First of all, it’s good to be back writing again after more than a week of being bedridden with Covid-19.
Second, and more importantly, I’ve found the closest NFL comparison for Wisconsin senior quarterback Jack Coan.
Previously I’ve written about Coan’s senior season and why he’s not getting the respect he deserves from a portion of the Badger faithful. Now, with the season a little more than two months away, I’ve found his NFL comp: he is–to a lesser extent obviously because this guy won an MVP and almost won a Super Bowl–Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.
Again, as a disclaimer, Coan at this point is on draft boards as a fringe seventh round pick and may not even get drafted, so it’s obvious he isn’t the caliber of Ryan who was the third overall pick back in 2008.
But if we’re looking at physical traits, playing style and production this is the closest comparison out there.
First, Coan comes in at 6’3″, 221 pounds. Ryan? 6’4″ and 217 pounds.
Second, if you had to describe Coan’s playing style it would sound something like sky-high quarterback rating and completion percentage, not overly athletic but is able to to move well in and out of the pocket (and pick up yards with his legs when necessary), a solid arm but nothing close to what we see from the best at the college level, good short-to-intermediate accuracy and somebody who makes few mistakes with the football.
Ryan? Pretty much the same story. A completion percentage in the mid-to-high 60s, a quarterback rating consistently in the top-10 in the league, a pocket passer but one with the ability to escape the pocket when necessary, proficient at intermediate throws, a solid arm but nothing overly special and somebody who is able to manage the game and make few mistakes with the football.
Look at each of them throw the ball and tell me you don’t see the similarity.
The timing, accuracy on intermediate throws and even the release are similar, obviously with Ryan throwing a better deep ball than the Badger quarterback.
Again, this all with the disclaimer that Ryan is doing it at the highest level for 11 years now while it is doubtful that Coan hears his name on draft day.
So the physical traits and playing styles are extremely similar. Here’s Coan vs. Ryan’s career production.
Coan’s career: 68 completion percentage, 7.5 yards-per-attempt, 7.7 adjusted-yards-per-attempt, 2.875 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Ryan’s career: 65.4 completion percentage, 7.5 yards-per-attempt, 7.5 adjusted-yards-per-attempt, 2.18 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
The numbers are coming at different levels, in different schemes and with completely different weapons around them. But if the similarities tell us anything it’s that Ryan and Coan in their different settings are very similar quarterbacks.
Now you may say “but Coan has done it with now-NFL players Jonathan Taylor in the backfield and Quintez Cephus on the outside and now needs to make do without them.” That’s true, a lot is riding on the New York native’s senior season as he moves forward without those two names in addition to current Dallas Cowboy center Tyler Biadasz.
But if an NFL comp needs to be made, which will be true come draft season, him as a lesser Matt Ryan is the perfect fit.