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Ranking 20 college football QBs with best chance to succeed in NFL

By Andrew Miller

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Sam Darnold #14 of the USC Trojans throws the ball to score a touchdown in the second quarter against the Oregon Ducks at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 5, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Sam Darnold #14 of the USC Trojans throws the ball to score a touchdown in the second quarter against the Oregon Ducks at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 5, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBIA, SC – NOVEMBER 05: Drew Lock reacts after a play against the South Carolina Gamecocks during their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on November 5, 2016 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Tyler Lecka/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SC – NOVEMBER 05: Drew Lock reacts after a play against the South Carolina Gamecocks during their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on November 5, 2016 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Tyler Lecka/Getty Images) /

This might be the most surprising inclusion on the list to most people. Mizzou’s Drew Lock put up solid numbers last season but has not yet led the Tigers to a successful season since he first got the starting gig back in 2015. Yet, the improvement in Lock’s numbers between 2015 and 2016 is significant.

Lock’s first season in 2015 saw him throw for 1,332 yards and four touchdowns with eight interceptions. In 2016, he threw for 3,399 yards and 23 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions. If he continues that type of improvement, then Mizzou will actually return to a bowl game for the first time since they won the SEC East in 2014.

There’s a lot resting on Lock’s shoulders in 2017. Another three or four win season for Mizzou would result in the likely benching of Lock and maybe the end of his career and NFL potential as we know it. However, if he manages to return Mizzou to the success that they saw in 2013 and 2014 when they won the SEC East in back-to-back seasons, then he will be hailed as a program-changing quarterback.

Related Story: What happened to the Missouri Tigers?

The translation between changing a program at the college level and changing the entire course of a franchise in the NFL is different. If Lock can do something of the sorts with Mizzou this season, then NFL scouts will start to recognize him just a little bit more.

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