So last weeks grades were.... Lawrence 3.5/10(changed), Fields 5/10. Lance 4/10, Wilson 6.5/10 and Mac 7.5/10 (10/10 would be the kind of performance you'd expect to see from a top 10 starting QB. So no rookie will likely get that. 5/10 is pretty good for a rookie. So none of these guys are doing really bad as of yet. But clearly some are not living up to the high expectations so far, while others are exceeding them.
Week 2 thoughts.
Mac - 8/10 - I think this week was even better than last week, admittedly he played lesser competition, but he got to show pretty much his entire skill set of where he is at now. And he is ready to start in this league tomorrow if need be. That being said, he missed a few reads and left some yards out there. Sometimes he plays a little too risk averse arguably. It's hard to find many faults with his game, outside of the lack of experience and a top tier arm. The narrative that his arm is bad isn't true though. That has been over blown, but it is true that he doesn't have a cannon and his fast ball is lacking a little compared to what you'd like to see, but it is generally good enough. Week 1&2 grade 15.5/20
Wilson - 8.5/10 - He was good last week but he absolutely was beastly for a rookie this week. Just about everything that can be said about Mac can be said about Wilson. He isn't quite the field general Mac is at this point, but he certainly has good command and awareness. What he does have that Mac doesn't is a superior set of physical tools, and they were on full display. One issue he has that may linger, is his mechanics aren't always perfect, and he doesn't always set himself like he should, even when given every chance to. He leans a bit too much on his physical gifts for my taste, and when he plays better competition that may become a problem. It caused some throws to potentially miss that might have been made if he just set himself. People often talk about how this is an easy fix, but a lot of guys don't tend to fix these things, they just either learn to get good at them or they keep making the same mistakes between otherwise good plays. His highs were higher but his lows were lower. Hopefully this isn't a trend and he won't flip flop week to week depending on how well his skill set is working for him, but it worked this week. Week 1&2 Grade 15/20. Some clear separation in the top QBs of preseason so far IMO.
Fields - 4.5/10 - I need to grade this on a bit of a curve, considering the pressure he was under all game. But part of this is his own fault. Teams don't respect his ability to set protections or read the hot route pre snap. And they aren't completely wrong about that. All that being the case. he made some very questionable throws, he ran and stopped looking to pass too often when he had an option of both, and his ball placement wasn't the best, in large part due to his mechanics. His tools were on display again, but they only take you so far. He looks much more raw than we were led to believe. I'd say he's a good year away even trying to start, unless you don't mind getting him killed. Week 1&2 Grade 9.5/20
Lance 4/10 - Same grade as last week, but if anything I feel like he regressed a little. He lacks touch on his passes. He made a lot of questionable choices he would not have gotten away with against starters or even top tier back ups. He seems to have not learned anything from last week, which potentially a problem. I wouldn't expect all the issues solved on a prospect we knew was so raw, but to not make strides anywhere? I don't like it. He had a similar game to Fields in that he made some incredible throws, but also seemed to not be ready to play at this level. His lack of awareness in particular worries me, as that is something i personally find players have a hard time improving. Usually you have it or you don't. Very worrying. Week 1&2 Grade 8/20
Lawrence 4.5/10 - I think he did better this week than last week (assuming he is done tonight). Again he didn't have a lot of help, but he took some steps forward as far as command on the field. That to me his is main issue right now. He's okay at processing the defense, hitting a spot and creating when needed. What he lacks the most at this point is command of the offense. He did a few things this game, but he didn't help himself pre snap much. He didn't call out protections or change the play. He didn't get his guys together to give them a pep up talk (not that I heard). He looks like a guy that is happy to put down his head, run the plays called and try to do his job within the confines of the calls. That isn't unusual for a rookie QB, but for a guy as polished as him, he seems to be very passive in how he approaches things. Which isn't good when your team needs a spark or need you to find a weakness in the D to attack. He may well grow into this role as time goes on, but right now he looks like a guy that is entirely dependent on what is around him, which isn't what you want to see from your QB. But like I said, he made some minor improvements in this area, at least from what it looked like to me. Week 1&2 Grade 8/20.
