It seems no one from the 2019 quarterback class wants the No. 1 spot.
Ryan Finley, Justin Herbert, and Drew Lock have all spent time at the top but none have been able to separate from the pack, which has led to a cluster of signal-callers who look like, at best, late-first to early-second round prospects.
While occasional in-season movement in the rankings is normal, impressive natural talent coupled with inconsistencies of all the top quarterbacks have necessitated changes in the rankings seemingly every week. And Lock has jumped back to No. 1.
Here's the latest edition of QB Stock Watch.
1. Drew Lock, QB, Missouri: Stock Up, Slightly
Lock was in rhythm to start the game in the short-to-intermediate ranges then just missed Emanuel Hall down the field on a ball that traveled nearly 60 yards in the air. A play later, he was hit as he threw and tossed a bad interception. Still not sure where he was trying to throw the ball, as there was no one besides a Vanderbilt defender in the area.
Lock connected with Hall well downfield on the next drive, but the receiver stepped out of bounds when he made the catch. After that, he mostly worked underneath into huge voids in Vanderbilt's zone with good accuracy. Following two missed deep tosses, he placed the ball perfectly over his receiver's shoulder down the sideline on a throw from the opposite hash. Another workmanlike effort from Lock, who's quietly rebounded after rough outings against Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama.
2. Ryan Finley, NC State: Stock Down
Like a week ago against Florida State, Finley started slowly with a few high tosses and misfires as he rolled outside the pocket. Against Wake Forest, he got into a rhythm finding holes in zone coverage underneath and toward the sideline in the first quarter but nearly threw a pick on a long out route during the two-minute drill before the half.
In the third quarter, he started to dink and dunk his way down the field and had a receiver drop an open touchdown. I did notice a few early departures from the pocket, which has become a concerning tendency.
His best throw of the game came on a deep corner from the far hash he dropped over the corner and in front of the safety to Jakobi Meyers late in the third quarter. Finley was much more patient in the pocket in the second half and improved overall as the contest wore on. A decent outing for the senior. Some pocket and arm-strength problems were evident.
3. Justin Herbert, Oregon: Stock Down
After a dismal first quarter, that featured just four yards of total offense, Herbert rebounded well in the second quarter with a dime for TD to Dillon Mitchell down the sideline in tight coverage. He had good velocity on a few longer, out-breaking routes and showed athleticism on a third-down scramble that picked up the first down. He was slightly inaccurate in the back-shoulder game and had an interception dropped on a play that was ultimately negated by a hold.
With the game on the line, Herbert was late on back to back slants on third and fourth down, which led to incompletions and the Utah victory. It wasn't a brutal outing for Herbert, but it wasn't impressive either.
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4. Daniel Jones, Duke: Stock Up, Slightly
Jones made two impressive throws early ... a laser toward the sideline that turned into a touchdown and strike on a slant that went for big gain. Despite the high-scoring first half, Jones couldn't squeeze the ball through tight coverage on a few occasions and had some underthrows deep mixed in with some anticipation throws on out-breaking routes.
Before the half, he should've been picked on an off-balance pass into the flat in which he simply didn't see the underneath defender but did end the second quarter with a long touchdown run. You're going to hear the "sneaky athletic" label for Jones during draft season.
He runs really well for his size, and that was clear all afternoon against North Carolina. He fired ropes on seam throws and had a receiver drop what would've been a touchdown down the sideline. Right after demonstrating awesome pocket presence when he stepped up and fired a strike over the middle, Jones didn't feel pressure and fumbled late in the third. He had receivers drop a pair of good long balls late in the game too. Somewhat of an up and down game for the experienced signal-caller, but I liked a lot more than what I didn't in this rivalry game.
5. Will Grier, West Virginia: Stock Steady
Grier started slowly and tried to fit the ball through some tight windows that ultimately fell incomplete. He endured two uncharacteristic drops from David Sills -- both which would've been touchdowns -- on a long throw and a toss inside the red zone before the half but connected on a long ball early in the third quarter with another wideout. He did show good patience in the pocket when needed yet had problems finding open receivers when doing so.
He had his usual low, late-arriving passes toward the sideline. However, Grier get the ball out quickly against zone to give his receivers ample opportunity to create yards after the catch. While the numbers are gaudy, I just haven't seen enough NFL-caliber skills from Grier this season to view him as a top-flight quarterback prospect.
Honorable Mention: Garnder Minshew, QB, Washington State
While Minshew only averaged 5.78 yards per attempt in the easy win over Colorado and didn't start fast, the senior quarterback has pieced together a fantastic campaign in 2018 and made a handful of NFL-caliber throws in the process.
He currently has a higher completion percentage, yards-per-attempt average and touchdown-to-interception ratio than Luke Falk had last year. With the way the NFL is trending, Air Raid quarterbacks will be held in higher regard by NFL evaluators than they were even a few years ago.
