Breaking Down QB’s In The 2020 NFL Draft
By: Jace Garcia
There is a lot of QB talent in the 2020 NFL Draft class and a lot has changed since what everyone thought going into the 2019 football season. Let me start with the man that was everyone’s number one overall pick, but due to a recent injury things could change. At the beginning of the season everyone thought that the Dolphins and Bengals would be “Tanking for Tua”, and he was my top QB in this draft class, but with his recent hip injury that could cause some problems. After the freak play that happened against Mississippi State, Tua was left with the same hip injury that ended the great Bo Jackson’s career, however Tua is not a running back so that should not hurt his stock drastically. I think Tua is still going in the first round but he is very injury prone, look at the ankle injuries he suffered both last year and this year and now this hip problem.
Right now in my book he is mid-late first round, his abilities on the field outweigh his health questions, possible landing spots could be; the Los Angeles Chargers, Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans, and the Miami Dolphins pick from the Steelers. The one thing though that could make him drop lower is the combine, if he is not healthy enough to compete and some of the other QBs show up and kill the combine that might hurt Tua’s stock.
The last LSU QB to go number one overall was a bust in JaMarcus Russell, will Joe Burrow have the same fate? The current Heisman front runner has had one hell of a season for himself, leading the LSU Tigers to 3 wins over 10 teams and a number 1 ranking in the college football playoff rankings. No doubt he has a spectacular year and will probably win the Heisman trophy this year, but where does that lead his draft stock? Burrow’s draft stock has very much so risen throughout the season, but I am still not sold on a team picking him first overall. Last year, his numbers weren’t anything remotely close to anything good like they are this year and the real improvement and benefit he has gotten that has transformed him into Heisman favorite is the new offensive coordinator Joe Brady plus Burrow has so many weapons to throw the ball to on the offense.
The upsides to Burrow is a hard worker and a big time student of the game, basically being attached to Joe Brady’s hip upon his arrival, which in turn has made him a better at reading plays, going through progressions, and making smart decisions. However the downsides I see with Burrow is what if the play calling does not fit and Burrow can’t mesh with the offensive coordinator or head coach like he did with Joe Brady, plus can Burrow compete at the same level he did this year on a team that does not have the same kinds of weapons. With all that being said Burrow is one of the top QBs in this draft and will be drafted pretty high, the lowest I see him falling is to the Los Angeles Chargers and he can go as high as the number 1 overall pick. Time will tell, his performance in the college football playoff will tell, and his combine numbers will tell.
As I have been known as “the PAC 12 guy” I cannot not talk about Justin Herbert here. If he would have gone out for last year’s draft, he would’ve been the first overall pick then, in my eyes, he is the first overall pick now. A great arm, very smart kid, reads the defense well, and can when needed makes plays with his feet.
In today’s NFL this is the prototype of what you want in the QB to build your team around. I know their questions starting to loom about his ability to play on the big stage after the week 1 loss to Auburn and then the upset loss to Arizona State, but look at the team around him he has a solid offensive line to protect him but if you have all the time in the world to throw but the receivers can’t make the catch what’s the point. Herbert is also the type of QB to light it up at the combine and I think there he will end all questions on who will be number 1 overall, it will be Justin Herbert. If he isn’t going number 1 overall the lowest I see him falling is to the second QB off the board, this kid is a stud and the perfect QB to start a rebuild around.
The last QB I am going to talk about here isn’t necessarily the next ranked QB on my list, but I think he is an interesting talking point, and that is Jalen Hurts. I still do not know how I feel about Jalen Hurts; he is mobile, has great leadership skills, but his passing down the field and his decision making at times can be shaky.
Hurts is obviously no the prototypical QB, but one thing I think that is raising his stock is not necessarily his play on the field, but how the Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson are playing this year, both of them being in the MVP talk gives teams more confidence in unique QB like Jalen Hurts. The highest Hurts can go is late 1st round, the lowest he can fall is the 3rd round. The thing with picking him is you need a team that can use him right and allow him to do what he does right, if he is drafted to a team that tries to restrict what he does best he will end up a bust. This draft class is loaded with QB talent and this was just four of the most interesting guys in the draft and we shall see where they do eventually fall.
