Incoming QB class intriguing
But some may be watching too closely, analyst suggests
Before the U.S. college football season began, the consensus opinion was the NFL draft in April would be teeming with promising quarterback prospects.
But fans and some reporters are tearing these prospects apart after sub-par performances.
Mike Mayock, NFL Network’s chief draft analyst, normally doesn’t weigh in with his wellresearched opinions until February, just before the scouting combine. But in a phone interview this week, Mayock said he has seen enough tape of the top potential QB draft picks this season — all underclassmen, led by UCLA’s Josh Rosen, Southern Cal’s Sam Darnold and Wyoming’s Josh Allen — to pass along the following calming advice.
“It’s funny, but I don’t get a lot of the ups and downs that fans and some media ride,” Mayock said. “It’s like the weekly report card: ‘Oh, Sam Darnold threw three interceptions! He’s now awful!’ And then the following week he throws four touchdown passes and he’s Superman again.
“(Mine) is a more balanced take. I’m more concerned with watching film and seeing what kind of styles they have. Rosen is a very fluid, natural thrower of the football. If you’re standing around in gym shorts, he’s got that beautiful release and strong arm.
“The kid from Wyoming is a big, strong kid who’s raw, but boy is he intriguing to look at, to figure out what kind of quarterback he could be.
“And Darnold, I love the fact that he played high school basketball and averaged 20 points a game. You can see in his game that he’s athletic and he’s instinctive, and he kind of lets it rip a little bit. They’re all kind of different, as they are every year, but depending on who comes out and who doesn’t, it’s going to be a fun year for quarterbacks.”
WATSON OPTIMISTIC
Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, out for the year after tearing his right ACL at Thursday’s practice, posted a statement on Twitter Friday in which he thanked his teammates for “unwavering support,” other NFLers “for all the prayers,” fans for “relentless encouragement,” and “countless others” who have reached out and humbled him.
“I promise that I will continue to work diligently so that this team can one day bring a championship to Houston, and when I return, I will be better, stronger and more focused than ever before! Now the grind begins.”
THURSDAYS SUCK
After his Buffalo Bills were smoked 34-21 Thursday night by the New York Jets, guard Richie Incognito became the latest NFL player to rip Thursday games.
“These Thursday night games, they suck. They throw a wrench in our schedule. It’s absolutely ridiculous that we have to do this. As physical as this game is, as much work and preparation that goes into this, to force us to play games in four-day weeks is completely unfair. And it’s bulls--t.”