QB candidates for 2020 Draft

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(10-30-2019, 09:03 PM)Jpoore Wrote: Doesn’t have any elite physical attributes. The sum may be greater than the individual  parts. Needs to be smarter about taking hits. I don’t question his mental capacity, but he seems to have a lot of half field reads, prohibiting him from going through a full progression. Needs to be more consistent at manipulating safeties with his eyes while going through his progression. Holds the ball low, slowing down his release operation.

There is no physical quality I'd describe as elite for Burrow -- he doesn't have the strongest of arms, he isn't going to outrun defenders in a footrace to the corner and he lacks the short area quickness to slide at the last moment against a free runner before breaking contain. When he's forced off his spot, he does lose notable heat on the ball and has hung several balls in the air when throwing before he wants to, wish he had a little more juice to push those balls and let receivers run underneath of them. His production will undoubtedly be questioned as a one year wonder by some -- as the 2018 version of Burrow was hardly the caliber of player we're seeing in 2019.

Burrow has a tendency to get a bit relaxed with his footwork and it can result in him being late with getting into his drop backs. This fault has also disrupted route timing and with how quickly he’s able to release the ball. Passing windows can close on him in a hurry and Burrow’s left with trying to fit the ball in minute areas.

He demonstrates high levels of core strength and violent torque with his waist, which is why many of his throws get to spots, but he’s often bailed out by rangy wideouts. Fails to step into his throws frequently because of using his midsection as a crutch in order to put force behind the ball. Falling away from throws isn’t a large problem, but a habit that will need to be corrected to further improve his ball placement into strike zones.

Does not have overwhelming arm talent from a velocity or distance perspective. Has to rainbow most long throws outside the numbers, and fluttering balls invite safeties to drive on the catch point to make plays and deliver hits. Regularly shorts deep passes and demands receivers return to the football. Not a candidate for driving deep outs and comebacks given lack of velocity -- has to put air under most long throws and lacks elite anticipation to hit those flickering windows. Will leave outside balls hanging inside and late, his only jeopardy throws in an otherwise ball-secure profile. Has some fade/bail in him against pressure and is not a smart pocket navigator at this time, which is disappointing given athletic profile -- needs to become smarter at expecting pressure and more willing to make the slight movement to hang tight in the pocket.

4 different scouting reports stating the same thing essentially. 0 elite qualities. Got beat out for starting job 2 different times then transferred.

For anyone wondering these are ripped from The Draft Network but only the negatives and the bolded one is an scouting report dated 9/1/19 after only one game into the 2019 season.


Here are the positives they wrote.

Quote:PROS: Has excellent makeup for the QB position. Excellent decision maker who takes great care of the football. Excellent mental quickness to process, go through his reads and get the ball out of his hands. Has a 3/4 type release and throws a catchable football. Very good accuracy and ball placement on deep throws. Sufficient proactive athleticism and can extend plays with his legs. Has sufficient overall arm strength. Has proven to be a winner. Excellent at converting critical 3rd downs.

Quote:PROS: Burrow possesses A+ intangibles and an innate feel for the quarterback position. Much of his 2019 success has stemmed from LSU's evolved offense, which allows Burrow to process much of the defense before the snap and identify weaknesses to take easy completions once he's diagnosed man vs. zone coverage. Burrow throws with nice touch, too -- feathering balls as needed but able to generate a requisite level of heat when needing to test tight coverage. I really appreciate how smooth he is working through his reads, there's a quickness in his eyes that allows him to work levels. The Tigers have asked Burrow to work a lot of high/low reads in the middle of the field, he's patient to hit stuff behind the second level as the defense stretches. He loves the over route against zone coverage, showing enough mobility and patience in the pocket to climb and buy time before gashing the defense where zone defenders have been run off their spots. Shows awareness to identify pre-snap mismatches and opportunities to test coverage and the ball down the field. Has acknowledged his role setting and calling protections, a role supplemented by his general awareness of when there's a free rusher and understanding the urgency to get the ball out of his hands hot. Love his ability to keep eyes down the field once he's forced to step up into the pocket and stays heady versus chaos in the pocket.

Quote:PROS: Like a golfer, he knows exactly when to bring which club out of the bag in order to get reach destinations as accurately to the target as possible. Mixes up his speeds often depending on the structure and type of throw urgency required. Exhibits awareness of knowing when to put touch on the ball to loft it into certain areas while also having the wherewithal of adding extra ferocity behind passes to fit them through tight spaces. Make some of his best throws coming off of slight or extended play-action fakes. Just as effective with play-action fakes that involve turning his back to the defense to sell the run action prior to turning his head around and re-identifying coverage looks as he is with similar influence, but out of the shotgun. Quick to reset his eyes following fakes and discipline enough to take what the defense gives him directly off of it. Always seeming to be poised, even when facing pressure, Burrow’s feet remain quiet. There’s rarely ever a sense of panic to his game and he always has an answer to what the defense presents him. Keeps the offense and advantageous situations by hitting check-downs or simply running. Mental clock is timely and even when it expires, gaining happy feet is hardly ever present. Throwing to outlets or staring down the barrel to deliver passes have been recurring.

Quote:PROS: NFL-caliber size and plus mobility. Strong "point guard" style of quarterback who executes drops nicely from the gun and from under center. Is regularly on time on 3-step concepts and has clean mechanics off his plant foot. Release is compact and rapid, though at times drops below ideal extension, which leads to a higher number of PBUs than you'd expect from a 6'3 QB -- though some of that is play style of quick game. Has great placement between the hashes on short and intermediate balls, whether driving into tight windows or dropping between levels of zone. Can also hit tight throws on the move and strong mechanics are maintained off of mobile launch points. Reads underneath coverages well and can protect receivers from hits/balls from INTs and PBUs via strong placement. Flashes a nice touch delivery on nine balls and knows how to hold safeties with his eyes/drops to give himself as much room as possible to deliver the football. Athletic ability merits designed QB runs, as well as rollouts -- offers good 3rd down creativity when he knows he can reach the line to gain. Tough sonuva gun.

Also if you listen do the draft network podcast all these guys really like Joe Burrow. In fact 3 of their most recent mock drafts have Joe Burrow going to the Bengals #1 overall.

https://thedraftnetwork.com/player/joe-burrow/EnLnVc2K3a