2019 NFL Draft Rankings: Quarterbacks
Mark Brooks
5. Ryan Finley – NC State – 6’4” 212 lbs
Originally a Boise State commit, Finley spent two years sporting Bronco blue before transferring to NC State and taking over as starting Quarterback. His decorated career with the wolf pack included three straight 3,000+ yard passing seasons and a total of 60 TDs, ranking in the top five among draft eligible quarterbacks. More mobile than recent NC State QB Mike Glennon (who went 73rd overall in 2013), Finley’s size and production (3,928 yards and 25 TDs 2018) will draw plenty of interest.
4. Drew Lock – Missouri – 6’4 225 lbs
A big-time arm and a unique personality, Drew Lock is one of the more interesting people and QBs in this year’s draft. Lock has accumulated 12,193 career passing yards and 99 passing TDs in an extremely touch SEC East, indicating his respectable and impressive productivity. He added another ten scores, nine rushing and one receiving, rounding out his overall athleticism. Lock has made headlines off the field for everything from cutting his hair, mocking the Texas longhorns (during Mizzou’s 16-33 loss in the Texas Bowl), and a series of derogatory tweets that were recovered from his high school. At the end of the day his arm talent will be what is discussed and put on display. The real question is: will a team trust him to be their leader and the face of their franchise?
3. Kyler Murray – Oklahoma – 5’11” 195 lbs
The 2018 MLB 9th overall pick has about 4.66 million reasons not to play professional football. That is the dollar amount of the contract he signed with the Oakland A’s before his SR football season at Oklahoma. The agreement was that he would play his SR year of football and then return to baseball, all of which changed quickly when Murray declared for the NFL draft. His talent is undeniable — the winner of the Heisman this past season Murray, was nothing short of electrifying on the gridiron. He led the Sooners to an impressive 12-2 record. His only losses came by three points to the Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry and to a dominant Alabama team. In his single season as a starter, Murray passed for 4,361 yards and tossed 42, the 2nd most in the country. What’s holding him back from being the top dawg in this class? The answer to that question is about 3 inches, or 7.62 centimeters, if you prefer. Standing at 5’10 he is not the traditional NFL quarterback. However, his height might not keep him from the top of draft boards. With the recent success of Russell Wilson 5’11”, Drew Brees 6’, and Baker Mayfield 6’ QB height seems to be less relevant these days. Just like Wilson, he could be successful in the right system.
2. Daniel Jones – Duke – 6’5” 220 lbs
The big man on campus and in the pocket, Jones is built in the traditional NFL starting QB mold. Standing at 6’5” and weighing in at 220 pounds, he’s led the Blue Devils for the past three years. His completion percentages of 62%, 57%, and 60.5% are somewhat deceiving. He was asked to make more pro-style reads and throws than Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins who each completed 70% of their passes in strictly spread schemes. A better runner than anticipated, Jones was able to rush for 300+ yards each season and totaled 17 rushing TDs over his career. His greatest asset may be his big-time arm. He can stretch the field with vertical throws and drive the ball on digs and slants. He plays with the energy and enthusiasm everyone looks for in a team leader. Expect NFL scouts to see a player similar to Ryan Tannehill when he came out of Texas A&M. With a solid pre-draft season, he should find himself in the top half of the first round.
1. Dwayne Haskins – Ohio State – 6’3” 220 lbs
All the numbers are in Haskins’ favor. Six feet and three inches tall? CHECK. 220 pounds? CHECK. 4,831 passing yards? CHECK. And finally, a whopping 50 passing TDs? CHECK. His lone season as the triggerman for the Buckeyes will be enough to get him into the first round and most likely as the first quarterback drafted. Clutch performances versus Washington and Maryland showed that the moment is never too big for the Potomac Maryland sophomore. The lone blemish on his impressive resume is a 20-49 thumping by 6-7 Purdue team. That being said, he still completed 67% of his passes in that game with 470 yards through the air and 2 TDs. Much more of a pocket quarterback than challengers Murray and Jones, he only rushed for 108 yards this past season, but did show enough strength and mobility to convert 4 rushing TDs. Haskins brings to mind Byron Leftwich in the way he moves in the pocket and how he delivers the ball. Though Haskins has a much more condensed throwing motion and appears to have better overall throwing mechanics than B-Left. Haskins has already been verbal that he wants to be the 1st overall quarterback drafted, and that he would prefer to play for the Giants. Time will tell if this will come into fruition.
Kevin Gardner
5. Drew Lock – Missouri – 6’4 225 lbs
The true gunslinger of the class, Drew Lock is not afraid of any throw. Touting the greatest arm strength of the class, Lock can throw deep with ease as well as find tight windows in coverage. Lock has all the physical tools NFL GM’s dream of. Standing six-foot four-inches, good mobility, with a rocket launcher on his shoulder, Lock will be talked about much like Josh Allen was last year. As a four-year starter at Missouri, Drew Lock has improved each year, further bolstering his case to go in the late first, early second round of the draft. If he can continue to improve and develop, he could turn out to be special.
With most strong-armed quarterbacks, accuracy tends to be the downside. Lock is no exception to this. More times than not, Lock relies completely on his arm strength to make throws, resulting in inconsistent throwing positions. Lock needs to work on planting his feet and finishing his throws at the next level. Ball security was an issue during his senior year, as he fumbled six times.
4. Daniel Jones – Duke – 6’5” 220 lbs
Need a spread, west-coast, signal caller that takes care of the football? Daniel Jones is your man. Jones stands at 6’5” 220 pounds and is relatively athletic for his size. My favorite part of watching Jones this season was how active in the pocket he is. He senses pressure well and his footwork is excellent. When able to throw from a clean pocket, which was rare with his offensive line, Jones was able to deliver pinpoint strikes sideline to sideline. Daniel Jones has the arm talent and poise to develop into a starter in the NFL, he just needs a better system with receivers that can catch the football and an offensive line to protect him. I think GM’s will fall in love with Jones’ size and prototypical archetype of an NFL quarterback and end up the third quarterback taken if Murray doesn’t play baseball.
Whether the blame is on Duke’s offensive system, Jones’ arm strength and deep accuracy, or both, there are certainly boxes left unchecked. I do not buy into the lack of arm strength knocks on Jones, but I did find him inconsistent past the first down markers. Duke’s system almost exclusively featured swing routes, comebacks, and slants, and as a result, Jones averaged only 6.4 yards per attempt in three years at Duke. Jones also desperately needs to learn how to slide on scrambles and designed runs. He took way too many unnecessary hits in college that will start to take their toll in the NFL.
3. Brett Rypien – Boise State – 6’2″ 202 lbs
Brett Rypien is a prospect who shows upside potential in the NFL. Every game I watched I started to get down on his inconsistent accuracy or skittish nature in the pocket. However, as soon as I was ready to write him off, Rypien would respond with one or two throws that warranted a replay or twelve. From the outside looking in, Rypien doesn’t have any traits that stand out among this class. What makes him special is his lack of any significant negative traits. Rypien appeared to progress through his reads, and generally ended up making the right decision. He has nice zip on the ball and his accuracy is great at times, showing nice touch on the ball. He was surgical at times when he got in a rhythm, clearly evident in his impressive stats during his time at Boise State. Rypien totaled 13,578 yards, 90 touchdowns, 29 interceptions and a 64% completion percentage in his four-year college career. Rypien is a proven winner, and the stats to be the underdog of this class.
As I mentioned earlier, his accuracy, especially on deep throws, tends to come and go. He also doesn’t seem to have great pocket awareness, as he rushes throws and gets happy feet in muddled pockets. With seven fumbles, Rypien needs to grasp a better feel of pressure at the next level. He doesn’t have great speed or mobility, but he is more than capable of extending most plays. Oh yeah, and he has the NFL quarterback bloodline through uncle Mark Rypien.
2. Dwayne Haskins – Ohio State – 6’3” 220 lbs
In his first season as a starting quarterback in college, Haskins racked up an impressive 4831 yards, 50 touchdowns, and a 70% completion percentage this season. His highlight tape is full of big time-NFL caliber throws. Haskins possesses one of the stronger arms in the draft, utilizing his sturdy frame and lower body. Haskins’ composure in the pocket while under pressure is impressive, and one of his finer positive NFL traits. He is not going to win games with his legs, but he has enough mobility to keep plays alive and escape messy pockets. Haskins’ short and intermediate accuracy is very good, especially as a first-year starter bound for the NFL.
Despite his strong arm and ability to throw deep, I have questions on his consistency. Though he posted a 70% completion rate, a lot of Ohio State’s offense are swing routes, screens, and middle crossers. When Haskins went deep, he overthrew open receivers more often than anyone would like to see. Some of these mishaps came during game changing plays against Purdue and Penn State. I noted that his short and intermediate accuracy is great; however, there is more to be desired. Haskins rarely missed his throws underneath safeties, but he commonly made receivers break stride to catch balls behind them, or off target just enough to let the defense close in on an otherwise big play. I think Haskins has the tools and traits to become a solid starting NFL quarterback. I expect him to be a top ten pick and most likely the first quarterback taken in April.
1. Kyler Murray – Oklahoma – 5’11” 195 lbs
You won’t find a more dynamic player in the 2019 NFL Draft. The best part? He plays the most important position on the field. Kyler Murray is QB1 for just about every reason. Arm strength, composure, touch, athleticism, and accuracy are all traits Murray excels in. With great pocket presence and dynamic playmaking ability, Murray fits the new NFL mold at quarterback that coordinators covet in today’s offensive era. Murray has the best deep ball in the draft, largely due to his impressive arm strength and downfield accuracy. With that arm strength and velocity, he can easily find his receivers in tight windows on short and intermediate routes. Lamar Jackson might hold the NFL superlative for best running quarterback, but Murray is close behind — and he can sling it too. Murray’s height will undoubtedly be a question mark heading into the combine, and if he does happen to fall into the late first, or even the second round, this will likely be the reason. If Murray somehow measures in above 5’10”, I think a GM pulls the trigger on day one of the draft given the success of guys like Russel Wilson, Drew Brees, and Baker Mayfield. In addition, Murray will need to improve his ability to read defenses instead of trusting his first read. Given a good coordinator and offensive mind, I have no doubt Murray has more strides to make at quarterback. The Heisman trophy winner should be the first quarterback taken if he decides to play football over baseball.
The throw that sealed the deal for me: Murray extends the play, keeps his eyes downfield, and delivers a perfect pass on the run to keep Oklahoma’s hopes alive against unbeaten Alabama in the Orange bowl.
