The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
» Top 10 QBs in the draft,
Here are the top 10 quarterback prospects (with projected round) for the 2020 NFL draft, which is set for April 23-25:
1. Joe Burrow, LSU, 6-foot-3, 231 pounds (first round)
After failing to beat out Dwayne Haskins at Ohio State, he transferred to LSU as a graduate student. In 2018, he completed 219 of 379 passes (57.8%) for 2,894 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. Last season he led the Tigers to the national title and won the Heisman Trophy while being named unanimously to the Associated Press All-American team. He was the SEC offensive player of the year. He had one of the better seasons in college football history as he passed for 5,671 yards and set an NCAA record with 60 touchdown passes over 15 starts.
2. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama, 6-0, 217 (first round)
At this time last season, he was projected as the top quarterback in the class, but with Burrow’s fine season and his own injury, Tagovailoa slipped to the second slot. His injury history is troublesome, but teams recognize his immense talent. He suffered a dislocated hip and posterior hip wall fracture against Mississippi State on Nov. 16. He was having another fine season, as he’d passed for more than 2,800 yards and 33 touchdowns for Alabama. He became one of college football’s top stars after coming off the bench as a freshman in the second half of the 2017 national championship game to lead a comeback victory over Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
3. Justin Herbert, Oregon, 6-6, 236 (first round)
Had a spectacular career over 44 games with the Ducks, as he completed 827 of 1,293 passes (64%) for 10,541 yards, 95 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. In 2019, he started 14 games and completed 286 of 428 passes (67%) for 3,471 yards, 32 touchdowns and six interceptions. In 2016, he became the first freshman to start at quarterback for Oregon since 1983.
4. Jordan Love, Utah State, 6-4, 224 (first round)
He’s a talented, mobile passer. He had a strong season in 2018 before he threw a rash of interceptions in 2019. He’s very confident in his strong arm and that cost him, as he had three-interception games against Wake Forest, LSU and BYU last season.
5. Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma/ Alabama, 6-1, 222 (first/second round)
Hurts began his career at Alabama. He started 28 games before he was benched against Georgia in the national title game in favor of Tagovailoa at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in January 2018. He passed for 5,626 yards and 48 touchdowns and rushed for 23 touchdowns over his career at Alabama. After staying for another season, Hurts moved on to Oklahoma as a graduate transfer and became a Heisman Trophy finalist. He guided the Sooners to the College Football Playoff, passing for 3,851 yards and 32 touchdowns.
6. Jacob Eason, Washington/ Georgia, 6-6, 231 (second round)
Eason was considered the top pro-style quarterback in the nation coming out of high school. He started as a freshman at Georgia in 2016 and completed 204 of 370 passes (55.1%) for 2,430 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He left the 2017 opener with a knee injury, and freshman Jake Fromm took over. Eason played in five games in 2018 and then transferred to Washington. In 2019, he started 13 games for the Huskies and completed 64.2% of his passes for 3,132 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
7. Jake Fromm, Georgia, 6-2, 219 (second/third round)
Fromm will go down as one of the more prolific passers in Georgia history, with his 8,224 career passing yards ranking fourth on UGA’s all-time list. His 78 career touchdown passes put him in second place on UGA’s all-time list, and he ranks fourth and fifth, respectively, on UGA’s lists of career completions and attempts. Fromm led UGA to 37 wins in 43 games over three seasons, starting all but the first one, when he replaced an injured
Jacob Eason during the third offensive series of the game. The Bulldogs won an SEC championship, a Rose Bowl and three SEC East titles during Fromm’s career.
8. Anthony Gordon, Washington State, 6-2, 205 (third round)
Not a mechanically sound prospect, but he has been proficient in the school’s “Air Raid” attack under former coach Mike Leach. He was a one-year starter, but passed for 5,579 passing yards and dazzled at the Senior Bowl, tossing three touchdowns in the third quarter to help lead the North to the win. Gordon should be the third consecutive Washington State quarterback selected in the draft, following Gardner Minshew ( Jaguars, 2019) and Luke Falk (Titans, 2018).
9. James Morgan, Florida International, 6-4, 229 (fourth round)
He started his career at Bowling Green before transferring to Florida International. He was a four-star recruit. While at both schools, Morgan started a total of 37 games and had a 40-to-22 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He also set a second single touchdown-pass record for the Panthers with 28 in 2018.
10. Brian Lewerke, Michigan State, 6-3, 210 (fifth round)
A shoulder injury slowed him in 2018. He was a three-year starter and made 38 career starts for the Spartans. He went 32-6 and passed for 8,293 yards, 47 touchdowns and 32 interceptions over his career.
Best of the rest: Princeton’s Kevin Davidson, Oregon State’s Jake Luton, Virginia’s Bryce Perkins, Hawaii’s Cole McDonald, Colorado’s Steven Montez, Iowa’s Nate Stanley, Michigan’s Shea Patterson, Missouri’s Kelly Bryant, North Texas’ Mason Fine and Arizona’s Khalil Tate.
Teams in need: Cincinnati, Miami, San Diego, Jacksonville and Chicago.
Need area for Falcons?: No. The Falcons are set with Matt Ryan and Matt Schaub and will try to continue to develop Kurt Benkert.
Top 5 seniors for 2021 draft: Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Ohio State’s Justin Fields, Mississippi State’s K.J. Costello, Iowa State’s Brock Purdy and Florida’s Kyle Trask.