Phil Jurkovec has a very interesting skill set at the quarterback position. Here’s why he’s one of the most intriguing prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft.
If you watched college football casually in 2020, you may have glossed over the name Phil Jurkovec. The Boston College Eagles were just a 6-5 football team and they haven’t won more than 7 games in a season since 2009. However, they could have a star in the making at the most important position on their roster.
Jurkovec has just 10 career starts at quarterback after being a former Auburn transfer. Though he has just one full college season as a starter under his belt, he has a particularly interesting skill set at the quarterback position that could cause him to skyrocket up draft boards in 2021 and into the 2022 offseason.
At 6’5” and 226 pounds, you wouldn’t think that Jurkovec would be a very good athlete at first glance. Though he’s expectedly a bit stiff in his movements, he has an innate ability to shrug off defenders and is remarkably nimble in the pocket for a player his size.
Believe it or not, Jurkovec is at his best when the play breaks down. the big quarterback has the athleticism to roll out of the pocket and zip the ball to a receiver down the field – directing traffic with his non-throwing hand along the way. This has caused some to compare him to a young Ben Roethlisberger. It’s not hard to see why.
Jurkovec, a Pittsburgh native, is incredibly physical for a quarterback and never seems to be phased by pressure barreling down in his face. When the pocket collapses, he routinely is able to slip a tackle, get outside the hashes, and find a receiver down the field.
How high could Phil Jurkovec go in the 2022 NFL Draft?
After starting just one season in college, it stands to reason that Jurkovec could be in line for a huge year in his redshirt junior season in 2021. With terrific size, a big arm, and all the tools you could ask for, how high could the young quarterback go in the 2022 NFL Draft?
This is a question that is really hard to answer, and we should get a much clearer picture of this early in the 2021 college football season.
As of now, I have seen Jurkovec slated anywhere between a late first-round candidate to a six or seventh-round prospect. Something tells me he’s going to be much closer to the top of the draft than to the bottom.
For the first time since the closure of the 2021 NFL Draft, I took a deep dive into the 2022 quarterback prospects – spending a few hours studying each of the top players at the position. Phil Jurkovec had me particularly intrigued. Though he’s still very much unproven, he has more physical traits than a few of the top prospects like Carson Strong and Kedon Slovis.
His draft stock will largely depend on what he is able to accomplish in 2021. Jurkovec doesn’t necessarily have to declare for the draft next season, and he could return for a final year as a redshirt senior. However, I’ve got a feeling that he’s going to do enough to impress this year to turn plenty of heads.
Of the players I’ve watched so far, Phil Jurkovec has one of the most intriguing skillsets. Keep an eye on him this year. He could be a high riser in the 2022 NFL Draft.