Prospect Position Rankings
Offense
QB, RB, WR, TE, G, OT,C
Defense
DT, DE, LB, DB/FS/SS
Special Teams

Last 7 NFL Drafts
Year – Total – 1st RD
2018 – 13 – 5
2017 – 10 – 3
2016 – 15 – 3
2015 – 7 – 2
2014 – 14 – 3
2013 – 11 – 1
2012 – 11 – 4
Total – 81 – 21
.25% QBs Drafted In 1st RD
Average 11.5 Drafted Per Year
2018 Position Grade – B

Top 5 Conferences
Last 6 Years
First Round QBs
6 – ACC
4 – PAC-12
3 – AAC
2 – BIG 12
1 – SEC
1 – MVFC
1 – MWC

Top QBs (Franchise Ability)

1. Daniel Jones, 6’4 221, rJr, Duke
Years of experience lead me to expect Jones to continue to climb up the rankings with his Reese’s Senior Bowl MVP performance. Just seems like once you get hot in Mobile, Alabama that is a spring board for better things to come leading up to the NFL Draft. In 36 games for the Blue Devils, Jones completed 764 of 1,275 passes for 8,201 with 52 touchdowns and 29 interceptions while adding 1,323 rushing yards on 406 carries and 17 of those resulted in six points. Will remind you of a poor man’s Andrew Luck. Breaking him down there is not one thing that standouts about his overall skills, but collectively it blends well. Sneaky runner (like Luck) who can surprise in the open field.

2. Kyler Murray, 5’10 195, rJr, Oklahoma
The Heisman Trophy winner decided to enter the NFL Draft and leave MLB baseball on the back burner. Murray put up impressive numbers this past year, accumulating 4,361 passing yards and 42 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. The numbers did not stop there, with an additional 1,001 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns by the dynamic multi-talented athlete. Murray reminds me of a more athletic version of Russell Wilson. Simply electric on the field. Rifle arm that can sizzle the football into tight spaces. His lack of size is a deterrent, but he is a quarterback first with exceptional out of the pocket ability. His size does really scare me and that may detour teams from seriously considering long-term at the position. Love his play and if he does make it, damn he is going to be fun to watch.

3. Drew Lock, 6’4 225, Sr, Missouri
Throwing 44 touchdowns and only 13 interceptions, Lock has NFL scouts very interested in his skill set. Let’s just hope his career is different from the 10th overall selection in 2011 in former Tigers quarterback Blaine Gabbert. While considered by most one of the top three prospects in the country, he currently ranks 4th on the list with questions on his transition to next level, but the ability to be the No. 1 quarterback next season, remains very real. Lock was the lock to be the No. 1 quarterback chosen before the 2018 season began. It is not that he didn’t perform well enough, it is just others out performed him and now he remains in the mix but not the soul leader in prospect rankings. This class in particular does not have that slam dunk quarterback and plenty of NFL teams may like him better than Haskins or Jones. It is that close near the top.

4. Dwayne Haskins, 6’2 221, rSo, Ohio State
In 2007 at Florida, Urban Meyer had a quarterback who attempted five passes for 40-yards while sitting the bench behind former first-round pick Tim Tebow. That player was Cam Newton who fled to Auburn to win a National Championship and become the No. 1 overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft. Meyer has had some great college quarterbacks at Ohio State that include Braxton Miller, Cardale Jones, J.T. Barrett and Haskins. Tremendous statistical phenoms but all lacked the real zest to come close to being NFL quarterbacks. Meyer also coached another former No. 1 pick (Alex Smith) when the pair were at Utah. Haskins shares a similar path to success that most top quarterbacks have in common in case you have never noticed. Usually there is one quarterback every year that rises higher than any other and this past season it was Haskins. Go back to Carson Palmer, Cam Newton or even Baker Mayfield. They are all range between 10-15 when the season begans then leap frog the entire field and become the top quarterback of their draft class. Haskins finds himself in that same company and when that happens it usually translates into success. A gifted passer with excellent field vision to scan the open target. I do remain very skeptical due to the offensive system and talent level he had around him. The inflated numbers can easily mask the realistic quarterback skills he possesses. Haskins must prove to be more like Newton than the list of former Ohio State quarterbacks to lay claim to a successful NFL career.

5.Will Grier, 6’2 215, Sr, West Virginia
Personally adore watching Grier play but also know the reality of his play at critical moments, leaves something to be desired. The gaudy numbers are evident but the gritty, grind it out type performances are lacking in my opinion. He improved statistically from 2017-18, improving his touchdown throws from 34 to 37 and decreasing his interceptions from 12 to eight. The Florida transfer entered 2018 as a legit top prospect for this up-coming 2019 NFL Draft. He has many critics but at the end of the day he passes the eyeball test for what you want in an NFL quarterback prospect. Grier went 5-0 at Florida in 2015 then transferred to West Virginia. He came out firing in 2017 falling one game short of tying a school record of seven straight games with 300-plus passing yards. In 2018, he threw for over 300-yards in every game except one during the loss against Iowa State (100-yards), which coincided with being the fifth game of the year ruining any chance for the record. Regardless of records, every quarterback on this list probably holds many school accolades, Grier is a pro-ready quarterback.

6. Ryan Finley, 6’4 210, Sr, NC State
A decent Senior Bowl week, helped the steady collegiate performer entrench himself in the whelm of top quarterbacks available in 2019. His time at Boise State (grad transfer) has helped polish his game for the Wolfpack. Scouting Finley last season against Pitt, he was erratic, and his passes were off and contested at the point of attack. He possesses great size with good passing mechanics and takes care of the football. Surely watching more of him, his qualities appear. Finley is very quick to set up and deliver the football. He has a good pocket presence and can throw on the move and find his target down field. The residue of a real NFL quarterback seems to linger after watching him long enough.

7. Jarrett Sidham, 6’4 225, Jr, Auburn
The SEC is considered the cream of the crop in terms of NFL Draft prospects, but QB has remained elusive to the powerhouse conference. The last first-round QB selected was former Texas A&M Aggies Johnny Manziel. Accuracy is one of his best qualities as a quarterback which doesn’t get much attention when people obsess about arm strength. He does a good job of establishing his base and driving the ball downfield. Enough athleticism to run the football.

8. Gardner Minshew, Washington State
A graduate transfer from East Carolina, Minshew dialed up his game under the direction of offensive guru Mike Leach. He was elected as one of the three captains on South’s roster before game-time at Ladd-Peebles Stadium the home of the Reese’s Senior Bowl. Minshew had a good week of practice often displaying his arm and natural feel for the game as a quarterback. He scans the field particularly well and can rifle the ball into tight spaces.

8. Clayton Thorson, 6’4 220, Sr, Northwestern
Thorson pulled out of the Senior Bowl due to an ankle injury and was entering the 2018 season, coming off an ACL injury (orthopedic surgeon James Andrews, repaired his torn ACL), he suffered. The winningest quarterback in NU history tore it last January in the team’s bowl game. He rehabbed with relentless vigor to play in the Wildcats season opening win over Purdue. Thorson is prone to mistakes like interceptions and sacks but has a knack for never losing confidence in himself or his teammates. Scrappy, smart with quick delivery. He can run or pass with success and has done a lot with very little in terms of help from elite talent that some of the other quarterbacks have as teammates on this current list.

9. Brett Rypien, QB, Boise State
Rypien, the nephew of Washington Redskins Super Bowl XXVI MVP Mark Rypien, provides another solid prospect to develop in the later rounds of the NFL Draft. Rypien ripped up his competitors with a solid performance in the East-West Shrine game. He falls into the mid-to-late round category but like former Shrine quarterback Cooper Rush (Dallas Cowboys), leaves Rypien with an opportunity to earn a roster spot and secure a back-up role early in his NFL career.

10. Tyree Jackson, 6’6 245, rJr, Buffalo
Scouted Jackson against Kent State in Buffalo this past season in a horrendous wind storm, just to justify it was an end of days type wind storm. He held his own and while the passing game was not needed the passes, he did attempt had velocity and sizzle. During that game he showed the arm to play in the National Football League. Regardless of which round he is drafted in, he will stick on a roster for a few years simply because of the raw upside he has due to his size and skills.
Game Notes
Above average height, long frame, this game was played in extreme wind and wind gust (extreme), he finished 7-for16 for 111 yards passing one TD. He possesses a strong cannon arm, his ball fought through the wind, very impressed with his strength to deliver a pass in the conditions. lacked intensity which I’d like to see more out of in a QB, displays smarts in the pocket, feels the pressure, loses accuracy when throwing on the run

11. Nick Fitzgerald, 6’5 230, Sr, Mississippi
Dak Prescott DUI charge (March 2016) was one of the key reasons he slipped in the 2016 NFL Draft. He was pulled over for speeding and cited as being “under the influence of intoxicating liquor.” He was later found not guilty of the DUI charge, but insiders know if played a role in his slide to the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Fitzgerald is a replica of the Cowboys quarterback and should go much higher in the 2019 NFL Draft, barring any setbacks from his nasty ankle injury he suffered last season. Second or third round are very realistic landing spots for the talented Bulldogs quarterback.

12. Jake Bentley, 6’4 224, Jr, South Carolina
Bentley lies underneath the big names of college quarterback prospects, but a deeper look shows an exciting prospect to watch this season. He is a gritty quarterback who uses all his means to make a play. He’ll miss the safety blanket passes to tight end Hayden Hurst (1st Round Baltimore Ravens 2017), but will, welcome back a healthy Deebo Samuel one of the top receiving threats in the entire nation.

13.Brian Lewerke, 6’3 212, Jr, Michigan State
An economics major started his first season at Michigan State after arriving in East Lansing, Michigan in 2015. Lewerke earned honorable mention All-Big Ten by both coaches and the media, last season, helping to the Michigan State to a 10-3 overall record. Not ideal size that the NFL covets, but he plays under center at Michigan State in a pro-style offense. A quick and accurate delivery are some of his best attributes at quarterback. His passing mechanics allow him to survey the field and release the clean from the pocket. He has shown the ability to throw on the run and has sneaky speed when advancing the football upfield with his feet (check out Notre Dame game last year). The Spartans have produced two fourth-round selection since 2012, with both Kirk Cousins and Connor Cook being drafted in that round.

Jacob Knipp, 6’4 225, Sr, Northern Colorado – Is returning to school for 2019 season.
Drew Anderson 6’4 221, Sr, Murray State
Layton Rabb, 6’4 225 Sr, Midwestern State