Oregon QB Justin Herbert, long hailed as the top QB prospect for the 2019 NFL Draft, has decided to return to school for his senior season, altering the projected first round.
A late season swoon put some doubt around Justin Herbert’s NFL prospects, but he was still considered a lock for the first round if he declared, likely in a two-horse race with Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins to be the top QB off the draft board.
Herbert has decided to eschew the 2019 NFL Draft, instead opting to return to Eugene for his senior season with Oregon. With Herbert back, the Ducks are likely to be the preseason favorites in the PAC-12 in 2019 as head coach Mario Cristobal looks to translate his success on the recruiting trail into sustained success on the gridiron.
Herbert’s decision is a gut-punch for the QB-needy teams in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Dwayne Haskins is widely expected to declare for the draft following the Rose Bowl after receiving a first round grade from the NFL Draft advisory board. He could be the only QB taken in the first round in this class, and even he projects as a project, unlikely to be ready to start during the 2019 season, which is a far cry from the last several draft classes that produced numerous signal-callers ready to start in year one.
If Haskins is the only QB taken in the first round, that would be the first time since 2013 that only one QB heard their name called in the opening round. E.J. Manuel was drafted 16th overall by the Bills, and the next quarterback didn’t come off the board until the 39th pick in the second round when the Jets selected Geno Smith.
Missouri’s Drew Lock, West Virginia’s Will Grier, Duke’s Daniel Jones, and NC State’s Ryan Finley figure to be the guys looking to break into the mid-to-late first round range for teams who are desperate enough to reach for a QB on day one; if not, the quartet seem to be locks to find homes on the second day of the draft.
If ever there was going to be a down year for quarterbacks, the 2019 draft is the best time for it to happen for NFL GM’s as there aren’t too many significant needs at the position.
This could force teams like the Giants, long projected to take a first round QB in 2019, to punt the selection for one more year to gear up for what should be a loaded draft class at the position in 2020, which could have the likes of Tua Tagovailoa, Jake Fromm, KJ Costello, and now Herbert fighting to be taken with a top pick.
Justin Herbert’s decision had major ramifications on our mock draft. Let’s take a look at the fallout from his decision to remain in school on the projected first round: