The 2019 quarterback class have now had their chance to shine at the Combine, and although the depth of talent hasn’t generated the buzz of last year’s crop at the position, there are enough QB needy teams, to ensure there is still plenty of interest. The general consensus this year is that there are three potential first-round worthy QG, these being:
Kyler Murray – Oklahoma
Dwayne Haskins – Ohio State
Drew Lock – Missouri
Each has his plusses and minuses and right now the Combine has not really answered anything.
Kyler Murray is currently the trendy pick to go not only first amongst the QBs but No 1 overall given the rumours emanating from Arizona. However, despite winning the Heisman and putting up big numbers in the Big 12. He shines as a runner band is great throwing short passes in the pocket. His shorter stature makes him reminiscent of Russel Wilson and at 5-foot-10, 195lbs, he will need a decent OL to protect him. To us, he looks like a scheme player who in the right offensive set up could thrive – but given he has hardly been touched in the defense is optional Big 12 over the last two seasons his durability over a 16 week season (plus hopefully postseason) is a big question. Our other concerns are that although he turned up at the Combine he didn’t really do much – not taking part in any of the main disciplines and according to some failing to impress in the interviews (Jonny Manzeil anyone). If the Cardinals or a trade partner take him at no 1 it will either be a masterstroke or a bust – we can’t see any in-between.
Dwayne Haskins was a five-star recruit and has a strong arm and pocket-passing skills which NFL teams love. He may only have one year of starting experience, but he shone putting up 4831 yards passing and amassing 50 TDs. He was also sacked 20 times showing he is durable. At 6’3″ and 231lbs he is a more typical NFL starting QB and although his 5.04 40 yard dash was nothing to write home about it was good enough for a big pocket presence passer. He also took part in the Vertical Jump putting up a credible 28.5 inches. His last three college performances were outstanding and included scoring 6TDs against the much vaunted Michigan defense, putting up 499 yards against a good Northwestern team and leading Ohio state tom a narrow win over a loaded Washington in the Rose Bowl. He will slot well into any scheme and is the No1 QB on our board.
Drew Lock is a talented passer with a basketball background and an athletic skill set which he showed in the 3 cone drill & 20yd shuttle. His jumps were nothing to write home about but he did run a respectable 4.69 40 yard dash. He is going to be a mobile QB and the only issue is he is not the most accurate of passers and this may put a few teams off. Still, with the right coaching, he could end up a long term starter.
Round two-five possibles
Daniel Jones out of Duke has some admirers – however, he only had 22 TDs in 2018 and 5 of those came in a Bowl game against Temple and there are some accuracy issues. On the plus side, his supporting cast was not good and he is quite athletic for a big guy. He also only threw 9 interceptions. If he could be sat for a season or two he might be worth a punt in round 2-3.
Ryan Finley out of NC State could go anywhere from round 2-7 depending on whether any team has taken a shine for him. He is an accurate passer and a good game manager and his combine performances in the 40-yard dash and 20-yard shuttle showed he has some mobility. He has good size played in the stronger of the two ACC conferences. Like Jones above he should go in rounds 2-3.
Tyree Jackson is an intriguing prospect. Surprisingly mobile for a big guy (6’7″ and 245lb) he was a huge part of Buffalos run to a Bowl game last year (a rare occurrence) and his combine efforts were quite impressive. 4.59 for the 40. He will be viewed as a development project and could go in the later rounds.
Gardner Minshew had a great year with the Cougars taking Washington to within touching distance of the playoffs – only to fall at the last hurdle in a blizzard in the Apple Cup. Mike Leach helped pad his stats thanks to his “air raid” offensive strategy, however, he showed in the Alamo Bowl that he could tough it out and control the clock when it matters. He should be a solid backup or a development project and in our opinion a sleeper in the draft.
Will Grier like Gardner Minshew played in a pass-first offence with West Virginia last year and although he skipped Bowl season to focus on the draft showed a lot of ability all be it in a defence light Big 12. He has a big arm and like the others here would benefit from sitting and learning for a year or two. He would be a nice project for the likes of New Orleans, or New England who will have to start progression planning at some stage.
Possible late round picks
Trace McSorley – from Penn State is a little bit of an enigma. He had a good 40 at the combine and is the schools’ record holder throwing for 9,899 yards and 77 touchdowns during his career with the Nittany Lions, and he padded this with 1,697 yards and 30 TDs on the ground. So what’s the problem? Well, he regressed significantly last year once he lost his supporting cast of DaeSean Hamilton, Mike Gesicki, and Saquon Barkley. So is he really good or just lucky that he had quality around him making him look good? Our view is that some team will pick him late and see how he develops.
Easton Stick is trying to follow in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessor at North Dakota State Carson Weinz. ND state dominated the FCS again this year but his showings were not always great as anyone who suffered through the game against Illinois State will testify. If that was his only tape he wouldn’t get a sniff of a practice squad, however, he has some great performances too. So the problem is that he is wildly inconsistent and has played against sub-optimal opposition compared to what he will face in the NFL. He should find a team but it might be in the 7th round.
Jake Browning was a 4-year starter for Washington and perhaps he deserves a bit more credit than he is getting. However, he has not really shown much and despite leading the Huskies to the Rose Bowl last year 16 TDs and 10 interceptions are nothing to put on the resume.
Brett Rypien had a nice season with Boise but against lesser opposition. He is accurate and can scramble and is improving season by season. He should find a team late in the draft.
Best of the Rest
Nick Fitzgerald Mississippi State, Jarrett Stidham Auburn & Kyle Shurmur Vanderbilt should all find a team given they played in the SEC and Clayton Thorson should get a once over as he was a big factor in Northwestern’s surprisingly good season.
So overall we don’t see this as a vintage crop of QBs but 2-3 should go round one and eight should be gone before the end of round five.
