NCAA Football: Louisiana State at Auburn
USATSI

Not to frighten anyone, but the college football regular season is more than halfway complete. The time to evaluate these quarterbacks based on their most recent and full body of work is arriving soon. Over the course of the season, CBS Sports has been tracking the perceived top three quarterbacks -- Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud and Kentucky's Will Levis -- as well as many other potential NFL Draft picks. 

Here is the breakdown from this past weekend:

Jayden Daniels, LSU: Stock Up

45-20 win vs. No. 7 Ole Miss

Stats:

  • 21-of-28 passing, 248 yards, 2 TD
  • 23 carries, 121 yards, 3 TD

Daniels was throwing accurate darts in the short to intermediate game. He was picking apart Ole Miss' defense and allowing his skill talent to make plays after the catch. When the play broke down, he was able to extend plays and churn chunk yardage on the ground. 

His downfield attempts were less of a success. On the team's first possession, wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. had a step on cornerback Davison Igbinosun down the left boundary but Daniels underthrew him, which caused Igbinoson to run into Thomas and a penalty flag was thrown as a result. Later in the game, wide receiver Jaray Jenkins was behind the coverage and underthrown, but made the adjustment to wrangle it for a touchdown. 

Tanner McKee, Stanford: Stock Up

15-14 win vs. Arizona State

Stats:

  • 33-of-57 passing, 320 yards, 1 INT
  • 9 carries, -7 yards

McKee has a tall, linear frame. Although not a statue, he does not possess the mobility to burn a defense with a big-gainer. His ability to sense pressure is not as high as Alabama's Bryce Young and others. 

Stanford's offense has adopted more mesh reads this year, which plays into McKee's hand as a quick decision-maker. There were few examples of him throwing into double coverage because he understood what the defense was trying to do against him. When it came to downfield attempts, there were moments he could have thrown with more touch. 

There are pockets within the draft community that strongly support McKee as a potential first-round prospect. It is easier to see that version of the Cardinal quarterback than it had been a year ago.

Bo Nix, Oregon: Stock Up

45-30 win vs. No. 9 UCLA

Stats:

  • 22-of-28 passing, 283 yards, 5 TD
  • 8 carries, 51 yards

The Auburn transfer showed an ability to extend plays and throw off-platform. However, he would throw off his back foot when the pressure was not going to get home. When Nix was balanced, he was able to create some big plays downfield. He shows enough mobility to scramble when the pocket breaks down. Based on the social media buzz, the expectation was that Nix had taken a substantial leap in performance, but the film did not necessarily match. He is a facilitator capable of pushing the ball vertically, but is still very much a work in progress. His career ran parallel to turnover and turmoil within the Auburn program, so many are looking to see consistency in Eugene. One intangible that remains constant is his ability to lead and inspire faith from the coaches.

On this particular play, he shows off his arm strength with great placement down the field.

C.J. Stroud, Ohio State: Stock Stagnant

54-10 win vs. Iowa

Stats:

  • 20-of-30 passing, 286 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT

Iowa looked like it was hanging on for dear life as it settled in early in the game. Stroud was able to push the ball downfield without fear of the Hawkeyes secondary playing the ball. He threw with touch and accuracy leading his pass catchers. There were moments when it felt as though he was waiting for his pass-catchers to come open rather than throwing them open, however. Wide receiver Julian Fleming was led beautifully on a 79-yard touchdown pass.

Stroud has a good sense of pressure and is able to move with ease to evade it. His arm strength is good enough to attack windows late. There is a play each game where overconfidence overcomes Stroud and he throws into coverage. In the image below, he throws across the middle roughly five seconds into the play. Three defenders had blanketed his intended target, and it resulted in not only his lone interception of the game, but said pass catcher being led into a hit.

stroud1.png

Bryce Young, Alabama: Stock Stagnant

30-6 win vs. Mississippi State

Stats: 

  • 21-of-35 passing, 249 yards, 2 TD
  • 4 carries, -13 yards

Young does a good job of keeping his eyes downfield when mobile in the pocket. When the time arrives to distribute the football, he is able to re-plant and make a balanced throw. Similar to Stroud, he is prone to make the occasional poor decision, but his feel for the game is what sets him apart from other top quarterback prospects. If the defense is taking away his vertical outlets, he is going to take the check down and will be accurate in the process.

Despite his lack of size, he does not often put himself in a position to take unnecessary hits. On this particular play, Young, with the help of his offensive line, keeps the play alive and is able to find wide receiver JoJo Earle for a 31-yard touchdown.