As excited as I am about this draft, I’m really starting to get a bad bad feeling about it. Kyle Shanahan has basically said I AM DRAFTING THE PUDGY FUCKING WHITE GUY!!! throughout this whole process. Going so far as to say the entire front office is trying to talk him out of Jac Mones, uh, Mac Jones. ]
So, in other words, if the decision is to go with Jones, Shanny is saying FUCK YOU to the entire organization, up to and including recently minted Hall of Famer John Lynch. Stop me if you think this is crazy town, but isn’t the GM spot higher on the food chain than head coach? Yeah, Shanny OKed the Lynch hire, but at some point doesn’t Lynch have to say, for the betterment of the team, we need to go with the athletic QB that is the future, not the slow-footed guy who is a relic of the past.
I don’t know. I just don’t feel good about going with Jones.
San Francisco 49ers Forever 
Me too, but IF Kyle emphasizes the pass, an IF the o-line gets better (a lot better) at pass protection, then it will be a wait and see, those to IF’S are huge. If you ask me Kyle is not a risk taker during games, he wants to go the easy way, run and ball control. Not good in today’s NFL. I like to be the fly on the wall when he talks to his dad. I am pretty certain he is consulting with his dad.
I will jump off a Cliff into a bottomless Crater if
Mac McCorkle Jones is the pick!
Hypothetically would anybody really buy a McCorkle Jones jersey?
Jones will be just another long list of QB busts named Blaine Gabbert,Brandon Weeden, lesser scale but still Suck Blake Bortles,&Mitch Trubuttwipe and plenty of other 2nd stringers..
I feel you Chuck. I really don’t know which of the three potential picks or two out of the three or maybe all three will be a bust, but I just feel like our capacity to pass protect just does not equate to selecting Jones. So I’m girding myself based on what I’m reading about what Shanahan wants to do, for him picking the non-mobile quarterback. I hope that I am wrong, but I just don’t see our past protection getting to the level that could bring out the best in someone like Jones. Going to have a draft party and just wait and see. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much angst over a choice before.
That is what I said,
Let’s remember who pulled the finger (Trigger) on Solomon Thomas Chuck.
I get the impression from video clips I’ve seen that suggests Shanny gets choice on the Offensive side and Lynch holds serve on D.
I can forgive the numbers when it comes to the Draftee success rates, as it’s ultimately a shot in the dark regarding the leap from College to the NFL, at most any position.
Given the price paid to get to Pick 3, you have to be absolutley SOLD on the guy you’re buying.
I’m guessing they are simply playing the smokescreen game, while recognizing that 2 teams ahead of them can do anything to screw up expectations.
I’ll be fine with whomever Shanny believes is the guy to run the team, as it’s blatantly obvious, they don’t have much faith in Jimmy.
Let me remind you of my nagging curiousity about the Belichick Triangle involving Houston too.
Odd Man out is Deshaun by all indications.
Caserio and Bill have connections to Jimmy via the Pats.
Lynch needs to get back at least what we paid for Jimmy, a 2.
Given the Trade Chart params, a future 1 is equal to a 2 also.
If they don’t deal Jimmy this week, I’d guess no one is willing to pay much for Jimmy’s services up front and, will put pressure on Lynch to sell cheap.
Lynch is not a Draft Board guru by any stretch.
We’ll know the answers soon enough.
I’m also reminded of the move Walsh made to get Jerry, which makes me think QB may be too obvious.
https://tinyurl.com/5c959u7d
Much different scenario there. We had Joe. And Dallas was gonna get Rice with then19th pick iirc.
I’m hoping we draft Jones and would still be very happy if we took Fields instead.
I won’t be happy but hey, nothing to be done about it.
Honestly, none of us will know if we are going to be happy with anybody we pick for a year to 3 years. If we draft Jones and he does great I’ll probably rib you guys for a while. If we draft him and he busts I’m going to probably get buzzed back. That’s fair.
Yeah, this isn’t anything that will be resolved in the short term. 2023 is about the time frame. If we don’t keep Jimmy G.
Tomorrow night can’t come soon enough. I am literally sick of all this shit.
Yeah Winder I’ve never been this excited and possibly depressed about a draft since they screwed up and took Solomon Thomas number 3 in 2017! Will it happen again?
If Kyle picks M Jones, this will be the second coming of A Smith. So there are only 3 scenarios, 1. They get rid of JG, Jones starts, I predict he will get hurt within the 1st, 3-6 games due to no pass protection, 2. They keep JG and he gets hurt, again. So in comes Jones still no pass protection and wala, he gets hurt. 3. Kyle takes the O-line aside and tells them to learn to pass protect or your gone. If the O-line gets the job done then we as fans and the rest of the league will be able to evaluate Jones on how good he is. I have said it before you cannot evaluate a QB who is getting sacked or running for his life
I think the sieve in the pass blocking is McGlinchey. He is a very good run blocker. I would like to see him either improve his pass blocking or get replaced.
I don’t know, wish I still had the article when the picked up that center, he said afterwards “I love the run”. Made me want to puke 🤮
All linemen love the run. They get to attack. In pass blocking they have to retreat and absorb hits.
That’s what they get paid for and drafted
Regardless of what they get paid for, offensive linemen like to run block. I’m sure there is an exception or two out there but I have never heard one say he preferred pass blocking over run blocking.
McGlinchey just got his 5th year extended so they still believe in him somehow. But yeah he better get his shit together on pass protection!
Bob McGin from the Athletic
Robert S. McNamara, the U.S. Secretary of Defense under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, was the subject of the 2003 documentary “The Fog of War” in which the difficulty of decision-making in the midst of conflict was examined.
The layer of fog in NFL front offices continues to expand when it comes to their most vital decision: what to do at quarterback.
For the sake of argument, let’s say five quarterbacks are taken in the first 12 picks of the NFL Draft. It would be just the second time in history. The other was 1999, when it’s instructive to note that Tim Couch, Akili Smith and Cade McNown turned out to be busts just as Donovan McNabb and Daunte Culpepper made multiple Pro Bowls.
To most scouts, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence is a cut above the rest. Some compare him to Andrew Luck, meaning he’s a prospect that comes along every five to 10 years.
“He lacks for no physical traits,” said one veteran evaluator. “He’s as close to a sure thing as you can have.”
In my poll of 18 personnel evaluators, 14 rated Lawrence as the best quarterback. Brigham Young’s Zach Wilson drew three first-place votes and Ohio State’s Justin Fields had the other.
With a first-place vote worth five points, a second worth four and so on, Lawrence led with 84 points followed by Wilson with 64, Fields with 53, North Dakota State’s Trey Lance with 38 and Alabama’s Mac Jones with 30. One point went to Florida’s Kyle Trask.
Perhaps more interesting was the fact not one scout picked Lawrence as the quarterback with the best chance to bust. With 16 scouts willing to toss a dart, the bust count showed 7½ hits for Lance, 3½ for Wilson, three for Fields and two for Jones.
During these hours of interviewing, not one scout said this was a great group of quarterbacks. Yet, so many teams high atop the draft are fully prepared to risk everything on prospects such as Wilson, Fields, Lance and Jones.
“This system — I can’t even describe how broken it is,” a longtime executive in personnel said. “Every quarterback has a handler or coach from the time they’re in the seventh or eighth grade. Then they play a season, maybe two, in college and everybody says, ‘Well, you’re going to be a top-10 pick, so you’ve got to come out.’ Now they come out with a wafer-thin résumé.
“The phrase is, ‘You can’t win in the NFL without a quarterback.’ Then all these teams that are at the top fall all over themselves to say, ‘We’re going to improve and get better. We’re never going to be up here again. We better take one.’
“It is a vicious cycle, and I don’t know how it ever resolves itself.”
Quarterbacks have gone off 1-2-3 twice before (1971, 1999) but never 1-2-3-4. History could be made.
“If the draft truly goes 1-2-3-4, or even 1-2-3, it’s absurd,” the executive added. “It is a rush to the altar. It’s so over the top. But I’m not surprised. It’s the NFL.”
Wilson had to compete just to lock down the starting job at BYU last season. Fields needs development reading defenses and must reduce his poor decisions. Lance made 17 career starts for the FCS Bison, including just one unimpressive start in 2020. Jones has physical limitations that might get exposed in the NFL.
Jones is the only one of the four that was in college for four years, and his first season was spent as a redshirt. Wilson, Fields and Lance are third-year juniors.
“I think there is more hope than talent,” an AFC scout said. “People are so desperate for these guys. I don’t see (Patrick) Mahomes. I don’t see (Peyton) Manning. I don’t see Aaron Rodgers. I see maybe Russell Wilson.”
With highly-touted, highly-drafted quarterbacks being discarded left and right this offseason, one scout laughed at his profession. “And we’re going to sit up here and act like we know for sure,” he said.
There are other perfectly good options, too. Kyle Pitts has all-time tight end written all over him. Ja’Marr Chase owns the strongest consensus from scouts at wide receiver since Calvin Johnson.
“We put way too much on these quarterbacks’ plates,” said another evaluator. “We keep saying, ‘They’re bust, they’re busts, they’re busts.’ Well, take some pressure off them. They’re not all built to throw 40 times a week.”
He pointed to how Kansas City kept winning in conservative fashion with Alex Smith, and how Ryan Tannehill turned around his career in Tennessee.
“You run the ball effectively and you build it off play-action,” said the evaluator. “It wasn’t by accident that Tannehill became a good quarterback at Tennessee.”
The Chiefs went 11-5, 9-7, 11-5, 12-4 from 2013-16 with Smith under center, making the playoffs three times. Finally, when the scouts and coaches concluded that Mahomes met every requirement they had at the position, they boldly traded up to draft him in 2017 and won the Super Bowl in 2019.
“Nobody has patience anymore,” said another executive. “The Chiefs told (ownership) to relax. They waited five years for a quarterback. It’s social media … it’s what have you done for me in the last 24 hours.”
With highly-touted, highly-drafted quarterbacks being discarded left and right this offseason, one scout laughed at his profession. “And we’re going to sit up here and act like we know for sure,” he said.
There are other perfectly good options, too. Kyle Pitts has all-time tight end written all over him. Ja’Marr Chase owns the strongest consensus from scouts at wide receiver since Calvin Johnson.
“We put way too much on these quarterbacks’ plates,” said another evaluator. “We keep saying, ‘They’re bust, they’re busts, they’re busts.’ Well, take some pressure off them. They’re not all built to throw 40 times a week.”
He pointed to how Kansas City kept winning in conservative fashion with Alex Smith, and how Ryan Tannehill turned around his career in Tennessee.
“You run the ball effectively and you build it off play-action,” said the evaluator. “It wasn’t by accident that Tannehill became a good quarterback at Tennessee.”
The Chiefs went 11-5, 9-7, 11-5, 12-4 from 2013-16 with Smith under center, making the playoffs three times. Finally, when the scouts and coaches concluded that Mahomes met every requirement they had at the position, they boldly traded up to draft him in 2017 and won the Super Bowl in 2019.
“Nobody has patience anymore,” said another executive. “The Chiefs told (ownership) to relax. They waited five years for a quarterback. It’s social media … it’s what have you done for me in the last 24 hours.”
Two personnel evaluators argued that the Jets, who are expected to draft a quarterback at No. 2, just traded away a capable one in Sam Darnold, their choice at No. 3 in 2018. An NFC executive maintained Darnold would rank No. 1 in this year’s class, and an AFC executive had Darnold ranked ahead of everyone other than Lawrence.
“The biggest mistake made this year will be letting Darnold go to Carolina,” the AFC scout said. “He was caught in a bad situation.”
A year ago, the Packers traded up late in the first round to No. 26 and gambled on Utah State’s Jordan Love.
A fourth-year junior, Love could have been in this draft. Because he didn’t play a down as a rookie, clubs still view him as a draft-eligible player. Seventeen scouts agreed to slot Love as if he were part of this draft. One rated him second, three rated him fourth, four rated him fifth, six rated him sixth, one rated him seventh and two rated him eighth.
“He would fit right in with this group. He really would,” an AFC personnel chief said. “Potential and traits, and you wish you saw it more on tape for a longer period.”
The NFL’s leap of faith at quarterback kicks off next week.
Second half of article
1. Trevor Lawrence, Clemson (6-foot-5 ½, 213, no 40-yard dash time, Round 1 draft projection): Will follow in the footsteps of Joe Burrow as the No. 1 pick.
“He doesn’t have the same kind of downfield vision and pocket feel that Joe had, but he’s got a little bigger arm and maybe more raw movement skills,” said one scout. “I would rate Joe’s football IQ and ability to diagnose and deliver with accuracy higher. I would put Trevor’s arm strength and ability to make plays with his legs maybe a little higher. Both excellent prospects. That would have been a tough call if they were both were in the same class.”
A third-year junior, he went 34-2 as a starter. As a freshman, he led Clemson to the national title. “He’s kind of ready-made for it,” said a second scout. “He’s not as heavy as Andrew (Luck). You’d want to see a little more meat on the bones, but he’s still a big kid … Jacksonville has enough receivers, a 1,000-yard rusher and two good bookends (tackles). Even though Jacksonville isn’t very good defensively they still have three building blocks in Josh Allen, C.J. Henderson and Myles Jack, who arguably are the best players at their positions in that division (AFC South). With that cap space (league-high $39.4 million) and that amount of picks (10), it’s going to be really hard to see that guy fail …
“He’s just polished. I wouldn’t say he’s Josh Allen talent-wise. I wouldn’t say he’s got Pat Mahomes’ arm. But you don’t need to — to be able to score and to win and to lead. He’s done that his entire career. He’s played with a lot of talent but, yeah, he’s always won.”
Finished with an NFL-equivalent passer rating of 114.7. “Is he Josh Allen or Blake Bortles?” a third scout said. “Those are the two guys I see. I like Lawrence but the accuracy thing … how has he played the last couple years against SEC teams and Big Ten teams? He’s a better athlete than Ben Roethlisberger. Trevor Lawrence is a great athlete.”
Threw for scouts Feb. 12 before undergoing surgery four days later to repair the labrum in his left shoulder. Will be drafted without running a 40. “He’s got some glaring flaws,” a fourth scout said. “The ACC stinks. It’s a terrible conference. Everything was so easy for him. Now when he plays LSU, Ohio State this year, Miami, Virginia Tech, there were times he had to speed up and he looked average. When you put him against other elite competition he has not stepped up. When Deshaun Watson was there and he played Alabama two years in a row, that guy was by far the best player on the field. A superstar. I never saw that with Trevor Lawrence.”
His 10-inch hands were the second largest among the top 12 quarterbacks. From Cartersville, Ga.
2. Zach Wilson, Brigham Young (6-foot-2, 214, no 40 time, Round 1): Came out of nowhere in 2020 after a sophomore season in which his passer rating was a meager 84.9.
“There isn’t one scout in America that had Mac Jones and Zach Wilson in the top 5 back in the fall,” said one scout. “If they say that, they’re lying. A year ago, nobody knew his name … is he a pure passer? Yes. Is he a good enough athlete? Probably. Is he super explosive as an athlete? No. He is a pure passer more than anything else. He’s got a little Aaron Rodgers in him with that scissor kick and throw where both feet are off the ground. I think he probably picked that up from watching Rodgers.”
After winning a quarterback competition before the season, he compiled a passer rating of 138.2 for a career mark of 111.4. A second scout saw some Joe Montana in him. “Love him,” said a third scout. “He’s just a natural. He just has the movement, the looseness, the throwing from all angles, the jumping around in the pocket. His release is quick as hell. He is a nifty, elusive type in the pocket.”
Durability is an issue for some teams. They say he played at about 205 pounds before bulking up at pro day, when he didn’t run a 40. Had right shoulder surgery (2018) and right thumb surgery (2019). “If they put him on the ground a lot, it’s like he’s going to break,” a fourth scout said. Hands were 9½ inches. Some scouts have reservations about his ability to lead and blend in a locker room. From Draper, Utah.
3. Justin Fields, Ohio State (6-2 ½, 227, 4.46 40 time, Round 1): Attempted 39 passes in 12 games as a true freshman at Georgia in 2018 before transferring. Two-time Big Ten offensive player of the year for the Buckeyes.
“Tremendous,” said one scout. “Ran 4.44. He’s got all the tools to do it. I hate to bring up (Dwayne) Haskins and Terrelle Pryor or some of those other (Ohio State) quarterbacks there that haven’t done it.”
Career passer rating of 127.6. Also ran for 1,133 yards and 19 touchdowns. “He’s a very smart guy and I see all the tools,” a second scout said. “If he’s good, he can be Donovan McNabb. But he’s going to need that redshirt year to kind of mesh.”
Had some fabulous games and a few stinkers in 2020 as well. “He’s a knockoff Cam Newton,” said a third scout. “He’s typically been the biggest, strongest, fastest kid on the field his whole life. He has learned to play football that when they call a pass he drops back and looks. First read, second read, if they’re not there, take off and run. Or if there was pressure, take off and run. At Ohio State, basically the same thing happened. To have him doing full-field reads will be a challenge. At the same time, in the NFL, Cam Newton did that for a decade. If you craft an offense around his skill set and don’t try to jam him into some system that will corral his abilities, then he’s got a chance. If you try to turn him into the classic NFL quarterback, I think you’re going to be frustrated.”
Led the Buckeyes to a 1-2 record in the College Football Playoff. Has small hands (9 1/8). “He is one of the top athletes (at quarterback) of all time,” a fourth scout said. “Best thing Fields does is throw the deep ball. But is he Jameis Winston? That’s who I see. I see the best quarterback in the draft on one play and on the next play I see a guy that makes stupid mistakes. Throws off his back foot a lot. Has a lot of balls tipped. He’s a first-rounder, but I wouldn’t take him until the bottom.” From Kennesaw, Ga.
4. Trey Lance, North Dakota State (6-foot-4, 224, no 40 time, Round 1): Turned down the chance to play safety at his home-state Big Ten team (Minnesota) and spent three seasons in Fargo. Won all 17 of his starts.
“He and Jordan Love, there might not be much difference between them,” said one scout. “He’s not that accurate with the ball. He’s got some mechanical flaws. He drops his weight and then comes back up to kind of generate some power from his lower body. His accuracy is a little erratic. People say he’s a developmental guy. You’re going to draft this guy and sit him for a year? He needs to play. He’s thrown (318) passes in his life. Mahomes threw 300 passes in six weeks at Texas Tech. But how do you take the guy and throw him out there when he’s this green?”
Compiled a passer rating of 130.1 in 2019. In 2020, against a Central Arkansas team that finished 5-4, he had a passer rating of just 72.8 in a 39-28 victory. He also ran for 143 yards. “He might (bust) because of the competition,” said a second scout. “I would be scared as hell to have to draft him. Maybe you fall in love with the workout, then a year later you’re getting a divorce. He’s good but he’s not Cam Newton, I’ll tell you that right now. Don’t confuse him with Cam Newton. He won a (FBS) national championship. This kid’s coming from North Dakota State.”
Led the Bison to the FCS national title in 2019. Finished with a career passer rating of 125.3. Has small hands (9 1/8). “What scares me?” said a third scout. “Inability to throw a catchable football. If you really watch Trey Lance, all the receivers have to make unbelievable adjustments to his throws. He only throws 16 to 18 times a game because of the offense. He’s not a real thrower. I may be wrong on this but, my God, he’s at least three years away.” From Marshall, Minn.
5. Mac Jones, Alabama (6-2 ½, 217, 4.81 40 time, Round 1): Redshirted as a three-star recruit in 2017, carried a clipboard in ’18, made four starts for an injured Tua Tagovailoa in ’19 and went 13-0 for the national champs in ’20.
“If you throw away the way he looks, and he looks like shit, he’s a really good player,” said one scout. “People want to roll their eyes when you make a comparison with one of the greatest players ever. Is the guy going to win seven Super Bowls? I don’t know, but there are a lot of Tom Brady traits to this player. He’s got that kind of anticipation, that kind of arm. You want to look at him and say he’s not a good athlete, but he’s a functionally really good quarterback athlete. If you ask Tom Brady to scramble he looked like an old man even when he came out.”
His career passer rating of 138.2 edged Tagovailoa’s 138.1 and Baker Mayfield’s 131.1 at Oklahoma. “I love the kid at Alabama, but he’s not Tom Brady,” said a second scout. “Everyone’s trying to find that next Tom Brady or the next Peyton Manning, the non-mobile bell cow. Those guys are wired different. They’re culture guys. A year ago, they didn’t even think he’d be the starter at Alabama.”
Even wears his socks rolled over like Brady. Hands were 9¾.
“If he goes to San Francisco (No. 3), they’ll protect him with the run game,” said a third scout. “A lot of their passing is based on timing, rhythm and play-action. He should be able to do those things. But does he have an explosive arm? No. Does he have an explosive lower body? No. When push comes to shove, what’s the physical trait that gets him off the hook? Well, he doesn’t really have one. He’s got kind of a bad body … when people said he was going to the Saints in the 20s (No. 28), that made sense to me. To say he’s going to go 3 overall … as ridiculous as taking Zach Wilson is at 2, what’s even more absurd is the Niners taking Mac Jones at 3. I mean, good God.” From Jacksonville, Fla.
6. Kyle Trask, Florida (6-foot-5, 236, 5.08 40 time, Rounds 2-3): Compared by one scout to Ben Roethlisberger, although he noted that Big Ben (6-foot-5, 241) ran considerably faster (4.86) coming out of Miami (Ohio) in 2004.
“Nobody’s talking about him,” one scout said. “I’d take him over Lance. He’s a big, strong, tough kid. He’ll step up, and he can throw it. He’s got good enough arm strength. Second round.”
A high school backup in Manvel, Texas, he redshirted in 2016 and then didn’t become a starter until 2019. “I see Jared Goff,” said another scout. “He’s strictly a pocket guy. He has a high, three-quarters release. Quick release, tight ball. He can move around the pocket but he doesn’t have quickness. He does have good pocket awareness.”
Finished with a career passer rating of 117.1. “Similar to Jones,” said a third scout. “He’s a game manager. Average arm. He gets in rhythm good, but if he has to reset and throw it’s over with. He’s a backup type. If he ends up starting you’ve got a bad team.” Largest hands (10 1/8) of the top quarterbacks.
7. Davis Mills, Stanford (6-3 ½, 217, 4.80 40 time, Round 3): Top-ranked recruit out of Duluth, Ga. Redshirted in 2016 as he rehabilitated a high-school knee injury. Teams also have concerns about the condition of his shoulder.
“He’s a little bit more mobile than Trask,” said one scout. “They’re similar, but I’d take Trask. He could be an eventual starter. His accuracy is really good. Has some injury issues. Really hasn’t played a lot. He had command of the offense. He would get the ball out of his hand.”
Went 6-5 as a starter for the Cardinal with a career passer rating of 95.8. “He’s like a one-read robot where he just stares down (receivers),” a second scout said. “Just not a lot of natural feel for the game. His arm’s good enough. He can run some. He’s not a playmaker. He’s just kind of a one-read, systems-type player.” Hands were 9½.
8. Kellen Mond, Texas A&M (6-foot-2 ½, 208, 4.62 40 time, Round 4): Won the job as a true freshman in 2017 and held it all four years.
“Before the season I thought he’d be a free agent,” said one scout. “Now I’ve got him in the fifth or sixth (round). He’s got a strong arm. He’s a good straight-line athlete but he doesn’t adjust well to movement. He’s a little mechanical. He’ll be a competitive backup for someone.”
Showed major improvement as a senior with a passer rating of 104 compared to 71 in 2017, 91.3 in ’18 and 89.2 in ’19. His career mark was 90. “He’s a paint-by-numbers guy,” a second scout said. “He can’t improvise.”
Hands were 9 3/8. “He’s jumpy at everything he does,” a third scout said. “No poise. He’s stiff with his ball carriage and delivery. He can run in a straight line but he’s not fluid and he gets scared when people tackle him.” From San Antonio.
9. Ian Book, Notre Dame (6-foot-0, 211, 4.65 40 time, Round 5): Winningest quarterback in Fighting Irish history. His record was 30-5.
“He won me over this year where he had not in the past,” one scout said. “He’s a good athlete, gritty and tough. He protects the ball. He’s got a better arm than you want to give him credit for. His accuracy can be all over the place, but he doesn’t make bad decisions. He’ll be a good No. 3. He’ll try to be a good No. 2 but I just don’t see it happening.”
Only Brady Quinn remains ahead of him in the Notre Dame passing record book. Finished with a career passer rating of 101.7 while rushing for 1,518 yards and 17 TDs.
“He makes the plays with his feet, but I just didn’t think he had the arm,” said a second scout. “Accuracy was an issue. He looked to tuck it and run a lot. He lacked pocket poise.” Hands were 9 7/8. From El Dorado Hills, Calif.
10. Sam Ehlinger, Texas (6-foot-1, 220, 4.84 40 time, Round 5): Possibly the toughest quarterback in the draft.
“You could honestly probably play him at running back,” said one scout. “He’s tough enough that he’s played special teams. You want this kid on your team. He’s very genuine. The reason you’d be giving him a chance is because of who he is.”
Rushed for 1,907 yards and 33 TDs in a read-option offense designed around his aggressive running style. Fought through injuries throughout four starting seasons. “I don’t think he throws it well enough,” said a second scout. “If he’s your quarterback and he’s got to throw the ball, you’re going to come up short. He’s a great dude, a great teammate, a great leader.”
His career passer rating was 100.1. Hands were 9 5/8. “He’s a gamer,” said a third scout. From Austin, Texas.
11. Feleipe Franks, Arkansas (6-foot-6 ½, 234, 4.66 40 time, Round 6): Started 24 games at Florida from 2017-19 before suffering a broken ankle. Kyle Trask took over and Franks transferred to Arkansas after the season.
“He’s a big guy with a strong arm,” said one scout. “He’s not very mobile. Holds the ball. Indecisive. Excellent deep touch. If he has time in the pocket, then he’s good.”
Had a love-hate relationship with Gators fans. “Lots of fire and passion,” said another scout. Made nine starts for the Razorbacks in 2020. Career passer rating of 97.1. Hands were 9¾. “He was very inaccurate,” a third scout said. “The ball was all over the place.” From Crawfordsville, Fla.
12. Jamie Newman, Georgia (6-foot-3, 234, no 40 time, Round 7): Started 16 games at Wake Forest in 2018-19 before departing after it appeared the Demon Deacons were set to start sophomore Sam Hartman in 2020. “At Wake Forest he reminded me of Jordan Love,” said one scout. “He’s a big-time athlete and has a strong arm, but he wasn’t accurate.”
Was in position to start at Georgia but then opted out. “He said he wouldn’t have been prepared properly to play and be successful,” a second scout said. “Never got on the field with (Georgia) coaches because of COVID. He has the ability. He can run the ball. But I’m not sold on this kid.”
Career passer rating of 95. Hands were 9¾. From Graham, N.C.
Others: Peyton Ramsey, Northwestern; K.J. Costello, Mississippi State; Zach Smith, Tulsa; Shane Buechele, Southern Methodist; Brady White, Memphis.
The skinny
Unsung hero
Peyton Ramsey, Northwestern: Played a role in Indiana’s resurgence by making 23 starts from 2017-19. Joined the Wildcats as a graduate transfer in 2020 and went 7-2 for a team that reached the Big Ten Championship Game. Smart, seasoned, sufficient size (6-foot-2, 213 pounds) and sufficient speed (4.76 40 time). He’ll get an NFL opportunity.
I just heard Maiocco say that Fields gets sacked one in every 11 pass attempts. Wow. I thought his gift was supposed be avoiding those with his mobility. That probably means he locks in on deep routes. That will get you killed in the NFL.
Didn’t see enough to know what that means.
Obviously I’m guessing about why. Having the Ohio State talent at O-Line and getting sacked one in every 11 attempts is something that does need research. That is not a stat that transfers well to the pros. If he drops, that will probably be the reason.
Daniel Jeremiah a former Ravens scout, and I quote “when you pair up an elite play caller and a good QB, you will win a SB, but if you pair an elite play caller and an elite player…you become a dynasty.
Good article. Seems like overreaching for QBs is the new normal. Maybe we’ll take Pitts. Talk about weapons. Nah, it’s gonna be Jones.
Yeah, no shit. That’s how Trubiscuit went so high. Like they said, Wilson was fighting for a job to start last season.
There was no reason that’s rational to give up 2 first rd picks and the rest to pick a slug 🐌 non mobile QB like Jones in a league with faster and stronger players then ever before waiting to tee off licking their chops pulverizing Jones!
Shanahan on multiple times has said he needs a mobile QB like ,Murray,Wilson,Jackson,Allen,that can add dynamic mobility which is obvious with Fields are Lance. I still don’t understand the hate for Justin Fields who to me is the 2nd best QB in this draft and not behind Lawrence by much, he can make all the plays, very smart. strong arm on the deep routes, can run when a play breaks down with that 4.4 speed, Jesus what else do u need? Lance although way more Green would be ok with me as well.And who knows if even the Jets are locked in with Wilson ( who’s has some injury history) might take Fields who’s bigger and stronger and Wilson falls in they’re lap?
There are questions about his work ethic and now his epilepsy. Unfounded or not I have no idea. Just what I’ve heard.
New thread is up.