Luck for Sam! Darnold Falls to Jets in Round 1
The pick is in and it’s Sam Darnold, ladies and gentleman. That’s right. The quarterback who has been projected as the number one choice for over a year, fell to the New York Jets at number three, and they took full advantage.
In Darnold, the Jets hope they’ve finally found their long-term answer at the quarterback position by selecting the former USC Trojan.
A three-year starter in college, Rosen threw 57 career TD’s to 22 INT’s at USC while completing 64.9% of his passes and is regarded by may as the best QB in this draft. Darnold’s scouting report per NFL.com lists his comp as Colts QB Andrew Luck and reads as follows:
Player Bio
Overview
At the end of the day, Darnold has NFL size, arm strength, accuracy, pocket mobility, poise and field reading capability. His windup is an eyesore for sure, but he has the velocity to mitigate the additional release time. While Darnold has the mental toughness and talent to start tomorrow, early sideline seasoning could help him better process coverages in an attempt to eliminate future interceptions. Darnold has the tools to thrive in any system and doesn’t have to have perfect protection to succeed. His floor is solid starter, but he has the ceiling to be one of the top tier quarterbacks in the game as he gains more experience.
Strengths
- Has desired NFL size
- Trusts his pocket and keeps eyes down the field
- Looks off safeties
- Takes what defense is offering and won’t overcomplicate it
- Scans full field and eyes don’t get bogged down on a single target
- Gets through progressions like a pro
- Throws with desired anticipation and timing
- Isolates deep ball opportunities pre-snap
- There isn’t a throw he fears
- Impressive feel for spatial relationship between target and defender
- Trusts his arm and placement
- Naturally accurate with tight spirals
- Has arm talent to uncork it quickly
- Rifles it to hitches and swing passes giving them time to operate
- Has velocity, timing and accuracy to own the deep out
- Tough in and out of the pocket
- Feels edge pressure and climbs away from sharks circling the rush arc
- Shakes off sack attempts and throws with accuracy and pace when on the move
- Completion percentage unaffected by blitz
- Sudden processor when faced with free-running blitzers
- Can pump and re-calibrate
- Tough runner who can move the sticks with his legs
- Doesn’t get shaken by in-game mistakes
- Shows quality leadership and poise.
Weaknesses
- Elongated release is impossible to miss
- Ball drops to his waist with forearm pointed towards the ground, pre-delivery
- Windup gives defenders early clue to break on the throw
- Muscle memory may not allow for release correction
- Turnover total is alarming
- Finished 2017 with 13 interceptions and nine lost fumbles
- Has 20 interceptions over last 20 games
- Decision-making and field vision were inconsistent this year
- Has a tendency to rush throws once internal clock winds down
- Too much mustard on some short throws
- Muscles too many throws rather than driving with lower half
- Too willing to throw from uneven platform
- Intermediate accuracy fell from 2016
- Can throw with better placement and lead his targets
- Deep ball touch needs work
- Took sacks when incompletions were available
- Rarely slides in the open field which has to change
Sources Tell Us
“I think he caught some backlash this year because of the pre-season hype and the interceptions. He’s still the most complete quarterback in this draft with the best makeup to be a good pro.” — AFC Executive
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