Quarterback is the most important position in the NFL because of that, several passers will be selected in the 2018 NFL Draft. Here are the ten best.
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With so much emphasis being placed on having a strong leader to direct your offense, finding the right fit at quarterback can be quite the game-changer. The 2018 NFL Draft features several signal-callers who could come in next year and do just that.
At the same time, the wrong decision will likely lead to struggles on the field and a coaching change off of it. That’s what makes dissecting, investigating and testing quarterbacks through every drill possible so important.
Over the past few years, teams like the Houston Texans, Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles have made home run picks with Deshaun Watson, Jared Goff and Carson Wentz. Others, like the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs will find out soon if they made the right decisions.
Here’s a look at the Top-10 quarterback prospects entered into the 2018 NFL Draft:
Someone that is quickly moving up the draft charts if Florida International quarterback Alex McGough. Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 220 pounds, McGough has good enough size for the position. He also had a strong season this past year, throwing for almost 2,800 yards with 17 touchdowns.
An injury, though, in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl slowed the progress of McGough. It kept him from working out during the pre-combine stages and forced him out of all-star games. Still, NFL scouts have taken note of his strong arm and accuracy, driving many to Florida to see him up-close.
McGough concluded his four-year career at FIU with 9,091 yards passing and 65 touchdowns. He completed 60 percent of his passes for his career, including a high of 65.4 this past year.
After starting out his career at Tennessee, Riley Ferguson found a home in Memphis with the Tigers. Between those two stops, Ferguson dominated at the NJCAA level.
This past year, Ferguson completed 63 percent of his passes for 4,257 yards with 36 touchdowns. The 6-4, 210-pounder had just nine interceptions in 474 attempts, a number even better than his junior campaign that saw him throw 10 picks in 443 attempts.
Over his two-year career with Memphis, Ferguson threw for 7,955 yards with a 70-to-19 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He replaced Paxton Lynch under center, a current member of the Denver Broncos.
Ferguson has plenty of room for improvement, but as evident by his skills, he has the makings to compete in the NFL.
While they might not be “Quarterback U,” Marshall has produced several talented signal callers of the few seasons. Chase Litton is hoping he is the next in line.
Litton, a 6-foot-5, 232-pounder, is coming off a season in which he completed 60 percent of his throws for the Thunder Herd along with 3,115 yards and 25 touchdowns.
A three-year starter for Marshall, Litton opted to leave school early after his junior season. He has shown steady improvement in almost every category over his three seasons outside of interceptions, as those went up from nine in 2016 to 14.
For his career, Litton passed for 8,335 yards with 72 touchdowns, completing almost 61 percent of his passes.
There might not be a more polarizing quarterback in the 2018 draft class than Washington State’s Luke Falk.
Here’s the good with Falk: he passed for 14,481 yards with 119 touchdowns and just 39 interceptions during his four-year career under Mike Leach. The bad, though, involves several costly picks that led to his benching with the Cougars.
Falk appeared to always say and do the right things when Leach pulled him, but NFL coaches will question whether he has the tenacity to compete in the big leagues.
This past year, Falk completed 67 percent of his throws, down from the 70 and 69 marks he set as a sophomore and junior. His yardage total was also way down from 4,561 and 4,468 yard seasons, as he threw for 3,593 yards.
From an off-the-field perspective, Mason Rudolph grades out as a first round pick. Most mock drafts have noted his incredible interview skills. On the field, though, questions remain for the Oklahoma State signal caller.
Sure, at 6-4 and 235 pounds, Rudolph has the physical tools. He also clocked a decent time in the 40 for a quarterback his size. But is he a product of the system?
Rudolph played in 42 games for Oklahoma State and head coach Mike Gundy, throwing for over 13,000 yards and 92 touchdowns. He had an incredible 28-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio as a junior, throwing for a career-high 37 scores this past season.
Of note, Rudolph after over 10 yards per attempt each of his past two seasons, setting a career-best for yards at 4,904 this year.
Much like his counterpart at Oklahoma State, the key question with Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield revolves around his ability to adapt to a pro-style offense.
Lincoln Riley had a seamless transition from offensive coordinator to head coach in Norman this past year, and that was because Mayfield was present to lead the offense.
The former Texas Tech walk-on captured the Heisman after throwing for 4,627 yards with 43 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He averaged 11.5 yards per attempt, completing 70 percent of his passes.
For his career, Mayfield completed 68.5 percent of his throws for 14,607 yards with 131 touchdowns and 30 picks.
His run, though, will be remembered for bone-headed moves like flipping off the Kansas team and his issues with Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury. If NFL scouts liked what they heard during interview sessions, Mayfield should have no problem hearing his name called early.
A three-year starter at Louisville, Lamar Jackson made a statement in 2016 when he captured the attention of the nation by throwing for 3,543 yards and 30 touchdowns, adding another 1,571 yards and 21 scores on the ground.
What did Jackson do for an encore this past season? Run for more yards at 1,601, average almost seven yards per carry, better his completion percentage from 56 to 59, and throw for even more yards at 3,660.
The 2016 Heisman winner still finished just third this past season, but it was going to be difficult for him to duplicate his success in the eyes of voters because they had already seen the impossible with Jackson.
At 6-foot-3 and 211 pounds, Jackson has good size and obviously ridiculous speed. He concluded his three years with Bobby Petrino with 9,043 yards passing, 69 touchdowns, 4,132 yards on the ground and 50 more scores.
It’s incredible that over the course of an entire season plus meetings and workouts, the separation between the top three quarterbacks grows closer and closer.
UCLA junior Josh Rosen battled injuries, as he was limited to just 30 games over the past three years. The 6-foot-4, 218-pounder threw for 9,340 yards with 59 touchdowns, but also had 26 interceptions.
This past year in 11 games, Rosen had 3,756 yards with 26 touchdowns. Still, he was constantly criticized for his role on the team and his attitude, issues that appear to have been cleared up during the pre-draft interview process with NFL teams.
It will be interesting to see which team grabs Rosen and who they surround him with.
After the 2016 season, nothing could be said wrong about Josh Allen from Wyoming. He was the clear favorite to be the top quarterback selected when he declared for the draft.
Well, a year later and Allen was left with plenty of question marks involving his abilities and skills on the field.
The 6-foot-5, 233-pounder was limited to 11 games this past year, completing 56 percent of his throws for 1,812 yards and 16 touchdowns. Those numbers paled in comparison to his sophomore season when he threw for 3,203 yards and 28 touchdowns.
But the Cowboys graduated several key starters, and unlike places such as Southern Cal, UCLA or Oklahoma, Wyoming doesn’t just reload each season. If given an NFL-quality offense, Allen should be able to produce at that level.
A two-year starter for Southern Cal, Sam Darnold broke into the mainstream in a big way in 2016, leading the Trojans. He threw for 3,086 yards with 31 touchdowns and nine interceptions, making him a high-valued prospect for the NFL.
Over the next 14 games of his junior season in 2017, though, Darnold was systematically picked apart. It was very similar to that of Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, who saw an uptick in picks his last year in college, but still was on pace to be named NFL Rookie of the Year last season.
For Darnold, it came down to ill-advised mistakes he made on the field. He still finished with 4,143 yards and 26 touchdowns, but completed just 63 percent of his throws and had 13 picks.
Next: Latest first round NFL Mock Draft after Pro Days
What kind of signal caller Darnold ends up becoming could will likely make or break the coach and the team that selects him in this year’s draft.