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2019 NFL Draft: Northwestern’s Clayton Thorson Scouting Report

By Jon Dove

LINCOLN, NE - NOVEMBER 04: Quarterback Clayton Thorson #18 of the Northwestern Wildcats passes against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE - NOVEMBER 04: Quarterback Clayton Thorson #18 of the Northwestern Wildcats passes against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /
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Northwestern’s Clayton Thorson is a 2019 NFL Draft quarterback prospect who has gotten plenty of attention.

Clayton Thorson has been on the NFL radar for the past few seasons. The 2019 NFL Draft is his chance to finally hear his named called.  However, it might not be as early as many have projected. Thorson has talent but also comes with question marks.

His feel for the position and fundamentals are sound. He is balanced in the pocket and keeps his body tied towards his target.

Thorson routinely goes through his progressions maintaining that balance and his body squared. He makes quick reads and doesn’t hesitate to go to his next option. The fact that he goes works across the field speaks to his understanding of the offense.

Typically, we see college quarterbacks lock on to their No. 1 target or mainly work one side of the field.

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Thorson makes sound reads and gets the ball out quickly when needed. He delivers a catchable ball with should placement. This is especially true when working the underneath routes where he routinely throws his target open.

Thorson is a solid athlete who can extend the play when dealing with pressure. However, there are times where he will drop his eyes and stare at the rush.

Northwestern’s offense features mainly shorter routes while also attacking the middle of the field. Thorson has good command of this attack which closely resembles a West Coast attack.

The one area that’s really lacking in Thorson’s game is his ability to attack the deep part of the field. Thorson doesn’t get many opportunities to take shots down the field and when he does he struggles with accuracy.

A lot of his deep throws end up falling short of his target and result in incompletions. His struggles in the deep passing game creates some concerns about his overall arm strength.

Thorson has a quick release and consistently drives off this back foot. The ball arrives to its target with some zip, but it’s obvious that Thorson doesn’t have an elite arm. His struggles getting the ball out in front of his targets on deeper patterns also speaks to this fact.

Overall, Thorson shows traits that are necessary to succeed at the next level. His ability to work his progressions and deliver an accurate ball standout.

However, the problems delivering a catchable deep ball are a major concern. NFL quarterbacks who can’t produce explosive plays rarely hang onto starting jobs. The other thing that will be closely monitored is how Thorson recovers from last year’s ACL injury.

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