NFL Draft Stock Report: Quarterbacks
With the college football season entering the homestretch, we take a look at some of the NFL prospects who have helped or hurt their stock for April’s draft and those who remain rock steady. Today we take a look at the quarterbacks.
THREE-POINT STANCE: Saturday's Shine, Shame
STOCK GOING UP
Recruiting: In the spring before his senior season, Rosen committed to UCLA. At his commitment ceremony, Rosen said there would be three hats on the table – and they all turned out to be UCLA ones. Michigan was a top contender, and Rosen liked Stanford a lot, but the Cardinal did not offer.
Stats: In nine games, Rosen is completing about 62 percent of his passes for 3,094 yards with 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Farrell’s take: Despite some average games, Rosen’s stock has risen to where he’s considered the top quarterback in the draft by some. That wasn’t the case coming into the season, when everyone had him behind Sam Darnold. In all my years of scouting, Rosen was the best high school quarterback I’ve seen on film or in person (although Trevor Lawrence is quickly changing that). There’s something about his attitude and cockiness that leads you to believe the game will never be too big for him and that he will excel, regardless of the circumstances. We saw that already this season against Texas A&M, and others. I’m kicking myself that we didn’t keep him as No. 1 in 2015, and flipped him and Byron Cowart. That’s on me.
Recruiting: Mayfield walked on at Texas Tech even though he received offers from Washington State, FAU and Rice. He immediately became the starter for the Red Raiders and earned Big 12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year honors. However, he left Texas Tech at the end of the regular season and decided to transfer to Oklahoma.
Stats: In 10 games this season, Mayfield is completing more than 71 percent of his passes for 3,559 yards with 31 touchdowns and five picks. He’s also rushed for 231 yards and five scores.
Farrell’s take: Mayfield is winning over scouts with his toughness, ability to improvise and his arm talent. With a gunslinger’s mentality, Mayfield had a great high school career, but many felt he was a system kid and he didn’t get a ton of offers. That looks crazy now. I’m happy with his three-star ranking since we saw something none of the local schools did at least (he was a walk-on after all), but he has clearly outplayed his ranking and his leadership skills are off the charts.
STOCK HOLDING STEADY
Recruiting: Darnold committed to USC a few weeks after getting offered following a workout in front of the coaching staff. He did not prolong the recruiting process. Utah, Oregon, Duke, Northwestern and others were involved and some schools considered using him at tight end or linebacker.
Stats: Through 11 games, Darnold is completing about 63.5 percent of his passes for 3,198 yards with 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He’s also rushed for four scores.
Farrell’s take: All of the interceptions and fumbles still haven’t dropped Darnold on the list of many, as his upside is too tantalizing. Darnold is obviously playing better than his four-star ranking. He slid considerably after an underwhelming performance at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, where his arm strength was questioned, but that was clearly an anomaly. While Darnold had some throwing issues mechanically, he could run and hurt you with his arm or legs. He still could be the top pick in the NFL Draft, if he comes out. It will be a fun battle between him and Rosen. I still worry a bit about his laid-back demeanor (compared to Rosen) and his turnovers.
Recruiting: Jackson committed to Louisville during the summer before his senior season but still took official visits to Florida, Nebraska and Mississippi State. The biggest push came from the Gators.
Stats: Jackson is completing about 60 percent of his passes for 3,003 yards with 21 touchdowns and six interceptions through 10 games. He also leads the team in rushing with 1,176 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Farrell’s take: Jackson is still a tough projection to the NFL, because you don’t know if someone will take a chance on him in the first round because of his athletic ability. But he certainly hasn’t hurt himself. He was known by those of us who saw him at camps for his arm - he has a cannon with that whip delivery - but in high school he did a ton with his legs, as well. But there was no way to see how explosive he’d be at the next level. His speed has translated much better to college than I expected, as I've been surprised with his ability to run away from people so easily. Jackson is still a bit raw as a passer, but he is so dominant as a runner that he gets a lot of a space when inside or outside the pocket, as the entire pass rush is geared toward run containment. He is simply the most dynamic player we’ve seen in college football in quite some time. I’m happy we were only one of two networks to have him as a four-star (the others pegged him as a three-star), but it’s clear now we were watching a future five-star. That being said, the NFL isn’t sold on his ability in the pocket, and you already hear whispers of a possible position change as a pro.
STOCK GOING DOWN
Recruiting: In the summer before his senior season, Rudolph committed to Oklahoma State over LSU, Virginia Tech and many others. When Rudolph was first contacted by the Cowboys’ staff, he thought he would never end up in Stillwater, but a trip for the spring game sold him.
Stats: Nearly completing 65 percent of his passes, Rudolph has thrown for 3,690 yards with 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has also rushed for seven scores.
Farrell’s take: Rudolph is still a first-rounder in many early mocks and has even moved up on some boards, but I have not been as impressed as I hoped I would be this season. A four-star coming out of high school, he was a huge kid with a live arm who showed excellent accuracy for a signal-caller. He was tempted to just fire the ball on every throw. He chose the right offense, because he’s a quick decision-maker who is made for a spread offense where he can put up huge numbers. His size, as well as his quick decision-making, could still have him off the board in round one, but he’s had a few games where even his coaches seemed to lose confidence in him. That’s not a good sign.
Recruiting: Allen put up big numbers in the air and on the ground during his time at Reedley (Calif.) C.C., and it helped land him offers from Wyoming and Eastern Michigan. He announced his commitment a week before Christmas 2014. Indiana was also showing interest.
Stats: Allen is completing just 56 percent of his passes for 1,658 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. He leads the Cowboys with five rushing TDs, as well.
Farrell’s take: His poor performances against FBS competition have me down on Allen, despite his cannon of an arm. But is he this year’s Carson Wentz? He could be. Out of high school, there was nothing remarkable about Allen, aside from his height. He attended a high school of around 600 students and never really got any looks despite putting up solid numbers, as there were questions about his ability to handle the rush at the next level. His JUCO year did wonders for him, but still most chose to ignore him, including Rivals.com, as we had him as a two-star. Now he’s taken that dual-threat ability he showed in high school and JUCO to the D-I college level, and NFL scouts love him - even though I don’t.