The 2017 quarterback draft class is an intriguing group. There are a lot of exciting developmental projects. Teams with a need at quarterback are going to have to make some tough choices in this upcoming draft.
Top Five Quarterback Draft Prospects 2017
Deshaun Watson
This one isn’t close. Watson is far and away the best quarterback in this class (as of now). Watson makes some beautiful deep passes. His ball placement on nearly all passes are out of this world. He makes some questionable decisions throwing deep, something that could eat him alive in the NFL. Undoubtedly, having a receiver as talented as Mike Williams helps him, but there’s no guarantee he’ll have such a talented target to turn to in the NFL. As a runner, Watson needs to slide more, as taking that kind of a risk as a starting quarterback is nearly unacceptable. On the plus side, he can escape pressure pretty well, and keeps plays alive.
Luke Falk
Falk is as good, if not better, at throwing than Watson. A big plus for Falk is the fact that Washington State runs an offense more traditional than Clemson, so he gets to showcase his talents even more. His downside is frustrating interceptions. He threw an awful interception against Stanford with no Washington State receivers in the area. In the same game, however, he made some downright incredible throws. Two of his four touchdowns went into some tiny windows. He’s certainly not as talented a runner as Watson, but he escapes pressure just fine. He doesn’t have a receiver nearly as talented as Mike Williams, which makes his stats even more impressive.
Chad Kelly
Kelly is certainly a project, but is still very talented. The nephew of Buffalo Bills great Jim Kelly has a high ceiling. He has an absolute cannon for an arm, but is a bit of a gunslinger, something some teams find very unattractive. Because of his gun-slinging nature, he makes some seriously questionable decisions. He overthrows an alarming amount of passes at all distances, something that will take time to fix. If he lands somewhere where he can sit and develop, he could be a star.
J.T Barrett
Barrett is a pretty impressive quarterback. He’s very good on intermediate throws, something very important in the NFL today. He’s shown that he is a competent runner off of the read, which could boost his stock for some teams. There are arguments that the talent around him makes him seem better than he is, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Barrett is the real deal, and could certainly pass Kelly to be the number three quarterback in this year’s draft.
Mason Rudolph
Rudolph is an impressive thrower most of the time. He seems to throw over receivers heads’ too much, which is concerning. Overall, he needs to be more consistent to be considered a potential starter. This is another situation of where a year or two on the bench will really help him out. He’s a potential deep sleeper this year.
Up and Coming Underclassmen
Jake Browning
Should Browning declare for this year’s draft, he’s easily number three. He’s pretty athletic and doesn’t really make any bad decisions. He’s not a great runner, but his impressive arm makes up for it.
Lamar Jackson
Jackson is absolutely tearing it up right now, but he’s not wildly impressive as a passer. If he can improve his passing game this season or the upcoming season (assuming he doesn’t enter the draft), he’ll be a top quarterback prospect next year.
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