Oklahoma State hosting the No. 6 Oregon Ducks was one of the most exciting games in college football's early window. The battle between Dante Moore and Drew Mestemaker was one of the biggest reasons for that, but the clear standout in this game was Mestemaker.
Despite this being just his second start with the Cowboys, Mestemaker's tools were on full display, giving draft enthusiasts reason to believe he can be one of the top QB draft prospects this spring.
In the contest against the Ducks, Mestemaker's arm strength, accuracy, and mobility were on blast, making the idea of what he can do the rest of the season against a weaker schedule interesting.
Drew Mestemaker's Oregon performance shouldn't be ignored
On the Cowboys' first drive, Mestemaker took a read option down the left sideline, catching the entire defense by surprise and rushing 75 yards down the sideline. Later on in the half, he uncorked a 52-yard bomb to receiver Wyatt Young for a score. Mestemaker also placed a beautiful ball over two defenders, dropping it in the bucket to Young off a flea-flicker.
While he also had two first-half interceptions off deflected passes, the young quarterback didn't let that impact him. He finished the game 26-of-43 for 317 passing yards and two passing scores. Mestemaker also added 109 rushing yards and another score on the ground, helping the Cowboys clinch a 39-31 upset win over the Ducks. For a young player who didn't start at quarterback until last season at North Texas, there are fair questions about the caliber of quarterback he can develop into, but it's evident from his performance against Oregon that he will be a highly discussed player when NFL draft talk picks up.
He's listed at 6-foot-3, and he has the arm strength, accuracy, and mobility that teams look for in the league. This game against Oregon is the hardest one on the schedule. It shows there's no telling what kind of numbers he can put up the rest of the year.
Mestemaker's arrow is beaming up after Oregon game
The top teams the Cowboys play for the remainder of the season are Houston, Texas Tech, and Arizona State. While anything can happen in a given game, none of those teams have a better defense or roster than Oregon.
As time goes on, Mestemaker will continue to grow and get more comfortable within this offense. It's important to note that he followed his head coach, Eric Morris, to Stillwater. That shows the relationship between the player and coach is strong. With more reps and familiarity with the Cowboys, of course, you can assume his production will continue to improve.
Even though Oklahoma State has games against the teams mentioned above, they also have contests against the likes of Murray State, Kansas, West Virginia, and more. It's nothing against those programs, yet they aren't on the caliber of Oregon.
It only makes the case for Mestemaker stronger. You can only play who is on your schedule, and for Mestemaker's sake, it could yield plenty of great results. And that will excite several NFL teams who will be in the quarterback market next spring.
What NFL teams should keep an eye on Mestemaker
There's a long list of teams in the NFL that will be in the market for a quarterback. The most obvious teams are the Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, and Miami Dolphins. Some other names that could potentially emerge later in the year include the Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings, and Indianapolis Colts.
While the latter of those options would need to see some drastic change for the worse with their current options, anything is possible. The biggest selling point of the 2027 NFL Draft is the potential of finding a franchise quarterback.
The obvious names are Texas' Arch Manning and Oregon's Dante Moore, with other guys like Notre Dame's C.J. Carr, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, Miami's Darian Mensah, and LSU's Sam Leavitt mentioned.
Mestemaker still needs time to develop, as he has just 16 collegiate starts after this outing. His lack of starts and reps will be a cause for concern, yet there's no downplaying of the raw talent. He has the arm, quickness with his legs, and playmaking ability teams want in a quarterback. In the biggest game of his career thus far, Mestemaker passed the test and put some fantastic things on tape that people can rave about. All while going up against the best team he'll see all season.
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