Figured we can have a thread for this even though we won't be in the market. Howell looked awful last night. Felt the blitz all game whether it was coming or not. Instantly tried to bail if the read option pass wasn't open and is just too slow to do so. He needs to learn to settle in the pocket. He'll put up gawdy numbers by the end of the year but I don't think he's a legitimate NFL prospect (even though he'll be a top-ish pick). Spencer Rattler just threw an awful pass to start the season. BUT he really might have the closest arm I've seen to Mahomes in terms of ease of throwing the ball a mile at any angle. It's early so I need to see more before staying firm on this assessment so stay tuned. I expect a big game tonight from JT Daniels in a win over Clemson. He might be the second QB off the board when all is said and done.
Howell's good, but I'm not convinced he's as good as scouts make him out to be. Rattler's also good; I'm not a fan of Daniels's game at all.
It's tough to tell if Howell was completely unable to look off his first read against Virgina Tech or if the gameplay and VT pressure disallowed him to do it. But they ran an unbelievable amount of run/pass read options (tough to tell if they were designed throws) where he opened up to throw the slant or cross and pulled the ball down and looked lost and panicked. On his good days, he looks like Baker Mayfield did at Oklahoma and on his bad days he looked like Geno Smith did with the Jets. If yesterday was your first long look at Daniels, watch him some more this season. That gameplan was designed to not make mistakes. The one big mistake is the one that decided the game. It's also tough to get a read on Daniels because despite what Monken's said about finally installing a real college offense at Georgia, Kirby Smart is still the most conservative coach in college football. Part of it is stubbornness, part of it is because he consistently recruits an NFL defense and NFL runningbacks within the top 3 programs in the country.
Daniels is a statue in the pocket and doesn't get the ball out quickly; that's a recipe for disaster in the NFL.
Oklahoma is one of my two college teams along with my alma mater Syracuse. I watch almost every Oklahoma game. Rattler is a good QB, but he is no Mayfield or Murray to compare him to recent other Oklahoma QBs. If he ends up going as one of the top three QBs in the draft that will tell you it is a weak year for QBs. IMHO, Rattler needs between a 30 to 50% improvement to deserve going #1 overall. As a Sooner fan, I, of course, hope that happens, but as a football realist I have my doubts. Rattler has good vision in finding the open man and the ability to deliver in those situations when he has time. It is when the pressure arrives and the windows tighten that his mistakes increase by more than the mistakes should be increasing in those situations from a truly top notch QB.
Rattler needs to show a lot more to be worthy of the top billing. But commenting on his arm alone, it's in the close to ridiculous category for me. It just looks so damn easy for him to wing the ball around. He looked pretty bad versus Tulane. I'd imagine Matt Corral from Ole Miss ends up a first round pick this year. Stupid talented and used his eyes very well and looked off his first read last night on several occasions. And he's a plus athlete.
Your boy looks lost and then makes an incredible sideline throw to keep the drive alive and marches them down the field. He badly needs another year with some his weapons entering their junior years and he should win the Heisman going away next year if he stays. I just don't know that he will because I believe a team will take him at the end of round one at the latest.
My boy ???? I was the first one to say he is not worthy of being a high first round pick. Yes, I wish he was that good, but I told you he wasn’t. meanwhile Caleb Williams came in and saved the game against Texas. Caleb looks a bit raw, but he has the “it” factor that mayfield and Murray had that rattler lacks. I hope the Sooners stay w Caleb the rest of the season.
I know lol I was being a smartass because you're a Oklahoma fan. You've been right all the way on him, man. He's going to end up at Texas now. Caleb starts the rest of the way, right? Wasn't he the #1 recruit? He looked fantastic and man does he have wheels.
Its early, but jeez!, - 2022 awful draft year for QBs. It'll be as bad as the Winston/Mariota and Goff/Wentz drafts. Then again Carson Wentz came out of nowhere just before the draft. And at this time last year I hadn't heard of Zach Wilson. As of now, - I just have Matt Corral + Carson Strong barely making the 1st round - but no one being a top 5/10 pick.
Quarterbacks will always get over drafted though. I like Corral as a top pick. He has all of the modern day skills and crazy good intangibles (reportedly). I agree though, I don't love this class at this moment. I can't imagine Rattler comes out but I still think he has the best natural arm talent although he's performed like dog shit and likely won't be playing all too much or with Oklahoma next year.
Any thoughts on Malik Willis? I’ve watched some of his tape. Seems like he has talent but I’m unsure of whether he would make it in the league.
Willis comes with the same huge question mark that Wilson had for me - level of competition is a huge issue. And he went on to beat the team that Wilson couldn't last year.
I definitely hear that about the competition. It may be that he’s the type of player that needs the right situation to develop. And that definitely means that the Jets should pass!
