Utah State quarterback Jordan Love is a potential first round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but he could benefit by returning to Utah State for another year.
Love possesses the talent to be a franchise-caliber player at the next level, but he’s still putting it together and could refine his skill set by returning for another year.
He has the ideal combination of size at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds and athleticism, and Love is one of the most naturally gifted signal-callers in college football.
His arm talent rivals any quarterback in the next two NFL Draft classes. Love has a big arm and is capable of slinging it at every level of the field. His accuracy leaves a bit to be desired sometimes, but he flashes tremendous placement on his deep ball and can fit it into some tight windows.
It might seem like a lofty comparison, but some of his flashier passes are reminiscent to Patrick Mahomes.
Both had similar strengths. They have powerful arms and an aggressive, improvisational style of play, but both were unrefined as pocket passers. Mahomes was further along in his development than Love at this point in his career, and he played at a high-level against better competition.
Love is prone to erratic throws at times and to making questionable decisions, just like Mahomes at Texas Tech.
While Love’s accuracy issues don’t appear to be anything to legitimately worry about, another year would allow him to gain a better feel for the game and cut down on some of the questionable throws he makes.
Love trusts his arm a little too much at times and will force it into congested throwing windows. When he can’t place it exactly on the money, these situations have generally led to turnovers this season.
There is no way to simulate the speed of the NFL game at the collegiate level, but Utah State’s schedule next season would allow him to show off his skills against talented competition that know how to mix things up defensively.
Their non-conference schedule includes Washington, Washington State, and BYU.
Love’s play this season has been less-than-stellar and it has made his Draft stock a little shaky. When you consider the momentum of emerging prospects such as Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts, it can be easy for some to forget about Love.
Both Burrow and Hurts have reaped the benefits of returning for their final year, and it could lead to a universe in which Love chooses to return for a fifth season.
He’s still QB2 on my personal board behind Tua Tagovailoa, but other analysts still have him behind the likes of Burrow, Hurts, Justin Herbert and Jacob Eason.
It wouldn’t be a lock for him to be QB1 next year with Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields both firmly in the mix, but he would at the very least elevate his Draft stock higher than the late-first, early-second round range where he likely falls in 2020.
All of this isn’t to say necessarily that he SHOULD stay in school, but it’s a realistic option based on where he currently fits in this class. He still has a chance to further improve his stock this season with a match-up against Boise State in a few weeks.
A potential caveat could be his Senior Bowl eligibility. As a fourth-year junior, he would be eligible to receive a Senior Bowl invite if he has already graduated by December. This could make it tough for him to return given what the Senior Bowl can do for quarterbacks, but coming back could ultimately benefit him long-term.