A thorough review of new Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love revealed a lot to like in his potential as an NFL player and a lot to be concerned about as he transitions from the Mountain West to the pros. One thing is for sure: Love is landing in the perfect spot. In Green Bay, he’ll get to sit behind Aaron Rodgers, who, as a quarterbacking role model, should provide the direction Love needs to maximize his gifts and improve his weaknesses over time.
Here’s what to love and what not to love about Love after watching eight games from the 2018 and 2019 seasons:
What to love
– He sure looks the part. 6-4, 224, big hands, athletic build. This is how NFL teams want quarterbacks to look.
– Add in the athleticism (RAS: 8.45) and his super-talented right arm and Love fits the prototype at quarterback. He moves easily and throws effortlessly. There are very few human beings who can do both at a level comparable to Love.
– The 2018 tape is full of instances where Love attacked downfield, made anticipatory throws into tight windows and stood tall in the pocket and delivered against pressure. His 2019 season went off the rails early and never really recovered. The 2018 season is why Love was a first-round pick.
– The ball just shoots out of his hand. It’s impressive. Matt LaFleur might want to make subtle adjustments to his release, but the ball comes out of fast. Sitting back and watch Rodgers for the next few years should only speed up his delivery time.
– He showed an ability to create off schedule and throw on the run, moving left or right. At times, he looked very Rodgers-like, maneuvering around a crowded pocket with his eyes downfield, then breaking contain of the pocket to create space and firing downfield from an awkward platform to a receiver uncovering in the scramble drill. This is a high-level trait. Not many quarterbacks can do it. Love flashed the ability.
– There really is an attractive fearlessness to his game. He attempted a lot of NFL-level throws down the field at the college level. He’ll attack the middle of the field, throwing around defenders and into tight spots. His mindset is the right one. This isn’t a quarterback that needs to be trained to be aggressive. He’s already there.
– He’s a good runner. Utah State gave him chances to run the zone read and he looked good doing it. He’ll also beat man coverage with his legs and make people miss in the open field. Love isn’t Colin Kaepernick as a runner, but this is a plus trait for him.
– His huge hands (10.5″) will be good for securing the football and throwing it in the cold weather. Big hands are really helpful for playing quarterback in Green bay, just ask Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers.
– He’s really young. He won’t turn 22 until November. A month after he turns 22, Joe Burrow will turn 24. Age is important when it comes to quarterbacks, especially ones that are going to sit for a certain amount of time at the next level.
– Situation absolutely matters for a quarterback. Love lost his coaching staff and the majority of his weapons on offense between 2018 and 2019. A major decline for a young, developing quarterback playing in the Mountain West was to be expected. Everything changed. It looked like he lost a lot of trust in everything around him, started pressing and it all went to hell. The Packers should, in theory, offer stability, and firm ground for a young quarterback to develop.
– Watch this 2018 game against Michigan State. Utah State didn’t win, and Love got picked twice, but it’s one of his most encouraging performances. There are so many high-level throws scattered in here. I love the way he attacked the middle of the field with big-time anticipation. He had some accurate throws deep that fell incomplete. He threw on time and accurately underneath, letting receivers run after the catch. He made plays with his legs and outside the pocket. This is the Jordan Love the Packers want to develop.
What not to love
– His accuracy issues are really concerning. Many things about playing quarterback can be fixed. Bad habits can be erased, new ones can emerge and things can change. But accuracy is a fairly stable attribute for a passer, and Love has some glaring problems. He can play so erratically at times, even from a clean pocket. Ball placement is a subtle thing, but it’s so important, and Love is lacking there. Some of the issues looked like a result of inconsistent throwing mechanics and some laziness when playing from the pocket. The Packers will believe they can get that fixed. If not, it’s truly difficult to see how Love becomes a high-end starter.
– The decision-making. Love forced way too many throws as a junior. He admitted he was pressing to make big plays and it hurt him. His tape from 2019 is littered with bad reads, missed defenders and forces into coverage. So many of his interceptions (17 last season) were avoidable. There were times when he locked in on a receiver and threw it right to a defender he didn’t see underneath. It’ll be a long time before he takes Aaron Rodgers’ job if he doesn’t develop some field awareness and understanding of where defenders will be in coverage. Turnovers get quarterbacks benched and people fired.
– Playing under pressure is a critical factor for NFL quarterbacks. Love was a disappointment in this regard at the college level. In some ways, he is the anti-Rodgers here. He didn’t take many sacks, but he threw some 50/50 balls with pressure arriving, and a bunch of them ended up as turnovers. This is another part of the decision-making process that Love must improve.
– The comparison to DeShone Kizer is a fair one. They are similarly talented players coming out of college, with the need for patience and long-term development. The Kizer comp will scare a lot of Packers fans, but know this: Kizer wasn’t ready to play early in his career, but he landed in Cleveland the Browns threw him to the fire immediately. It ruined him, forever stunting whatever growth he could have achieved through long-term development. The early experiences for a quarterback are vital. The Packers don’t have to ruin Jordan Love, although the worry here is that the many struggles of his 2019 season have already put Love on a Kizer-like path.