Brandon Jackson

 

This top 5 list is something that I’ve wanted to do for a while now. I have ranked the top 5 quarterbacks in this year’s NFL draft using just highlight videos from YouTube. I’m not a scout and I don’t want to pretend to be one (at least right now). I haven’t seen any actual game film or all-22 views, just 5-10 minute clips of what the best these QBs have to offer.

I’ve played and watched a lot of football so I think I can come up with a semi-accurate list. Plus, people thought Blaine Gabbert was going to be good so they don’t know what they’re talking about either. So without further ado:

5. Jerod Evans

Evans is a pretty good runner, not afraid to hit the whole and make contact. If that’s the first thing I’m saying about a QB that should tell you something.

I like the way he puts touch on his passes in the red zone, but other than that I can’t find much more to like. There was one deep ball thrown in the video, but he had 10 seconds to throw it and still chose to throw to a covered defender.

I think Evans make some rosters as the 3rd quarterback, a la Jacoby Brisset did in New England. But past that, it would take a lot of coaching and support to make him into a starter. If he can stick around for a while like Tyrod Taylor also from Va.Tech has, he may develop into something.

Jerod Evans grade: 6.5/10

4. Deshaun Watson

Okay hold on, hold on. I know what you’re thinking. Put your pitchforks down Clemson fans.

“Watson beat Bama!”

“He was the best QB in the nation all year!”

“He almost won the Heisman! Twice!”

None of that matters in the league. Think about those sentences above. Either 2/3 or 3/3 cn be said exactly for Tim Tebow, Johnny Manziel, Matt Leinart, and Braxton Miller. Three of those players aren’t playing for a team anymore, and the other plays a different position.

Deshaun Watson may have the stats, the wins, and the intangibles, but I don’t believe he will be a great NFL quarterback. Watch the video that I watched. Keep track of every time you say, “that was a good pass.” Every single time, notice that a better cornerback could’ve broken the play up, or it was Mike Williams making a spectacular catch. Think about it.

…..

See? He’s got everything else you need to be a great NFL QB: Poise, leadership, toughness. But I don’t believe he has that accuracy you need to make those big time throws when you need him to.

Deshaun Watson grade: 7.0/10

3. Patrick Mahomes II

This video seems more like a Texas Tech Offense highlight than a Patrick Mahomes highlight. What I mean is that a lot of times his receivers are wide open, or the receivers get open short, and then make great plays after the catch.

You can see Mahomes has a strong arm, and he makes a great throw across his body downfield to an open receiver.

Even though his receivers are open most of the time, he still makes very accurate passes to get it to them.

He can throw the deep ball and can scramble both to gain yards and find time to throw downfield. In my opinion, Mahomes is the safest QB pick in this draft, but he doesn’t have the great upside. I see him being an Alex Smith-type player in the NFL. In the right situation, I believe he can start day one and win games, but he won’t be able to give much besides slow and steady offense.

Patrick Mahomes grade: 7.9/10

2. Mitch Trubisky

Trubisky definitely has upside. He can make all of throws needed, the questions with him are experience and consistency. Since I’m only watching the best of these quarterbacks, I can’t predict those attributes. What I can predict is that whoever drafts Trubisky should install more deep routes for him. He throws a lot of them in this highlight with pretty decent accuracy.

The thing is, once again, that his receivers have beaten the coverage a lot of the time, and that makes the throw easier to complete and look accurate.

So Trubisky’s question is, what happens when the deep ball is taken away from him? Will he be content to take what the defense gives him, or will he throw it into double coverage? If he can become a good passer and decision maker in between that 10-30 yard range, he could very well be the best quarterback in this class.

Mitch Trubisky grade: 8.1/10

DeShone Kizer

I’m 100% positive Kizer will be taken in the top 3 of the draft. He’s big, he’s fast, he has a strong arm. He looks like he can be molded into a star.

NFL coaching staffs tend to think very highly of themselves, and they think if they can find people with raw talent, they can coach them into their full potential. Kizer is the perfect quarterback for that scenario.

He has shown that he will stand in the pocket, take a hit, and get a throw off. There weren’t many passes in the video that went past 30 or 40 yards, but you can tell by the zip on his passes that the arm strength is there.

Listed at 6’4″, 230 lbs., Kizer is built to withstand the hits he will surely take being drafted by a bad team. He will need to be able to respond to getting sacked and taking losses, because whatever team drafts him is a team that has holes. San Francisco, Chicago, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills are all teams that need QBs, and all of them have other roster problems.

Kizer has the most potential in this class of quarterbacks, but his floor is pretty low too. His potential falls anywhere on the spetrum between 2015 Cam Newton and JaMarcus Russell. It all depends on the situation. With the best possible environment, I can see Kizer being a great NFL quarterback.

Deshone Kizer grade: 8.5/10