The drafting of an NFL quarterback is far from an exact science and the wrong decision can set back a team for years. Pro Football Focus used their analytical skills to select where the top ten quarterbacks will fall out in the 2020 draft.
To no one’s surprise, LSU’s Joe Burrow is the overall No. 1 selection by Cincinnati. Burrow had an insane 2.95 wins above average metric (WAA). Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa (1.21 WAA) falls into the lap of Miami with the fifith pick. Indianapolis picks Oregon’s Justin Herbert with the 13th pick in the first round.
In the second round, Chicago selects Georgia’s Jake Fromm with the 43rd overall pick. In terms of WAA, Georgia’s Jake Fromm is fifth on the list of eligible draft quarterbacks, with a metric of 0.79. See below what PFF has to say about Fromm.
With the 49th overall pick, the Steelers select Utah State’s Jordon Love (.10 WAA). The next QB isn’t selected until the fourth round when the Carolina Panthers select Washington State’s Anthony Gordan with the 103rd pick. Former UGA QB and current Washington Husky Jacob Eason (.31 WAA) goes to Tampa Bay with the 107th pick. Hawaii’s Cole McDonald is selected with the 109th pick by Atlanta. Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts is heading to Kansas City with the 128th pick.
In the fifth round, Detroit selects San Jose State’s Josh Love (.91 WAA) with the overall 131st pick.
PFF speaking of why the Bears should draft Fromm:
Why they should choose Fromm: PFF has been pretty honest when it comes to Mitchell Trubisky. He isn’t quite what we and the Bears thought he’d be.
What they are getting: Jake Fromm graded out reasonably well throughout his time at Georgia, producing a PFF grade above 80.0 in each of his three seasons. This is mostly due to the care he takes with the football. In 2019 alone, he had a turnover-worthy play rate that ranked sixth of 125 qualifying quarterbacks. He was solid throwing into a tight window, as well, producing the fourth-highest grade and the second-highest rate of “accurate plus” passes on his tight-window throws.
The big concern with Fromm is that Georgia relied more on everyone else to win games. He fits the “game manager” title and wasn’t someone who could create outside the structure of the play.
The 2020 NFL Draft will be the 85th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft is scheduled to be held from April 23–25, 2020 in Las Vegas.