Jacob Eason is among the top quarterback prospects for the 2020 NFL Draft, but there are plenty of issues surrounding him.
During NFL Live on ESPN Thursday, Adam Schefter, Louis Riddick, Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. all gathered at the NFL Combine to co-host the show. They talked about some draft prospects, including Eason. That’s when McShay shared some negative feedback he’s received on the former Washington Huskies quarterback.
“I saw him live against BYU. And it was one of the best quarterbacked performances I saw live all season long,” McShay said of Eason. “He has it in him. Then I studied the tape of his last five games, and it was up and down, up and down — inconsistent. Then I talked to a couple of people I really trust with quarterbacks in the last 48 hours, and the meetings are not going well.”
McShay then began to compare Eason to Jake Fromm, the quarterback who took Eason’s job at Georgia, leading Eason to transfer back to his home state of Washington.
“You look at Jake Fromm with Georgia. He sent Jacob Eason packing to the West Coast because Fromm was smarter, he was better in the room, and he was more consistent with what he was doing in terms of running the offense.
“These are polar opposite players,” McShay said in comparing Eason and Fromm. “Fromm does everything right. He’s going to be a great backup quarterback, maybe he’ll develop into a starter, he’s going to be exceptional in the room, he’s going to do all the work you need. Eason is a wild card. He’s got the big stature, he’s got the big arm, but the rest of it, I don’t know what I’m buying.”
McShay was then asked what sort of negative things he’s hearing about Eason, and both he and Riddick offered insight.
“He has more questions to answer about mental makeup, commitment, consistency,” Riddick said.
McShay shared the feedback he’s received from those who met with Eason at the Combine.
“He was too comfortable. He thought that he owned the room. He doesn’t understand the magnitude of all this.”
There’s no doubt the ESPN crew shared some criticism of Eason that they’re hearing. The 6-foot-6 QB completed 59.8 percent of his passes for 5,590 yards, 39 touchdowns and 16 interceptions during his college career. He was a 5-star prospect and heralded recruit, but he did not live up to the billing in college.
