With seven weeks of college football down and eight more to go, we have nearly reached the halfway point of the 2019 season.
At this point in the season, the true championship contenders are starting to separate themselves from the pack, and the same rings true for quarterback prospects. Barring any late-season heroics, identifying the top quarterbacks in the 2020 draft class is now a pretty easy task.
Some of the top prospects heading into the season have remained at the top of their class, while others have either seen their stock rise or fall due to excellent or poor play, respectively.
Let’s take a look at where the draft stock of each top quarterback prospect is trending.
Tua Tagovailoa | Alabama
Tagovailoa started the 2019 season as the top quarterback on many draft boards, and his play so far this year has helped him stay there.
Through six games, Tagovailoa has 2,011 passing yards, a 73.6% completion rate, and an incredible 27 passing touchdown to just one interception. Alabama sits at No. 1 in the nation as of this writing, and he has played a large part in that.
All of the traits that Tagovailoa showed in 2018 have been on display this season. His ability to throw with great timing, touch and anticipation on a consistent basis is rare for a collegiate quarterback. Combine his arm talent and intelligence with his athleticism, winning pedigree and leadership skills, and Tagovailoa has put on a show so far in 2019. His stock would rise, but it’s tough to rise when you’re already the consensus top guy.
Verdict: Stock even
Justin Herbert | Oregon
Herbert realistically could have been the first quarterback selected in the 2019 draft had he declared, but he returned to Oregon to finish out his senior year.
Even in a stacked quarterback class like this one, Herbert still remains one of the top prospects. Through six games, he has thrown for 1,602 yards with 17 touchdowns and only one interception, as well as a completion percentage of 69.1 – a mark that would be a career-high for him were it to stick.
Herbert has been very good this season, and his arm strength, athleticism and anticipatory skills are still on display to complement his lengthy frame. He still has issues with decision making, though, and his pocket presence has been alright at best. His season hasn’t been fantastic enough to catapult him to becoming a clear-cut QB1, but he’s been good enough to keep up with the deep class.
Verdict: Stock even
Joe Burrow | LSU
No quarterback has risen out of nowhere into NFL scouting prominence this season quite like Burrow has.
Barely a blip on the scouting radar coming into the season, Burrow broke out in prime-time against Texas in Week 2 and has been stellar ever since. He has 2,157 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, three interceptions and an impressive 79.6 completion percentage through six games. He also has helped LSU defeat two top-10 teams to launch them into the No. 2 ranking in the nation.
Burrow has shown fantastic accuracy, pocket presence and timing on his throws. His overall touch and ball placement have improved tremendously compared to his 2018 campaign. Accompanying that with solid arm strength and a 6-foot-4 frame has seen him skyrocket into early first-round conversation.
Verdict: Stock up
Jordan Love | Utah State
Love started shooting up draft boards right before the 2019 season began, and is arguably the best quarterback outside of the Power 5 in the nation. That said, he hasn’t been lighting up opposing defenses this year.
Love has 1,337 passing yards through five games, as well as an unimpressive six touchdowns to eight interceptions, and a completion percentage of 62.5. He has thrown more than one interception in three games so far this year, with a combined six interceptions in his only two games against Power 5 competition.
Though Love has still flashed ridiculous touch and a strong arm on some throws, his overall accuracy and decision making needs a lot of improvement. He has thrown more interceptions in five games than he did last year in 13, and the fact that he has more picks than passing touchdowns is worrisome.
There remains a chance that he gets drafted early next April, but he will need a drastic turnaround in the second half of the season to be considered a first-round lock.
Verdict: Stock down
Jalen Hurts | Oklahoma
Hurts was already a household name after leading Alabama to the national championship twice. Now, at Oklahoma, he has developed into a quarterback with a legitimate NFL future.
Through six games, Hurts has thrown for 1,758 yards, 17 touchdowns and three interceptions with a 71.5 completion percentage. He has also proven to be valuable in the run game, rushing for 630 yards and eight touchdowns on 74 carries.
Hurts always had athleticism to spare at Alabama, and his speed and ability to evade defenders will offer versatility to NFL offenses. However, he has improved significantly as a passer since hopping over to the Sooners, showing off impressive timing and ball placement on a lot of his throws. He has a solid arm and throws with some zip behind his passes, and his touch on the deep ball has improved, as well.
While his throwing mechanics could still use some work, the steps Hurts has made to become a better passer could see him get drafted as early as the first round.
Verdict: Stock up
Jake Fromm | Georgia
Heading into the 2019 season, Fromm was seen as one of the top quarterback prospects in the nation.
Fromm has 1,371 passing yards through six games, as well as nine touchdowns and three interceptions with a 70.4 completion percentage. Though his statistics don’t jump off the page, Georgia has consistently been a run-heavy offense for years now.
Fromm hasn’t been bad by any means this season, and having a win over Notre Dame to his credit is certainly a noticeable feat. He remains one of the most “pro-ready” prospects in the class, with his football IQ, accuracy and sense of timing placing him among the best in the 2020 draft. Fromm’s issue isn’t that he has played poorly, but that other quarterbacks have played better. With Burrow and Hurts skyrocketing up big boards over the past two months, the Georgia signal-caller has become somewhat of an afterthought.
He could still be selected in the first round, but Fromm’s overall value has dropped as a result of the performances of others.
Verdict: Stock down
Jacob Eason | Washington
Moving on from Fromm to the player he sent to the bench at Georgia, Eason had a lot to prove when he transferred to Washington.
Eason has 1,692 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and three interception through seven games, as well as a 66% completion rate. Save for interceptions, he is on pace to best all of his statistics from his lone season as Georgia’s starter in 2016.
Though Eason is still a work in progress, he has shown the physical tools of a potential starter at the next level. An argument could be made that he has the strongest arm in this class, he has good athleticism for the quarterback position, and his 6-foot-5, 235-pound frame is prototypical. He has smooth upper-body mechanics and has experience directly under center.
His footwork, decision-making and consistency with ball placement still need to be fixed, thus preventing him from rising too high up draft boards. Off of his upside alone, though, he should be selected fairly early.
