Jordan Love started his career at Utah State as a 2016 redshirt his first year but became the starter midway through the 2017 season. As a sophomore, he broke the school season record with 3,567 passing yards and 32 touchdowns against only six interceptions.
As a junior, his performance wasn’t nearly as impressive with more passing resulting in only 3,402 yards and 20 touchdowns while his interceptions shot up to 17. That makes Love a conundrum for NFL scouts. His two seasons as a starter produced a TD-to-Interception ratio of 32:6 and then 20:17. His fine 2018 season spoke to a potential first-round pick. His less impressive 2019 campaign suggests a career NFL backup if even that.
Height: 6-4
Weight: 224 pounds
40 time: 4.74 seconds
Love’s best season was during the final year of head coach Matt Wells who brought the Aggies to a 10-2 mark and then left to coach at Texas Tech. Gary Anderson took over in 2019 they fell to 7-6 under his direction. Love opted to declare for the NFL draft as a junior rather than hang around to see if the Aggies would improve this year. Knowing that his drop-off occurred after a coaching change works in his favor.
| Year | Games | Runs | Yards | TD | Pass | Complete | Yards | Avg. | TD | Int | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 12 | 46 | 165 | 2 | 235 | 129 | 1631 | 6.9 | 8 | 6 | 119.3 |
| 2018 | 13 | 43 | 63 | 7 | 417 | 267 | 3567 | 9.4 | 32 | 6 | 158.3 |
| 2019 | 13 | 81 | 175 | 0 | 473 | 293 | 3402 | 6.4 | 20 | 17 | 129.1 |
Pros
- Cannon arm that can thread the needle downfield
- Throws a very catchable deep ball with touch
- Effective scrambler when the pocket breaks down
- Tall in the pocket at 6-4
- Talent to make any throw
- Dealt with a struggling offensive line
- Very accurate when given a clean pocket
- Poised passer even when the play breaks down
Cons
- Took a major step backward in 2019
- Sometimes stared down one receiver
- Interception totals skyrocketed last year
- Too aggressive vertically, especially last season
Fantasy outlook
Jordan Love may be the most interesting quarterback in the draft. The consensus has Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, and Justin Herbert all taken in the first round and almost certainly to below-average teams holding those higher draft picks. But Love is expected to end up as a late first or second-round pick – that means every team will have a shot at him.
Some of the teams linked to interest in Love are the Patriots, Chargers, Saints, Raiders, Dolphins, Packers, and Redskins. In a league with several aging quarterbacks, Love makes a great draft and hold for the first year while he has any residual bad habits worked on and acclimates to the NFL.
He was well-liked with the Aggies and thoroughly impressive in 2018 under Wells as his head coach. Darwin Thompson (now with the Chiefs) was his running back. In 2019, the Aggies went with different starters on offense in a new scheme, and it showed. He’ll end up drafted by the team that most believes in what he did in 2018 and are willing to take the risk that 2019 was not characteristic of what Love can do.
His 2020 fantasy stock isn’t likely to be high unless he is pressed into starting because of some evolving situation. But his long-term value is very intriguing depending on where he will end up – and that could be anywhere. Burrows is likely locked into going to the Bengals but Love might end up with the Patriots or Saints.