Washington Huskies quarterback Jacob Eason was the starter at Georgia before a 2017 Week 1 injury cost him his job to Jake Fromm, so a 2018 transfer brought Eason back to his home state. He’d go on to post respectable numbers in 2019 after being forced to sit out the ’18 season due to the transfer, so Eason missed nearly two full years before getting back on the field.
Coming out of high school in Washington, he was recruited as the top pro-style quarterback. As a starting true freshmen for Georgia, Eason would flash elements of why he earned such a distinction. He picked it up nicely in 2019 and started all 13 contests for the Huskies.
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 231 pounds
40 time: 4.89 seconds
There’s a great deal about Eason to like at the next level, but it is impossible to watch him and not see glaring deficiencies in some areas of his game that may not be correctable through coaching.
Table: Jacob Eason NCAA stats (2016-17, 2019)
|
Year
|
Team
|
Comp
|
Att
|
Comp%
|
Yds
|
Avg
|
TD
|
INT
|
Long
|
Att
|
Yds
|
TD
|
|
2016
|
UGA
|
204
|
370
|
55.1
|
2,430
|
6.6
|
16
|
8
|
77
|
33
|
-45
|
1
|
|
2017
|
UGA
|
4
|
7
|
57.1
|
28
|
4.0
|
0
|
0
|
10
|
3
|
-12
|
0
|
|
2019
|
WASH
|
260
|
405
|
64.2
|
3,132
|
7.7
|
23
|
8
|
57
|
46
|
-69
|
1
|
He’s a project in the NFL, and even in the best of settings, Eason’s peak performance may not materialize quickly enough before a team moves on. Physical tools can be intoxicating to some coaches and general mangers, however.
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Pros
- Arguably the strongest arm in the draft — can rip it from anywhere on the field and make all of the NFL throws (including a few that coaches won’t recommend attempting)
- Sturdy frame to take hits in the pocket
- Ideal fit for a play-action system with a strong running game
- Showed improved accuracy in 2019 and maintains it at all levels
- Can overcome issues with timing and anticipation based on his arm strength (which also can work against him)
- Understands how to change his trajectory and arm angles
- Showed he can overcome injury and transfer adversity
Cons
- That arm strength can get him into trouble by being overly reliant on it
- Too much “deer in headlights” against the blitz and tends to look for an escape or eat a sack before making it through his reads when feeling pressure
- Mechanics could use some refinement, which is likely a product of having so much natural arm talent
- Lacks functional athleticism in the running game — through and through a pocket passer, which limits his system fits
- Inconsistently uses his eyes to look off defenders and struggles to see the whole field with regularity
Fantasy football outlook
Eason will attract some teams during the middle rounds of the draft, and it’s not crazy to think he could go late in the second round, but it will require the right situation.
He’s an ideal project for Bruce Arians in Tampa Bay, because he’ll have two years to learn behind the best QB the game has seen, and Arians’ coaching style complements Eason’s traits.
The likelihood Eason starts in the first two years (or even three) of his career appear to be low. He offers coachable traits that “wow” on tape but also makes far too many mental mistakes that may be borderline impossible to coach out of someone. There’s more Brock Osweiler than Joe Flacco here in the poise department, and it’s going to be a battle to overcome. In Eason’s case, he has the best of Flacco’s physical traits, plus a desire to go down the field, and the worst of Osweiler’s “Bambi on ice” moments.
There is no immediate fantasy football value to be found here, and even dynasty leaguers may want to think twice before investing in Eason’s future success.