Once again, it's combine time. Yesterday we got into the running backs. Today we're taking a look at the 2018 Quarterback class. And, in an effort to avoid burying the lead, I really like this year's crop of passers. There will be several taken in round one and I see eight or nine guys who could go in the first three rounds. This class, combined with a relatively strong free agent market, should have most NFL teams feeling optimistic about their situations heading into training camp. Of course, we all know how that tends to work out in the NFL. Reality often intercedes quickly.As we all know, the Patriots traded Jimmy Garoppolo away to the 49ers, and that creates a future need at the most important position. There are a few guys in this class who I could see in Patriots colors. They are listed below, in predicted draft order.Baker MayfieldMason RudolphLuke FalkKyle LaulettaMike WhiteKurt BenkertJeremiah BriscoeI will be back tomorrow with a look at the wide receivers and then again on Saturday with a quick look at the tight ends, which look a little less important with the news that Rob Gronkowski is likely returning for 2018. It's also worth noting that I am about halfway through my process as far as grading this year's rookie class. The pre-draft rankings that will come out in about seven weeks will be a bit more in depth and drilled down. Alright, that's enough qualifying, let's get into the quarterbacks.Tier One (1-2)Sam Darnold, USCDarnold checks all the boxes. He's young, big and he's got just enough experience (27 starts) at the college level. He has good arm strength and good touch. He makes big time throws to all levels. He can make pure arm throws too. He absolutely has the look of a quality NFL starter. Darnold also has plus mobility, though he must learn to protect himself via the slide or just by getting out of bounds. My assumption is that this will come with experience. Darnold is the youngest quarterback in this year's class, so he has some time to learn, but as a likely high pick, he could be forced into playing right away. While that is not ideal, he appears to have the confidence to gut it out as long as his coaching staff protects him via scheme and play calling.He's shown a propensity to step up in big spots and to lead comebacks. Yes, it's fair to point out that he's fallen behind in those situations, but I love the way he keeps coming after teams. I'm a big fan of Darnold's footwork, and I think it gives him a nice base to work from as a pro. The two areas that need work are ball security and decision making. The prior shouldn't be all that hard to clean up, but the latter could take some time. If I am Cleveland, Darnold is the guy I'm taking at number one overall.Baker Mayfield, OklahomaWith 48 college starts under his belt, Mayfield is possibly the most game-ready prospect in this class. He's got a solid arm and he's accurate. He has next level footwork and plus mobility. What I really love about Mayfield is his competitiveness. His teammates feed off of his confidence and that's a huge trait for quarterbacks at the next level. My main concern with Mayfield is his lack of regard for his own health. He threw his body around a bit too haphazardly for my tastes in college, and that simply must change going forward. While I listed him as a fit for the Patriots, and he most certainly is, they would most likely have to make a move to get their hands on him. It could be doable if he slips as shorter quarterback prospects traditionally have. If Belichick is willing to part with one the team's second rounders, getting Mayfield is certainly within the realm of possibility. I'd love to see it.Tier Two (3-4)Josh Rosen, UCLARosen could be the first quarterback taken, so don't let my tier two ranking throw you. I just like Mayfield and Darnold that much. Rosen is a solid all around quarterback who throws an absolutely beautiful ball. He will give the team that drafts him a high ceiling. I think he'll do very well if he's paired with the right coaching staff. My primary concerns with Rosen are durability and mental makeup. The latter may prove to be a false positive based on secondhand reports, so take it with a grain of salt. The best scenario for Rosen in my view, would be to go to the Giants where he would be afforded some time to learn and mature behind Eli Manning. If he goes to a team like the Jets, where he'll be thrown into the fire right away, I have some concerns.Lamar Jackson, LouisvilleJackson is one of my favorite players in this draft. I'm truly baffled by the folks who think he should play another position. It makes little sense to me, because he's shown so much as a quarterback and quarterbacks are worth so much more than wide receivers. Jackson is a risk/reward guy. You may end up missing but if you hit, you could hit really big. The keys to his development are threefold in my view. First, he needs to widen his base on many of his throws. I've seen enough inaccurate throws when he uses a narrow base where I would coach him aggressively in this area. Second, while I'd love to see his release point higher, the more pressing issue is getting a consistent release point, so he can become more consistent in terms of ball placement. Third, just as I said with Mayfield, he must learn to protect himself. While it would be silly to try and turn Jackson into a pure pocket passer, it would be equally silly to have him running around as much as he did in college. The punishment he'd receive in the NFL would almost certainly shorten his career and cost him starts. Obviously, a big part of being a franchise starter is being available—answering the bell each week. Towards that intended end, he needs to master the slide a la Aaron Rodgers and he needs to learn to get out of bounds to reduce his exposure to needless hits. Don't get me wrong, Jackson's mobility is a huge advantage and must be used to exploit NFL defenses, but the coaching staff should use judicious restraint when considering designed runs and Jackson must learn to protect himself in the moment. If he makes all of the adjustments I am suggesting, he could be the next big thing. He could also be a fantasy monster if he has some good downfield weapons to work with.Tier Three (5-6)Josh Allen, WyomingAllen is a lottery ticket for the risk-taking general manager. He's got the physical traits the old school football guys crave. He's huge, agile and he has a cannon for an arm. The problem is, he misses the target too often. He's maybe the most polarizing quarterback in this year's draft, and that my friends, is saying something. I'm probably higher on Allen than a lot of folks, because I think he has a real shot at success. The thing is, I also see a great deal of potential downside due to the noted inaccuracy but also because of an old right shoulder (collarbone broken in seven places) injury he suffered during his freshman season at Wyoming. That's his throwing shoulder. The good news on the injury is that he's going to get poked and prodded this week in Indianapolis and if there's enhanced risk, we'll find out either because it leaks or because he slides on draft day. If some team takes him in the first round as expected, it's a good bet that the shoulder checked out. My feeling on Allen is that he could be a stud in time. I do not think he's a guy who can or should play right away. He needs to be coached up in at least two areas. First, as I said with Darnold, Mayfield and Jackson, he must learn to protect himself. His film at Wyoming shows that he is far too willing to place his body at risk. This must change. The other thing is that he must improve his decision making. A fair number of his misses were on throws that never should have been attempted. Some of them should have been throwaways, but others could have become completions if he'd gotten to the next progression. The last thing is consistency with his feet and his release point. This may sound like a lot of things to work on, but these are all reasonable and achievable goals. I see him as a guy with a fifty-fifty shot. He's not a guy I want to target in the first round, even though his upside is that of a first rounder.Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma StateI think Rudolph is close to being NFL-ready or perhaps NFL-functional is a better way to describe it. However, I also think he'd benefit greatly from having time to fully learn his NFL system before being thrown to the dogs. Rudolph has the arm to make most of the throws you want your quarterback to make, but he's not gifted with great arm talent like Rosen or a huge rifle arm like Allen. Too many of his balls sail on him when he's throwing outside the hashes—particularly on balls to his right. Some professional coaching could definitely help him. This is why I like the fit for him if he goes to the Patriots. He'd have the time to learn from one of the greatest ever and he'd ultimately take over an offense that would be fit to his strengths the same way it was fit to Brady's best attributes. I definitely like Rudolph's chances at success if he was to learn for two seasons under Belichick and Brady. Rudolph needs to become more effective at driving the football. Building up his body could really help him in that regard, and in New England, he'd obviously have some time to do just that.Tier Four (7)Luke Falk, Washington StateHere's another quarterback who could be a fit for the Patriots at the right price—perhaps with their late second round selection. That would be if they really like him. I think it's more likely that they would wait until the third round. Falk might be able to play a backup role early on, but I think he would benefit greatly if he's afforded some time to learn and to put a few more pounds on his lean frame. The positives with Falk are many. He's a good accurate rhythm thrower who uses the whole field. He actually has some traits similar to Tom Brady. He's a very calm customer with a nice smooth throwing motion. The arm strength is about average, but he stands pretty tall in the pocket and has pretty good feet for a tall quarterback. I'd like to see some small improvements—particularly with back foot placement, but there's a lot to work with here. He's a good fit for a team that can give him time, like the Patriots can.Tier Five (8-10)Kyle Lauletta, RichmondLauletta comes from an athletic football family and looks to me like he has just enough arm to be a solid pro. His mechanics are excellent and the ball comes out quick and on time. His footwork provides a sound base, and his ball placement shows that he sees the field well. Moreover, he is a leader and pro scouts have him on their radar. His body needs some developing if he's going to hold up to the pounding a quarterback gets at the next level. The Patriots are a team that could afford him some time to do that while also getting acclimated to their system. This is a potential fit in the middle rounds.Mike White, Western KentuckyWhite is an interesting prospect. He's got the body of an NFL starter, but he needs to improve his overall strength. His feet are a bit on the slow side, so again, becoming the best he can be is going to be crucial. He has the arm and he sees the field pretty well based on his film. He's a pure pocket passer very much in the Brady mold. If he is going to have much success, he will need to follow the Brady path—build up the body and become stronger and quicker. He could be a value in the fourth or fifth round, but definitely a project in my view.Kurt Benkert, VirginiaI really like Benkert, but let's be clear, he is a project who is not going to help a team in 2018. For a team like the Patriots, who can retain Brian Hoyer for backup duties, he is a potential fit. Benkert is a darn good athlete with a very live arm. He needs some structural changes with his feet and release point, but there is a lot to work with here. This is a very confident athlete and with the right coaching, I think he could be a starter in a few seasons. A solid late round pick for a team who wants to develop a quarterback.Tier Six (11-14)Chase Litton, MarshallLitton is an intriguing prospect from a school that has produced its share of NFL quarterbacks such as Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich not to mention a few significant Patriots like Troy Brown and Randy Moss. Litton could be the next solid pro quarterback in the line, but he has some things to work on. His footwork needs some tidying up and he could use some more strength to go with his size. Litton has the body to be a pocket passer. He flashes a nice short stroke when he's throwing in rhythm. There's definitely some things to work with here. He's a solid developmental option, but I don't see him being ready until 2019 at the earliest. He's a mid-to-late round option on draft day.Riley Ferguson, MemphisFerguson is a quarterback I really like, but a good strong wind could lift him off his feet, so he needs to work on his body a bit. If he can add say 5-10 pounds of good weight, he might have a shot in the league. I'm writing this prior to the quarterback weigh ins, so perhaps he's a little bigger. That would be nice. He throws a good ball and has quick feet. He sees the field pretty well and is decisive with his reads.Austin Allen, ArkansasAllen is a guy who knows how to play the position. He's on the small side and lacks a big arm, but he could be a solid backup in the right system. His film from Arkansas reveals a cool customer who played in a mediocre offense. I'd be interested to see what he could do with better talent around him. He could have some success as a system quarterback capable of getting an offense rolling downhill.Jeremiah Briscoe, Sam Houston StateI mentioned Briscoe up top in my potential fits for the Patriots, but he's obviously a bit of a long shot. Briscoe is a bit old (born in 1993) to be a developmental quarterback, but that's certainly what he is. Still, he's a real gunslinger who had some outstanding production at Sam Houston State. If he could improve his strength and get into a system that suits his game, you never know. He reminds me a little bit of Philip Rivers when he gets his mojo going. Briscoe got offers to play in the SEC when UAB closed down its program, but decided to go home to Texas. He'll need to play under center at the next level. He is a prolific passer from the spread, winning the Walter Payton Award in 2016 when he threw 57 touchdowns against only 10 interceptions. It's worth noting that Briscoe did not receive a Combine invite. He will need to impress NFL teams at his pro day.Honorable Mentions (15-20)John Wolford, Wake ForestLogan Woodside, ToledoNic Shimonek, Texas TechQuinton Flowers, South FloridaBryan Schor, James MadisonDanny Etling, LSU
NFL combine quarterback rankings: Tons of good options for Patriots
Jennifer Buchanan/USA Today Sports
By Pete DavidsonMar 01, 2018
