By Louis Addeo-Weiss
News broke Thursday that University of Washington quarterback Jacob Eason would be foregoing his senior year to declare for the NFL Draft.
Leading the Huskies to an 8-5 season, including a blowout 38-7 victory versus Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl, Eason felt now was as good as ever to make the jump to the pros; the only question, however, is how does he project at the next level?
Scouts have touted Eason for his ability as a passer, though they haven’t held back in their notions of his inexperience.
“The key with Eason will be control and decision-making. Right now he looks a little wild,” says Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller.
Starting his collegiate career at Georgia in 2016, an injury forced Eason to the sidelines, losing his starting job to Jake Fromm. Eason would then transfer over to UW, where he would sit out the 2018 season.
A sign of a good quarterback is one who possesses the ability to read the defense well, something which scouts have raved about in regards to Eason.
An October scouting report authored by Brian Lamb of NFL Draft Lounge outlined this, calling his throwing arm “NFL-caliber,” with proficiency for accuracy in the passing game.
At 6’6, Eason would share the title along with Nick Foles and Joe Flacco for the distinction of tallest QB in the NFL should he be drafted. And while you don’t necessarily need to be gifted via your height to succeed at the quarterback position – just ask the likes of Drew Brees, Joe Theismann, Russell Wilson, and for a more recent case, Kyler Murray – one would have to think his height will play in his favor.
In an era when we’re seeing more and more players at the quarterback position exhibiting dual-threat tendencies, running in conjunction with their standard passing, Eason appeals to the narrative of the likes of Brees and Brady, who, if cornered, would never stake claim to relying heavily on their mobility to gain excess yardage.
In Eason’s collegiate career, he’s totaled -121 yards rushing across 82 carries. Were the team who selects him to be successful, it’d be imperative for them to implement a strong ground game to offset Eason’s lack of agility and further set up the passing game.
However, if we circle back to Foles, we see similarities in their results, running-wise, that suggest Eason could exert some ability to move the football with his legs as he enters to pros.
While starting at Arizona, Foles lost -290 yards from running on 106 carries, but fast-forward to the NFL and we see he’s been at least commendable, with 390 yards rushed over 129 carries, and 5 touchdowns.
The overall assessment of Eason projects for him to be a second or third-round pick, though one shouldn’t rule out the possibility of him going as early as the mid-late first round, dependant on a team’s needs.
Given how advanced his arm is, should he find the right employer, one can expect the former-Georgia Bulldog to be around for a good while in the NFL, as some of the game’s greatest field generals earned their stars and stripes thanks to the strength of their throwing arms.
