Can't not love those two plays for sure, I trust your opinion here, is he going under the radar a little, because of where he's been playing ? I've not been keeping too close an eye on mocks right now but I've not heard his name mentioned anywhere outside of this board and you in general.
When would you pull the trigger on the guy, if suddenly Steven Ross calls you up and told you, you could run the 2019 draft for him ?
Couple of answers.
1) He's under the radar because he's smaller, in addition to being at North Dakota State. Even being a huge guy, it took a while for Carson Wentz to climb up to the top of the media coverage cycle, so the FCS thing is real. Being a small guy hurts Easton Stick doubly because in addition to not meeting size prototypes, most people assume (even if they're watching and studying) that a smaller QB doesn't have a great arm, and their expectations color their perceptions. When you're watching a big, tall QB, I think a higher proportion of people are going to perceive arm strength, even if the velocity isn't there.
2) What makes me more confident that he will catch on is that I know a few things. For one, I've measured the velocity and he's generally throwing well into the NFL velocity range, unlike so many others in this draft. I think the NFL will know what I know. Second, I've heard from a source connected with NDSU training staff that they believe Easton is going to sign with Tom Condon, and I separately heard from an agent that the rumor going round is that David Dunn is going after him. Those are super-agents. They don't come calling after QBs who will be lucky to be drafted, as some draft media have Stick rated. Third, a national media member friend of mine who regularly speaks with teams and scouts has told me that current thinking on him is that he's a Day 2 player (Rounds 2 or 3). That sounds about right, but I think there could even be upside from there because the post-season process should be very kind to him. I've heard that he is expected to be invited to the Combine. I would expect his velocity, character, intelligence, pro style experience, and general performance standards to be impressive in both the Combine and All Star settings, and I would forecast a more likely than not chance that he gets picked up from the Shrine Game into the Senior Bowl.
3) I am not trying to reach, here. Easton Stick has weaknesses. He's got good, NFL caliber velocity, but let's not pretend he's got a Drew Lock or Justin Herbert caliber arm. Certainly not Josh Allen. Nor Carson Wentz. In fact Stick's deep ball concerns me because I'd like to see him hit more of a sweet spot between driving it and lofting it.
Here's an example of a deeper throw that requires touch that I would consider to be ideal, that way:
That's a ball that strikes a balance between touch and pace at a deeper distance (43+ yards). A lot of guys would throw with more arc, which would mean the ball taking longer to get there, which I think begs for the defensive backs to get more involved at the top of the catch. Drew Brees, despite not generally throwing with NFL velocity at pro distances, is unique in that he throws a deeper ball like the one above by Kyler Murray, a ball that keeps its energy while still having the right touch on it. Aaron Rodgers does this as well. It's not necessarily an arm strength thing. I've only seen Easton Stick throw ideally this way a few times. Generally his deeper passes, he aims his shoulders up and arcs it. I'd like to see him try and keep a hotter pace.
He plays on his toes quite a bit and I think this can lead him at times to get too far over his front leg, missing his target by turfing it low. He got better this year that way as the season wore on. I tracked him 'missing' his throws about 16% of the time. But one of the common strings among his misses was this tendency to get too high on his toes and come too far over the front leg.
I've seen it said about Easton Stick that he can be a touch slow at times to anticipate. I'm not sure I agree. I'm not sure I disagree, either. There have been occasions. But there have been a lot of throws like this one, as well...
Where does it get you? I guess it would be easy if I could say, Round 2 and that's it. But I can't regard the QB position that way. You need one or you don't. If you don't need one then you give them round grades and say, at this level, I can't pass this guy up, because the position is too valuable.
But if you DO need one, then whoever you take has to be part of a plan. If you're like John Schneider of the Seattle Seahawks and you think Russell Wilson is the best player in college football, which is what Schneider thought at the time, and you still need a quarterback because all you did in the off season was roll the dice on a backup Matt Flynn, then you target the player you want with a pick where you know you're going to get him.
Me, I'm not making Easton Stick my "plan" unless my first plan strikes out. My first plan is going to be Kyler Murray. I'm still a bit back and forth on a potential second plan, that being Justin Herbert. I don't have to think very hard about that yet because I keep hearing he's going to stay at Oregon.
The one I keep thinking hard about is Dwayne Haskins vs Easton Stick. Their size listings are 6021 and 220 lbs for Dwayne Haskins versus 6020 and 221 lbs for Easton Stick. We will see about that. Judging from the tape, I'd say Haskins has a bit more thickness and heft, maybe some more height as well.
You can't deny Haskins has been performing against a different caliber of opponent. But also WITH different caliber help. You can't deny that Dwayne Haskins is forced to be a larger part of the Ohio State offense (53-54% of snaps) than Easton Stick is the North Dakota State offense (41-42%). Whereas some might question Easton Stick's anticipation, I don't think you're generally going to see anyone question that about Dwayne Haskins. Whereas some might question Stick's accuracy because of the completion percentage, nobody in their right mind is going to question the uncanny consistency of the way Haskins executes and completes throws.
But you also can't deny that Easton Stick throws with better velocity (typically in the 51 to 54 mph range whereas Haskins is typically in the 47 to 51 mph range), that he's absorbed more pro concepts (drop back, play-action, etc), that he's faster and more agile, that he's a more dangerous and instinctive ball carrier, that he's got far and away more experience (51 games to 13 games), that he's got better feet and pocket management skills, and that his throwing mechanics are a bit closer to an A+ than Dwayne Haskins. Whereas some might question whether Dwayne Haskins can improvise when the play breaks down under pressure, I don't think people will question that about Easton Stick.
My gut tells me you've got to have a plan about this and the first plan is going to be Kyler Murray, and if that plan strikes out then the thing that feels right would be to assess the most likely spot in the draft for an Easton Stick to be taken, and then to make sure you get him with your SECOND pick in the draft, reserving that first pick an elite talent.
