They might not all show up and workout, but these are the five best quarterback prospects going into the 2019 NFL Combine.
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2019 NFL Combine Workout: Saturday, March 2
Here we go with the 2019 NFL Combine, with all the breakdowns and analysis of every throw, every quirk, and every positive and negative on all of the top prospects. This isn’t that hard. Just simplify it – who can play football well enough to make an impact at the next level?
The bigger breakdowns will come before the NFL Draft, but for now – again, from the college perspective – here are the pre-combine rankings for all of the top quarterbacks.
Before getting into the top five breakdown, here’s a ranking of the best of the rest.
2019 Pre-NFL Combine Quarterback Best of the Rest Rankings
Number in parentheses is the projected round drafted pre-NFL Combine.
17. Jake Browning, Washington 6-1, 207 (7 FA)
A good veteran baller who’s missing all the raw NFL tools.
16. Trace McSorely, Penn State 6-0, 200 (7 FA)
Just not consistently accurate enough, he has to hit EVERY throw in Indy.
15. Kyle Shurmur, Vanderbilt 6-4, 230 (7 FA)
Big, smart passer who doesn’t have the high-powered arm. Just good enough to be a long-time backup.
14. Easton Stick, North Dakota State 6-1, 220 (6)
Ultimate intangibles, but he’s too small and doesn’t have the arm. However, he’s just good enough to hang around the league carrying a clipboard for a long, long time.
13. Jordan Ta’amu, Ole Miss 6-3, 215 (7 FA)
There’s a whole lot there to develop, but he might need a whole lot of time, too. Benefitted from having two of the best NFL prospect receivers to throw to.
12. Brett Rypien, Boise State 6-2, 200 (5)
He’ll hang around the league for a long time as a backup, but he doesn’t have the arm.
11. Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State 6-5, 230 (7 FA)
What is he? Think a taller version of what New Orleans does with Taysom Hill, but he has to be more accurate.
10. Gardner Minshew, Washington State 6-1, 220 (6)
A future head coach, he thinks the game well and is a sharp, pure passer. But he doesn’t have the raw tools.
9. Clayton Thorson, Northwestern 6-4, 225 (4)
Looks the part, has the size, and he has the upside, but he just doesn’t push the ball deep enough. He’s a dink-and-dunker, but that might work for the right offense.
8. Jarrett Stidham, Auburn 6-3, 215 (4)
Someone will fall in love with him. He’s out of central casting as a passer, but there’s just not enough consistency to make him among the elite prospects. To be fair, the line didn’t give him a lot of time last year.
7. Tyree Jackson, Buffalo 6-7, 245 (5)
Needs a LOT of work, time and seasoning – he’s really, really not accurate – but he’s the best pure tools quarterback in the draft. Harness everything he brings, and look out … in three years.
6. Daniel Jones, Duke 6-5, 220 (1)
He’s going to get WAY overdrafted. The size, the Duke smarts, and the mid-range accuracy are all there, but you’re not going to win a Super Bowl because he’s your starter.
NEXT: Top 5 Quarterback Prospects Before the NFL Combine
5. Will Grier, West Virginia 6-3, 215 (3)
Career Statistics: 621-945 (66%) for 8,556 yards, 81 TDs, 23 INTs. 148 rushing yards, 7 TDs
Why Will Grier Is Here On The List: Sort of under-appreciated in the post-season scouting hype process, he’s possibly the best mix of safe potential backup and crazy-upside among all of the top prospects.
No, he doesn’t have the biggest of arms, and he has to get the ball out of his hands a little quicker, but he’s a great leader, a dangerous passer, and has the baller’s mentality to always keep a team in the game.
What The NFL Types Want To See: Is the arm strength there and does he have the right mechanics? He’ll get dogged for being a scheme passer who benefited from being in the Dana Holgorsen offense and playing in the Big 12. But for this workout, it’s all about the zip on the ball from a more compact throwing motion.
Bottom Line: He’s a bit of a boom-or-bust prospect, but he’s got the NFL starting quarterback mentality with a fearless leader attitude. He needs to be harnessed a bit – he has a strange way of turning the ball over at the worst times – but he’ll be a fantastic value shot for the stars outside of the top 50 overall picks.
NEXT: No. 4 Pre-NFL Combine Quarterback
4. Ryan Finley, N.C. State 6-4, 208 (2)
Career Statistics: 938-1461 (64%) 111,147 yards, 63 TDs, 30 INTs. 382 rushing yards, 5 TDs
Why Ryan Finley Is Here On The List: He grew into the job over his long career, starting at Boise State and finishing up with a massive final season at NC State. He could’ve come out last season and been around a third round pick, but he came back and put together a massive year that flew under the national radar.
The entire offense was on his arm, and he helped carry the Wolfpack with over 3,900 yards and 25 touchdowns, doing a great job of pushing the ball deep.
He’s a bit too thin, and he’s not a truly elite NFL prospect, but he can be a solid starter for a long time with the raw passing skills to get an offense moving. For those who want veteran quarterbacks who can be ready from Day One, Finley is it.
What The NFL Types Want To See: A fastball. He’s got good touch on his throws, and he’s fantastic at getting the ball deep enough, but his mechanics need to be air-tight and he has to show the power throws – if possible.
Bottom Line: He’ll fall out of the first round because there’s no WOW factor to his game, but he’s a rock-solid pro quarterback who should rock on the board in the interviews and will be deadly accurate in the throwing drills. However, he’s going to look a bit too thin.
NEXT: No. 3 Pre-NFL Combine Quarterback
3. Drew Lock, Missouri 6-4, 225 (1)
Career Statistics: 883-1553 (57%), 12,193 yards, 99 TDs, 39 INTs. 437 rushing yards, 9 TDs
Why Drew Lock Is Here On The List: It’s all there. The size, the NFL arm, the experience, and the raw talent to keep on improving, he’s going to blow the doors off the Combine when it comes to a potential pro quarterback resumé – at least in terms of the tools.
Here’s the issue – he didn’t really win anything big. He wasn’t nearly accurate enough, he disappeared in too many key moments, and he put up a whole lot of big numbers against a whole lot of mediocre teams.
However, he went from being a scheme-passer who put up inflated-big numbers, to becoming more of a progression-reader who improved his craft when Derek Dooley took over the offensive coordinator gig last season.
What The NFL Types Want To See: Does he hit every throw? This is about as easy a workout as it gets, and there’s no excuse to not be razor-sharp when throwing against air. Considering accuracy is the big concern, there can’t be a slew of sprayed balls. Also, can he rise up to the moment? All eyes will be on him, and he has to rise to the occasion and look the part of the potential top quarterback taken.
Bottom Line: In a lot of years, he’d be talked about as a possible No. 1 overall draft pick. There might be a whole slew of issues and concerns about whether or not he can rise up and be an elite NFL passer, or just good enough to break someone’s heart. But get ready for his stock to rise after workouts.
NEXT: No. 2 Pre-NFL Combine Quarterback
2. Kyler Murray, Oklahoma 5-10, 195 (1)
Career Statistics: 350-519 (67%), 5,406 yards, 50 TDs, 14 INTs. 207 carries for 1,478 yards and 13 TDs.
Why Kyler Murray Is Here On The List: No matter what, this is going to be fun.
He’s absolutely too small, he absolutely doesn’t have the high-level arm, he absolutely will have to bust through a mold to become something special, and he absolutely isn’t Johnny Manziel, Doug Flutie, or like any other too-small NFL quarterback prospect.
Is he Baker Mayfield or Russell Wilson? No – they’re pro-style passers who happen to be short. Murray is a different sort of baller, and he’s a different sort of winner.
He’s an all-timer of a Texas high school quarterback, he took Oklahoma to another Big 12 Championship and College Football Playoff appearance, and he rose up to fulfill the promise of his elite recruiting hype after transferring over from Texas A&M.
What The NFL Types Want To See: PLEASE don’t be under 5-10 and around 180 pounds. Small is small is small, and while he might have all the talent in the world, it’s going to be jarring to see him out there next to Dwayne Haskins, Drew Lock, and the rest of the prototype-sized passers.
Bottom Line: This might just be the all-time boom-or-bust pick considering how much of a call it’s going to be to take him in the top ten – or No. 1 overall. No matter what, he’s a massive risk – especially if, say, a Josh Rosen gets moved to clear room for him.
He can play, he can be special, and he can be electrifying, but can he possibly last and get through the rigors of an NFL season? He has unteachable accuracy and winning skills, but … this is going to be a whole lot of fun.
NEXT: No. 1 Pre-NFL Combine Quarterback
1. Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State 6-3, 218 (1)
Career Statistics: 413-590 (70%), 5,396 yards, 54 TDs, 9 INTs. 194 rushing yards, 4 TDs.
Why Dwayne Haskins Is Here On The List: Oh is there so, so much to like about his potential.
He’s got the size, he’s got the big arm, and he’s got the bomber’s mentality to grow into an elite talent who you can win a Super Bowl because of his talent. However, he’s going to need at least two years before it all starts to kick in – he just doesn’t have enough at-bats logged in.
Scouts aren’t going to like his lack of mobility, but he’s strong, will make smart throws, and he won’t get rattled. It’s going to be simply a question of time with him.
What The NFL Types Want To See: How will he handle dealing with a year or two of needing to take his lumps as he gets more time and more seasoning? He’s more of a downfield passer than Jared Goff, but is he ready for the same sort of potential career arc – struggling and maybe looking bust-like before breaking out? However, for all the concerns about his lack of experience, he has 590 career throws, and Kyler Murray only has 519.
Bottom Line: He’s going to be a strong call for a patient team. He’s not the prospect that Tua Tagovailoa will be in next year’s draft, or Trevor Lawrence in 2021, but all that’s missing is time.
Sort of like Goff, Mitchell Trubisky, and Sam Darnold – even though he has a different game than those three – he’s going to have a problems for a while until he gets used to the NFL game. However, in terms of talent, upside, and – compared to Kyler Murray – NFL tools, he’s worth the wait.
