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2020 NFL Scouting Combine Winners and Losers: Quarterbacks

NP Merrill Posted On March 1, 2020
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As the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine provides us with more information about this year’s draft prospects, we are taking a position-by-position look at the winners and losers from Indianapolis.

Winners

Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

Reporting from the Combine, our own Jeff Haverlack noted the optimistic buzz regarding Tagovailoa’s speedy recovery from the season-ending hip injury suffered November 16th against Mississippi State.

Still rehabbing the injury, Tua attended the Combine only to talk to the press and to teams, to submit to initial medical evaluations, and to make an announcement: he anticipates full medical clearance by March 9th, and he will hold a personal pro day one month later on April 9th.

Medical documentation and positive team assessments backing up encouraging recovery reports, however, place him firmly in the winners category heading into the next stage of the pre-draft process.

Apparently, his initial meeting with Dolphins brass “felt weird” due to a surprising-to-Tua lack of overt enthusiasm on their part. His well-evidenced return to good health, though, makes it likely that the Alabama phenom is the second quarterback taken in April.

Three months ago, no one was sure he’d be here, so the positivity counts as a win in my book.

Joe Burrow, LSU

What do they say about a man with small hands? Tiny little nine inchers? Oh, well, Burrow shrugged of with humor:

With his record-setting performance last year, Burrow wins everything including the Combine by default, no need to run, jump or throw. Hopefully for him and the Bengals, that streak continues at the next level. His humble, thoughtful attitude at the presser puts him in the win column here.

Justin Herbert, Oregon

Standing 6’6” and weighing in at 236 pounds, Herbert ran a fast-for-his-size 4.68 seconds in the 40-yard dash, tied for third among quarterbacks.

He had the fastest three cone time of anyone at the position: 7.06 seconds. He finished second and third in the vertical jump (35.5”) and broad jump (10’3”), respectively.

It was Herberts’ throws, though, that impressed the most. He launched bombs downfield with accuracy, crisply found his targets on short and intermediate throws and looked sharp in all on-field aspects. In essence, he did well where everyone expected him to do so, backing up his solid Senior Bowl performance.

His productive showing this week very likely strengthened his grip on the QB3 spot, and may have entrenched him within the top ten overall, with some saying he might be the second quarterback off the board come April.

Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma

With the fastest 40 at an adjusted official time of 4.54 seconds, Hurts showed up, drawing considerable praise from Combine commentators.

https://twitter.com/VersaceBoyEnt/status/1233210964977295366

At 6’1” and 222 pounds, Hurts scored with a 35” vertical jump and 10’5” broad jump (tied for first). His athleticism is not in doubt.

Given the solid Combine performance – including drawing out the exact play coach Steve Mariucci wanted to see – he may have moved into day two consideration, a considerable improvement from his pre-Combine late-rounder status following a less-than-stellar Senior Bowl.

Steven Montez, Colorado

The former Buffaloes quarterback ran a nice 40 at 4.68 seconds (tying Herbert for third-fastest among QBs), an accomplishment recognized by future NFL colleague Aaron Jones:

The 6’4” 231-pounder has great size and a strong arm, but demonstrated inconsistency as an undergrad. He’s been working out with QB guru Jordan Palmer, and it showed at the Combine with full participation and very good scores in the other on-field drills.

Jordan Love, Utah State

He’s been compared to Patrick Mahomes. Enough said? Truthfully, it’s unfair to do that, but Love has embraced it.

At 6’4” and 224 pounds, he is prototypical in size – and at 10.5” he has hands galore. Combine buzz surrounding Love has the Colts seriously looking into him as an option with their pick at 13, or perhaps trading up for him (though we all know Indy rarely makes such a move).

Tying Herbert for second-highest with a vertical jump at 35.5”, Love ran a 4.74 40-yard dash and came in at 9’10” in the broad jump. He is one of the clear winners this week.

Cole McDonald, Hawaii

One of the fastest 40s at 4.58 seconds (adjusted upward from an unofficial 4.54 time) and the highest vertical jump of all quarterbacks boosted opinions of McDonald this week. His excellent performance in the drills and strong deep throws may have elevated him to a late day two pick or early day three pick.

At just over 6’3” and 215 pounds, he ran a 7.13 second three-cone (tied for second behind Herbert) and scored 10’1” in the broad jump with a 36” vertical score.

Given his strength in the running game and raw athleticism, he could be developed into a dual-threat weapon along the lines of Taysom Hill in the right system. He’s also been compared to Mahomes – by at least one sports writer. His flash in the spotlight this week certainly helped NFL teams get a better handle on his abilities.

Anthony Gordon, Washington State

The 6”2” 205-pound Cougar quarterback impressed in throwing drills, but did not participate in any other on-field activities. He’s received high praise from analysts:

Watching him throw is a lot of fun:

Gordon could be the biggest riser coming out of the Combine if he moves from likely UDFA into the fourth or fifth round.

Losers

Jacob Eason, Washington

At 6’6” and 231 pounds, Eason is gifted with enviable size advantage, but he’s been criticized for failing to leverage that characteristic both in college and – this week – at the Combine.

He ran a 4.81 40-yard dash, tallied 9’2” in the broad jump, leapt for a vertical score of 27.5” and plodded for a three-cone time of 7.50 seconds (second to last) – nothing to write home about in any category.

ESPN’s Todd McShay reports that he was “too comfortable” in interviews, which I read as lacking humility in light of his lesser-developed skill set compared to his peers. Perhaps he was perceived as not taking the opportunity presented seriously enough.

This kind of scuttlebutt may or may not have any basis in reality, but for a middle-of-the-pack quarterback who would have benefited from a more athletically prepared and business-like presentation, and who has plenty to prove heading into the NFL Draft, he absolutely failed to impress.

I thought his throws looked a bit . . . erratic, although better on deep passes than intermediate and short routes.

Jake Fromm, Georgia

He ran the slowest 40 time among this year’s class of quarterbacks at 5.01 seconds – not Tom Brady slow, but still . . . . What does that tell us? He’s not Lamar or Vick. I think we knew that.

Like Eason, though, Fromm would have seen his stock rise significantly if he had answered some of the questions about his athleticism and deep ball acumen. And like Eason, again, he did not have a disastrous Combine – it just could have been a lot better.

This tweet from @NFLDraftBites cracked me up:

Regardless, his arm strength is still a point of contention, as @nfldraftscout points out:

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