The Los Angeles Chargers selected former Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert with the No. 6 overall pick.
To get familiar with the Bolts’ new signal-caller, here is my scouting report on Herbert, along with brief notes from three of his games from the past couple of seasons and his week at the Senior Bowl.
Justin Herbert | Oregon | #10 | Senior | Eugene, OR | 6062 | 236
40-Yard Dash: 4.68 seconds
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 35.5 inches
Broad Jump: 123 inches
3-Cone Drill: 7.06 seconds
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.46 seconds
Career: 2019 PAC-12 Honorable Mention. Playing in 44 games, Herbert threw for 10,541 yards, 95 touchdowns, 23 interceptions, and a 64% completion percentage.
Red Flags: Broke his collarbone in 2017 and missed time due to a leg injury in 2018.
Strengths: Tall, workable frame. Above-average arm strength to deliver downfield with required velocity and can make all the necessary NFL throws. Tight release. Pinpoint ball placement to keep away from defenders. Comfortable stepping up into the pocket when he senses pressure from direction directions, leading them with darts. Decent anticipatory skills. Effective head/shoulder fake to freeze defenders and throw to double-move routes. Functional athleticism as a scrambler, avoiding rushers and extending plays with long strides. Physically and mentally tough with professional poise and work habits.
Weaknesses: Needs to develop his eye use—locks onto reads and stares down targets. Needs to improve his feel for timing routes. Good athlete on the move, average athlete in the pocket at times. Guides throws at times, which affects the placement on his passes; touch can be inconsistent. Footwork can get messy. Can be a bit late to diagnose, which leads to him getting gun shy.
Final Word: Herbert possesses NFL-style tools with his size, athleticism, arm talent, intelligence along with above-average accuracy but he needs to improve his decision-making, instincts and consistency, projecting as an NFL starter in a spread, RPO-heavy offense.
Fit Likelihood: High
Grade: 1st Round
Film Study – vs Stanford (2018)
This was arguably Herbert’s best collegiate game. He showed off his arm, a good understanding of coverage rotations and his mobility.
Film Study – vs Arizona (2019)
Herbert’s strengths and weaknesses were evident in this game. He displayed the ability to make some really impressive and explosive throws to all levels of the field with very little effort, but the weaknesses were him locking onto his receivers, trusting his arm too much, along with showing an inconsistent feel for pressure.
Film Study – vs Wisconsin (Rose Bowl)
Wanna see Herbert win the game with his legs, literally? In the Rose Bowl, he accounted for three touchdowns on the ground. There were some head-scratching throws and decisions as a result of being late to locate coverage and not anticipating efficiently. However, Herbert didn’t let the moment get too big for him, carrying the Ducks to victory in arguably the best game of his career.
Senior Bowl Week
I was in attendance for the Senior Bowl, and Herbert did what he does best by lacing the ball over the field with ease, but he took a leap with his processing speed to make whole field reads and anticipate windows and quickening his eyes and expanding his vision, which was great to see.