Last season Joe Burrow dominated college football to become the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. Kyle Trask has a chance to do the same thing this year.
Joe Burrow came out of nowhere to dominate the SEC en route to becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Kyle Trask doesn’t need to make that large of a leap to top NFL draft boards in 2021, but his outstanding performance against Ole Miss shows that he has the potential to follow in Burrow’s footsteps.
The Gators cruised to a 51 to 35 victory at Ole Miss to spoil Lane Kiffin’s head coaching debut for the Rebels. Trask triggered the Flordia passing game with ruthless efficiency. He finished his day’s work after completing-30 of-42 passes for 416 yards and six touchdowns.
Kyle Trask threw for a career-high six touchdowns to tie Joe Burrow’s record for most passing touchdowns in an SEC opener
Like Burrow, Trask isn’t going to wow anyone with his mobility. He’s a classic, dropback passer who needs a relatively clean pocket to be at his best. Florida’s offensive line did a terrific job of keeping him upright against Ole Miss. Trask made the most out of his protection by picking apart the Rebels’ secondary.
Kyle Trask threw for a career-high 6 Pass TD today to tie Joe Burrow for the most Pass TD in an SEC conference opener.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 26, 2020
4 of those went to TE Kyle Pitts, which ties the Florida record for Rec TD in a game (Ike Hillard in 1995 and Jack Jackson in 1994) pic.twitter.com/OFtiyqxjqJ
Trask’s arm strength is what already has him on the radar of NFL scouts. His accuracy was also on full display in the SEC opener. Trask flashed his ability to hit receivers on all three levels of the field. He used his big arm to hit several deep throws, but he also put the ball right on the money for his playmakers on short and intermediate routes.
The redshirt senior will need to keep up his stellar play over the course of a full season if he wants to really follow in Burrow’s footsteps. Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields and Trey Lance are all ahead of Trask on most draft boards at the moment. He does have a significant opportunity to raise his draft stock by excelling against high-level SEC competition as Florida’s season continues.
Even if Trask can’t overcome the competition to become the No. 1 pick, his performance at Ole Miss should provide scouts a clear example of what he can do when he’s given time to throw in the pocket. His lack of mobility may make him a poor fit for some teams that need to find a franchise quarterback in this year’s draft, but his elite arm strength is going to earn him a lot of fans amongst NFL talent evaluators. Trask did everything he could against Ole Miss to raise his NFL Draft stock.
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