2020 NFL Draft Prospect – Jacob Eason, QB Washington
Our NFL rookie profile series continues with this analysis of 2020 NFL Draft Prospect Jacob Eason, QB from Washington. We will continue to provide you with these in-depth rookie profiles and a ton of other fantasy football rookie analysis right up through the NFL Draft. Stay tuned, and stay ahead of your league!
The quarterback carousel has been spinning at a record pace over this off-season and as a result, we have reached uncharted waters at the position from a dynasty perspective. For the first time in recent memory, there are more quality quarterbacks with dynasty value than there are starting jobs.
Jacob Eason enters the NFL Draft after completing his redshirt junior season at Washington. He spent his first two years at Georgia where he started as a freshman, lost his starting job as a sophomore to Jake Fromm and sat out as a transfer in 2018. He led the Huskies to an 8-5 record last season and enters the draft at 22.4 years old.
THE STATS
Statistics from sports-reference.com.
Eason enrolled at Georgia as the most highly touted signal-caller in school history. As the nation’s number one quarterback prospect, he won the starting job in the first game as a true freshman over incumbent Grayson Lambert and led the Bulldogs to a respectable 8-5 record. However, losses to Florida, Tennessee and a crippling loss to rival Georgia Tech that produced Eason’s worst game at UGA was enough to catch the eye of coach Mark Richt, who dialed the passing game way back in their bowl game and opened the quarterback job the next spring.
Eason battled another five-star prospect Jake Fromm and eventually prevailed. He began the year at home against Appalachian State and after attempting three passes, suffered a forearm injury and was forced to the bench. Fromm entered the game, led the Dawgs to a 31-10 victory and was named the starter the next week. After Fromm led Georgia to wins over ranked opponents Notre Dame and Mississippi State, Eason never got a chance to win the job back and it proved to be the right choice. He watched on the sidelines as Fromm led the team to a 13-2 record, an SEC Championship and a legendary loss in the National Championship game to SEC-rival Alabama. Eason attempted only seven passes during the season and left the program after the conclusion of the season.
After enrolling at Washington and sitting out the 2018 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Eason won the starting job in 2019 and played in every game for the Huskies. He began the season very strongly, throwing ten touchdowns to only two interceptions through the first month of the season and leading the team to a 4-1 start. After a disappointing 16-of-36 performance in a loss at bottom-feeder Stanford, Eason only attempted more than 34 passes in a single game once more during the 2019 season and only 405 for the entire season. The team lost four of their final eight games after the fast start and Eason declared for the draft after a dominating 38-7 win over Boise State in the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl.
PRE-COMBINE
Eason entered the Scouting Combine in a very clear tier of quarterbacks expected to be selected on day two of the NFL Draft. He slotted in as the seventh overall rookie at his position prior to the testing event.
THE MEASURABLES
After measuring in at 6’6” and 231 pounds at the combine and arm length in the 75th percentile, Eason moved up in the eyes of NFL mock drafters and is currently projected as the 43rd overall pick in the NFL Draft according to a compilation of drafts on the Mock Draft Database big board. He moved ahead of Fromm into the QB6 spot of the March ADP.
WHERE HE FITS
As noted earlier, the number of starting quarterback jobs are few and far between in the NFL and given his projected draft spot (second round), Eason is highly unlikely to start immediately in the NFL. Depending on his landing spot and who the projected starter is on the depth chart, expect Eason to get a chance during the second half of 2020 or at the beginning of the 2021 season. Potential landing spots include the Carolina Panthers at pick 38, the Jacksonville Jaguars at pick 42, the Indianapolis Colts at pick 44 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at pick 45.
Since 2011, there have been five quarterbacks taken in the top half of the second round of the NFL Draft. They are Colin Kaepernick, Andy Dalton, Derek Carr, Geno Smith and Drew Lock. Historically, this draft capital would be favorable to Eason and will be something to keep an eye on when comparing him to other players in this year’s class such as Jalen Hurts and Jake Fromm. During the same time frame, four quarterbacks were drafted in the back half the second round: Brock Osweiler, Jimmy Garoppolo, Christian Hackenberg and DeShone Kizer. It would be concerning if Eason falls outside of the top 48 selections.
DYNASTY ROOKIE DRAFT PROJECTION
According to the March 2020 superflex ADP, Eason’s draft slot is the 2.12 or the 24th player off the board. Barring being selected in the range as noted above (top 48 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft), I’d target Eason in the 2.07-2.09 range to secure his services. As noted in my prior article, Deconstructing Running Back Production During a Rookie Contract, he slots in easily over Zack Moss and Ke’Shawn Vaughn and any other running back in this class who isn’t a day-two selection.
Looking back one year, Drew Lock had an ADP of 2.05 (17th) overall after being selected as the 42nd pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. This class is widely considered to be much deeper in skill-position talent, which should push Eason down a few spots compared to the Denver starter. Regardless, Lock and Eason are very comparable from a value-standpoint and if you missed out last season, watch Eason’s draft capital, landing spot and ADP closely over the new few months.
CONCLUSION
Eason – the prospect and the player – isn’t for everyone. He has never wowed from a film or an analytics standpoint and losing his job to fellow 2020 NFL Draft prospect Jake Fromm isn’t easily forgotten in the mind of dynasty owners. His future will be very heavily dependent on draft capital and landing spot and with a very competitive quarterback landscape in dynasty, there are hurdles Eason must jump over to find himself as a starter in the NFL, let alone your dynasty team.
If he checks the top-48 draft capital box as discussed above, I’m in on Eason at his current value. If he falls outside of the top 48 into the back half of the second round or lower, I’d much rather take a chance on a wide receiver in this range of superflex rookie drafts.
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