2020 NFL Draft: Justin Herbert Continues to Progress

Nearly a calendar year after falling to Stanford in an overtime thriller last season, Justin Herbert and the Oregon Ducks avenged their loss with a 21-6 victory on the road.

Herbert’s box score looked good, completing 19 of his 24 attempts for 259 yards and three touchdown. His performance was solid as a whole, but he did reveal a few things he needs to continue to work on.

Herbert was asked to do a little more in the intermediate passing game in this matchup and he found success doing so. He completed seven of his nine attempts of 10 yards or more yards, and three of those went for a touchdown. He placed the ball well, but he did miss two straight 12-yard outs on passes that were low and in front of his target.

I’ve been outspoken regarding Oregon’s conservative play-call in the Auburn game, and while it’d be nice to see more than one throw 20+ yards down the field, this was a good opportunity to see how Herbert fared throwing further than the line-of-scrimmage. His lone deep attempt came when he sold both the safety and corner on a pump fake, opening up a wide open receiver for a 24-yard touchdown down the left sideline in the fourth quarter.

He was efficient on third-down, completing all five of his attempts while taking two sacks. Most of the third down play-call consisted of shorter throws where he was able to set up his receivers effectively for yardage after the catch.

While there were many positives, there are a few things that cause concern.

He has yet to throw an interception this season, but he did have two sack-fumbles that were recovered by his teammates. This has been an issue in the past and he needs to continue to work on securing the ball when he senses pressure in the pocket.

Herbert’s ability to process the entire field remains a question and it really stuck out on a specific play early in the fourth quarter.

On the third down play directly following his 2nd fumble, Herbert glued his eyes to the right side of the field, missing his open left slot receiver running a hook. By the time he progressed to the left side, a looping defender flushed him out of the pocket and took him down after he was able to rush for three yards.

While this play didn’t ultimately impact the result of the game, it was a microcosm of something he got away with all game.

Herbert’s arm talent and physical tools are apparent, but the mental aspect tends to trip up most young quarterbacks. The Ducks call a fair amount of one-read throws designed to take advantage of their speed after the catch, but Herbert will have times where he has to sit back and pick apart a defense from the pocket. The flashes are there, it’s just up to Herbert to build consistency and use his eyes to his advantage.

He has a chance to build on this performance against a Cal secondary that is ranked 81st against the pass, although they can get after the quarterback. If he’s able to keep things tight and produce at the same level he has all season, Herbert is going to see his stock solidified as a top 5 pick.