2019 NFL Draft: Valuation of positional tweeners in class

Quarterback/Tight End/Athlete: Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State

Listing Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald as a quarterback is less about projection, and more about respect to his final days at the position. Athletically, Fitzgerald pops off the film, which is emulated in his rushing numbers over the last three seasons (3,480 yards, 6.0 yards per carry and 43 touchdowns).

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Fitzgerald also hits every size threshold for the quarterback position, checking in at the combine at 6-5 and 226 pounds, with 9.75-inch hands. He proceeded to also check the boxes of athleticism on the field in Indianapolis, posting a 4.64-second 40-yard dash time, which is a superb time for a quarterback of his size. However, we all knew Fitzgerald was going to check all of these boxes.

Unfortunately for him, talent evaluators eventually are going to go back to his film. As a passer, Fitzgerald is an awkward mess with a long, deliberate delivery and a stagnant base that fails to become active enough to show consistent rhythm/accuracy in a stationary position. Fitzgerald may have enough tools for a team to talk themselves into stashing him on a practice squad, hoping that their coaches can work some magic with his pocket passing development.

More reasonable however, is a potential position switch that was set further on the table at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine, where several teams requested Fitzgerald to work out with the tight end group.

While this might be the best route for Fitzgerald in the long run, the Taysom Hill project has opened doors for various opportunities. The “gadget player” had lost some of its attraction after the wildcat craze had run its course across the NFL landscape, but providing an athletic developmental quarterback the opportunity to affect the game in various ways, on top of saving a potential roster spot, is a very appealing option in today’s NFL.

Projected Round: 7th-UDFA