NFL Draft: It’s Time to Fall in “Love” With Jordan
Utah State quarterback Jordan Love has been compared to, wait for it… Patrick Mahomes. With the buzz ever-increasing, just how good does he project to be?
In an NFL Draft class headlined by Justin Herbert, Tua Tagoalioa and Joe Burrow, it’s tough to vault yourself into the first-round conversation.
But Jordan Love has done exactly that.
The Utah State QB is one of the fastest risers in the 2020 NFL drafts. He’s captured the hearts of scouts across the country and solidified himself as a top-tier prospect. His name ripples across the nation as NFL fans begin to immerse themselves in the tale that is Jordan Love.
So is the hype real? Yes. Oh my god, yes.
First Things First
Love has skyrocketed up draft boards and has the looks of a legitimate franchise QB prospect, but there are some things that concern draft evaluators.
The No. 1 concern is Love’s eerie 20:17 touchdown to interception ratio in 2019. While it’s not uncommon for top prospects to have uneven college tape, Love’s stats are somewhat peculiar when you consider he threw 32 touchdowns to only six picks the year before.
But there’s precedent for it.
For starters, Utah State lost its head coach, Matt Wells, who took this team to 11–2 in 2018. Then you factor in adverse playcalling coupled with a lack of talent and you get a dicey stat line. When you take a look at Love’s FBS-leading 17 interceptions, it’s not fair to put it all on him.
Turn on a Utah State game, and you see the same hitch and curl routes called time and time again. Love would throw most of those on time and target, but then the defense would start to recognize the bleak playcalling, break on the ball and create a turnover.
Who gets blamed? Love does.
To add to the issues, Utah State’s receivers consistently failed to create separation. And because of that, Love was constantly forced to extend plays and hit tight windows, which made life strenuous for the QB. Then there were plays late in the game where Utah State was down a bunch and Love was forced to air it out. While those interceptions may not have an impact on those particular games — as they are out of hand — they appear as blemishes on the stat sheet.
Let me be clear — Love is not perfect, I still think he has some decision making to clean up, but it’s not fair to him to just point at the numbers.
The Scouting Report
Now that we’ve established a precedent, it’s time to dive into why Love is buzzing with potential.
The first thing you get with Love is a prototypical QB with the perfect blend of size and physical tools. Love stands big and tall at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, but still has enough athleticism to move around the pocket and extend plays. In today’s NFL that mobility is a crucial skill.
Love has been compared to Patrick Mahomes from time to time, but let’s pump the brakes for a second.
While Love has excellent arm strength, he doesn’t quite have the cannon that Mahomes possesses — but I understand where the notion comes from.
Love’s arm cannot be overstated. Whether it’s from the pocket or on the run, he’s able to make difficult throws from a variety of angles. His sidearms come out just as cleanly as normal throws. Love possesses a lightning-quick release and he throws with serious velocity.
The thing that separates Love from most is his picturesque accuracy — his ball placement is a thing of beauty. No matter how impossible the throw is, Love continues to amaze. He places balls where only his receiver can get it — his IQ and intelligence stick out at you. And these aren’t just easy swing passes and check-downs, Love is constantly making NFL throws.
Love’s pocket presence is solid as well, he knows how to step up in the pocket and throw strikes — something not every college quarterback has. And he also understands when to break out of the pocket and extend the play.
Another big positive that not every college QB provides? Love goes through his progressions. He has the ability to look off the defense and find an open man.
That being said, one point of concern that shows up on film is his footwork. Love doesn’t always get his feet squared up to make the throw, which can cause a ball to flutter every once in a while — sometimes leading to an interception.
Like Mahomes, Love can get away without having proper mechanics — most of the time — but establishing those mechanics will take him from good to great.
That’s the next step.
And like I said before, Love is far from perfect. He’s been handed a difficult situation, but there are times he doesn’t make the right read or forces a tough pass. With all those tight windows he throws into, sometimes he doesn’t see a second defender who undercuts the ball leading to an interception. It’s that decision making that will need to be cleaned up.
As an overall body of work, Love gives you everything you want as a QB. He even has some untapped potential as a runner. While he wasn’t used as much of a scrambler in 2019, Love’s prolific arm combined with his underrated athleticism could allow him to flourish as a dual-threat at the next level.
Film Breakdown
Love is awesome, but don’t just take my word it.
While the pocket stays steady, Love buys a few more seconds by scrambling to his right — away from the pass rush. On the run, Love throws a pretty ball 35 yards down the field. An incredible catch, no doubt, but the degree of difficulty on this throw shouldn’t be ignored. Off-balance and on the run, Love drops a perfect dime to the one place his receiver could get it, away from the defense — that’s smart football.
This one really shows off the IQ. Before the ball is even snapped, Love sees the two safeties lined up eight yards from the line of scrimmage — meaning the deep middle of the field is wide open. With his tight end running a seam route up the middle, Love recognizes the linebackers aren’t in proper coverage position and throws his receiver open — an NFL staple and something not every college QB can do. What’s more? He did that with a free runner coming right for him. Even with the pressure right in his face, Love stood in there and made the play.
This is a lot more of a fundamental throw, but that’s exactly what I want to highlight it. Watch how Love slowly creeps up in the pocket, staying poised, not panicking — he displays his strong pocket presence here. Love scans the field, finds his receiver and Love high points the throw to the only place his receiver can get it. Again these types of throws that show us why Love is built for the NFL — the windows are really tight in the pros.
This had me in awe. The pressure gets to Love almost instantaneously, but he scrambles out to his left to avoid the pass rush. He shows off his ability to extend plays by bolting toward the sideline. Then Love makes an incredible throw off his back foot, twisting body and everything. And it wasn’t just to a wide-open receiver streaking down the field — Love had to hit his receiver on the sideline, in double coverage. Absolutely breathtaking.
Final Thoughts
It’s easy to figure out why Love was a secret for so long. Mid-major quarterbacks aren’t so flashy, especially when they go 7–6. Still, Love’s talent should be unquestioned. This is a guy who has shot up draft boards and for good reason. He’s a future star, but most importantly, he’s a true leader who will shoulder the blame, even when it isn’t his fault.
What’s left to say? It’s time to fall in love.
!!!
All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference.
