8/15/2017 football Edit

Rivals QB Week: Highest-ranked SEC QBs in Rivals era

Mike Farrell • Rivals.com

Rivals National Columnist

It’s Rivals QB Week so we take a look back at the highest-ranked quarterback prospects signed by each Power Five conference. Today we continue with the SEC, a conference criticized for a lack of big-time quarterbacks, but with two young guns leading this list.

Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.

The skinny: Patterson originally committed to Arizona as a freshman, before re-opening his recruitment during the summer of 2014. He then committed to Ole Miss in early 2015, which led to his early enrollment with the Rebels. Patterson was likely to redshirt in 2016, but a knee injury to Chad Kelly forced him into the starting lineup, where he passed for 880 yards and six touchdowns as a starter during the last three games. Now he is firmly entrenched as the starting quarterback for Ole Miss.

Farrell’s take: Our No. 3 player in 2016 was someone I wasn’t sold on at first mainly because he was short. Now short is, of course, a relative term but the first time I saw Patterson, he was just pushing 6-feet tall. He’s now about 6-2, which still isn’t ideal by some NFL standards, but this kid has the same kind of moxie and “it” factor that the rare quarterbacks possess. Patterson has the ability to beat you with his arm and feet, and has nerves of steel down the stretch. There’s something about him that makes me think he will be great and his start in the SEC has been a good one.

The skinny: After considering several top programs, Stafford finally trimmed his list to Georgia and Texas before committing to the Bulldogs in mid-May. After passing for a combined 5,982 yards and 44 touchdowns during his sophomore and junior seasons, Stafford decided to forego his senior season. He was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in 2009 by Detroit, where despite dealing with some injury issues has developed into one of the more productive quarterbacks in the league. Stafford has reached the NFL Playoffs three times (where he is 0-3) and the Pro Bowl once in eight seasons.

Farrell’s take: Stafford had a cannon for an arm, could put the ball wherever he wanted and was mature beyond his years in the pocket. There was something about him that made you feel he could keep his team in any game or win any competition as long as he was focused and on. It’s not a surprise he went on to become the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and is having a very solid NFL career. He had one of the best arms I’ve seen out of high school.

The skinny: Eason committed to Georgia during the summer leading up to his senior season, but the firing of Mark Richt opened the door for several programs, which resulted in visits to Miami, Washington, Washington State and Florida. However, an official visit back to Athens sealed the deal for Eason as he stuck with his word and enrolled for the spring semester. Eason replaced Greyson Lambert in the Bulldogs' opener, and while having some ups and downs, finished with 2,430 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Now greater things are expected out of Eason this fall.

Farrell’s take: The first time I saw Eason, he immediately reminded me of Stafford, not only on the field but the way he looked. The mannerisms were so similar, although Eason is taller and has a bigger frame to fill out. Eason has a very strong arm and shows poise in the pocket. As he continues to see the field better and get more comfortable with his progressions, he could be special in college and beyond.

The skinny: Shepard committed to LSU in March, believing he’d have the best opportunity to play quarterback in Baton Rouge. However, that never worked out as he lined up at running back for one season and then wide receiver for three at LSU before signing with Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent in 2013. Since then he played four seasons in Tampa Bay and then in March he signed a three-year contract with Carolina. While he only has 30 receptions for 432 yards and three touchdowns to this point, he has established himself at the wide receiver position in the league.

Farrell’s take: We knew Shepard could change positions, but we also felt he had the dual-threat ability to star as a quarterback if that’s the route LSU took. His career has been a bit of a disappointment based on the hype, but he’s done a good job of re-inventing himself as a wide receiver and building a nice career. We should have ranked him as an athlete in hindsight.

The skinny: Allen always had Texas A&M as one of his early favorites, but a sudden commitment to the Aggies came as a bit of a surprise. He stuck with his word and picked the Aggies over Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame and UCLA. After experiencing both highs and lows during his two seasons in College Station, he decided to transfer. Finding a new home in Houston, Allen sat out the 2016 season, but is now poised to take over the Cougars' offense this fall.

Farrell’s take: Allen had his struggles at Texas A&M and is ready to start up again at Houston, but despite that I’ve only seen a handful of quarterbacks that had such a handle on everything from proper drops to release to throwing a perfect, catchable ball. I wasn’t sold on Allen at first on film, but after seeing him in person a few times, I saw him put everything together from the end of his junior season to the end of his high school career. He became a leader, he filled out his frame and the touch on his ball was a thing of beauty.