We’re right in the thick of my 2018 NFL Quarterback Draft Rankings. If you need to catch up on No.s 10-9 as well as a few honorable mentions, you can read Part 1 by clicking here.
If you want to skip that, I’ll get you caught up.
(10. Nic Shimonek – Texas Tech, 9. Riley Ferguson – Memphis)
TOP 10 continued…
8. Logan Woodside, Toledo
2017: 64.2 completion percentage, 3,882 yards, 28 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 6-2, 210 pounds
There’s a lot to like about Woodside’s senior season with the exception of his complete ass performance against Appalachian State in the Dollar General Bowl. Toledo was blanked, losing 34-0, and Woodside was 16-of-29 for 124 yards, no touchdowns and three picks.
Big game performances? I mean, can you call a MAC Championship 45-28 victory over Akron a “big game?” Woodside has a bit of an albatross around his neck. He’s rarely seen NFL talent on the opposite side of the field, but on the flip side, other than running back Kareem Hunt a year ago, he’s not played with NFL talent either.
That being said, he’s shown up when the Rockets jump up a level. In the above game against Miami, you can see how good a player he is. He fits the ball into tight windows, reads his progressions, moves around the pocket well and delivers the ball on time and hits plenty of his ham-fisted receivers right in the hands, for whatever good it does.
Unlike Ferguson, he’s moving his head all the time, looking off safeties and making his pass reads live. It makes him deadly, especially with the mid-range passes. When he took his team up to rosters with similar talent, he dominated in nearly every game. Facing off against Miami, who will have defenders that will play in the NFL, he was 28-of-48 for 342 yards and three touchdowns with no picks.
Pro comparisons: Chase Daniel, A.J. McCarron
Ideal team fits: Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons
https://youtu.be/RF7nV-UZcYo
7. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State
2017: 64.7 completion percentage, 3,053 yards, 35 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 798 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, 6-2, 220 pounds
I’m betting this is the first NFL draft prospects list you’ve seen with J.T. Barrett’s name on it. That’s ridiculous. What else did this kid have to do to get NFL attention?
I’ll give you the knocks on him right now; he didn’t play in a pro-style offense, he’s not a pocket passer and he’s about two inches too short.
Now I’ll answer all those questions; first, nobody on this list plays in a pure, pro-style offense. Second, who gives a shit? You’re not drafting Barrett to be a starter day one. You’re drafting him to be an elite back up that can win games in the NFL with the right gameplan. Lastly, we’ve already talked about this stupid mold everybody uses.
Here’s what I love about Barrett. He’s a winner. He not only played along side elite NFL talent, he’s faced them and beaten them. He’s made the clutch plays with the game on the line consistently. Against Penn State this season he led three fourth quarter scoring drives, all sealed with touchdown passes to beat the Nitney Lions 39-38 in a match-up of the No. 2 (PSU) and No. 6 (OSU) teams in the country.
Barrett spent four seasons playing the best of the best, getting Ohio State into the College Football Playoff twice and going 2-1 in bowl games. His only postseason loss was to Deshaun Watson’s eventual national championship Clemson team.
The Buckeyes’ offense didn’t require a lot of pocket work, so it’s hard to judge Barrett on that. He also didn’t have to make a lot of reads. When he did, it was mostly just underneath check-downs. This is not a guy that’s ready to take over a team as a rookie. I don’t think he’ll ever be a guy that can take the starting reigns. Can he come off the bench and win a game? Yes. Can he keep your team in the playoff race as your starter deals with a short-term injury? Absolutely.
Seriously, who would you rather see putting down his Surface tablet and grabbing his helmet as your starting QB goes into the concussion tent? Barrett or Brandon Weedon?
Pro comparisons: Tyrod Taylor, Joshua Dobbs, Colin Kaepernick
Ideal team fits: Dallas Cowboys, Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks
6. Josh Allen, Wyoming
2017: 56.3 completion percentage, 1,812 yards, 16 touchdowns, six interceptions, 204 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns, 6-5, 233 pounds
First off, let’s talk about that sub-60 completion percentage. Wyoming receivers dropped a lot of balls. That being said, I certainly haven’t tallied up what his completion percentage would be with those throws factored out. Would he still hit 60 percent? It would help if some supreme football nerd out there would put together an on-target statistic, but I’m just being greedy.
Once you’ve got a handle on what makes all the regular scouts and NFL writers perk up, it’s easy to see why Allen is so high on lists. He’s got a cannon for an arm, he’s the prototype size and can make all the throws. I don’t see why this kid is coming out in the draft this year. I don’t think he’s a first round talent. That being said, with the grades I’ve seen other scouts give him and his sure to impress exercising display in the NFL Combine, he probably will be.
So let’s go down my list of what I’m looking for in a QB, since you already know I give nary a single shit about arm strength. If you can throw the ball around 45-50 yards, you have all the arm strength you need in the NFL. You know who could never throw it farther than that? Dan Marino. He did OK.
Is he clutch? Now, granted there’s only so much I can do with looking at game films or box scores, but I see no real evidence of it. Against Boise State, for instance, he was 12-of-27 for 131 yards, one touchdown and two picks. His yards per attempt were just 4.9 and he didn’t even complete 45 percent of his passes in that game. In the final quarter, with the game still close, he did absolutely nothing to get Wyoming into range for a field goal to tie the game and he had at least four possessions to do something.
He gets happy feet in the pocket from what I can see and wants to run out of it too soon, before his protection breaks down. He does throw an accurate ball and his athleticism isn’t bad. He can pull it down and run it without looking like a handicapped Ostrich. He’ll need a lot of work and development to turn into a professional quarterback and nobody looking for a starter in the next year or two of this draft has the time.
Pro comparisons: DeShone Kizer, Christian Hackenberg, Blake Bortles
Ideal team fit: Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers
To be continued in Part 3…
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