Scouting the 2020 NFL Draft: Jake Fromm, QB, Georgia

In the latest installment of our ‘Scouting the 2020 NFL Draft‘ series, we take a closer look at Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm.

The 2020 NFL draft is setting up to be a good one for teams searching for a starting-caliber quarterback. There is a range of prospects that includes some early first-round names like Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama) and Justin Herbert (Oregon) as well as a cluster of second-day talents.

Georgia’s Jake Fromm profiles closer to the latter.

A former four-star recruit and No. 7 ranked quarterback in the nation, Fromm finished his high school career just 261 yards shy of Deshaun Watson’s career passing record in the state of Georgia (he totaled 12,816 yards in high school.)

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His impact was felt immediately at Georgia. He started all 14 games as a freshman in 2017 and completed 62.2% of his passes for 2,615 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He started 13 games last season and finished the year with 2,761 yards, 30 touchdowns and six interceptions (67.4% completion rate.)

Physically, Fromm checks the minimum standards from a height standpoint but is on the shorter side of the quarterback scale. He’s unofficially listed at 6-2 and 220 pounds, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s actually a little shorter than that. He has a thick build and enough natural body armor to play in the pros.

Athletically, Fromm is elusive in the pocket as a side-stepper and has a natural feel for oncoming rushers. He can keep plays alive behind the line of scrimmage but won’t make much hay running with the ball in the open field.

Fromm has a sound, compact, over-the-top throwing motion. He throws the ball from a strong and solid base and consistently releases his passes from a set position. He has one of the best natural throwing motions in the class.

He throws the ball with above-average accuracy on passes inside 20 yards and does a nice job going through his progressions, locating the open target and placing the ball in a catchable zone away from trouble.

Fromm is a pretty back-shoulder passer. Accuracy dips significantly on throws down the field, and he misses quite a bit on big-play opportunities. He has enough juice (velocity) on the ball to make all the throws on the route tree but he isn’t going to make a living pushing the ball downfield. That said, his passes have enough zip to beat coverage consistently in the intermediate passing game.

Fromm is composed and collected in the pocket. He already has a veteran’s savvy when dodging pass-rushers and always has his eyes down the field. Does a nice job manipulating pass rushers and playing off his blocks. He excels in the pocket despite his lacking agility and straight-line speed.

Overall, Fromm has a chance to emerge as one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2020 draft. If he can become more consistent with his deep-ball placement, he’ll be an appealing target for teams looking for a quarterback who can start right away as a rookie and become a decade-long leader on offense. That said, his somewhat average and at times inconsistent arm has him beginning 2019 as a Day-2 prospect despite some big-media analysts suggesting he’s a top-20 guy.