Overview
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 210 pounds
School: Boise State Broncos
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.91 seconds
Vertical jump: 33 inches
Broad jump: 9 feet, 8 inches (tied for fourth-best among quarterbacks)
Three-cone drill: 7.10 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.29 seconds
Brett Rypien 2019 NFL Draft Profile
Brett Rypien sports NFL bloodlines as his uncle Mark Rypien made 78 career starts and was named the MVP of Super Bowl XXVI. A native of Spokane, WA, the younger Rypien became a legend in the state of Washington as he threw for a state record 13,044 career passing yards. 4,552 of those yards came as a senior, a season in which he added 50 passing touchdowns. It led to Rivals rating him as a top-10 pro-style quarterback prospect and he garnered a few Power Five scholarship offers, including from both Washington and Washington State. But the blue turf of Boise State proved enticing and so he committed to play his college ball for the Broncos.
Though not initially named the starter as a true freshman, Rypien assumed the role after fellow 2019 draft prospect Ryan Finley suffered a season-ending injury. He certainly took the opportunity and ran with it. In just 10 starts, he accounted for 3,353 passing yards which led the Mountain West. He received first-team all-conference recognition as well as league freshman of the year honors while also being named the Poinsettia Bowl MVP. Finley transferred to NC State where he ultimately carved out his own unique path to the draft.
Rypien earned first-team all-MWC accolades for the second straight season as a true sophomore. Once again, he led the conference with 3,646 yards through the air while adding 24 touchdowns which was second best among the league’s quarterbacks. But the following year, he suffered a bit of a pullback as he managed just 2,877 yards and a relatively lean 16 touchdown tosses. It was an aberration, though, as he bounced back big-time in 2018. He realized single-season career-highs in yardage (3,705), attempts (447), completions (301), and touchdowns (30). His 13,581 career passing yards, 1,036 passes completed, and 21 games of 300+ passing yards are all Mountain West records.
Strengths
- high football I.Q. – reads coverages exceptionally well;
- able to lead receivers in stride on crossing routes;
- delivers passes with quick release and sound mechanics;
- capable of making anticipatory throws;
- knows how to thread the needle and complete passes in traffic with accuracy;
- can bait safeties with his eyes to create clearings downfield for his receivers;
- had more experience under center than most products of spread schemes;
- fourth-best passer rating under pressure among draft-eligible quarterbacks, per Pro Football Focus;
- record-breaking pass production both in high school and college.
Weaknesses
- doesn’t have prototypical height and hand size;
- too static in the pocket and susceptible to edge pressure instead of climbing to avoid;
- legitimate concerns over arm strength;
- footwork has a tendency to break down when under duress;
- can lose trust in progressions and resort to check-downs;
- a bit cavalier with the ball under pressure which can lead to strip sacks;
- lacks the overall strength to shed defenders once he’s in their grasp;
- doesn’t show a lot in terms of scrambling ability.
NFL Comparison: Bruce Gradkowski
Teams With Need at Position: Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Washington Redskins
Projection: Fifth to sixth round
Bottom Line
There are certainly elements of Rypien’s skill set that are indispensable for quarterbacks at the next level. His football intelligence is highly impressive as he’s able to seamlessly read coverages and adjust accordingly in terms of making the right throws. He also boasts eight years of starting experience combining his high school and college years. His numbers in that time were truly eye-popping, especially considering he’s currently the most prolific passer from a yardage standpoint in Mountain West history.
But there are a few crucial weak spots that might conspire to inhibit Rypien’s ceiling. He lacks ideal size and his nine-inch hands are at the general minimum threshold when it comes to that aspect of a player’s physical traits. There are also legitimate concerns about his mobility, an increasingly important characteristic to have even among traditional pocket passers. For these reasons, it might be difficult for Rypien to develop into a starting-caliber signal-caller at the next level.
Having said all this, there’s certainly room for a prospect such as Rypien on an NFL roster. His football I.Q. will intrigue some teams who might be enticed to work with him as a developmental project. Those are the type of quarterbacks who generally come off the board midway and towards the end of the draft’s final day. A great many of them become important depth pieces and Rypien should be no different.
