After a thrilling weekend in college football — minus the Ducks’ loss to Stanford — some quarterbacks really stepped up — our own Justin Herbert included. And in my weekly draft-QB rankings, the past week’s slate of games gave me some nice and chewy food for thought. With that said, here’s the guys who will be playing on Sundays this time next year.
All stats via ESPN
1. Justin Herbert (Oregon)
Stats: 26/33 for 346 Yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
"The kid at Oregon, Justin Herbert... there are people in the NFL that believe he is the most talented QB prospect in 2 years -- would have been the No. 1 prospect if he was available last year." — @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/tPLinZ4Bus
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) September 24, 2018
This clip from the “Herd with Colin Cowherd” on FS1 is just further proof of what we already know — though Colin has better sources than I do, and simply knows more about football than I do. He and his sources claim that Herbert is the most talented quarterback of the past two years. Remember that list includes current NFL quarterbacks Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, three of whom have started and won an NFL game so far this season. Not bad, especially if he is BETTER than all of them.
As the weeks pile up, I find myself more and more confident that Herbert will be the top QB drafted this spring. Saturday’s performance only helped his stock, because he was on fire throughout the contest. The stats say just one TD and an interception, but he was far more effective than that. He picked apart an elite Stanford defense all night and had a go-to target in Dillon Mitchell, who easily surpassed 200 receiving yards on the evening. That doesn’t happen without an elite passer setting you up. Everything scouts wanted to see from Justin, they saw, and then some.
2. Will Grier (West Virginia)
Stats: 25/35 for 356 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT
Grier continues to decimate any and every defense he faces; albeit the Mountaineers are yet to battle a competent defense. He’s thrown for 300+ yards in every game, and had at least 4 touchdowns as well. His stats and game kind of feel Mahomes-ish because of the eye-popping yardage and ability to throw the ball as far as the day is long (and yes, because he plays in the Big 12!). I really like Grier and think he has a career ahead of him at the next level. Perhaps even a starting one. The only thing I’m waiting on is for him to have that Wow Look at This Kid, He Just Threw For 500 Yards Against Oklahoma type game. I wanna see him do it against a great team, that’s all.
3. Drew Lock (Missouri)
Stats: 23/48 for 221 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Lock was not at his best Saturday against Georgia, obviously. He had perhaps his worst game since dawning the yellow and black. Georgia’s defensive swarm turned what should have been an exciting day in Colombia into a Tiger bloodbath — particularly in the first half. Between special teams debacles and fumbles, Lock and the entire offense could never get in to a rhythm. It wasn’t his day. Oh well, I still really like Lock, his pocket awareness and his massive cannon.
4. Tyree Jackson (Buffalo)
Stats: 14/28 for 263 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
What?? Who’s this guy? Buffalo? Are you kidding me? No, I’m not, my dear Autzen Zoo dot com reader. Tyree Jackson, a week 4 debutant in these quarterback rankings, is the 6’7 signal caller for the Buffalo Bulls. That’s right. MACtion is making the list. Ya know, I found myself randomly watching their game against the mighty Rutgers Scarlet Knights on ESPN3. This dude is professional. He’s tall — like real tall — and throws the ball so fast it hisses like a cobra. I’m serious. When the annoying uninformed announcers shut up for a few seconds, I actually heard the hiss of the pigskin through the broadcast. It was beautiful — like Mozart had had thrown the pass himself. So, if not for his stats or build or ability, that alone is enough to get him on the list.
5. Dwayne Haskins (Ohio State)
Stats: 21/24 for 304 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT
We’ve got another newbie on the list in Ohio State quarterback and Heisman hopeful Dwayne Haskins. He’s exceeded even the loftiest of expectations set for his first season as starting quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes, as they’ve looked completely dominant on offense with him at the helm. This week was no different. Against Tulane, Haskins was practically perfect, competing 88% of his passes with 5 TDs and no turnovers. He probably won’t declare for the draft this year, but hey, he is eligible should he wish to make an early jump.
There’s the five for this week. See me seven days from now with another update.
Don’t forget to tune in to Oregon’s battle @ California at 10:30PM ET, 8:30PM PT on FS1.