The best quarterbacks out of high school in Rivals.com history are clearly defined by our rankings. If you’re No. 1 in your class, our team of analysts feels that you’re the best. But what do I think? How did I see them coming out of high school based on in-person evaluations? Here are the top 10 quarterbacks I have evaluated in person.
RELATED: How No. 1 QBs have fared | Rivals.com QB Week
Note: Vince Young is not on this list as I never had an opportunity to scout him in person.
Rosen is still the best quarterback I’ve ever seen in person. From telling me, as a rising-junior, that he was better than guys like DeShaun Watson and Kyle Allen to his amazing late-game comebacks, Rosen had the “it” factor you can’t teach. He was our No. 1 quarterback in 2015 for good reason and one of our highest-rated ever.
Pryor wasn’t a pretty passer, there’s no doubt about that, and in 7-on-7 situations he looked like Superman without his cape. But he couldn't be stopped in actual games. He was too big, fast and strong to handle and he toyed with opposing linebackers and defensive backs. He was a once-in-a-decade talent.
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.
Coming out of high school, Winston was a skinnier version of what you saw at Florida State and now in the NFL. Many felt he was simply a dual-threat guy but in camp settings he was on point with his footwork, his balance and weight shift to his release point. He was a pure passer, plain and simple. It’s still amazing to me that some didn’t have him as a five-star prospect. Like Stafford, it’s no surprise he was a No. 1 NFL pick.
Clausen didn’t have the career many predicted when he was tabbed the “LeBron James of high school football” but the kid could sling it. His accuracy in high school was simply amazing and he pretty much did whatever he wanted to do on the field. His arm strength wasn’t off the charts and he wasn’t huge, but he was one of the most polished high school quarterbacks I’ve ever seen.
You want to talk about arm strength then Mallett is where you start. This kid could throw the ball through a brick wall and it still wouldn’t slow down. While he could certainly bust some fingers, he didn’t have the best touch. But Mallett was huge, set himself well and fired one of the best balls you’ll ever see. No one wanted to catch intermediate passes from him and the noise the ball would make hitting receivers hands was amazing.
Okay, why isn’t Newton higher on the list? After all he was a No. 1 overall pick in the NFL and the league's reigning MVP. Oh, and he won a Heisman Trophy and a national title. My in-person evaluation of Newton was him as a high school prospect. He was a five-star, but wasn't exactly the dynamic force you see today. Newton looked more like a tight end or defensive end on the hoof back then but when he dropped back and threw it, you saw his amazing potential not only as dual-threat but as a pro-style pocket passer as well.
Allen seems like an odd choice here after his struggles at Texas A&M and his transfer, but 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.
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Our No. 3 player last year was someone, like Allen, 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-foot tall. He’s now about 6-foot-2 which still isn’t ideal by some NFL standards, but this kid has the same kind of moxie and “it” factor that Rosen had. 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 a great one.
Wait, what? Keep in mind that some of our evaluations are in camp settings or at 7-on-7 events. I can tell you this: Morelli was the best 7-on-7 quarterback I have ever seen. He was tall, had a great delivery and he could put the ball wherever he wanted. His career at Penn State obviously didn’t go as planned, but you can’t draw them up any better looking than Morelli out of high school.
