6’4” – 233 – 4.83
Two-year starter who had a strong redshirt freshman campaign but struggled to replicate his success last season. Big, well-built quarterback with a thick frame. Athletic dual-threat with enough running ability (both in terms of speed and of power) to pick up chunks of yardage on designed runs and when scrambling. Runs his offense out of the shotgun, in a scheme which allows him to pass off of play action or choose post-snap from a package of plays. Even out of the shotgun, has clumsy footwork with the limited drops he was asked to make; will also need to transition to taking snaps from under center. Has a high delivery point and very nice spiral; passes come out of his hands with a lot of life. Was asked to make a lot of pro-style throws to the sidelines and down the field, with ample arm strength to complete passes to any area. Outstanding arm strength allows him to make beautiful throws downfield or to fit the ball into tight windows. Although his base is not always stable, he is still able to get juice on the ball. Not really an anticipatory thrower right now, but will trust his arm and attempt some dangerous throws into tight windows. However, ball placement is inconsistent at this point, seemingly because of the pressure he faced and because he doesn’t always throw from a stable base. Doesn’t always reset his feet when he’s pushed off of his spot. Will overthrow passes downfield and dribble some in front of receivers running shorter routes. Was asked to process a lot of information and do a lot of work pre-snap for the Irish relative to most other quarterback prospects. Sometimes puts too much on his passes when more touch would have been better. Slow to process what’s going on on the field and eats a lot of sacks based on a combination of his indecisiveness and the amount of penetration his offensive line allowed this season. Was asked to go through reads but doesn’t get the ball out fast enough at this point. Tough enough to stand in the pocket and take a hit in order to make a throw, but doesn’t have great pocket movement to buy himself more time in order to find a target; more of a threat to take advantage of gaps for yardage as a runner than to maneuver his way around rushers and find targets downfield. Book-smart quarterback with the excellent physical and athletic tools, including a very strong arm, to become a quality starter, but whose inconsistent sophomore season, raw fundamentals, and indecisiveness when reading defenses make him a risky choice.
DRAFTEXAMINER 