Can you feel it in the air? The NFL draft is only 24 hours from now and no position group is more interesting than the quarterbacks.
It feels impossible to tell how many quarterbacks will go in the first round. It could be as low as one or as high as four to five, and outside of the top pick, it’s awfully hard to figure out who is going where.
With that in mind, let’s look at some of the top quarterbacks in this class and where they might go.
Cam Ward, Miami
Well, it’s no mystery where this guy is going.
Ward is a -20000 favorite to be the first overall choice and be the new franchise quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. That’s the only guarantee you have for tomorrow night.
Cam was electric in his lone season at the U. The Washington State transfer lit up college football with 39 touchdowns, the most in the FBS. His big-play ability, accuracy, and athleticism were on display every Saturday as he dragged Miami to a 10-3 record. Perhaps his defining moment of the season came while leading a 25-point comeback against Cal to preserve their playoff hopes.
He’s no perfect QB prospect, to be sure. In an ideal world, he would be a little taller, a little faster, and have bigger hands. Ward coughed up eight fumbles as he was often comfortable extending plays. There are some concerns about quick reads and release speed. I think his halftime exit from their bowl game is overblown, something only taken seriously by unserious people. Who can blame a presumptive top pick for not wanting to put his body on the line in a relatively meaningless game?
Tennessee has its guy now. Now it’s time to get him weapons, bolster his offensive line, and try to hit the ground running.
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Here’s where things get interesting. Sanders could go as high as third to the Giants. If you believe the rumors, he could fall out of the first round entirely. Where he falls tomorrow is anyone’s guess as of now.
Ask anyone their opinion of Shedeur, and it’s an instant lightning rod. Some think he has gifts that can’t be taught. Others view him as a product of nepotism and a weak set of opponents. Telling the truth, he’s a very normal quarterback prospect with a boatload of strengths and some potentially serious flaws.
If you’re looking for a prospect who is precise in the short game, look no further than Sanders. He completed 74% of his passes last year, showing mastery of the short and intermediate game. In fact, Sanders leaves college football with the all-time FBS career mark for completion percentage. Considering the workload he shouldered while leading the conference in passing attempts, his efficiency is nothing short of jaw-dropping.
The production on the whole is to be marveled at. On top of the completion percentage, Sanders led the Big 12 in yards, touchdowns, yards per attempt, and quarterback rating. He finishes his two-year career at Colorado with 64 touchdowns thrown compared to 13 interceptions. His ability to take care of the ball is impressive, to say the least.
The problems come with the big plays. Shedeur is more than capable of making tight-window throws and making plays with his legs. The biggest knock on him is the tendency to hold the ball and try too hard to make something happen. His time to throw was 110th amongst all FBS quarterbacks. On top of that, there are questions about his downfield arm strength. The accuracy is there — he was fourth in the FBS in deep ball completion percentage — but his ball can float at times. Whether or not he has the drive behind his throws to be a tight-window threat at the next level is up for debate.
Like I said, he has flaws. If he didn’t have flaws, the Titans would be calling his name. He’s got the floor of an excellent West Coast-style game manager and the upside for much more. Some team would be wise to give him the keys to the franchise.
Jalen Milroe, Alabama
You couldn’t find a prospect more different from Shedeur Sanders than Jalen Milroe.
The successor to former No. 1 pick Bryce Young, Milroe had big shoes to fill, and fill them he did. In two years as a starter, Milroe posted a 20-6 record while racking up 39 touchdowns via the air and 32 on the ground. He had some iconic moments as well. A walk-off touchdown against Auburn on fourth-and-31, 185 yards and four touchdowns on the ground against LSU, and 491 total yards of offense in a win over Georgia. Milroe had a way of showing up in the big moments.
Many of his big moments came at the expense of his team. He tossed 17 passes to the wrong team and lost eight fumbles across those two seasons. Milroe was prone to missing easy completions and sailing balls into coverage. He was also eager to leave good pockets in an attempt to run. He was just as likely to throw a dime 40 yards downfield as he was to chuck a ball over his receiver’s head into the waiting arms of the defense.
The physical traits are also boom-bust. His 4.40-second 40-yard dash at Alabama’s pro day was one of the fastest quarterback times ever recorded. On the flipside, his hand measurements are in the “yikes” territory. His height and weight are on the slighter side of things. Though he is strong, it’s fair to wonder if packing on the muscle necessary to keep taking hits will slow him down.
To Milroe’s credit, everything wrong with his game (besides the measurements) is fixable. He can work on accuracy on short throws, timing, and reading defenses. You can’t teach his level of athleticism, competitiveness, and big-play ability. It seems likely that a team will talk themselves into the Milroe Project during the first round tomorrow night.
Other First-Round Candidates: Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss; Tyler Shough, Louisville
Day Two Picks: Will Howard, Ohio State; Quinn Ewers, Texas; Kyle McCord, Syracuse
Day Three Dart Throws: Dillon Gabriel, Oregon; Riley Leonard, Notre Dame; Kurtis Rourke, Indiana; Donovan Smith, Houston; Kevin Jennings, SMU
