The 5 Most Interesting Quarterback Prospects Of the 2018 NFL Draft

In the days leading up to the 2017 NFL Draft, everyone knew that the three quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft — Mitchell Trubisky, Patrick Mahomes, and Deshaun Watson — were all guys who were far from perfect, and almost certainly saw their “draft stocks” being inflated because of the lack of quality at the position in this past year’s draft class, along with the ongoing need at quarterback among NFL teams.

But as unappealing as the group of quarterbacks in this year’s draft might be, that’s how intriguing the group next year appears. In fact, with the 2018 NFL Draft only a handful of months away, there’s already a good possibility that we could see as many as five quarterbacks taken in next year’s class, which would be the most players selected from that position in the first round in almost two decades.  Clearly “who goes where” can dramatically affect NFL bettings odds . Here’s our look at the top five prospects at the position, who will all garner legitimate first-round consideration:

5. Lamar Jackson, University of Louisville – From a purely physical standpoint, Lamar Jackson’s overall build and freakish athleticism reminds you a lot of when Michael Vick was coming out of Virginia Tech, but his gliding running style, whip-like throwing motion, and the shocking velocity of his throws from the aforementioned motion are very reminiscent of Vince Young. But unlike the two of them, Jackson has worked diligently at becoming a true “passer,” as opposed to an athlete with a gifted arm. He still has a bad habit of tucking the ball in and running if he doesn’t see his first option open, but he has shown flashes of being able to sit in the pocket and read through his progressions. Along with this development as a passer, the #1 concern for teams will be Jackson’s overall lack of size. At 6’3 and 205lbs, carried on a wiry frame, teams are going to wonder if he’ll have durability issues, along the lines of Robert Griffin III and/or Teddy Bridgewater.

4. Josh Allen, University of Wyoming – Josh Allen is going to cause a lot of debates in draft rooms next spring, because of the fact that he brings the most pure “arm talent” of any quarterback prospect in this draft. Watching the film of what he can do with the football is a lot of fun; he might have the strongest arm of any top quarterback prospect to come into the draft since Cam Newton. He can effortless hurl the ball down the field at absolutely silly distances and velocity. The biggest knock on him will be the same as what you can say about a lot of quarterbacks with elite arm talent: he trusts his arm a bit too much, taking way too many ill-advised gambles that he can get away with because of his arm strength. That works in college — especially against the level of competition he’s going against — but not in the NFL, where everyone is so much faster and the passing windows are so much tighter. He has a lot of development needed, as far as decision-making and proper footwork when throwing, but teams are going to fall in love with the raw potential.

3. Baker Mayfield, University of Oklahoma – As recently as three months ago, if you told anyone that Baker Mayfield was going to be in the conversation for the top quarterback prospects of the 2018 NFL Draft, people would have laughed at you. But after a spectacular 2017 season, which is likely to culminate with him winning the Heisman Trophy, Mayfield is shooting up draft boards, and leapfrogging prospects that were once firmly entrenched ahead of him. Between his size (6’1 and 220lbs), poise under pressure, productivity, ability to extend plays, and the overall leadership skills, teams are making a lot of Russell Wilson comparisons for Mayfield. He’s also shown that level of accuracy and decision-making skills as a passer as well. The biggest question for Mayfield will be whether he can learn to be a true “pocket quarterback,” and overcome the tough transition from playing in a spread offense in college.

2. Josh Rosen, UCLA – If there’s one prospect who looks and carries himself in a manner befitting of a franchise quarterback, it’s Josh Rosen. As one of the top quarterback prospects coming out of high school, between his combination of size (6’4 and 200+ lbs), arm strength, polish, and football IQ, it appeared destined that he was going to be playing football on Sunday’s. The upside shown by Rosen is tantalizing. He has already flashed the ability to read through progressions, manipulate safeties with his eyes, throw “with his feet connected to his arm,” and manipulate the speed of his passes when necessary. However, all of that being said, you wonder why he wasn’t able to take UCLA to greater levels of success while he was there. There are also major questions about his ego and sense of entitlement, as evidenced by his self-anointed nickname of “Chosen” Rosen. There are going to be teams that are turned off by him, but even more that will be salivating over what they could do with him.

1. Sam Darnold, USC – From the moment the 2017 NFL season started, the thought around the league is that the mantra for really bad teams might be “suck for Sam” – ie, tank this year and secure the opportunity to draft Sam Darnold. In the fall, scouts saw him as a rare prospect with a combination of size (6’4 and 225lbs), physical tools, mental traits, intangibles, and collegiate production (29 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a 9-1 record in 10 starts) as coveted as any prospect we’ve seen since Andrew Luck. When you watch him play, his quirky release and gunslinger mentality reminds you a bit of Philip Rivers, his frame reminds you a bit of Matt Ryan, and his elusiveness and ability to move around in the pocket reminds you of Tony Romo. In 2016, he made some serious magic happen in the pocket, but that was also something of a double-edged sword; a lot of his plays he made were pure “sandlot plays.” The thing that’s really bothering scouts this year is how many turnovers Darnold has had. Teams are going to have a lot of questions as to why Darnold threw nine interceptions in his first six games this year, and only had four games – out of 13 – where he didn’t have a turnover.