Overview
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 225 pounds
School: Utah State Aggies
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.74 seconds
Vertical jump: 35.5 inches (tied for second-best among quarterbacks)
Broad jump: 9 feet, 10 inches (fifth-best among quarterbacks)
Three-cone drill: 7.21 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.52 seconds
Jordan Love 2020 NFL Draft Profile
To say that Jordan Love was lightly recruited out of high school would be an understatement. He received just five scholarship offers after his career at Liberty High in Bakersfield, CA with four of them originating from FCS programs. So it probably didn’t come as much of a surprise that he committed to the lone FBS school who offered him, Utah State, in the summer ahead of his senior year. The Aggies had to be excited about his potential after his performance later that year. As a result of his standout senior campaign, he won the California Interscholastic Federation Division I Valley League offensive player of the year.
The coaching staff eased him into a starting role as he didn’t start until the seventh game of his redshirt freshman season. He went 3-4 from there on out in 2017, including a narrow 26-20 loss to New Mexico State in the Arizona Bowl. But he did make a little history as his 1,631 passing yards were an Aggie school record for a freshman. His next season in Logan was his best at the school. His 32 touchdown passes and 158.32 pass efficiency rating were top 10 among qualifying FBS signal-callers. In 2019, his numbers took a step back, though it was likely the result of losing quite a few receivers to graduation. But he still declared for the draft despite managing 20 touchdown tosses and throwing 17 interceptions.
Strengths
- prototypical NFL build for the position;
- boasts impressive arm strength;
- confident and poised when given a clean pocket;
- can make accurate throws on the run;
- has pretty solid footwork on three- and five-step drops;
- capable of taking the ball himself if the pass situation breaks down;
- able to put up the touch throws, like back-shoulder fades, near the end zone;
- can fit the ball into places where only his receiver can get it.
Weaknesses
- level of competition in college will concern many scouts;
- tends to make too many throws off his back foot;
- is still too much of a primary-read passer;
- 17 interceptions in 2019 were the most among FBS quarterbacks who totaled at least 3,000 yards passing;
- just two full years of starting experience.
NFL Comparison: Jacoby Brissett
Teams With Need at Position: Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Projection: Late first round
Bottom Line
Jordan Love boasts many attributes that talent evaluators at the next level like to see in quarterbacks. He has the build of a traditional pocket passer and the requisite arm strength to go along with it. And he’s proven that he can run the ball if necessary, something required with the position evolving into one that necessitates more dual-threat ability than ever.
That said, Love has some work to do if he truly wants to emerge as a legitimate franchise quarterback. He did regress from his sophomore to his junior year, throwing 11 more interceptions in 2019 than he did the previous year. And the level of play he’s going to experience at the next level will be a massive step-up from what he saw on a weekly basis at Utah State.
Still, Love came to the Senior Bowl and drew rave reviews from many of the scouts and draft analysts in attendance. If he can carry that momentum to the Combine, it’s possible that a team could take a flyer on him late on day one of the draft. Though he does need to work on his consistency and decision-making, the potential is there for him to develop into a starter with a few years of work.
