QB Jordan Love (Utah State) Article
Utah State QB Jordan Love has become a hot name ever since the season came to an end. He has broken numerous records at the school. He holds the career record with 9,003 yards of total offense. He has checked all of the boxes. The hype train has picked up in the media. Some NFL teams will be higher on him than others. He is your typical boom or bust prospect. Let’s examine at what he brings to the table.
The Good:
He has outstanding physical tools that NFL teams drool over. At the Scouting Combine, Love weighed-in at 6’3 ¾, 224 pounds, 10 ½ inch hands and an 80-inch wingspan. Those large hands were the talk of the town in Mobile, Alabama last month. He has arguably the strongest arm in this entire draft class. He can make any throw on the football field. He can fit the ball into the tightest window. Jordan Love displays an effortless throwing motion and the ball comes out quickly out of his hand. He shows a good touch on his throws and he has improved in that area.
On top of all of that, he is a very good athlete. He can make plays with his feet. He can buy time in the pocket and extend plays. He throws pretty well on the run. He has shown the ability to throw the ball from different arm angles. He is a smart QB who graduated after his redshirt junior year. As a result, he was able to participate in the Senior Bowl. He is passionate about the game of football. He has over 30+ starts under his belt. His supporting cast, especially during his junior campaign, was average at best. He didn’t have CeeDee Lamb or Jerry Jeudy to throw to. His O-line didn’t give him enough time to sit back in the pocket like some other top QB prospects in this draft.
The Bad:
His decision-making can be atrocious at times. His TD/INT ratio is 60:29 (2:1). He has a tendency to lock on to his primary target. He does this with regularity. He trusts his arm too much. His field vision is average at best. Love threw 17 INT’s during his final junior season. Granted, he was better statistically as a sophomore in a different offensive scheme. I can admit it. But he didn’t get any better as the season progressed during his junior year. Usually, a QB can struggle in the beginning of the season picking up a new system, but then he gets more comfortable as the season moves along. That wasn’t the case here.
He has to improve his footwork. Throwing off his back foot is a habit that gets him in trouble a lot of the times. His ball placement on short passes is shaky at best. He makes his receivers and RB’s work for it when they seem to be open. In those games that I scouted, his team was in position to tie or win the game at the end. He always fell short in the clutch on those last-minute drives. Usually making an errant throw or causing a turnover.
Conclusion:
People are excited because Love is a perfect fit for today’s NFL. But he falls short for me in a number of categories that make a successful QB at the next level. I can’t see how he can be a first-round QB in this year’s draft. He needs time to develop. Day 2 selection is more warranted for the Utah State QB.
