Depending on who you ask, Lamar Jackson could go anywhere from the first 15 picks in the NFL Draft to somewhere in the middle rounds. As far as one team is concerned, the former Heisman Trophy winner shouldn’t be drafted at all.
There was a lot of talk leading up to the NFL Scouting Combine about Jackson potentially working out as a wide receiver, and at least one team feels changing positions is his only chance of playing at the NFL level. In discussing the Patriots’ reported interest in Jackson, Jeff Howe of The Athletic was told by sources that one team grades Jackson as a third-round prospect while another has him going undrafted.
There’s so much hype that it seems like a lock Jackson will be a first-round pick. But one team, which has leadership figures who hail from the Bill Belichick tree, has a third-round grade on Jackson. With a similar philosophy as the Patriots, would that team’s thinking be all that different from that of Belichick? That will ultimately be answered Thursday night.
Another team graded Jackson as an undrafted free agent. The team didn’t believe Jackson could play quarterback at an NFL level. Obviously, with all of this information in mind, it’s possible that team is right, or it’s possible that team misevaluated Jackson. Maybe that team’s philosophy is starkly different from the Patriots.
The Patriots currently have two first-round picks — No. 23 and No. 31. Jackson could conceivably fall to them at either of those spots, but Belichick almost never does what people expect him to do in the draft. Although, it is starting to sound like this year could be an exception.
Concerns about Jackson’s style of play make sense. He’s incredibly athletic and made a lot of plays with his legs at Louisville, and those types of QBs tend to take too many hits in the NFL. That doesn’t mean teams won’t be willing to take a chance on him, and the possibility of him going undrafted is nonexistent.
