Breaking down college football’s best quarterbacks in Week 5: Jalen Hurts building NFL momentum

Breaking down the top college football quarterbacks with film study to look at the Week 5 performances from Tua, Trevor, Jalen Hurts and more.

We’re approaching the midway point of the college football season as teams have completed five weeks of play. That means the cream of the quarterback crop is separating themselves as conference play begins. Key matchups are on the horizon for many of the top names.

It’s the evaluations that matter more to the NFL than direct results. Franchises are quarterback-driven, and thus always keeping an eye out for their next star.

The weekly regulars are back for our series, including Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa. Also included are Jacob Eason, Jalen Hurts and Jordan Love. Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow and Jake Fromm had bye weeks.

Trevor Lawrence, Clemson

Clemson was two yards away from falling victim to Mack Brown’s North Carolina Tar Heels, and oh what a story that would’ve been. Instead of the storyline revolving around their gutsy call to go for two, we must remember the clutch 38-yard touchdown pass that came on third down from Trevor Lawrence.

It was a bit of a redeeming moment for Lawrence, who has dipped in efficiency and subsequently the Heisman race early on. He’s been good but not as transcendent as many had hoped this offseason. This game featured several tough misses but also the improvisational skills that keep me saying Lawrence will be a great prospect at the end of his tenure in college.

Overall he finished with 10 accurate passes on 20 attempts beyond the line of scrimmage, which is clearly subpar. Three of his misses were on short throws to his right, and only one was under pressure. He was uncharacteristically wide on several tries to his strong side.

The Tar Heels forced several tight-window throws that were nearly impossible to hit, including one deep middle pass and one intermediate left pass. Those are easier to wipe away as great defensive plays.

But the up and down nature to his game continued on third downs. He was three of eight on conversion downs beyond five yards, and though I love that all but one of those passes went past the marker, he has to be more consistent.

I’ll say that the window for Lawrence as the sure-fire number one pick can shrink this year. Justin Fields, who isn’t featured this week despite his play against Nebraska, is extremely talented in his own right.

Clemson’s offense is somewhat to blame, as the unit is struggling to generate red zone looks. Lawrence had zero attempts within the golden area, a sign that things beyond his control aren’t all that smooth.

Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

Let’s get this out of the way because I’ve been asked this in recent weeks as NFL teams stack up losses: Tua Tagovailoa is easily the top quarterback prospect this year, in my opinion, and the data backs it. His precision to all levels is fantastic, and he maneuvers inside the pocket like a skilled NFL veteran. He doesn’t have the cannon arm that others may possess but he’s better at controlling what he does have than his peers.

Saturday’s performance only reaffirmed why. Tagovailoa was dominant to all levels of the field and in situational play. He finished with five touchdowns beyond the line of scrimmage and three on conversion downs.

He was nearly flawless beyond 10 yards as well, which was an area he had room to improve entering the year. Just four attempts beyond 10 yards were off, and he’ll be kicking himself for a big opportunity missed on only one. He’s doing a good job of seeing safety angles compared to route patterns and trajectories.

Numerous times he avoided pressures and scrambled for yards or open passing lanes. His pocket control continues to create opportunities for the offense, which is going to be a huge help because he’s guaranteed to go to a bad NFL team.

It’s getting to the point with Tua’s continued stellar play that it’s jarring when he misses moderately difficult throws. His receivers certainly help him and his stats, but he’d still finish drives at a high rate even if the yards after the catch numbers weren’t so absurd from his playmakers.

Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma

I had a feeling after the spring game that we’d see Jalen Hurts take some big strides and develop into an NFL talent this year. Lincoln Riley and Hurts have been a terrific pairing, and Hurts is a legitimate Day 2 projection right now. Riley’s edict that Hurts needs to be more aggressive downfield also took effect this week and led to some great results.

Hurts attempted several tight-window passes that he seemed to avoid like the plague at Alabama. His confidence is so high and his accuracy is generally very good. He’s showing more touch and anticipation than anyone could’ve foreseen in his early years with the Crimson Tide.

Of course, some of his success is thanks to Riley’s immensely friendly system and surrounding cast. Hurts is rarely pressured outside of his own wandering, and he’s suffered from only one drop all season long. He also must continue driving through throws instead of dipping back and interrupting the continuous motion that maintains accuracy and velocity.

The scheme and cast help mask the occasional mechanical slop.

Nevertheless, Hurts has improved drastically to become a quality prospect under a legitimate NFL coaching talent. The NFL has absolutely noticed and will continue watching for progress.

Jordan Love, Utah State

The buzz is growing on Jordan Love lately, which doesn’t seem warranted to me. He entered the year as a Day 2 talent due to his immense physical traits and upside. But his motion remains inconsistent, decision-making questionable, and play against pressure unpredictable.

He’s not a bad prospect, but still a prospect and projection. That’s not someone deserving of top-10 hype yet. Love showed against Colorado State both the good and the bad he possesses.

Just 11 of 21 passes beyond the line were catchable, and his four-for-11 performance against pressure was uninspiring. His third-down play was similarly poor, with him missing all three attempts beyond the marker. Then we can throw in the two poor read interceptions on out routes.

It’s notable this game was played in the pouring rain and near 40-degree weather. Some of his misses are likely attributable to this, as the ball was slipping all over the place for both teams. And it didn’t stop him from four well-placed deep throws, leading to two touchdowns.

There’s a general sloppiness to his pocket approach that can be improved with reps and attention but it endangers his projection as-is. I really like Love, but don’t fall in love with his beautiful arm motion and peaks quite yet. He’s not ready for it.

Jacob Eason, Washington

I thought Jacob Eason had turned a corner after the last two weeks in terms of aggressiveness, but alas he reverted back to a short-thrower against USC. Just five of his 23 passes traveled beyond 10 yards, and he hit only two.

Washington didn’t need much from him and Eason executed a benign performance. He finished with six accurate passes in the red zone but failed to register a touchdown. That simply shouldn’t be the case with someone of Eason’s talent.

We’ll see over the rest of the year if Eason will be ready to declare for the 2020 class. He’s physically talented enough to make it in the NFL but he tends to fall back into game manager mode too often. He doesn’t need to be a star but there’s no reason for him to be Jake Browning, either.

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