Up, Down or Stay: Utah State QB Jordan Love could go anywhere from top-5 to second round
With the draft less than a week away, the voices for – and against – polarizing Utah State quarterback Jordan Love are growing louder.
At 6-foot-4, 224 pounds, the redshirt junior checks all the boxes in terms of arm strength, athleticism and size. But he struggled at times with accuracy, and scouts were hoping for better production given the quality of competition Love faced.
Still, he’s largely seen as a first-round prospect who could go as high as the top-5, with many analysts predicting him to land somewhere in the middle to late first round. NFL Mock Draft Database, which compiles a consensus from all submitted mock drafts, shows Love going to New England at pick No. 23.
| Passing | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | AY/A | TD | Int | Rate |
| *2017 | Utah State | MWC | FR | QB | 12 | 129 | 235 | 54.9 | 1631 | 6.9 | 6.5 | 8 | 6 | 119.3 |
| *2018 | Utah State | MWC | SO | QB | 13 | 267 | 417 | 64.0 | 3567 | 8.6 | 9.4 | 32 | 6 | 158.3 |
| *2019 | Utah State | MWC | JR | QB | 13 | 293 | 473 | 61.9 | 3402 | 7.2 | 6.4 | 20 | 17 | 129.1 |
| Career | Utah State | 689 | 1125 | 61.2 | 8600 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 60 | 29 | 137.9 | ||||
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Eric Edholm, NFL draft analyst for Yahoo Sports, has a good comparison for Love in terms of his draft standing: former Missouri QB Drew Lock, who was a second-round pick last year by Denver after spending much of the season as a projected first-rounder.
“Maybe some team trades up into Round 1 for him,” Edholm said in an interview with Fanspeak. “But I just can’t find his best landing spot the way the board currently sits.”
Translation: Edholm says Love could fall out of the first round altogether.
“He could end up this year’s Drew Lock, falling until early Round 2,” Edholm said.
Utah State QB Jordan Love's evaluation is, well, challenging.
Fascinating, top-tier traits, but … who is taking the risk? Drafting him is a leap of faith.
Our report:https://t.co/IWZCTp2SLs
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) April 3, 2020
Bob McGinn of The Athletic talked to scouts who raved about Love and others who had major concerns.
“He has the most physical upside of any of these guys,” one scout said in McGinn’s positional draft series. “The great ones make things look easy. He makes it look easy. He’s an effortless thrower. He played with nobody around him.”
If Love falls outside the top-10, the scout said teams may wonder one day how he lasted that long.
Love was the fourth-rated QB in McGinn’s informal poll with NFL executives.
And the common theme among evaluators? Love’s perceived lack of accuracy, which could trump all other traits.
“ There were numerous times he’s looking right at an open wideout or a tight end coming right in the middle and the two linebackers are on the hashes and there’s a receiver standing in the middle of the field and he doesn’t throw it to him,” another scout told McGinn. “Or he throws it to him late. I don’t think he’s correctable.”
Jake Rigdon (jake@sydwriting.com) covers the NFL draft for Fanspeak and the On The Clock, which is the only NFL draft simulator that allows you to customize and use your own big board while giving you control over trades.
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