile is consistency, after all.

The hope was a clean bill of health and another offseason in the system would lead to more consistent play in 2023. While Ewers is flexing more polish and refinement, especially concerning ball placement, he still could stand to improve in several areas.

Ewers Excelled vs. Premier NFL Draft Talent

Once again, Ewers cooked the Crimson Tide defense in Year 2 with Texas; this time, staying healthy all game and snatching a victory in Tuscaloosa. He immediately followed this up with a shaky performance vs. Wyoming.

To be fair, Ewers has been playing extremely well the past few weeks against Baylor, Kansas, and Oklahoma, respectively. However, his spotty decision-making did pop up with three interceptions across the last two games.

Consistency. Consistency. Consistency.

It cannot be said enough. The flashes of brilliance Ewers puts on tape have him firmly in top-five discussions at the 2024 NFL Draft. But the lowlights cause such pause that some draft analysts claim he isn’t even worth a Day 1 selection. As for my grade? It falls somewhere between the two extremes.

I would not take Quinn Ewers with that early of a draft pick, but his traits and steady improvement at Texas make him a worthwhile selection in the later portion of Round 1.

Ewers has enough arm strength to make any throw, even if the deep ball is incredibly inconsistent at this point. His ball placement continues to improve, as does his willingness to take what the defense gives him.

But overall decision-making will continue being a red flag until Ewers cuts out his several turnover-worthy plays. That is why consistency is the word that surrounds him and his NFL potential. The good is as good as it gets, the bad is as bad as it gets.

I, along with many, ask this question:
Will the real Quinn Ewers please stand up?

Quinn Ewers vs. Alabama

2022 - 9/12, 134 yards, 3 BTTs, 75 ADJ% (left with injury in first half)
2023 - 24/38, 349 yards, 3 TDs, 3 BTTs, 75 ADJ%

Total (6 Quarters; 1.5 Games) -

66% completion rate (33/50)
3 TD; 0 INT
483 Passing Yards
6 BTTs
0 TWPs
75 ADJ% rate

Quinn Ewers vs. Everyone Else

Total (14 Games) -

61.6% completion rate (265/430)
22 TD; 9 INT
3,395 Passing Yards
18 BTTs
16 TWPs

*all stats compiled via PFF