{"id":285674,"date":"2026-06-01T18:27:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T22:27:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=285674"},"modified":"2026-06-01T18:27:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T22:27:17","slug":"julian-sayin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/06\/01\/julian-sayin\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Julian Sayin a Legitimate NFL Prospect?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Opinion in the NFL Draft community is mixed on the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/ohio-state-buckeyes\/\" target=\"_self\">Ohio State<\/a> quarterback, Julian Sayin.\u00a0 The range is from number one overall in <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.pff.com\/news\/draft-way-too-early-2027-nfl-mock-draft\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PFF&#8217;s 2027 mock<\/a> to a <a  href=\"https:\/\/scarletandgame.com\/julian-sayin-gets-an-extremely-troubling-evaluation-with-an-eye-to-the-2027-nfl-draft\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">third\/fourth round grade<\/a> from Yahoo Sports&#8217; Nate Tice. Does his tape show a first round pick?<\/p>\n<h2>Is Julian Sayin a Legitimate NFL Prospect?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf\" image-id=\"WmOBwGEGnjz1\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 2412px; aspect-ratio: 2412\/1608;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<h3>Measureables<\/h3>\n<p>Height: 6\u20191\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Weight: 208 lbs<\/p>\n<h3>Statistics<\/h3>\n<p>2025: 301 completions from 391 attempts, 3,610 yards, 32 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.<\/p>\n<p>2024: five completions from 12 attempts, 84 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions.<\/p>\n<h3>The Tape<\/h3>\n<p>Games Watched: at Washington, Penn State, and Miami (playoff quarterfinal).<\/p>\n<h3>Strengths<\/h3>\n<p>Ohio State likes to establish a strong running game and use play-action passes on the back of this. Julian Sayin is a master of the play-action fake.\u00a0 He sells it well before getting his head up to scan coverages quickly.\u00a0 On quick passes, the fake and release are lightning quick, making it very difficult to defend.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Julian Sayin &#8211; fake, ball out quickly = TD.  This is the kind of thing he does best.<a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/NFLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NFLDraft<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RqWmqbl4V7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/RqWmqbl4V7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Paul Emery (@UKDraftFan) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/UKDraftFan\/status\/2061103150635917726?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 31, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Sayin\u2019s overall release is quick. His throwing motion is compact, keeping the ball high in the pocket and snapping the ball off quickly and efficiently.<\/p>\n<p>As with many college quarterbacks, Sayin is comfortable throwing from multiple arm angles.\u00a0 Given he\u2019s not that tall, this is essential for Sayin. He looks comfortable, and accuracy does not suffer when dropping down to a sidearm delivery. He\u2019s also comfortable manipulating the pocket to find throwing lanes.<\/p>\n<p>Sayin exhibits an ability to work through progressions, resetting his feet as he does. He takes good care of the football, not being afraid to throw balls away when his receivers are covered.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, Sayin looks in complete control of the offense.\u00a0 Ohio State trusts him to make checks at the line. He\u2019s not looking to the sidelines for answers; he reads defenses and makes audibles accordingly.<\/p>\n<h3>Areas to Improve<\/h3>\n<p>Sayin\u2019s frame is not the biggest. However, Ty Simpson was 6\u20191\u201d and 211 lbs at the NFL Combine, which didn\u2019t prevent the Los Angeles Rams from taking him with the thirteenth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n<p>Lacking a prototypical frame, Sayin also lacks an elite arm. He lacks the ability to drive the ball into tight windows. On deep passes, often his receivers have to wait for the ball to get there.\u00a0 This gives defensive backs the chance to recover when beaten by the likes of <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/05\/18\/jeremiah-smith-early-scouting-report\/\" target=\"_self\">Jeremiah Smith<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/04\/24\/carnell-tate-dynasty-outlook-following-surprising-titans-selection\/\" target=\"_self\">Carnell Tate<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Sayin also needs to speed up his processing and avoid staring down his target before throwing.\u00a0 He is still a young player (a redshirt sophomore in 2026), and this should improve with greater decision-making experience.<\/p>\n<p>When a quarterback completes 77% of their passes, it suggests accuracy is a strength.\u00a0 However, this is spotty with Sayin. Even on shorter passes, his receivers have to slow down or adjust to too many passes. He throws too many balls that the NFL will consider bad passes. There are also a lot of high percentage throws in the Ohio State offense, which should be taken into account when considering his completion percentage against someone like <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/05\/15\/texas-quarterback-arch-manning\/\" target=\"_self\">Arch Manning<\/a> (61%).<\/p>\n<p>The key area to improve for Sayin is under pressure. There are games where he\u2019s kept clean.\u00a0 When he does get pressure, it adversely impacts his game. He\u2019s not the most athletic quarterback, but there\u2019s enough there to get out of trouble.\u00a0 However, his accuracy isn\u2019t as good on the move.<\/p>\n<p>When he gets pressure, he takes too many sacks.\u00a0 He looks a little flustered in his game. Sayin will feel phantom pressure, and his feet get unnecessarily happy. Given his below-average arm strength, when he doesn\u2019t throw from a solid platform, his passes lack zip and accuracy.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Not so good from Julian Sayin here.  He has more time than he thinks, but feels phantom pressure.  Happy feet time.<a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/NFLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NFLDraft<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pbWugmI0sR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/pbWugmI0sR<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Paul Emery (@UKDraftFan) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/UKDraftFan\/status\/2061101840863731984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 31, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Key Tests<\/h3>\n<p>Julian Sayin will have an early road test in week two, against <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/sec\/texas-longhorns\/\" target=\"_self\">Texas<\/a>, in Austin. Another road test, at Iowa, poses a potential hazard in week five before an even bigger game at Indiana in week seven.<\/p>\n<p>After the week eight bye, there are three games that stand out.\u00a0 Straight after the bye, it\u2019s back-to-back tests, with a visit to Southern California and then hosting Oregon. The regular season concludes against Michigan, this year at the Horseshoe.<\/p>\n<p>The full schedule can be <a  href=\"https:\/\/fbschedules.com\/2026-ohio-state-football-schedule\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Is Julian Sayin a Legitimate NFL Prospect?<\/h3>\n<p>Sayin\u2019s lack of physical traits and elite arm talent mean he\u2019s not a scheme-diverse prospect. Even a Shanahan tree offense has a deep element to the offense, and Sayin is limited in this area.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/04\/23\/carson-beck-2026-nfl-draft-profile-2\/\" target=\"_self\">Carson Beck<\/a> (first pick of the third round in April, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/cardinals\/\" target=\"_self\">Arizona Cardinals<\/a>) is a legitimate comparison.\u00a0 Post-UCL surgery, Beck didn\u2019t show the ability to drive the football. However, right now he\u2019s a better processor than Sayin, which partly comes from experience. With that experience and improvements to his ball placement, Sayin projects as this level of prospect in the NFL\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main Image: Adam Cairns \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Opinion in the NFL Draft community is mixed on the Ohio State quarterback, Julian Sayin.\u00a0 The range is from number one overall in PFF&#8217;s 2027 mock to a third\/fourth round grade from Yahoo Sports&#8217; Nate Tice. Does his tape show a first round pick? Is Julian Sayin a Legitimate NFL Prospect? Measureables Height: 6\u20191\u201d Weight: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5857,"featured_media":285813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1647,33760],"tags":[33861,34862],"class_list":["post-285674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-draft","category-profiles","tag-2027-nfl-draft","tag-julian-sayin"],"modified_by":"Mike Roberts","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5857"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285674"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285674\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":285818,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285674\/revisions\/285818"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}