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Chris Ballard continues to hit the offensive needs in the 2020 NFL draft and to start Day 3 at pick 122 overall, the Indianapolis Colts selected Jacob Eason, quarterback out of Washington.

After the Andrew Luck retirement shocked the Colts in late-August, Indianapolis rode with Jacoby Brissett in 2019. After a lackluster season, the Colts went into free agency to address the QB position by signing 38-year old Philip Rivers. Ballard and Co. didn’t stop there as they got into the fourth round, they saw their guy in Eason on the board and selected him with the 122nd pick in the NFL draft.

Eason was the top pro-style high school quarterback recruit coming out of Lake Stevens High School in the Seattle area. He was the 2015-16 National Gatorade Player of the Year and threw for over 10,000 career passing yards, and he eventually chose Georgia as his new home. As a true freshman, he grabbed the starting job in 12 of 13 games played, completing 204-of-370 throws (55.1 percent) for 2,430 yards and 16 scores with eight interceptions. Eason was the starter to begin the 2017 season, as well but left the Bulldogs’ opener with a left knee injury. Freshman Jake Fromm took over the starting duties for the rest of the year.

Eason brings elite size with a rocket launcher connected to his right shoulder. He has all the throwing power needed to make every throw and hammer the ball into tight windows. Finds great success in the play-action game and pushing the ball down the field. He can hit the deepest windows on the field.

He has general accuracy but there are also flashes of outstanding ball placement. Doesn’t make overly risky decisions with the football. Upper body throwing mechanics are clean. The ball comes out fairly efficiently when he pulls the trigger. He’ll stand tall in the pocket and sling it, even with rushers closing in on him.

He’s slow working through progressions, despite them primarily being high to low half-field reads. While his wide receivers at Washington weren’t great separators, Eason’s pace through his progressions created frequent contested situations at the catch point and very little production post-catch. Snap to release process has to be quicker, even when facilitating the quick game. He operates from a balanced base but he fails to be consistent with weight transfer and I believe it impacts his ball placement. He has modest pocket mobility and he isn’t a dynamic threat to extend plays and work outside of the structure.

On day 3 of the draft, teams are looking for guys to develop and become a starter in the next year or two. Whether Ballard valued Eason in the second or third round, he got to wait until the fourth to get him. Now Eason isn’t pressured to start right away, he can sit a year or two behind Rivers and learn the game.

Sam Sinclair Grade: A
Kevin Hickey Grade: B+

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Before being drafted in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft, quarterback prospect Jacob Eason was expected to go on Day 2. However, he wound up falling in the draft before the Indianapolis Colts selected him with the No. 122 overall pick.

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As Eason continued to fall, Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported on the live draft broadcast that the Washington product slid in the draft due to work ethic and accountability issues with other teams.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen says teams found work ethic issues and accountability issues in Eason.

— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) April 25, 2020

How the Colts feel about this isn’t clear. They likely heard about the issues that other teams had about him and Chris Ballard certainly did his own homework on the prospect. So they obviously felt comfortable taking him to begin Day 3.

One reason the Colts might feeling comfortable taking Eason even if there are concerns about his work ethic is the culture he will be brought into. The Colts have made it clear they want to instill a certain mentality in the locker room.

Sometimes these character issues are blown out of proportion during the hectic pre-draft process. Sometimes they are true. But the Colts are a team that prides themselves on having a certain culture, which means they must have felt comfortable enough to bring Eason in.

Now joining a quarterback room that includes Philip Rivers, Jacoby Brissett and head coach Frank Reich, Eason will have no choice but to work and be accountable.

Eason has a high ceiling as a player and even if there are some accountability issues, those will undoubtedly get worked out when he enters the type of locker room and quarterback room the Colts have.

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After taking skill players on Day 2, the Indianapolis Colts kicked off their Day 3 picks with the selection of Washington quarterback Jacob Eason in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft.

Quick Hits

• Transferred from Georgia to Washington. Has one year of starting experience (2019).
• Eason was Draft Wire’s No. 6 quarterback prospects in the class.
• Will have time to develop his game under Philip Rivers and with the guidance of Frank Reich.

Fit with the Colts

It was expected that the Colts were going to use one of their picks on a quarterback at some point during the draft. Eason needs a lot of work when with his game, but this is a solid situation for him. Eason has elite size and an elite arm to make every throw in the book. He isn’t mobile and will have to make his due as a pocket passer.

But Eason’s ability to throw the ball downfield and with the time to develop behind Rivers and Reich, the Washington product has a high ceiling. He will need some time, but there is a chance that Eason turns into a solid starter.

Value of the pick

Eason was projected to go much earlier than the middle of the fourth round so even if he might not be the best quarterback prospect or the most ready prospect, this is solid value on Day 3. The Colts didn’t have to trade up for him and given that he doesn’t have to start right away, he has time to work on his game to potentially reach his ceiling. The reward is higher than the risk at this draft spot.

Conclusion

The Colts had plenty of opportunities to draft Eason earlier but they must have felt the fourth round was the right value for him. Eason brings a big arm and a high ceiling, but he will need to sit for at least a year and develop his game.