With The First Pick
Fansided

2018 NFL Draft Quarterback Prospects Struggling

By Jon Dove

facebooktwitterreddit

The 2018 NFL Draft is seen as a draft that features several high-end quarterback prospects. However, that group isn’t playing up to expectations so far this season.

It’s been a shaky start for 2018 NFL Draft quarterback prospects like Wyoming’s Josh Allen, USC’s Sam Darnold, UCLA’s Josh Rosen and Washington State’s Luke Falk. Neither of their draft stock has dropped significantly but it’s something to monitor.

More from With the First Pick

Allen has had the toughest time so far this year. He has failed to impress in his two matchups against higher level competition. This past week’s clunker against Oregon showed that he is far from a finished product.

It’s easy to jump ship on Allen after this week, but his raw talent buys him some time. He still has a huge arm, excellent athleticism and size. Allen will need to turn thing around quickly if he hopes to remain in the mix to be the first quarterback taken.

Sam Darnold’s USC team is still undefeated after a couple of close calls. His play has been a little erratic with six interceptions already this season. The turnovers are a cause for concerns as one of Darnold’s biggest selling points is his decision making.

USC and Darnold could be in some trouble if this turnover rate continues. At the very least, it will make Darnold think twice about jumping to the NFL early.

Rosen’s numbers are pretty impressive thus far, but his team has really struggled. His maturity and leadership ability are the main question marks surrounding his draft stock. If the team struggles continue Rosen will have a tough time keeping his composure.

Luke Falk is another quarterback whose numbers look great on paper. However, he benched in the middle of the team’s win against Boise State. In that matchup his backup,Tyler Hilinski, produced at a high rate.

This is an example of the type of numbers most quarterbacks put up in Mike Leach’s system. It’s going to force everyone to take a closer look at Falk and his overall talent. My past evaluations showed a quarterback with NFL talent. He still sits as an early-2nd round prospect on my big board.

However, that rating doesn’t include any film study from this season. His overall ranking could adjust once I’m able to dive into his tape.

One top quarterback prospect who isn’t struggling is Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph. He has already topped the 1,000-yard mark, thrown for 11 touchdowns and only 1 interception. His draft stock has held steady so far.

Overall, we are still very early in the process. The problem is that these quarterbacks only have so much tape to evaluate so a few poor performances could make a major impact.

Home/NFL Draft News