BGC 2018 DRAFT QB THREAD

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Lamar Jackson - Patriot-Type Player - QB - 6'3/210 - Louisville

Background

• Born Jan 7, 1997. Son of Felicia Jones & Lamar Jackson.

• From Pompano Beach, Florida. Went to Boynton Beach High School. Played 2 years at QB (22 passing/31 rushing TD’S)

• Father died at 8. Mother Felicia has been by his side, managing her son and keeping him on the right track. From school grades early on, working w/ a trainer to improve or emphasizing the importance of the bond between teammates. She's purposely stayed in background & sought no attention.

• Started 8 games as Freshman. Burst onto National stage after Music City Bowl. 227 passing yards/2 TD, 226 rushing yards/2 TD’s. Won a Heisman as a Soph.

Strengths

• 6’3/205 & has obvious room for some added muscle.

• Pocket Passer - Cannon for an arm that hit 70+ w/ flick of wrist. Tons of velocity coming off the ball. At times good placement & accuracy. Little wasted motion overall. Has almost “full body” throwing motion but generates power from hip through core. At times can hit deep stuff & throw w/ anticipation - Go, Post/corner, crossers etc but best working isolation - slant, skinny post (bang-8), seem. Handles flat curl/slant & checkdowns. Go’s through multiple progressions, will hit backside read, can work hi/low. Works l.o.s. pre-snap.
• Familiarity w/ Erhardt-Perkins system. Ran Pistol(triple) since high school & almost mastered Petrinos system by 20 years old. Very capable of coaching & learning.
• Great poise. Doesn't get flustered by pressure. Stands ground strong & throws w/ bodies around/touching him. If forced out will re-set, look at options & deliver a dart. Eyes/head are always focused down field on possible pass.

• Accuracy, overall play & grasp of system improved each year. (He did this while suffering from the highest drop rate from his WR'S & below avg line)
• Doesn't throw INT’S & understands importance of not turning the ball over is.
• Very good play action fake, pump fake. Will hold & move S’s & LB’s w/ his eyes.

• Experienced in shot gun & some under center.
• Rushing Weapon - Supreme rushing playmaker that leaves would-be tacklers humbled. Will juke, cut, or just run by almost anyone. Body bends & shifts to avoid touch. Legit 4.35-4.40 speed. Will not only force a spy but the entire defense to pay attention at all times. DB’s, esp will have a choice to make when he's on the move (go for the tackle or stay in coverage) Can take it the distance from anywhere or pick up easy yards defense gives up or can't account for. Smart will follow & look for blockers. Great acceleration & agility, even when tacklers take a great angle he can slip by. Even has stiff arm.
• Does a very good job avoiding big hit.
• Averaged over 6 yards per carry for his career (5.9, 6.0, 6.9)

Concerns

• Mechanics - Footwork needs some clean-up. Isn't always pointed towards target. Feet could be wider a touch. Could hold ball a little higher w/ a little more follow through to get it out quicker/higher. Would help a lot on short/quick plays. Needs to keep moving feet at all times.

• Pocket awareness can be inconsistent. Has to scan pocket as well as field.
• Inconsistent overall accuracy & placement
• Would like to see him take more command of the huddle/field overall.

• Ball security has to get better when on the move, esp around the pocket.
• Has to add weight. NFL is a different animal & 10-15 lbs isn't going to slow him down that much, if at all.

Outlook

Jackson is a fantastic prospect. By 20 y/o he almost mastered Petrinos offense (after being doubted by many), won a Heisman & is 1 of 2 players (Kaep)to throw for 9,000+ yards & rush for 4,000+ yards (9,043 yards 69 TD'S & 4,132 50 TD’S). He's only 21 y/o & shown he takes, wants to learn & be coached. He literally has it all & can do almost anything on the field. He'll probably never be Tom Brady or Steve Young in terms of accuracy, that's just never going to be his strongest asset. The beauty & brilliance of Jackson is that isn't have to be. And he's shown improvements the past few years. He only needs to be slightly improve in a few areas (mechanics, awareness, more command & he'll add weight when he fills out naturally) to become a really great player. We're not talking an overhaul here,more tinkering. Also when evaluating players you have project how a player will fit with other NFL players, schemes, coaches etc. Jackson's style absolutely works & succeeds. And he's hungry for coaching. One thing to note is he didn't play w/ many, NFL players in offense at all. He didn't have NFL talent around. Imagine what he could do w/ a serious line & skill players? A a top tier RB beside him like a Bell, Johnson or Lewis?
And I'd argue theres no better place to be developed than in New England. Imagine what Josh could do w/ an evolved Jackson 3 years from now? We've all seen some of spacing he got Brissett & Jimmy when they got their chance. What if that Jackson w/ wide open field in front of him? The possibilities w/ those two are scary.

Jackson is a 1st round QB & possible top 10 pick by my scale pick if he really shows out at the combine.

Pro Comp - cross between ...
Pocket - Kaepernick/Mariota
Rushing - Vick/Cunningham

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Lamar Jackson - Traits That Translate

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Should have a piece on Jackson, Josh, post-Bill/Tom out soon but there's Jackson eval.

Usually watch a game multiple times to get a feel for a players upper/lower movements, just looking at specific things and Jackson's report doubled that.

Amazing player. Best thing for him would be to sit, learn & add a lil muscle. Get him with some NFL players and goodnight. I'd be all in.

 

[Kontradiction]

Should have a piece on Jackson, Josh, post-Bill/Tom out soon but there's Jackson eval.

Usually watch a game multiple times to get a feel for a players upper/lower movements, just looking at specific things and Jackson's report doubled that.

Amazing player. Best thing for him would be to sit, learn & add a lil muscle. Get him with some NFL players and goodnight. I'd be all in.

Can you do tape reviews on him against Kentucky and LSU in 2016 and against Mississippi State in 2017 and detail what those teams did to confuse him? Were his struggles more against man or zone concepts? Which gaps did they pressure that forced him into hurrying throws?

 

[Snooky97]

I'm all in on Lamar Jackson. Sit him Behind Brady for a Few Years, and he will be very very good. I think he has a very good chance to be an exceptional QB

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Can you do tape reviews on him against Kentucky and LSU in 2016 and against Mississippi State in 2017 and detail what those teams did to confuse him? Were his struggles more against man or zone concepts? Which gaps did they pressure that forced him into hurrying throws?

Some game notes I took ...


LSU was coming off a high off having Ed O retained as HC. Guice broke out and that was the game he almost killed the kicker. UL secondary wasn't at full strength. Just an LSU game. Key dominated though. A theme for UL throughout the Jackson era. That Line was never that good & was no match for LSU'S talent on the defensive side. They just pressured him from everywhere.




Miss St prob played the best out of the bunch & that game was still very winnable.

They played tight man for the most part w/ some pattern matching (pretty sure they followed Samuels on most plays for matter what while switching/handing off others) & zone mixed in.

They were physical though. Noticealy, at the los & when the ball arrived.

Jackson had an easy TD drop. Few drop passes, including a few INTs that weren't his fault.

I thought they staff could have helped him a lot more with pressure. He had no RB & Miss St, along with others, this isn't a single case, would send pressure blind side or w/e & Louisville couldn't block it. Pressure for most part came inside and again that's kinda the norm for them as they don't have a great oline.



Kentucky played a little more loose. Coming off win. Looks like more zone but they played off too too keep an eye on Jackson. Same deal with pressure. Sent when UL couldn't protect which again was a few times a game. UL had chance to win. Jackson made errors but didn't lose it.


UL's OLine has never been that good while he was there. Teams with talent would just win 1 on 1's. A/B gap was usually a weak spot.

On top of that he didn't have playmakers at WR, RB, TE and there were many, many times when they didn't know what they were doing when he was scrambling. They wouldn't come back to the ball or run around. It was very surprising to see what he did with very little help.


LSU had momentum & talent. Just a bad time for UL.


UK & Miss ST both played intense 0-0 ball for 60 mins. Again Miss St had the best plan imo but UK wasn't far behind.

 

[Kontradiction]

Some game notes I took ...


LSU was coming off a high off having Ed O retained as HC. Guice broke out and that was the game he almost killed the kicker. UL secondary wasn't at full strength. Just an LSU game. Key dominated though. A theme for UL throughout the Jackson era. That Line was never that good & was no match for LSU'S talent on the defensive side. They just pressured him from everywhere.




Miss St prob played the best out of the bunch & that game was still very winnable.

They played tight man for the most part w/ some pattern matching (pretty sure they followed Samuels on most plays for matter what while switching/handing off others) & zone mixed in.

They were physical though. Noticealy, at the los & when the ball arrived.

Jackson had an easy TD drop. Few drop passes, including a few INTs that weren't his fault.

I thought they staff could have helped him a lot more with pressure. He had no RB & Miss St, along with others, this isn't a single case, would send pressure blind side or w/e & Louisville couldn't block it. Pressure for most part came inside and again that's kinda the norm for them as they don't have a great oline.



Kentucky played a little more loose. Coming off win. Looks like more zone but they played off too too keep an eye on Jackson. Same deal with pressure. Sent when UL couldn't protect which again was a few times a game. UL had chance to win. Jackson made errors but didn't lose it.


UL's OLine has never been that good while he was there. Teams with talent would just win 1 on 1's. A/B gap was usually a weak spot.

On top of that he didn't have playmakers at WR, RB, TE and there were many, many times when they didn't know what they were doing when he was scrambling. They wouldn't come back to the ball or run around. It was very surprising to see what he did with very little help.


LSU had momentum & talent. Just a bad time for UL.


UK & Miss ST both played intense 0-0 ball for 60 mins. Again Miss St had the best plan imo but UK wasn't far behind.

Appreciate it. I’m trying to come around on him. I’ve only scanned the thread so far, but plan to read it in full prior to draft day. Have you touched on what you see that makes you think he’d be a good fit for the E-P?

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Appreciate it. I’m trying to come around on him. I’ve only scanned the thread so far, but plan to read it in full prior to draft day. Have you touched on what you see that makes you think he’d be a good fit for the E-P?

N.p. After watching Brady it's not the easiest thing to get behind a guy who's accuracy will prob never be his strongest suit. Not an easy switch. But hes so young, improved so much & wants to learn. Plus it doesn't to TO's.

I was really impressed with what he'
done. Esp w/ very little to no NFL talent around him. Very high drop rate by wrs. And coaches didn't help him as much as they could. A lot was asked of him, he delivered imo.

Specifically to E.P. I think it would be a great fit bc of the simplicty of the language. I think it would be very easy on him at first thinking of an image rather than worrying about useless verbiage at first & overall.
Also I couldn't imagine a defense on earth that could keep up with Jackson when up tempo/no huddle with real NFL athletes around him.
Also E.P. focuses on using one side of the field with multiple plays. Lamar can hit backside reads, hi/low & already does some of this just under a different system/names.

Lamar is also vg in play action.


A mix of the "smash mouth" E.P. / Bill-Josh w/ some r.p.o.


I'd place heavy value on TE's & RB's to build around w/ a true home run threat outside like Cooks, Fuller (Watson), D-Jax, etc Running looks w/ big body targets up the seem, RB's/Slot running slant-flat-curl.


Again one thing I keep go back to is the lack of talent he had around him. That won't be the case in the NFL.

 

[PatriotSpy]

I want both logan woodside and lauletta. Get it done!

 

[Snooky97]

The other key thing is with Lamar Jackson is the patriots will put him in the best situation to win, like they have done with Tom.

Jackson will need to sit behind Tom for 1-3 years depending how long Tom can play..

I think he needs to get a bit stronger and learn to slide!! I feel that will come with time..

The other key thing is Josh McDaniels.. He gets unfairly treated on here at times, but he will give Jackson a very good offensive Scheme which will fit his skill set, like he does with Tom

 

[Snooky97]

I want both logan woodside and lauletta. Get it done!

Not Sold on Lauletta.. people are wanting to take him in the second round.. He's got a 4th round grade from me at the moment..

 

[Nonentity]

Not Sold on Lauletta.. people are wanting to take him in the second round.. He's got a 4th round grade from me at the moment..

What do you mean when you say a 4th round grade?

Mike Lombardi:

"When Bill joined the Browns in 1991, the two of us spent the better part of his first season designing our grading system. We wanted to define the prospect’s role on our team, and we wanted to predict how long it would take for him to achieve that role. That’s it. Instead of predicting rounds, our system forced our scouts to grade every player as (1) a starter, (2) a potential starter, (3) a developmental player, (4) a backup, or (5) someone who couldn’t make any NFL team. In Belichick’s room, no one was permitted to mention rounds — that job was for useless coffee-guzzling scouts and cliché-spouting TV commentators."

The 14 Best NFL Draft Prospects

So, Kyle Lauletta: which category do you think he falls in?

 

[Snooky97]

What do you mean when you say a 4th round grade?

Mike Lombardi:

"When Bill joined the Browns in 1991, the two of us spent the better part of his first season designing our grading system. We wanted to define the prospect’s role on our team, and we wanted to predict how long it would take for him to achieve that role. That’s it. Instead of predicting rounds, our system forced our scouts to grade every player as (1) a starter, (2) a potential starter, (3) a developmental player, (4) a backup, or (5) someone who couldn’t make any NFL team. In Belichick’s room, no one was permitted to mention rounds — that job was for useless coffee-guzzling scouts and cliché-spouting TV commentators."

The 14 Best NFL Draft Prospects

So, Kyle Lauletta: which category do you think he falls in?

Personally, 3

 

[Bourne Again Christian]

Personally, 3

2 to 3 for me

 

[Kontradiction]

I want both logan woodside and lauletta. Get it done!

Woodside is shooting up my pre-draft rankings. The kid has talent and can make all of the throws. He'd be excellent to groom behind Brady until Brady's ready to hang 'em up. The more I watch of him, the more I'm reminded of Brees during his Purdue days.

 

[Nonentity]

I think he's a 2-3 for me as well. He's a potential NFL starter, but he will need some time in development. QB is such a unique position with such a broad, difficult skill-set; unlike most other positions, you can't rotate the QB in and out of the game.

For me, Lauletta has all of the attributes to be a successful starter. He just needs a couple of years in NFL developmental.

 

[PatriotSpy]

Not Sold on Lauletta.. people are wanting to take him in the second round.. He's got a 4th round grade from me at the moment..

I agree. If he's there late, i'd nab him and put him 3rd on the depth chart. I see him as a backup unless he proves otherwise. He does have that Patriot way about him which I think would make him a good fit.

 

[PatriotSpy]

Woodside is shooting up my pre-draft rankings. The kid has talent and can make all of the throws. He'd be excellent to groom behind Brady until Brady's ready to hang 'em up. The more I watch of him, the more I'm reminded of Brees during his Purdue days.

Yup, Brees is a good comparison. The way he drops back and stands tall in the pocket. He looks bigger than he is. His accuracy fits well with our offense. I'm a believer.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Have said this for quite some time watching him live & cut ups in the off-season. Welcome the party Matt

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Lamar Jackson - Traits That Translate 2