Feleipe Franks 2021 NFL Draft Profile
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6’6
Weight: 234 pounds
School: Arkansas Razorbacks
More 2021 NFL Draft Profiles
Feleipe Franks Draft Profile
Watching Feleipe Franks is a tale of three entirely different stories. The Franks who started off at Florida with coach Jim McElwain was a super inconsistent freshman who did more harm than good. Under Dan Mullen, Franks showed flashes of brilliant play and also showed the head scratching decisions that led to Mullen choosing fellow prospect Kyle Trask. Lining them up side by side, Trask pales in comparison to the sheer talent Franks brings to the table. Once Franks had shown up at Arkansas, he would be going into his third offensive system in four seasons. His career will be tied to Kyle Trask in terms of what could have been. Trask is also an option for many teams in the draft.
Arkansas did him very little favors in the offensive design; offensive coordinator Kendell Briles opts for tempo and simplicity. This leads to a lot of screens and isolation routes on the outside with receivers split very far out wide in the formation. In games against Auburn, Florida, and Ole Miss, Franks wasn’t even given a schemed up outside breaking route. This kind of route would feature his arm strength and accuracy outside the numbers. It’s hard to look at Franks career and think if he doesn’t hurt his ankle and leave Florida that his fortunes would have been better. In his career Franks finished with 55 touchdowns and 6700 passing yards in 37 games in the SEC.
Strengths
- Arguably the best arm strength in the class;
- Possesses fantastic pocket awareness and an innate ability to sense oncoming rushers;
- Solid mechanics and footwork, especially in the pocket, able to get the ball off of many different planes;
- Has very good touch on deep routes;
- Keeps eyes downfield always showing incredible toughness.
Weaknesses
- Is very inconsistent with his accuracy to all levels of the field
- Has a propensity to lock onto his first read and not come off of it, especially while at Arkansas
- Holds onto the ball too long, contributing to being sacked frequently
NFL Comparison: Paxton Lynch
Projection: Late round project
Teams With Need at Position (Backup/Project): New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams
Bottom Line on Feleipe Franks
There is a world in which Franks stays healthy and ends up being prolific in Dan Mullen’s high-powered Florida offense. In this world Franks cleans up his accuracy and decision making, and with a loaded offense, powers Florida to high SEC East finishes. Instead, Mullen opted for the less talented, safer option in Kyle Trask. Trask will end up being a higher draft pick, who may have decreased Florida’s offensive ceiling but raised their floor immensely.
Franks is extremely talented but is often way too inconsistent to be handed the keys to an NFL offense. Given the right situation where he is able to go to a good franchise and sit for multiple years and clean up many of the issues, Franks could be a very serviceable starter. More likely than not, Franks is a player who never makes it to a second contract. He will get a team to spend a late pick on day three on him to have the opportunity to mold the talented passer. Whether or not he works out is entirely dependent on his work ethic and the situation he finds himself in.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
