The question has been asked multiple times since the New England Patriots selected Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham in the fourth round of this year’s NFL Draft: is Jarrett Stidham Tom Brady’s successor? The answer to this question is an emphatic yes. Stidham has all the qualities that you look for in a starting quarterback. Over his four years in college Stidham has proven that he has the skills to take over for Brady when he decides to hang it up.
Jarrett Stidham in a Nutshell
Jarrett Stidham had a decent college career. He started out at Baylor University before transferring to Auburn after the 2015 season. Stidham’s numbers didn’t exactly jump off the page during his college career, but there was a good reason for this. He played for an awful offense with Auburn. His receivers would routinely drop open passes and his offensive line struggled to allow him time to make good throws. Despite all of his team’s shortcomings, Stidham still managed to show glimpses of his potential as a starting caliber quarterback.
Why Jarrett Stidham Will Take Over After Tom Brady
Stidham is a very accurate passer, particularly on short and intermediate throws. He finished off his college career with a TD/INT ratio of 48/13. His ability to stay away from turning the ball over will serve him well at the next level. As for how this fits with Stidham becoming Brady’s heir apparent, the Patriots have shown they’d rather have smart players over elite athletes. Another positive for Jarrett Stidham is his accuracy. He proved himself to be an accurate passer in short and medium range passes. This is a huge plus in New England’s scheme, one that includes a wide variety of screens and intermediate passes.
Bottom Line
The main thing to keep in mind with Jarrett Stidham is that he projects to be a solid NFL player. He is fairly rough around the edges and there are things he needs to improve on before being able to run an NFL offense. Although he may not be ready now he should be after a few seasons learning from Tom Brady.
Stidham has all of the tools to succeed in the NFL, he just needs to become a more polished passer. Having a few seasons behind Brady will benefit Stidham in more ways than just learning from Brady. He’ll have ample time to learn the offense before he has to play a meaningful snap. While Stidham may be an unpolished prospect right now, with the proper coaching and time to mature behind Tom Brady, he will definitely be ready to take over as starting quarterback when Brady retires.
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