Ohio State Football: Buckeyes crush Trojans in Cotton Bowl

2. It’s a good thing Sam Darnold‘s draft stock isn’t decided by Twitter

Everyone from ESPN to the College GameDay staff to Joe Somebody with an itchy trigger finger was bashing the USC starting signal caller on Friday night. Honestly, there wasn’t much about Darnold’s outing that was worth writing home about. Darnold finished 26 of 45 passing for 356 yards. He threw one interception, a pick six, and lost two fumbles.

The average fan doesn’t pay as close attention to the measurables as scouts do. Hand size and bench press doesn’t affect the product that fans have grown to love watching but they do matter when it comes to draft grades. Darnold’s production, or lack thereof, is a red flag, but it’s not going to damn his draft stock as much as some might assume.

There are such things as “can’t miss” prospects. It wasn’t hard to envision top-five picks like Jadeveon Clowney, Jalen Ramsey or Leonard Fournette panning out with productive NFL careers.

Quarterbacks are different. The supply is usually thinner and the risk/reward factor is increased significantly. A bad first pick at that position can derail a franchise for years – just ask the Cleveland Browns. Yet, despite throwing 13 interceptions and fumbling the ball 12 times this season, Darnold is poised to be a first round pic, regardless of his true level of preparedness. Whether or not he chooses to declare remains to be seen.