NFL Draft 2019: Midseason look at top QBs
MORE: Five weird things from Week 6 | Breaking down October's biggest games
About midway through the college football season is a great time to take stock of quarterbacks who will be eligible for the NFL Draft. Here are two players whose stock is up, staying steady and trending downward.
STOCK UP
Recruiting: Herbert committed to Oregon in October of his senior season. His only other offers came from Montana State, Northern Arizona and Portland State.
Stats: Herbert has completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 1,411 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. The Ducks had a bye this past weekend.
Farrell’s take: Herbert is another great find by Oregon as his only other offers were FCS schools and now some are talking about him as the No. 1 overall pick. He was a big, raw, dual-threat coming out of high school who could sling it but had some accuracy issues and some mechanical problems. He also looked skinny despite being 210 pounds or so out of high school. He’s filled out, has improved his accuracy greatly and is making good decisions. He’s big, he can move, he has a strong arm and he has all the intangibles that NFL scouts love. He’s moving up.
Recruiting: Haskins committed to Maryland in the spring before his senior season but he made it no secret that he would take other visits. The four-star quarterback took trips to Florida and Ohio State before flipping to the Buckeyes in mid-January leading up to Signing Day. He cancelled a trip to LSU after his pledge.
Stats: In a 49-26 win over Indiana this past weekend, Haskins finished 33 of 44 passing for 455 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions. On the season, the Heisman contender is completing 71.7 percent of his throws for 1,919 yards with 25 touchdowns and four picks.
Farrell’s take: Haskins burst onto the scene for us by winning the QB MVP at our Rivals Camp Series event in Baltimore, between his sophomore and junior year. The offers flew in after that. He ended up as a Rivals100 prospect by showing off excellent arm strength and good touch downfield. As a top five pro-style quarterback in the 2016 class, we liked his upside and even mentioned him as a better option than J.T. Barrett last season after the Oklahoma debacle. He is showing Ohio State fans that the passing game is in much better hands now and that he has emerged as one of the hottest NFL quarterback prospects in the country.
STOCK STEADY
Recruiting: Lock committed to Missouri in April of his junior year over Ohio State, Tennessee, Michigan State and others. His father and grandfather also played for the Tigers. Late pressure from Michigan added intrigue to Lock’s recruitment. According to reports, Lock said Jim Harbaugh told him he would never make it to the NFL if he chose Missouri.
Stats: Lock struggled in a 37-35 loss to South Carolina this past weekend that was played in part during a driving rainstorm where he finished 17 of 36 passing for 204 yards and two interceptions. So far this season, he has completed 59.9 percent of his passes for 1,487 yards with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Farrell’s take: I liked Lock a lot as a high school prospect even though he was tall, skinny and needed to fill out quite a bit. He was a bit of a project because of his frame, but he had a compact release and could get some zip on his passes. Lock struggled a bit throwing downfield and that still needs improvement although he’s come a long way. He broke out last season and he’s improved his accuracy greatly. Now that he’s a 225-pounder, his arm strength has improved quite a bit from high school and if he continues to improve, someone could take him in round one. He hasn’t killed it this year, but he hasn’t hurt his stock.
Recruiting: Grier committed to Florida following his sophomore season in high school and the Gators held on despite pushes from Auburn, North Carolina and others. He ended up winning the starting job in Gainesville but after a failed drug test, he missed half the season and chose to transfer to West Virginia.
Stats: In a 38-22 win over Kansas this past weekend, Grier had 332 passing yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. Grier has completed 71.1 percent of his passes this season for 1,819 yards with 21 touchdowns and six picks.
Farrell’s take: Grier was always a talented kid despite being a bit thin coming out of high school and we had him very highly ranked. His route to stardom has been an interesting one but he is putting up monster numbers once again for West Virginia this season. I always liked his ability to extend the play although his mechanics have always needed some work and I have never been a fan of his arm strength. But he’s had such a good year that he hasn’t come close to hurting himself when it comes to his draft stock.
STOCK DOWN
Recruiting: Originally a Texas Tech commit, Stidham backed off that pledge and ended up picking Baylor over Oregon and others in December of his senior season. After scandal hit Baylor, Stidham transferred to Waco (Texas) McLennan C.C. before picking Auburn.
Stats: Auburn lost at Mississippi State, 23-9, on Saturday night and Stidham finished 19 of 38 passes for 214 yards. On the season, Stidham is completing 60.1 percent of his throws for 1,177 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions.
Farrell’s take: We liked Stidham out of high school quite a bit, especially his mobility along with his pocket presence. His efficiency his senior year was off the charts and he’s always been good at taking care of the football. He was a Rivals100 prospect but never pushed that hard for a fifth star because he was always a bit inconsistent with his decision-making, mechanics and feel for the game during in-person evaluations.
I’m still waiting for him to break out as he’s been quite average this season and his stock has been hurt a bit as a result. He has so much talent, everyone is expecting more.
Recruiting: A two-star recruit out of high school, Fitzgerald picked Mississippi State over Middle Tennessee State, his only other offer.
Stats: So far this season, Fitzgerald is completing just 49.6 percent of his passes for 709 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. He leads the Bulldogs in rushing with 513 yards and four scores as well. In the win over Auburn on Saturday night, Fitzgerald hit on nine of 17 passes for 69 yards and a pick. He rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries.
Farrell’s take: Fitzgerald had good size and a frame to fill out as a prospect out of Georgia, but no one really saw an FBS player except for Dan Mullen and Mississippi State. Fitzgerald ran a run-first offense where he only threw for 778 yards and 10 scores his senior year but he did rush for nearly 1,500. There was just no way to tell he’d develop as the passer he has, although he has struggled this season. He’s still intriguing although still very raw, but his ability to run with his size and accuracy has him on NFL radars. A weak season so far has him sliding.
