There's no Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, Lamar Jackson, or Mason Rudolph this season in college football, but just because there isn't a "Big Six" with as much juice at the quarterback spot to analyze at length before next year's draft, it doesn't mean the 2019 crop of signal-callers is brutal.
And, either way, next offseason some teams will be looking a franchise signal-caller in the draft. It's an annual exercise.
Quarterback Stock Watch is baaaaack.
1. Ryan Finley, NC State: Stock Up, Slightly
Finley went 29 of 43 for 309 yards -- good for a decent 7.18 yards-per-attempt average -- with two touchdowns. As usual, the veteran quarterback, who was appearing in his 34th collegiate game, was calm for the vast majority of the contest, repeatedly found an open target quickly, and delivered accurate throws to all areas of the field. I didn't notice him glance through his reads much, and while did he drift away from pressure inside the pocket on a few occasions, he also put a few overly-antsy scrambles on film when he could have been more patient behind his line.
He doesn't have a rocket arm. However, I love Finley's anticipation on out-breaking routes, especially the long throw from the far hash. He was stellar on those passes Saturday. His touch downfield was good, not great in the win over a scrappy James Madison team. A solid but unspectacular start to Finley's senior season. Still QB1.
Desperately wish you had a 30-minutes-or-so, daily NFL podcast in your podcast app every morning by 6 a.m.? Put some Pick Six Podcast in your life and join Will Brinson as he breaks down the latest news and notes from around the league, as well as the win totals on a team-by-team schedule. It's a daily dose of football to get you right for that commute or gym trip. Subscribe: via iTunes | via Stitcher | via TuneIn | via Google Play
2. Drew Lock, Missouri: Stock Up, Slightly
Lock was barely harassed by the U-T Martin defensive front, which allowed him to stand tall in the pocket and scan downfield all afternoon. He completed 19 of 25 passes for 289 yards with four touchdowns and no picks during Missouri's blowout win.
His cannon was on display often, as it'll likely be all season for the Tigers, and with all day to throw, Lock was fantastic pushing the ball down the field. I didn't notice any major forces or bad decisions, and his accuracy wasn't an issue. Despite the ultra-efficient figures, I'm not putting much into his performance, simply because he was barely tested. Lock needs to be better under pressure and when reading more complex coverages featuring faster, more athletic players than he faced in Saturday's win. He looked Matt Stafford-ish.
3. Justin Herbert, Oregon: Stock Up, Slightly
Continuing with the theme of bigger schools handling the typical, lesser Week 1 opponent, Herbert and the Ducks simply had too much firepower for Bowling Green to contend with inside Autzen Stadium. After falling behind 10-0 to the Falcons, the junior quarterback launched a ridiculous touchdown to the back portion of the end zone that needed to be an absolute dime piece to be completed with a cornerback just a step behind his receiver.
It was a weird day statistically for Herbert, as he finished just 10 of 21 for 281 yards with five touchdown passes, one rushing score, and two interceptions in garbage time. One of those was on a deflection. The other seemed like a timing/miscommunication issue. He did run into a one sack when he morphed into a running back inside the pocket. If you ever read that sentence again about a quarterback, know it's a big negative.
Herbert threaded the needle through the end zone on a rollout to his right for six and unloaded a laser on a back shoulder-ish toss down the steam for another touchdown. He certainly wasn't perfect but did play with plenty of conviction, and the ball exploded out of his hand. At 6-6 and 233 pounds, Herbert is a twitchy athlete for the quarterback spot, and he looks effortless throwing on the run. His somewhat three-quarter delivery is a tad unorthodox but not slow whatsoever. Because he's young, tall, and a springy athlete, Herbert is bound to get the "upside" compliment from many this season.
4. Will Grier, West Virginia: Stock Up
Grier was the star of the Mountaineers' convincing victory over Tennessee. He put up Dana Holgerson-coached quarterback numbers: 25 of 34 for 429 yards with five touchdowns and no picks. His first touchdown was an impressive throw on a crosser that led his receiver toward daylight on the sideline on his way to the end zone. He later found David Sills on a touch pass in the intermediate range for what should have been six, but it was dropped. The two later hooked up for an easy score on a go-route against one-on-one coverage.
Grier's pocket presence and patience between his tackles was hit or miss throughout the game. He flashed the ability to peruse the field with pressure around him and didn't immediately abandon the pocket but wasn't consistent in those two related areas. Also, in the first half, he zinged a few overthrows to open receivers.
Later in the game, Grier settled in. Overall, his downfield accuracy was solid, and he's going to have plenty of opportunities to showcase his accuracy on deep shots in West Virginia's offense. While I doubt it'll ever be upper-echelon, I did notice a bit more zip on his passes than a season ago.
5. Jarrett Stidham, Auburn: Stock Steady
Stidham outplayed Browning in the first half of Auburn's season-opening win, but a lot of that had to do with the Tigers' defense repeatedly pressuring the veteran Washington quarterback and, for Stidham, Gus Malzahn's imaginative scheme.
In the first two quarters, Stidham was dealing. He threw with plus accuracy and velocity. The only problem in terms of that high end play translating to the NFL ... it seemingly was the byproduct of predetermined looks that got Stidham's first read wide open with misdirection or some type of option. His early-game touchdown was a thing of beauty to the back corner of the end zone, as he put the pass only where his big tight end could snare it. What does help him as a prospect ... the NFL is shifting toward becoming run-pass option based, and Stidham will have loads of experience running those during his tenure at Auburn.
He made a nice back-shoulder throw down the field near the sideline later in the game but struggled after halftime. Stidham put his athleticism on full display while avoiding Washington's pass rush, yet many of those scrambles came when he slid into pressure or just left a clean pocket. Worrisome.
6. Jake Browning, Washington: Stock Up
This was a vintage Browning game. Of all the top quarterback prospects on in Week 1, he was the most comfortable subtly maneuvering from pressure in the pocket, standing in and moving through his progressions if his first read wasn't available. However, his few "improvised" plays got him into trouble, like the early interception when he leaked to his left and failed to throw the ball out of bounds.
Browning did make a handful of ideally placed throws downfield in the 20-to-30 yard range, a few of which were negated due to offensive pass interference calls. Also, Browning made a tremendous anticipation throw on an out-breaking route in the fourth quarter with a Auburn front seven defender bearing down on him. Washington came up a yard short on the crucial play, and Browning took a shot to his helmet, but there no flag was called. Not having his star left tackle, Trey Adams, hurt the senior signal-caller in this game. I will say ... he handled the chaotic environment well in the second half.
Honorable Mention: Jordan Ta'amu, Ole Miss
In his first game as the Week 1 starter for the Rebels, Ta'amu shredded the Texas Tech defense -- OK, not the most difficult thing to do -- and he demonstrated plenty of NFL quarterback characteristics throughout.
On almost all of his throws, he was super-decisive, getting the ball out in a hurry and on target in the short-to-intermediate ranges. His arm was powerful too. Ta'amu connected on an exquisite touchdown to star wideout A.J. Brown at the start of the fourth quarter that rifled out of his hand as he was hit. He'd probably like to have one overthrow back on a toss to the middle of the field to Brown, but other than that, no accuracy problems.
There was some rawness to the relatively inexperienced senior's game, which isn't surprising, as he got slightly frantic in a few instances when he didn't see anyone open initially or as pressure got to him. However, many times he scanned the entire field to find one of his receivers, an aspect of playing the quarterback spot not typically found in someone with as little experience as Ta'amu. Given his skill set and the wideouts at his disposal in Oxford, he'll be a dark-horse prospect to monitor this season. I got some Mitch Trubisky vibes from him while watching his excellent outing against Texas Tech.
