So, between living in the south and having some extended family who went to Auburn, I saw Stidham play most of his games over the past 2 years. If you asked me after his junior year, I would have told you he had a chance to play in the League. He wasn't elite at anything, but he was above average at everything. He could mostly make all the throws, keep his eyes downfield under pressure, occasionally throw receivers open and go through progressions. My attitude was: you put him in the right program, coach him up and don't rush him and he had some serious potential.
His senior year, as we all know, was a huge disappointment. It really started downhill when Kerryon Johnson and Kamaryn Pettway both declared for the NFL draft and Auburn suddenly couldn't run the ball worth a damn. Add in a poor offensive line, butterfingered receivers and an inept coaching staff and it all went to hell. As the season wore on, Stidham started regressing and developing some bad habits. His eyes didn't stay downfield as much and he would occasionally bail out of the pocket too early.
If you watched only his film from his senior year, you would be hard pressed to think he was an NFL quarterback. That's why this is such a great pick IMHO: you're getting great value in the fourth round for a shot at a starter quality quarterback. He proved in his junior season that he could play on the biggest stage and beat Georgia and Auburn in consecutive weeks. He doesn't need a perfect pocket to succeed but he does need some help.
Another way to look at it is to change Dwayne Haskins and Stidham's teams last year. Would Haskins be a first round pick if he played on Auburn last year? At OSU all the talent surrounding him was elite: he could sit in a rocking chair in the pocket and throw to NFL quality receivers. The running game was great. Does he do anything better than Stidham if the surrounding talent is comparable. Personally, I feel Stidham would have put up comparable numbers playing at OSU.
Look, am I telling you Stidham is a lock to be an NFL quarterback? Of course not, even most first rounders crash and burn. What I am saying is that you got 1st to 2nd round talent in the 4th round. That's great value
edited to add: I felt good for the kid after his bowl game against Purdue last year, when he threw for 5 tds, no interceptions and 300 yards. He had time to throw and was great.
(Errr, bad math, maybe 5. . . But under 40 same-same)
