Dynasty Draftnik

Eagles, Round 1.

Postseason Events: Senior Bowl and NFL Combine.

Positives: He has a lot of experience in a prostyle offense in college, and has a lot of experience in pressure situations in the FCS playoffs. Solid build overall. Great height and bulk for the position, with above-average hand size. He throws with above-average accuracy on the run and when rolling to the left. Above-average accuracy on crossing routes over the middle. Adequate arm strength and above-average velocity. Nice touch on deep passes. For his size, he is surprisingly athletic and is a strong runner. He moves around well in the pocket under pressure and shows pretty good escapability. Is quick enough to sidestep pressure up the middle. He keeps his eyes downfield on the run and looks to pass before running. When he does run, he runs strong and protects the ball with both hands through traffic. Pretty good balance after contact on the run both low and high – surprising for his height. Pretty nimble on the sidelines – with nice agility for his size. Above-average speed and lateral quickness for his size. Keeps his legs churning through contact for extra yards. Above-average overall lower body explosiveness for the position in Combine drills. Very good ability to change directions with burst in Combine drills. Adequate track speed for the position, but above-average for his size. Had a high score on the Wonderlic test, for whatever that’s worth.

Negatives: Consistently underthrows deep passes. Overthrows on slant pattern in the red zone. He tends to eyeball receivers and shows late recognition of open receivers when he is under pressure. Misses better reads downfield. Will throw it into double coverage in the red zone. Will hold the ball too long in the pocket under pressure when he has a checkdown receiver – especially in the red zone when he seems to look for touchdowns at all cost (which can be good or bad). He throws with a long delivery. Has a surprising number of passes tipped at the line – surprising because of  his height. He will take off from the pocket too early at times when he has little pressure. Though he protects the ball well when he knows contact is coming, he shows consistently below-average ball security when he is moving around – both through the line and in the open field. Below-average vertical leap for the position. Broke bone in right wrist in October 2015 and missed next seven games, but was back for the FCS semifinals.

Pre-Draft Projection: Round 1, and possibly the number one overall pick. He is probably the best quarterback in a comparatively weak draft at the position. He is getting a lot of comparisons to both Joe Flacco and Andrew Luck, but I, personally, think those comparisons are too lofty for him. Sure, he has similar athleticism to Andrew Luck, and comes out of the FCS level like Joe Flacco, but I see his level as more of a Jimmy Garoppolo, who also came out of the FCS. Now, I really liked Garoppolo, but he was drafted in the 2^nd round because he is a 2^nd-Round quarterback – a guy who needs time to develop but who can be a solid starter given time. I think he’ll be a good starter in a couple of years, but he is not at Luck or Flacco’s level. But I’d love to be proven wrong on him, because I love an FCS underdog.

Rams, Round 1. He was a junior who declared early for the 2016 NFL Draft.

Postseason Events: NFL Combine.

Positives: He has great height and adequate bulk for the position. He throws with above-average accuracy on intermediate passes over the middle of the field. Consistently good touch and accuracy on deep passes, and nice touch at all levels. Above-average accuracy on the move and he sets his feet before throwing. His touch has improved over his college years. He throws with above-average arm strength and adequate velocity. Shows nice timing with his receivers coming out of their breaks, and consistently hits them coming out of their hitch routes – a tendency that also showed up at the Combine. Leads receivers consistently well on go routes and on passes to the flat. Patiently lets patterns develop. He is able to go through his progressions if he is given enough time. Is willing to throw the ball away, but is also not afraid of contact, and is very willing to stay in the pocket and deliver a pass when he knows he’s going to be hit. Moves pretty well inside the pocket under pressure. Overall, his mechanics are adequate, though inconsistent. Above-average game speed and adequate track speed for the position. Good play fakes. Pretty effective punter when he has to be.

Negatives: He ran a spread offense in college, so he may not be immediately ready for an NFL offense. Below-average hand size. Very inconsistent accuracy on intermediate crossing patterns where he has to lead receivers, and he will often throw behind them when they are on the move. Has a tendency to throw passes high. Below-average accuracy on intermediate throws to the boundary. Is often a little late on recognition over the middle. Seems to lock onto receivers when he’s rolling out and misses better opportunities in the middle of the field. Often throws into coverage. Misses many open reads under pressure. A bit of a long delivery. Inconsistently sets his feet when he’s passing inside the pocket. Though he moves well inside the pocket, he has a hard time sensing outside pressure (especially from the weak side) and needs to learn to step up inside the pocket. Under pressure, tends to just throw the ball up. Below-average ball security under pressure. Poor vertical leap for the position. Below-average overall lower body explosiveness in Combine drills. Below-average ability to change directions with burst in Combine drills. Separated right shoulder in November 2013, had surgery, and missed the rest of the year.

Pre-Draft Projection: Round 1, and possibly the first overall pick. I would view him as more of a second-round pick, but the premium value of the quarterback position will push him much higher than he should go. His ceiling may be Sam Bradford level.

Bills, Round 4. He was a junior who declared early for the 2016 NFL Draft.

Postseason Events: NFL Combine.

Positives: Excellent height and weight for the position – built like a good-sized tight end. Above-average hand size. Above-average accuracy on intermediate patterns. Willing to throw the ball away in the red zone and in the rest of the field. Seems to handle the pressure of a national championship in his third start pretty well. Pretty good escapability. Above-average speed and lateral quickness – and good for his size. Above-average balance after contact. Runs tough and with good power – willing to stiff arm and lower his shoulder as a runner. Churns very well through contact. Patient runner behind the line. Adequate track speed for the position, but above-average for his size. Good vertical leap for the position. Good arm strength and above-average velocity.

Negatives: Throws high consistently when he steps up in the pocket and when he is rolling to his left. Needs to learn when to vary his velocity – will consistently throw too hard on short passes and also float passes to the sideline that are nearly intercepted. Eyeballs receivers pretty hard, and will throw it into coverage even on short passes. Consistently holds the ball too long under pressure – especially near his own end zone – and nearly took safeties in both of the 2014 playoff games. Needs to know where he is on the field, and multiple times in 2014 bowl game he drifted back towards his own end zone escaping from pressure. Doesn’t consistently step into his throws when he is able to. Suspect ball security on the move and will hold the ball in one hand loosely while being tackled. Injured hamstring during 40-yard dash at Combine and didn’t participate in drills.

Pre-Draft Projection: Round 2. He is a physical specimen with very good athleticism, size, and strength. He is also very raw, with very few starts in college, but it looks like there is a lot to work with. Could eventually grow into a very good quarterback in the NFL, but can also regress and waste a lot some team’s time. Personally, I think he will develop into at least an adequate NFL starter, and his athleticism will earn some fantasy teams a lot of points.

Broncos, Round 1. He was a junior who declared early for the 2016 NFL draft.

Postseason Events: NFL Combine.

Positives: Though he was only a junior, he had nearly 40 games worth of experience in college as a quarterback. Ben Roethlisberger size, with a 6’7″ height and a proportional build. Great hand size. Above-average accuracy on the run to the left or right. Throws a catchable intermediate pass. Okay accuracy on passes down the sideline. Very good arm strength and has the velocity to fit the ball through tight windows. Stands very tall in the pocket. Keeps his eyes downfield on the run. Strong enough to be able to get rid of the ball even when he is in the grasp of defenders. Has above-average speed and athleticism for the size, and enough escapability and strength to avoid tacklers. Runs low in short-yardage and goal-line situations despite his height and generates good power through defenders for extra yards. Though his track speed is below average for the position, it is good for his size. Good vertical leap and overall lower-body explosiveness in Combine drills. Adequate ability to change directions with burst in Combine drills. Fair balance after contact. Above-average play fakes.

Negatives: He ran a spread offense in college, so his learning curve might be steeper in the NFL. Consistently below-average timing on crossing patterns, and will throw the ball behind receivers often. Below-average deep accuracy and inconsistent intermediate accuracy. Doesn’t see the field well and will miss obviously open receivers over the middle of the field. Below-average decisions on the run, and will often just throw the ball up for grabs, and needs to learn to just throw the ball away. Will force the ball into coverage in the red zone and just consistently chuck the ball up under pressure in the rest of the field. Has a long, three-quarter delivery. Has a hard time throwing with touch, and his trajectory always seems to come out flat and fast. Isn’t very quick going side to side, lacking elusiveness in the open field and having some trouble side-stepping defenders rushing up the middle. Not a willing blocker on outside runs. Below-average ball security on the run, and will hold it in one hand. Tore ACL in high school senior season and missed half of season. Slightly below-average track speed for the position.

Pre-Draft Projection: Round 1. I would probably rate him as a second- or third-round pick myself, but I’ve heard enough people talking about him going in Round 1 – potentially even as the first quarterback taken. Though I like his size, arm talent, and surprising athleticism, he lacks the accuracy and decision-making I would like in a first round quarterback. He should be at least an adequate NFL starter or a solid backup.