It’s fairly unbelievable what Kyle Trask managed to accomplish in 2020. As the most productive returning starting quarterback in the SEC, he was expected to be one of the conference’s elite passers. But no one was prepared for what he did on the field.
In just 12 games (11 of which came against SEC competition and the 12th was against Big 12 champion Oklahoma), he led the nation with 43 passing touchdowns and was second in passing yards with 4,283, behind only Alabama‘s Mac Jones, who played in one more game.
Given just this information, one would assume that he’d be one of the top prospects at the position in the 2021 NFL draft. However, there are several perceived weak points holding him back. His numbers were certainly at least slightly inflated due to Florida being so one-dimensional, but the lack of a run game (meaning Trask had to take the lead) and shoddy offensive line protection at times could also be arguments in favor of him.
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In its breakdown of the top quarterbacks available in this class, ESPN ranked Trask as the sixth-best quarterback available behind Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields and Jones (in that order). It didn’t exactly give Trask a glowing review, but there is some room for optimism within it.
6. Kyle Trask, Florida Gators
Scouts Inc. overall ranking: 71Mean projection: -0.98 TDYAR/A
Bust (< 0 TDYAR/A): 80.9%
Adequate starter (0-0.75 TDYAR/A): 13.0%
Upper tier (0.75-1.5 TDYAR/A): 4.8%
Elite (> 1.5 TDYAR/A): 1.4%Like Jones, Trask is a pocket passer who played on a loaded offense, led by elite tight end Kyle Pitts. And while his 68.9% completion rate was almost as high as Lawrence’s, it wasn’t Jonesian enough to make up for his other weaknesses. Throw in a lower projected draft position and a partial one-year wonder penalty and Trask earns a low grade. However, there is some consolation to Trask’s status. NFL teams are more aware of the value of mobile quarterbacks, meaning a top-100 scouting grade for a pocket passer might have more weight than one for a quarterback who runs well. Therefore, if teams are now undervaluing pocket passers instead of the other way around, they might be undervaluing Trask too.
Though it’s true that the Florida offense was loaded in some ways, as evidenced by Pitts and a solid receiver corps including Kadarius Toney (who many consider a first-round prospect) and Trevon Grimes, describing the offense as a whole as loaded seems to be a bit charitable given some of its aforementioned weaknesses.
There are certainly several reasons why Trask isn’t at the top of most team’s boards. Though he could make most throws within UF’s offense, he doesn’t exactly have elite arm strength relative to the NFL. He makes good decisions, but there are questions about his ability to progress through reads.
Still, he’s one of the most accomplished collegiate quarterbacks of all time, if a one-season wonder, and it seems likely that some team will see the potential for a franchise quarterback in him and pull the trigger in the first few rounds.
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