Deondre Francois Overview
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6′-2″
Weight: 216 lbs.
School: Florida State/Hampton
Deondre Francois 2020 Draft Profile
There was a time when quarterback Deondre Francois ranked in the top three in the country per 247Sports for all pro-style quarterbacks going into college. Francois came from the reputable IMG Academy to be one of the most recruited signal-callers. He had offers from Florida, Ohio State, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida St. and Oregon just to name a few of the 22 total offered.
Eventually, the four-star recruit decided to take his talents to Jimbo Fisher and the Florida State Seminoles. Francois came out of Orlando, Florida, where plenty of athletes come from. In the end, Francois believed Jimbo Fisher and FSU gave him the best options. “It felt good there,” Francois said. “[Head Coach] Jimbo Fisher’s coaching was on another level. I wanted to play for a football coach that would be strict on me and put me in the right position to be successful.”
He redshirted in his first year and learned quite a bit watching and observing. Fisher is the genius at getting a good quarterback to turning them into great. In 2016, Francois got the call to be the starting quarterback for the Seminoles. Francois threw for 3,350 yards and 20 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.
That season concluded with an Orange Bowl victory over the Michigan Wolverines 10-3. Ultimately, this catapulted him into an even higher echelon coming into the 2017 season. He was named ACC offensive rookie of the year for 2016 and ACC rookie of the year. His stock was skyrocketing.
Unfortunately, the first game of the season against Alabama, Francois tore his left patella tendon. This was the beginning of the long road ahead of Francois trying to capture the magic. He wouldn’t return in 2017 and in 2018 a new coach came in—Willie Taggart.
Winning the battle to be the starter again did not come easy, yet Francois prevailed again. However, the spread offense overwhelmed Francois and he threw for 2,731 yards, 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Not to mention a disappointing 5-7 season.
Things would get darker, as Francois would be released from the program early 2019 from alleged domestic violence accusation from his girlfriend. The story later recanted by the accuser.
Most players at this point would’ve surely crumbled from going to a star to a label of a criminal. Fair or not, Francois showed an immense amount of determination to once again rise above to the scrutiny. He received an opportunity to go to an HBCU school Hampton where once again he shined.
He threw for 2,522 yards, 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. As a whole, his career percentage maintained at 57.6%. The amount of determination of Francois and his tools should be looked at. He won’t be a guy that gets drafted, but given the right opportunity the total package is there.
Strengths
- Leadership ability second to none;
- Rocket arm to make NFL throws;
- Strong pocket presence alerting the appropriate movement during duress;
- Undeniable toughness with weak protection from offensive lines;
- Athleticism above-average to run when needed.
Weaknesses
- Lacks the ideal size for a starting quarterback;
- Questionable off the field issues nearly derailed career ladder;
- Issues with intermediate routes and sideline passing;
- Past injury questions regarding future potential;
- Lack of media coverage playing for an HBCU college in 2019.
Teams With Need at position: Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Chargers
Draft Projection: Priority Free Agent
Bottom Line on Deondre Francois
Very few players had the journey of this kid. He has overcome plenty of adversity to even get to this point. Additionally, the physical tools are there. Once again, his name will very likely not be called in the NFL Draft. Still, he has the ability to become the biggest secret in a long time.
Main photo:
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