2020 NFL Draft: The difficult and confusing evaluation of Justin Herbert

Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert secured the Pac-12 championship and heads to the Rose Bowl. Where could he land in the 2020 NFL Draft?

Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert enters the 2020 NFL Draft projecting to be one of the top quarterbacks. Throughout the draft community, Herbert has been placed in a tier behind quarterbacks like LSU Joe Burrow and Alabama Tua Tagovailoa. While the major injury ending Tua’s season still provides an alarming number of questions, many analysts believe he will still be taken in the top ten, some in the top five.

Electing to go back to Oregon for his senior year, Herbert put himself under a larger microscope by NFL teams. The term used most often in this type of situation is “too much tape”. By going back for a fourth season with the Ducks, he allows teams and analysts to pick apart his film with extra scrutiny. It was nearly impossible for him to improve his 2020 NFL Draft stock going back to school.

If Herbert would have gone into the 2019 NFL Draft, he likely would have been the top quarterback taken, at worst second. That’s not to say that he can’t be taken highly in the 2020 class as NFL teams will look at him much differently than the media. Every year we see teams fall in love with quarterbacks they believe can be coached into the next superstar to lead their franchise. The Oregon product fits the mold given his size standing at 6’6” and 237 pounds mixed with his physical and athletic traits.