With The First Pick
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2020 NFL Draft: Prospect Studs and Duds After Week One

By Chris Ross

IOWA CITY, IOWA- AUGUST 31: Defensive end A.J. Epenesa #94 of the Iowa Hawkeyes puts pressure in the first half on quaterback Brett Gabbert #5 of the Miami Ohio RedHawks on August 31, 2019 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
IOWA CITY, IOWA- AUGUST 31: Defensive end A.J. Epenesa #94 of the Iowa Hawkeyes puts pressure in the first half on quaterback Brett Gabbert #5 of the Miami Ohio RedHawks on August 31, 2019 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /
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Justin Herbert, Oregon
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 31: Justin Herbert #10 of the Oregon Ducks during the Advocare Classic at AT&T Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Stud: Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon

From the moment he decided to forgo the 2019 NFL Draft, Justin Herbert has been under a microscope. As college football’s best quarterbacks, Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa have been widely viewed as the top contenders to be the first quarterbacks drafted in 2020. If his Week One performance is any indication, Herbert looks like he is ready to live up to the massive expectations placed on him this season.

Despite a bitter, last-second loss to Auburn to open the season, Herbert can rest easy knowing he had a phenomenal performance against a tough SEC defense. He came out firing on all cylinders, showing off top-tier arm strength while also showing the touch and confidence that NFL teams drool over. Sure, his second-half wasn’t as effective, but that has more to do with the Oregon play-calling than any problem with Herbert himself. Throughout the game, Herbert showed an improved skill-set and managed to put up big numbers despite being without his top five receivers.

That’s not to say Herbert was perfect. The second half, while still played well, was not executed as well as the opening stanza. For a team that came into the season with National Championship dreams, the second-half was a bitter disappointment and a case could be made that Herbert played a bit too conservatively.

Ultimately, we won’t know for quite some time whether Herbert, Tagovailoa, or somebody else ends up as the best quarterback eligible for the 2020 draft, but one thing is for certain, Herbert’s performance against Auburn helped his cause.

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