2020 NFL Draft: Senior Bowl quarterback report cards
By Randy Gurzi
How did the quarterback prospects look as they played in the Reese’s Senior Bowl? We grade the 2020 NFL Draft hopefuls on how they looked in the big game.
This week’s Senior Bowl offered a great chance for scouts to look closely at the senior prospects entering the 2020 NFL Draft. The drills during the week offered a small glimpse, but for the coaches on hand, they wanted to see how these kids responded to the weekly game plans and in-game scenarios.
In that aspect, no position gets scrutinized more than the quarterbacks. These kids are given a lot of information and very little time to process it all. Then, they get rewarded for their hard work by seeing the field for a few drives with a bunch of players they have very little rapport with.
It’s a chance for them to impress given the way this is set up, and now we dig into the six signal-callers and grade them for their performance in Saturday’s game.
Justin Herbert, Oregon
Herbert got the start for the South squad and made a quick completion for a first-down on his first throw of the game. There was nothing special here as he hit Van Jefferson for a five-yard game, but it helped him get into a rhythm on an opening drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Lamical Perine. Herbert had no incompletions.
He showed off his speed when he took off for a 19-yard gain on the opening drive after North defensive end Joshua Uche failed to tackle him. Uche held up as if it were a practice which gave Herbert a free play, but he took advantage and displayed his athleticism, which is an underrated part of his game.
Herbert started this game 7-of-7 before throwing his first incompletion, which came on a third-and-8 during his second drive. That pass was just out of the reach of Kalija Lipscomb, but it was a quick pass under pressure and was a timing play — remember, these kids were in an All-Star game with limited practice.
Overall, Herbert looked to be calm and in control. His passes were precise and his decision making was quick. He was already one of the top quarterbacks on the board coming into the 2020 NFL Draft, but he only reaffirmed that on Saturday.
Grade: A+
Jordan Love, Utah State
Jordan Love started for the North and he took a different approach than Justin Herbert. Rather than trying to get into a rhythm with some short passes, he took a shot deep on the first play. He tried to go for Antonio Gandy-Golden, but the pass fell incomplete, although there was a lot of contact and no call. That ended up being his only pass of the drive as he then handed it off to Joshua Kelley three times in a row and had to punt on fourth-and-1.
His first completion didn’t come until his second drive, which was a four-yard screen pass to JaMycal Hasty. Despite his 2-of-4 passing to start the game — with only two passes going to the running back — Love was showing good decision making and his passes were accurate — including a deep one to Denzel Mims which he threw well despite not having his feet set in a muddy pocket. Mims should have been able to make a play on the ball, but looked to have lost it in the air.
Grade: B