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Abolish The Salary Cap!
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Breer on Rudolph...
Spoiler!
It was supposed to be a test against Pitt on Saturday, but Mason Rudolph’s stat line by the end of the first half read this way: 20-for-28, 423 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INT, and a commanding 49-14 lead.
And yet, on the actual tape, some NFL scouts swear there’s still plenty to be desired.
“He’s O.K.,” said one AFC scouting director. “He’s playing in a great, quarterback-friendly offense. Probably has a top 10-caliber group of receivers. Gundy is a great coach and does an outstanding job with that offense. I’m not sold on him as a top guy . . . He’s a decent athlete. He’s tough and runs that offense well. But not sure the video game numbers he’s gonna put up this year will translate to the NFL.”
“He’s got good size,” was the positive an AFC personnel exec found before echoing the sentiment, “but his arm strength is lacking and he’s inconsistent with his accuracy.”
Added an area scout: “Not as good as the media wants everyone to believe; he’s a Day 3 guy. His accuracy isn’t as good as the numbers show—his receivers make a lot of tough catches for him. Arm strength is adequate, not tops. What’s the difference between him and Bryce Petty?”
There have been 12 quarterbacks in major college football history to throw for 5,000 yards in a season, and just three of them—Derek Carr, Patrick Mahomes and David Klingler—went in the first five rounds out of the draft. The other nine? Two sixth-rounders, two seventh-rounders, a ninth-rounder (when that round still existed) and four undrafted free agents.
So what set Carr and Mahomes apart? Simple: traits.
If you come from one of these systems, your traits need to be special because there will be skepticism. Both Mahomes and Carr had unquestionable arm talent, and each carried leadership qualities that made teams believe they had the commitment level needed to transition from those offenses; the latter can only truly be gauged after the prospect leaves campus and enters the pre-draft process.
“At at a minimum, [Rudolph] has to have the arm talent,” the AFC scouting director said. “He might have the mental ability, but we don’t learn that until we get our hands on them after the season.”
Top of the Class
1. Sam Darnold, USC (28-49, 397 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT vs. Texas): One of the interceptions clanged off his receiver’s hands, and a dime that receiver Tyler Vaughns dropped in double overtime would’ve served as the game-winner (before a 43-yard field goal did). All that is to say: Darnold was even better than his numbers showed in an epic win.
2. Josh Rosen, UCLA (34-56, 463, 4 TD, 2 INT vs. Memphis): Rosen’s talent was again on display, but his warts were too. Too often he put the ball in harm’s way, and he wound up paying for it with a fourth-quarter pick that effectively clinched the Tigers’ upset win over the Bruins.
3. Josh Allen, Wyoming (9-24, 64 yards, 0 TD, INT vs. Oregon): The numbers speak for themselves, and this means Allen will finish the regular season 0-2 against FBS opponents, with the QB losing those games by a cumulative score of 73-16 and posting a 0-to-3 TD/INT ratio. Obviously, given that level of competition is an issue on his résumé, you can bet these performances will come up in the spring. And yet, the major takeaway I got from NFL evaluators when I asked around about it: how little help Allen has around him.
Helped Himself
Luke Falk, Washington State: We mentioned last week that Falk’s stock sunk not just because of a benching, but because of how well his backup performed in leading Washington State back from the dead in a win over Boise State. So we have to give Falk his props here, having thrown for 396 yards and six scores on 37-of-49 passing to (a) thrash Oregon State 52-23, and (b) reestablish himself as the guy in Pullman.
Hurt Himself
Lamar Jackson, Louisville: His numbers weren’t horrid, but he stumbled through the first half (8-20, 83 yards; 7 carries, 47 yards) as Louisville fell behind 19-7, at home against Clemson. Then he threw a back-breaker of a pick-six early in the third quarter. That extended Clemson’s lead to 26-7, and furthered doubts about how Jackson plays when the level of competition is amped up.
Breer's first "Big Board"...
Spoiler!
I pulled together a too-early ranking and ran it by couple NFL scouts to tweak. Here’s what we ended up with for a top 10
1. Sam Darnold, QB, USC
2. Derwin James, S, Florida State
3. Arden Key, EDGE, LSU
4. Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
5. Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
6. Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama
7. Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame
8. Harold Landry, EDGE, Boston College
9. Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU
10. Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
Keep an eye on: Texas OT Connor Williams’s recovery from knee surgery. He might miss the season—he tore his meniscus against USC—and would’ve made this list if not for the injury. Also, Clemson DT Christian Wilkins was the toughest omission (it was between him, Sutton and Guice).
https://www.si.com/2018-nfl-draft-qu...gs-stock-watch |