In the 2018 NFL Draft, the entire league passed up the chance to select quarterback Lamar Jackson. It’s two years later and quite a few of those teams are currently paying quite a high price for it as they’re left with question marks at the position and their seats are getting hotter by the day.
In the two years since Jackson was taken by the Baltimore Ravens with the final pick in the first round, he’s supplanted Joe Flacco as the team’s franchise quarterback, won an MVP award, and shattered both franchise and league records.
Jackson’s draft turmoil has been well documented. Not everyone was sold on the idea of Jackson even playing quarterback in the NFL, much less ever getting to the level he’s currently at. But according to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, he saw the right traits in Jackson all the way back in college.
“As talented as Lamar is athletically — I mean, the guy is one of the fastest guys in the league — but you watch him in college and he can sling that thing. I mean he can really sling the ball,” Rodgers said on the Pat McAfee Show. “Big-time arm, I mean, throwing it 75, 80 yards. So you just knew . . . One, he’s supremely athletic. Two, he can really throw it.”
Coming into the 2018 NFL Draft, Jackson was heavily critiqued for being more mobile than your average quarterback. The speed and electric plays were in abundance but there were rightfully plenty of questions about Jackson’s inconsistencies and mechanics, leading many to wonder if he’d ever translate to the NFL or if he’d be a dud.
But the way Rodgers tells it, getting the footwork figured out was just a matter of time.
“So footwork wise, he’s going to figure it out,” Rodgers continued. “With coaching and getting in that offense and timing up his feet with the drops, to me that wouldn’t have been a big issue, you can just see the athletic ability and the things you can’t coach.”
Rodgers’ points echo what Baltimore has said about Jackson from Day 1. Both of Jackson’s offensive coordinators, Greg Roman and Marty Mornhinweg, have talked up Jackson’s ability to read defenses and play great football from the time the Ravens drafted him. Both were also willing to overlook some of his early issues with mechanics, citing them as temporary things they could fix. In the two years since Jackson was drafted, he’s proven his supporters right more often than not.
Rodgers is likely to find his way into the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day. But if he’s this great at scouting quarterbacks, Rodgers might find his way to a front-office position after he hangs up his cleats.
