Scouting the 8 best college quarterbacks and projecting their NFL futures
By Ian Wharton
Scouting the best college quarterbacks like Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence and projecting what they need to do in order to maximize their NFL potential.
The 2019 college football season is nearly upon us as Miami and Florida celebrating opening weekend on Aug. 24. A new batch of playmakers will surely emerge throughout the country as fresh faces replace the stars of yesterday. Legacies will be made on Saturdays, and a few hundred will be NFL players one-year from today.
The preseason hype machine is at its loudest for the potential 2020 NFL draft crop of quarterbacks. We’re going to thread the needle between draft prospects and top college football quarterbacks, including a look at underclassmen with bright NFL futures ahead of them.
Though the 2020 group doesn’t include Trevor Lawrence, who won’t be draft-eligible until the 2021 NFL draft, it’s a class with superstar potential at the top, and enough depth to unveil a mid-round steal in time.
After analyzing and charting a dozen of the top names around the country, we’re breaking down the top eight quarterbacks entering the season. Each player has unique strengths, weaknesses, quirks, and statistical comparisons. I’ve built a database with more than 70 recent quarterback prospects’ catchable pass rates, helping give context to performance.
It’s important to note there’ll likely be a surprise breakout gunslinger somewhere around the country, while others won’t grow in a linear fashion. This group may look quite different in six months.
We’ll start with the best prospect in the country down to the line until we hit late-rounders. The best quarterbacks on Saturday aren’t always the best prospects for Sunday football, but there’s usually not a drastic difference between the two distinctions.