Ranking the top 10 quarterback prospects in the 2018 NFL Draft
5) Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State
A three-year starter at Oklahoma State, Rudolph gained tremendous experience during his time in college. He is somewhat of a Baker Mayfield-lite in that he played in a passing system in the Big 12 and took advantage of mismatches and Mike Gundy’s coaching. But plenty of other QBs have played for Gundy, and he’s better than all of them. Rudolph passed for nearly 5,000 yards as a senior and completed a career-best 65 percent of his passes. He improved in each season, which is another sign that he can get better in the pros. He throws a good deep ball and shows good pocket awareness, with an ability to throw on the run and make things happen. After operating so frequently out of the shotgun, seeing how he adapts in the NFL will be interesting.
4) Lamar Jackson, Louisville
Some teams wanted to see what Lamar Jackson could do as a receiver, but he’s not bothering with that. Jackson views his future as a quarterback and knows there will be teams who see that as well. Though he did not run the 40 at the combine, Jackson has elite speed and has drawn comparisons to Michael Vick, who even says Jackson is better than he was. Jackson put up excellent two-way numbers at Louisville, which helped him win the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore. He also had a few stinkers against the better defenses he faced (see his losses to Houston and LSU in 2016 and his four-interception game against Mississippi State in 2017). Get him with a coach who takes advantage of his rushing ability, and he will add excitement and scoring to an offense.
3) Josh Rosen, UCLA
As far as being a pure passer, Rosen is at the top of his class. He can make some truly beautiful throws, displaying good touch and arm strength especially on short and intermediate routes. If you need someone to run an offense and move the ball, he’s your man. He reminds me a lot of Andrew Luck in terms of passing ability and style. His stats at UCLA — he never completed more than 62.6 percent of his passes in a season — are somewhat deceiving. His receivers had numerous drops throughout his career, especially in his first two years, which kept him from putting up truly eye-popping numbers. Rosen needs to eliminate some of the back-breaking, bonehead interceptions he was prone to throwing during his time with the Bruins. The only thing preventing him from being No. 1 on this list is his health. Rosen had a shoulder surgery that ended his sophomore season early. He also suffered two concussions as a junior. I have no doubt about his ability to perform at the next level; I have concerns about how often and long he will be able to play.
2) Sam Darnold, USC
Darnold broke out with a huge redshirt freshman season and struggled to repeat the same level of success as a sophomore, but he nonetheless fared well, throwing for 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. As a redshirt freshman, the numbers were much more impressive with 31 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. A 6-foot-4, 220-pounder, Darnold is big-bodied and difficult to bring down. He is slippery in the pocket, which some believe is a bad habit because he will leave as soon as there is pressure. Contrarily, I believe he is just a good playmaker who makes things happen. The guy always seems to make a play on third and shorts, just finding a way to get things done. He reminds me of Ben Roethlisberger in terms of size and style. If he went to a team like the Browns, he’d help them rebuild quickly.
1) Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
Some players just have an “it” factor, and Mayfield certainly seems to be one of them. The former Texas Tech walk-on put up extremely impressive numbers at Oklahoma, completing over 68 percent of his passes in all three of his seasons with the Sooners. He improved his stats each season with the program, which is a good sign about his progress and development. He has a drive to compete, and he has mobility despite being described as not too athletic. His 70 percent completion percentage and 83 touchdowns/14 interceptions over his final two seasons indicate the type of accuracy needed to succeed at the next level. His size may not be ideal, but his ability to deliver the football where it needs to go makes up for that.
