When I scout quarterbacks coming into the draft, I usually put them into a few categories. Elite level franchise quarterbacks, guys who should be taken in the middle rounds that could maybe be developed into something, and then people to just avoid altogether. Then there is one last category… the wildcards. These guys are harder to predict for reasons that vary.
I didn’t put my normal franchise stamp on Kyler Murray. Was he too short to make it? We’ve never seen someone that short make it, but I loved the talent. That’s a wildcard example. Dwayne Haskins one year starter but 50 touchdowns. Wildcard. Patrick Mahomes ability to make alien throws but his feet and decision making were a mess. Wildcard (that obviously has worked). Cardale Jones limited tape but top end plays looked great, wildcard (obviously hasn’t worked out). Whether it’s because of a lack of starts or there’s a red flag here or there, wildcards are hit and miss. Head coaches and surrounding talent can help that success rate.
In the 2020 NFL Draft, there is no bigger wildcard than Jordan Love. Are we getting the next Carson Wentz or a guy who will flame out of the league in two years? I don’t think anybody has a definitive answer yet. In a deep quarterback class, Jordan Love has a chance to disrupt everything you think you might know today.
Anytime we have someone like this, the Combine and Senior Bowl usually helps make the determining factor. How will Love perform at the Senior Bowl with a high level of competition on both sides of the ball? Carson Wentz answered that one pretty quick. It took about 2 minutes to realize he’s an alien. We don’t have that answer yet with Love playing at Utah State.
The Combine does a lot of things for me when I scout. How is a QB’s feet tied to his arm? Does he plant off the back foot? I don’t really care so much about the release. If Philip Rivers can get away with whatever he does, then who cares. Love has a rocket arm but his feet… well, they’re a mess.
I watched Love on a number of occasions. Every game I watched, there was a lot of this.
Watch that carefully. Again, this is against LSU so you don’t expect him to keep it close but more like keep it respectable. He didn’t do that. A lot of plays scrambling around and making dumb decisions. The good news is if you watch the clip over, he does try to reset his feet. That’s what you want to see.
The game I watched closely was Love against Colorado State. It just felt like all year Love never dominated the teams he should have. Instead, we saw a lot of his. Running around like a lunatic and throwing up prayers that had no chance of working.
Again, the positive is that Love does try to reset his feet. That’s what you want to see. There’s a lot of Jameis Winston here without the positives of Jameis Winston. That has to scare teams to death.
In 2018, Love was a 32 TD to 6 INT guy with 3,567 yards on 64 percent. In 2019, Love turned into a 20 TD to 17 INT guy with 3,402 yards on less than 62 percent. Did Love have a worse supporting cast? The evidence would say yes that he was pressured on more dropbacks. Utah State rushed for 37 touchdowns in 2018 compared to 16 in 2019. The offensive line fell apart. Still, that drop off isn’t excusable. If you can’t dominate at a small school, how are you going to do so in the NFL?
Love does some things really well. He delivers the ball on a rope. Love is mobile and moves around well. When he’s not running around like a lunatic, he can make accurate throws. The talent isn’t hard to spot. Reading coverages? Doesn’t look like it. Love looked much worse when his first read wasn’t open and was a big reason he threw 17 picks this year.
It’s way too soon to give a verdict on Jordan Love. Let’s see what he looks like at the Senior Bowl and Combine. The level of competition was all over the map and so was Love’s play. He was either an erratic mess or throwing darts. As far as the 2020 NFL Draft quarterback class is concerned, it’s hard to know just how good Love is. We have time to figure that out and Love is a player that can’t be ignored.
