2018 NFL Draft: Key strengths and weaknesses for Lamar Jackson

Strength: Dynamic Playmaker

Many quarterbacks in this draft class can be described as versatile and promising. What’s causing hesitation near the top of the board, however, is the fact that few quarterbacks are jumping off the page as truly dynamic playmakers—if you look past Lamar Jackson, that is.

There may be prospects who are more fundamentally polished, but there isn’t a more dynamic playmaker at the quarterback position than Jackson.

Jackson combined for 5,114 yards from scrimmage and 51 total touchdowns during his legendary 2016 season. He followed that Heisman Trophy winning effort by producing 5,261 total yards and 45 total touchdowns during his under-appreciated 2017 campaign.

Beyond the numbers, Jackson has a unique ability to break a defense down with both his arm and his legs—and he does so in a way the college game had never previously seen.

It’s fair to question how college dominance will translate to the NFL—see: Johnny Manziel, Eric Crouch, and Tim Tebow—but Jackson may be different. For starters, he has the benefit of hindsight. He has the luxury to study and understand what went wrong for said players.

It’s also worth noting that Jackson accomplished what he did with far less talent around him than players such as Manziel, Crouch, or Tebow.

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Lamar Jackson needs a coach who will be patient with him, but if he’s given the benefit of the doubt, he could emerge as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2018 NFL Draft.