With the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine upon us, we offer a sneak peek at the cream of this year’s quarterbacks crop through a fantasy football lens.
Seasoned fantasy football owners in traditional 1-QB leagues tend to wait until the middle to late rounds to select a quarterback. However, those in 2-QB or SuperFLEX leagues more closely model the approach of real NFL franchises, who collectively select multiple quarterbacks in the first round each year.
Owners in dynasty leagues of these varieties pay far closer attention to quarterbacks in the weeks leading up to the NFL Draft. All eyes are rightfully fixed on future franchise players these days, but the ability to score with late-round stashes is what separates the men from the boys in dynasty leagues.
Therefore, before we highlight the top options in the 2020 NFL Draft, we’ll identify a few under-the-radar prospects that we’re tracking during the Combine and pro day season: Colorado’s Steven Montez, Iowa’s Nate Stanley and Florida International’s James Morgan. None are highly-polished, Week 1 starters, but all three have prototypical size and enough arm strength to offer upside in offenses suited to their strengths.
Meanwhile, Washington State’s Anthony Gordon lacks the mobility and escapability most teams want in a quarterback. However, after improving his stock at the Senior Bowl, he’s moved up a tier and is now a great bet to be drafted before any of the three listed above, especially after throwing for over 5,000 yards and completing over 70 percent of his passes while playing in a Power 5 conference.
A few other quarterbacks have the potential to hear their names called on Day Two. The most recognizable name in this next tier of quarterbacks is Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts: a proven winner with Big XII, SEC, and National Championships on his résumé. Hurts has the necessary athleticism to succeed in the NFL, but his numerous critics question his accuracy and touch while worrying about his ability to properly progress through his reads.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s Jake Fromm is considered a top-five quarterback prospect by those who praise his intangibles. Those less impressed with the alpha Bulldog question his vision, mobility, and arm strength.
Just outside the top three are Utah State’s Jordan Love and Washington’s Jacob Eason. Both are physical specimens with strong arms who flash the potential to become NFL starters, and both have outside shots at hearing their names called in the latter half of the first round.
Love can make plays with his feet, but subpar vision and frequent lapses in his decision-making are concerns for many scouts and draft experts. Meanwhile, Eason needs to improve his post-snap reads and go through his progressions more quickly. Eason, in particular, has turned heads with his ability to make plays in the downfield passing game.
This brings us to the top three targets in dynasty SuperFLEX and 2-QB fantasy football leagues, all of whom will be likely taken in the top half of the first round of this year’s NFL Draft. While fantasy football experts and armchair enthusiasts engage in heated debates over the top three running backs and wide receivers in this year’s NFL Draft, the consensus among quarterbacks is nearly universal.
3. Justin Herbert, Oregon
Height: 6-6
Weight: 236 pounds
Projected 40-yard dash time (per WalterFootball.com): 4.72 seconds
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Justin Herbert made great strides in his senior year with the Oregon Ducks after spurning the draft last offseason and electing to return to school, finishing with 32 touchdown passes and only six interceptions.
He completed 66.8 percent of his passes on the season and ran for three scores in a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin. Herbert also led the Ducks to win the Pac-12 in a dominant victory over a talented Utah squad.
The native of Eugene, OR moves well, has a live arm and ideal size. He’s both intelligent and even-keeled and has inexplicably received criticism for being the latter. He has Pro Bowl upside and is a solid bet to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL. Like most prospects, his progressions require polish, and he needs to develop more composure in the pocket in the face of pressure.
Expect Herbert to go as early as the fourth overall pick to a team in desperate need of a long-term answer at the quarterback position. In the right offense, he could produce QB2 numbers in fantasy football as early as this coming season, given sufficient skill position talent.
Likely Landing Spots: Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers
2. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
Height: 6-0
Weight: 217 pounds
Projected 40-yard dash time (per WalterFootball.com): 4.70 seconds
Tua Tagovailoa’s season ended abruptly due to a frightening hip injury, one that was initially feared to be career-threatening. That nightmare thankfully didn’t last long, as a prognosis for a full recovery brought about a sigh of relief; he’s on target for medical clearance on March 9.
The Alabama standout won’t be healthy enough to showcase his skills at this week’s combine, so medical red flags understandably persist, despite recent reports indicating that he’ll be ready for his pro day. Tagovailoa should benefit from the more controlled, scripted setting of a pro day, one that will showcase his capabilities at that point in his recovery, just two weeks before the NFL Draft.
Before the injury, Tua completed an impressive 71.4 percent of his passes this past season. Additionally, all noteworthy statistical splits show a positive progression throughout his three-year career at Alabama.
While Tagovailoa hasn’t taken over a game with his legs in some time, he is certainly elusive enough to excel in the NFL. His command of the passing attack, meanwhile, is exceptional: the native of Ewa Beach, HI had an even better TD-INT Ratio (11.0) than Burrow (10.0).
Tua has shorter than ideal height, yet has been favorably compared to Russell Wilson by NFL Network’s Brian Billick. He is an exceptional touch passer with sufficient arm strength, and he moves very well in and out of the pocket. Barring setbacks, expect him to be a Week 1 starter, wherever he lands.
Likely Landing Spots: Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers
1. Joe Burrow, LSU
Height: 6-3
Weight: 221 pounds
Projected 40-yard dash time (per WalterFootball.com): 4.83 seconds
Joe Burrow threw an NCAA-record 60 touchdowns during his legendary National Championship season, and led the nation in completion percentage (76.3) and passing yards (5,671), for good measure. The pride of Athens, OH threw only six interceptions, rather remarkable given the strength of his schedule.
He isn’t the most mobile quarterback in the draft and doesn’t have the strongest arm, but the Heisman Trophy winner moves well in the pocket and is impeccably accurate to all parts of the field. Best of all, Burrow has all of the intangibles an NFL team could ever ask for in a signal-caller.
Most impressive among his many attributes: he came up huge in big games. In his four matchups against top five opponents, Burrow averaged 424.5 yards passing, completed 72.1 percent of his passes, and threw 19 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.
His smaller-than-expected hands made recent headlines, but the former Ohio State transfer is still the consensus No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft. The southern Ohio native seems destined to play for his hometown team.
Likely Landing Spot: Cincinnati Bengals