Washington football: Why Jacob Eason’s decision makes sense

Why it makes sense: He checks the boxes

Jacob Eason looks the part. He’s 6-6 and 230 pounds. He’s athletic, not just a statue that needs a dominant offensive line to be effective. Eason totes a howitzer for a right arm; he can make any throw any offensive coordinator might ask of him.

Looking at him draws comparisons to a young Ben Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer or Matthew Stafford. If there’s any quarterback in this draft that looks the part, Eason certainly does.

There were glimpses of the arm strength early in his career. As a freshman at Georgia, Eason threw for over 2,400 yards and 16 touchdowns — not bad for a first year in the SEC.

In 2016, you saw glimpses of what made him a five-star recruit out of Lake Stevens, Wash. After a back injury and Jake Fromm’s steadiness cost Eason his starting job at Georgia, he went back home — so to speak — and transferred to Washington.

It was this season where we got to see flashes of what makes Eason so special.

The Washington offensive staff raved about Eason’s deep ball in camp, and his improved accuracy with the intermediate pass in the middle of the field. It was his game against the Oregon Ducks — albeit in a losing effort — that encapsulated his potential as a pro quarterback. He out-played fellow Pac-12 NFL prospect Justin Herbert, and made this incredible back-shoulder throw before halftime.