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

Herbert’s Strengths

The first trait that will stand out to someone watching Justin Herbert for the first time would be his arm talent. Not only does he have a cannon for an arm to hit anywhere on the field, but he can laser the ball into tight windows very effectively. Even when he’s forced to move outside of the pocket or has to throw off platform, he has the arm to make up for it to deliver the ball downfield. Much like some of the most recent superstars in the NFL today, Herbert can deliver passes with good accuracy using different arm angles.

While Oregon centered their passing attack around quick hitting passes, mostly along the outside, Herbert was given opportunities to make plays in the intermediate and deep portions of the field. He was at his best attacking the seams in those areas of the field, but demonstrated the ability to hit the vertical routes along the boundary as well. When he plants his feet, he has a special talent of placing the ball to where only his receiver can make a play showing a clear understanding of leverage.

One trait that arguably wasn’t utilized enough at Oregon was Herbert’s ability to run with the ball. An offense that wanted to run the ball under head coach Mario Cristoball, Herbert rarely took the ball on designed runs. It wasn’t until the Pac-12 championship that we saw him take off with the ball on read options consistently, and it tore up the Utah defense.

Using that athleticism, Herbert showed flashes of ability to avoid pressure in the pocket. He demonstrated the ability to move outside of the pocket delivering throws accurately to all areas of the field on the move. His versatility can be taken to another level if he goes to the right coaching staff that is willing to build around his strengths. The Oregon senior is not that athlete of former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, but few have that kind of athletic ability.