miloofcroton
Third String But Playing on Special Teams
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2017
- Messages
- 501
- Reaction score
- 543
I'm taking a quick look at the QBs again, starting with who played in the Senior Bowl and Shrine Game...
Lock doesn't look the part, to me. That release concerns me. Rivers has gotten away with it, but he's Rivers. He's also just not sharp, which is part accuracy and part arm strength.
Grier looks like Baker Mayfield except slower and with a weaker arm. I'd be concerned with him pulling cowboy stuff in the NFL. His arm strength is really going to hamper what his ceiling is, so I'd consider him a guy that would hamstring a team more than help them, if they ever had to rely on him as the #1 guy. That being said, he very well may be a starter. Hard to say what the bottom half of the NFL will do.
Easton Stick probably won't make a team next year. Didn't look good at all.
Brett Rypien, who I was excited to see, looks like a career backup in a West Coast system. Very tight mechanics but zero ability to make tough throws.
Trace McSorley looked surprisingly decent. Quick release, decent velocity, good mobility (which we knew), make quick decisions. I like him. I saw some horrible accuracy though, which is concerning.
Gardner Minshew looks very rough around the edges (e.g. why is he hopping between reads, why is he not throwing in rhythm, why is he holding onto the ball), but his mechanics and arm strength look pretty good. I saw tons of inaccuracy, but he could be a decent midround project.
Daniel Jones looks like a #1 overall type guy, just with his build, arm strength, and personality. I have a hard time believing there won't be a QB-needy team at the very top that won't fall in love with him. He didn't play great though.
Ryan Finley is super flat footed with a long windup, and he has a bad arm. So, he shouldn't even hear his name called in the draft, right? Well, he has good field vision and pretty good accuracy. I could see him getting with a QB coach that can get a lot more out of him, cleaning up his footwork and giving him a more powerful delivery. I wouldn't spend more than a late rounder on him, but he's a sleeper if you have the right coaches.
Tyree Jackson looks like a prospect that everyone will think the NFL is enamored with, but scouts are probably just trying to do their homework because he wasn't really even on the radar before declaring. He's just a guy with tools that no one will ever get anything more out of, most likely. You don't learn how to become a QB when you're already in the NFL. Also, his height is more a liability than a benefit.
Jarrett Stidham certainly passes the eye test. Reminds me a lot of Matt Stafford. Great lightness in the pocket, fast release, and rocket arm. He makes boneheaded plays here and there; can't say if it's just unluckiness or if he lacks awareness (like scrambling and getting strip-sacked). I do get the impression that he's an intelligent guy though, so I like him.
Jones and Stidham are both worthy of high picks, even though neither is without some red flags.
McSorley is an underdog with surprisingly big potential.
Finley and Minshew are both worth a look, albeit for very different reasons.
I'd pass on everyone else that I've seen.
Kinda disappointed that Thorson didn't play.
I'll do a quick eval of the three other QBs not mentioned who are, in my opinion, worth consideration.
Dwayne Haskins has a laser rocket arm, much like Stidham. His QB play is less polished, in terms of footwork and whatnot, but that is to be expected from a first year starter. He does float a lot of balls, but some would say this is 'touch'. With smaller windows in the NFL, he'll just not be able to get away with it as much. You saw him get pressued and stressed in some big games, but overall, I think he's a gamer. He shows a lot of confidence in throwing downfield, which is important.
Kyle Shurmur is a coach's son, but I'm ironically unimpressed with his decision making but impressed with his tools. He's kind of in the Gardner Minshew category for me. Worth a mid-late pick if you want a guy to try to develop for a couple years.
Thorson is mediocre in every way. Mediocre arm (looks good by college standards, but he floats everything and won't be able to take advantage of windows in the same way). To be fair, he was also coming off a knee injury, and I have seen more of a cannon out of him. Mediocre mobility (he can definitely throw on the run and move a little, but there are guys in the draft who are much quicker. Mediocre to good accuracy and decision making. I actually see shades of Haskins in him, but he looks different from game to game. Northwestern is a tough place to play QB though, so that's another thing to keep in mind.
He's 6'4" 220, and he has 4 years of starting experience, so he's kind of checking every box, but what is he really giving you? I'd take him with a mid rounder. Maybe a 3rd if I was confident enough. Again to be fair, the same could have been said about Tom Brady, and this is the most Tom Brady-like prospect in the draft, in my opinion.
Rank (grade):
1. Jones (1st)
2. Stidham (1st)
3. Haskins (1st)
4. McSorley (2nd)
5. Thorson (3rd)
5. Lock (3rd)
6. Finley (4th)
7. Minshew (6th)
8. Shurmur (6th)
9. Grier (7th)
10. Browning (7th)
11. Rypien (7th)
12. Jackson (UDFA)
13. Stick (UDFA)
The Pats could either hope one of the top 3 drops to them or even into the 10s/20s (a la Aaron Rodgers) and then move up for them, or they could focus on McSorley/Thorson/Finley, who are the only other guys who might be starters in the future.
Interestingly, the top 3 guys all have real questions about past experience and performance, and the next three guys (McSorley, Thorson, Finley) all have great resumes with experience and performance proving themselves. That will make for some interesting tension as the draft approaches.
edit: I might be giving too much credit to McSorley right now, since I'm projecting out a few things. I assume his inaccuracy in the Senior Bowl was not his normal.
edit #2: forgot to add Lock to my ranking
Lock doesn't look the part, to me. That release concerns me. Rivers has gotten away with it, but he's Rivers. He's also just not sharp, which is part accuracy and part arm strength.
Grier looks like Baker Mayfield except slower and with a weaker arm. I'd be concerned with him pulling cowboy stuff in the NFL. His arm strength is really going to hamper what his ceiling is, so I'd consider him a guy that would hamstring a team more than help them, if they ever had to rely on him as the #1 guy. That being said, he very well may be a starter. Hard to say what the bottom half of the NFL will do.
Easton Stick probably won't make a team next year. Didn't look good at all.
Brett Rypien, who I was excited to see, looks like a career backup in a West Coast system. Very tight mechanics but zero ability to make tough throws.
Trace McSorley looked surprisingly decent. Quick release, decent velocity, good mobility (which we knew), make quick decisions. I like him. I saw some horrible accuracy though, which is concerning.
Gardner Minshew looks very rough around the edges (e.g. why is he hopping between reads, why is he not throwing in rhythm, why is he holding onto the ball), but his mechanics and arm strength look pretty good. I saw tons of inaccuracy, but he could be a decent midround project.
Daniel Jones looks like a #1 overall type guy, just with his build, arm strength, and personality. I have a hard time believing there won't be a QB-needy team at the very top that won't fall in love with him. He didn't play great though.
Ryan Finley is super flat footed with a long windup, and he has a bad arm. So, he shouldn't even hear his name called in the draft, right? Well, he has good field vision and pretty good accuracy. I could see him getting with a QB coach that can get a lot more out of him, cleaning up his footwork and giving him a more powerful delivery. I wouldn't spend more than a late rounder on him, but he's a sleeper if you have the right coaches.
Tyree Jackson looks like a prospect that everyone will think the NFL is enamored with, but scouts are probably just trying to do their homework because he wasn't really even on the radar before declaring. He's just a guy with tools that no one will ever get anything more out of, most likely. You don't learn how to become a QB when you're already in the NFL. Also, his height is more a liability than a benefit.
Jarrett Stidham certainly passes the eye test. Reminds me a lot of Matt Stafford. Great lightness in the pocket, fast release, and rocket arm. He makes boneheaded plays here and there; can't say if it's just unluckiness or if he lacks awareness (like scrambling and getting strip-sacked). I do get the impression that he's an intelligent guy though, so I like him.
Jones and Stidham are both worthy of high picks, even though neither is without some red flags.
McSorley is an underdog with surprisingly big potential.
Finley and Minshew are both worth a look, albeit for very different reasons.
I'd pass on everyone else that I've seen.
Kinda disappointed that Thorson didn't play.
I'll do a quick eval of the three other QBs not mentioned who are, in my opinion, worth consideration.
Dwayne Haskins has a laser rocket arm, much like Stidham. His QB play is less polished, in terms of footwork and whatnot, but that is to be expected from a first year starter. He does float a lot of balls, but some would say this is 'touch'. With smaller windows in the NFL, he'll just not be able to get away with it as much. You saw him get pressued and stressed in some big games, but overall, I think he's a gamer. He shows a lot of confidence in throwing downfield, which is important.
Kyle Shurmur is a coach's son, but I'm ironically unimpressed with his decision making but impressed with his tools. He's kind of in the Gardner Minshew category for me. Worth a mid-late pick if you want a guy to try to develop for a couple years.
Thorson is mediocre in every way. Mediocre arm (looks good by college standards, but he floats everything and won't be able to take advantage of windows in the same way). To be fair, he was also coming off a knee injury, and I have seen more of a cannon out of him. Mediocre mobility (he can definitely throw on the run and move a little, but there are guys in the draft who are much quicker. Mediocre to good accuracy and decision making. I actually see shades of Haskins in him, but he looks different from game to game. Northwestern is a tough place to play QB though, so that's another thing to keep in mind.
He's 6'4" 220, and he has 4 years of starting experience, so he's kind of checking every box, but what is he really giving you? I'd take him with a mid rounder. Maybe a 3rd if I was confident enough. Again to be fair, the same could have been said about Tom Brady, and this is the most Tom Brady-like prospect in the draft, in my opinion.
Rank (grade):
1. Jones (1st)
2. Stidham (1st)
3. Haskins (1st)
4. McSorley (2nd)
5. Thorson (3rd)
5. Lock (3rd)
6. Finley (4th)
7. Minshew (6th)
8. Shurmur (6th)
9. Grier (7th)
10. Browning (7th)
11. Rypien (7th)
12. Jackson (UDFA)
13. Stick (UDFA)
The Pats could either hope one of the top 3 drops to them or even into the 10s/20s (a la Aaron Rodgers) and then move up for them, or they could focus on McSorley/Thorson/Finley, who are the only other guys who might be starters in the future.
Interestingly, the top 3 guys all have real questions about past experience and performance, and the next three guys (McSorley, Thorson, Finley) all have great resumes with experience and performance proving themselves. That will make for some interesting tension as the draft approaches.
edit: I might be giving too much credit to McSorley right now, since I'm projecting out a few things. I assume his inaccuracy in the Senior Bowl was not his normal.
edit #2: forgot to add Lock to my ranking
Last edited: