Fantastic OP as well as follow ups. Some of your best work ever on this board. One thing to keep in mind when talking about sacks is that sometimes when evaluating QBs you have to see them going down as a good thing.If its a coverage sack & there is simply nothing there(situationally speaking of course) that's likely the right decision rather than try to force something into traffic. Needless to say a high sack total begs for a closer look at the very least. There is certainly an instinctual component to finding a great pocket climber, but there are ways to optimize players w. a partial tool set in that dept. Are they at the very least one or more of the following: A. Hard to bring down due to balance or size B. Plus fluid movement in drop backs as well as on the run C. Extremely quick release D. MISC- Maybe they are better moving/climbing to one side than the other. Again, you can alter blocking schemes to cater to that. Maybe their surrounding cast was so deplorable the whole thing was an enigma. So on & so forth. You're largely looking for tools to work w. if it isn't the total package.Attributes that can either be coached up and/or harnessed. Pocket presence is a bit of an art form; There is no mechanical way of teaching or executing. What can be controlled is the scheme as well as the player figuring out the best way for him to be consistently effective using his specific skill set.
I agree with most of what you're saying here...Mahomes was my choice out of all the QB's coming out, yet I readily admit my opinion is based on reviewing these guys during the draft process and not because I watch a lot of college games. Would I have taken Mahomes at 6...no, but I did love all the kid's intangibles and his arm strength was just KILLER. I was hoping he'd somehow slip and maybe we could grab him in rd2 but obviously that didn't work out. Where we really agree is that I would have drafted a QB in this draft but i'd have gone for one in a later round like Webb or Peterman. Until you find your franchise QB you keep drafting one every year...that's always been my mantra. I'd rate "coachability" pretty high on my list if I were pulling the strings on draft day. I'd spend a lot of time talking to the QBC-HC's of any prospects i'm interested in and get their take on how well these kids took to being coached up, and how quickly they responded to correcting the flaws in their game. Football IQ is another aspect I place a high grade on ...you have to be smart with the football and pick up different systems that may be installed going forward in your NFL career. We all know how some teams change coaches like most people change socks (cough cough), so give me a guy that's a student of the game and has the smarts to pick up a new system and he's moving up on my board. I guess this also goes with the above mentioned "coachability". I understand fully that Macc and Bowles are playing for their next contract just like players are , but If I'm Woody I tell these guys I want to see one or both of these kids under center, no matter what the record is at the end of the season, so we can see what direction we need to go heading into 2018. We've committed to blowing things up and doing a total rebuild ...it's obvious that this isn't happening overnight.
Josh Allen is 6'6" 230 lbs with a really strong arm, speed, mobile, can throw on the run, quick release, and he's getting cold weather experience. Yes, he needs polish but Man, that kid is a beast and I would love to see him in green. The thought of another SoCal QB makes me throw up in my mouth a little, but to be fair, I haven't done much research on Darnold/Rosen and there is still a full season to see how they shake out. Looking at next year's QB group though makes me want to just let the kids play and take the losses in the name of development and draft strategy.
There are likely to be 2 really good prospects in next years draft and another 3 or so guys that people like but not at that level. Who those guys are is not clear but next year's draft could be as good as any since 2004 and might be as good as any since 1983 in terms of QB's available. The Jets really need a lottery pick in that draft. They have to do what it takes to get a top 2 or 3 at the outside pick. They have to do it in a way that the top QB isn't staring at the Jets like they're a ship on fire. It's going to be tricky but it can be done. 6-10 is going to make us all cry after everything shakes out in the end. We might get the 5th best QB on the 12 or whatever but there will be 2 or 3 guys who went ahead of us who are twice as likely to turn into a franchise QB as that guy.
I really like Allen too and he seems to have surpassed Darnold in many experts opinion all ready this off season. It's still so early to really get a handle on the next draft class. Every year it's the same come draft time. Next year is the year to take a QB. Looking back on the way too early 2016 mock drafts posted right after the 15 draft, the hype was all about Hack. The majority of drafts had him going#1 overall and all had him as the top QB picked. There's no way to know what will happen this season but it's more than likely that the top prospects today will be picked apart all year and some dark horse candidates will rise. Someone will get injured, someone will stay in school and some underclassmen will declare early.
I think I prefer Allen as well. Prototype+ size, A grade arm strength. Needs to learn to make some better reads and to not be superman/protect the ball. He has no problem challenging tight coverage and drops some dimes, but just so happens that he takes those challenges a little too much.
I agree with the "next year is the year for QB" sentiment. That said after rolling my eyes at the 2018 talk for quite awhile this class' quantity & quality is hard to ignore.Most years that talk is centered around 1 or 2 guys.While Darnold,Allen & Rosen have dominated most of the talk there are several others who could deservedly climb aboard the vacant seat on the hype train.Guys could certainly fall off/get hurt but by the same token there are bound to be acouple 1 year wonder/late risers who join the party as well. The interesting irony to all of this: Is 2018 just the start of something new? In other words, w. all the emphasis now placed on QB's on the lower levels & pass heavy offense..is there going to now be an over abundance of high potential QBs in any given year?If that's the case suddenly the urgency & demand associated w. the position could take on a whole new dynamic.
I don't foresee the demand for the QB position changing anytime soon. It's been a QB driven league for decades and with the way rules are changing, the demand will continue to rise. The HS &NCAA level ball has evolved the way they approach the offense , most QBs never take a snap under center , and NFL is beginning to adapt more towards the college style with more teams adopting the spread offense but unless teams go to the air raid style, most QBs coming out of school don't translate as well to the NFL. The demand for QB is at an all time high while RB is at an all time low. Untill the skill set required match, the Dynamics won't change.
NFL Scout on Darnold: "Darnold's release has some flaws to it. He's not Aaron Rodgers or elite physical talent like he's being made out to be. I love Darnold's moxie, and he has HUGE intangibles, but he's not the physical talent Carson Palmer was coming out. I think Darnold has a good skill set, but not special. Special and elite are the same to me, and I think these terms are thrown around too randomly to help hyperbole. Sam is talented; he's just not Rodgers, Cam Newton, Michael Vick, Ben Roethlisberger or Andrew Luck in terms of physical ability. Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen have that talent. Now as far as intangibles, mental quicks, and leadership, time will tell if Sam is rare in that regard, but he could be. The truly special players have both combinations, and to just be a great NFL quarterback, you have to be rare in one regard or the other - if not both to some degree. I just don't know if Sam has gotten there yet." Full quote (he keeps rambling on) here: http://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2018sdarnold.php
I've decided to start watching tape on QBs from this past year to see who to keep an eye on for next year and going forward. I think Nick Fitzgerald from Mississippi State is worth keeping an eye on as well. Coming from that school he's going to be compared to Dak Prescott, and like Prescott was earlier in college, he's not a great passer yet, but he has a tight ends frame and can scoot. Also, he very clearly goes through his progressions. If he comes out this next year and improves as a passer like Prescott did throughout his college career, don't expect him to last to the 4th.
I'm interested in seeing if Mason Rudolph takes another step forward this year. He makes some impressive passes. I think f he was in a pro style offense instead of Oklahoma St spread we would here more about him. I also like Falk from Washington but to a lesser degree.
