Why Not Draft Lamar Jackson?

[The Goat]

He's got Mariota's legs and Bortles arm talent.

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic, but Lamar Jackson has a better throwing motion than Bortles does, like, right now. There's nothing wrong with his throwing motion.

 

[FSU Truth]

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic, but Lamar Jackson has a better throwing motion than Bortles does, like, right now. There's nothing wrong with his throwing motion.

But he is inaccurate...like Bortles and has poor vision....like Bortles.

 

[The Goat]

But he is inaccurate...like Bortles and has poor vision....like Bortles.

That remains to be seen in the NFL.

And I have yet to see Lamar Jackson ever throw like this:

 

[J. David Wannyheimer]

I think I'm the one who compared him to Bortles previously, and I stand by it. Great physical talent, really flawed throwing foundation, and questions about his ability to transition to NFL offenses. In fairness to Jackson, the issue with his throwing is more with his footwork than his upper body, so there's probably more hope for improvement there.

Bortles went #3 overall. I don't know where Lamar Jackson will go, because maybe teams learned their lesson there, but I do bet he'll be better than Bortles.

 

[The Goat]

I think I'm the one who compared him to Bortles previously, and I stand by it. Great physical talent, really flawed throwing foundation, and questions about his ability to transition to NFL offenses. In fairness to Jackson, the issue with his throwing is more with his footwork than his upper body, so there's probably more hope for improvement there.

Bortles went #3 overall. I don't know where Lamar Jackson will go, because maybe teams learned their lesson there, but I do bet he'll be better than Bortles.

Can you elucidate on the flawed throwing foundation? Because I'll stand by my assessment. The flaws aren't the same. jackson's throwing motion is far, FAR more compact. I think Jackson's biggest flaws are so much more fixable than Bortles's.

 

[MiamiDolfan85]

Same thing ppl said about that guy we drafted 8th overall 7 yrs ago.

He used to play WR in college I believe...

Because he is not a QB, he is an athlete posing as a QB who is riding the hype/culture machine hoping for a big NFL salary. This has happened on numerous occasion and every time without fail, the EXACT same shills get in here and sing the praises of the next wannabe slash sort-of "qb".

 

[J. David Wannyheimer]

Can you elucidate on the flawed throwing foundation? Because I'll stand by my assessment. The flaws aren't the same. jackson's throwing motion is far, FAR more compact. I think Jackson's biggest flaws are so much more fixable than Bortles's.

I'll have someone prove me wrong on this, but what I've seen from watching Jackson -- probably about four and a half Louisville games in the last two years -- he's very inconsistent with everything that happens in his hips and below. Like he doesn't always square up properly, or he doesn't establish his plant leg, etc. And that's why sometimes he looks fine and other times the ball sails or burns worms. Accuracy requires consistency, and I think he is way too inconsistent there.

I'm not an expert on quarterback throwing mechanics, but I think you can see there's a problem.

So that's why I say that Lamar Jackson is the kind of guy who is fine if he goes to a read option team, or if he's going to be asked to sit on a bench for a couple of years while that's addressed. But people who want to bring him in here to Miami to compete right away for the starting job? That's patently ridiculous. Unless the offense got a drastic overhaul, it wouldn't be a competition at all.

 

[AllFinsAllDay]

Because he is not a QB, he is an athlete posing as a QB who is riding the hype/culture machine hoping for a big NFL salary. This has happened on numerous occasion and every time without fail, the EXACT same shills get in here and sing the praises of the next wannabe slash sort-of "qb".

What the hell is "hype/culture machine" ?the fact that Deshaun Watson fell last year was not an accident.

 

[AllFinsAllDay]

So...I can't believe I actually feel the need to do this:

But I'm going to defend Lamar Jackson.

Do I want him at #11 if I'm running the team? No.

BUT...a few points:

1) Those of you who compare him to Pat White either a) have not watched Lamar Jackson play, b) did not watch Pat White play, or c) have been smoking something illegal in most states. They're not even remotely the same player.

2) It sure as hell to me looked like Lamar Jackson worked on being a more NFL-ready QB in 2017, and it might well have cost him for the purposes of Heisman consideration. More on this in a second.

3) Lamar Jackson's skillset is so far above a "spread/option QB" it's not even funny. Even more, I don't think he's a mismatch for Miami's offense. In fact, I think he might be a GREAT fit.

So last year, I watched Lamar Jackson. He was a QB who would run the ball as soon as coverage broke down. He was a tremendous athlete playing QB. When his first and second option weren't available, he took the hell off running. And I thought, "That's gonna get him killed in the NFL. He's going to be dealing with superior, faster athletes every single week at the next level. That's not going to translate."

This year, he was a different animal. Are there still *some* accuracy issues? Sure. But it's not Tebow-esque. (Show me the numbers all you want. Completely different style of offense. Tebow could not, on his best day, make throws that Jackson does.) And what he did this year really impressed me.

You know what he did? He used his ability to do something different than every other "run at the drop of a hat" QB has ever done, in my opinion. He used that ability to make defenders miss and *find more time in the pocket.* That is exactly what everyone under the sun has been clamoring for Tannehill to do, and this kid made a concerted effort to do exactly that in 2017. And he did it. It was pretty to watch.

From all accounts: He has arm talent. He has leadership. He has crazy work ethic. He's a good kid.

Now. All of this being said, his footwork drives me goddamn crazy. And it's not that he throws off his back foot so much as that he throws with his feet close together. All the time. It's a weird flaw, and I honestly don't know how correctable it is. If he can correct THAT? I think that in itself will help with accuracy issues. Throwing off a wider base will help balance and improve accuracy.

All of this being said? I think his ceiling is off the charts, because he has specifically focused on being an NFL style QB. He's not my first choice at #11...but it wouldn't really piss me off, either. If there's ever a situation where a QB could learn as a #2 for a year or two...this might be it.

Thank You!

 

[gregorygrant83]

At worse Jackson is Tyrod Taylor and at best he's Michael Vick. Or should that be reversed?

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

Maybe a faster more elusive Aaron Brooks once he adds another 10 pounds of muscle. Brooks was 6'4", 203 at the combine in '99...eventually got up around 220.

He'll have to add some mass in order to maintain any semblence of longevity at the QB position, and that'll take him a few years to accomplish.

 

[hoops]

Someone will despite all the holes in his game.

Qb driven league and way too many bad qbs carried by other things

I no longer think it will be top 10. Too errant a passer in the middle of the field and plays to too much contact

I will be surprised if he only weighs 205 considering I think he is 6 foot 3. Looks to me like he’s gained weight in his arms and good weight too the kind that doesn’t scrape the speed or athlete but I don’t like tbe torso that much plus the accuracy issues and plays to contact. They will kill you if you play to contact with that frame at the next level

 

[Awsi Dooger]

So...I can't believe I actually feel the need to do this:

But I'm going to defend Lamar Jackson.

Do I want him at #11 if I'm running the team? No.

BUT...a few points:

1) Those of you who compare him to Pat White either a) have not watched Lamar Jackson play, b) did not watch Pat White play, or c) have been smoking something illegal in most states. They're not even remotely the same player.

2) It sure as hell to me looked like Lamar Jackson worked on being a more NFL-ready QB in 2017, and it might well have cost him for the purposes of Heisman consideration. More on this in a second.

3) Lamar Jackson's skillset is so far above a "spread/option QB" it's not even funny. Even more, I don't think he's a mismatch for Miami's offense. In fact, I think he might be a GREAT fit.

So last year, I watched Lamar Jackson. He was a QB who would run the ball as soon as coverage broke down. He was a tremendous athlete playing QB. When his first and second option weren't available, he took the hell off running. And I thought, "That's gonna get him killed in the NFL. He's going to be dealing with superior, faster athletes every single week at the next level. That's not going to translate."

This year, he was a different animal. Are there still *some* accuracy issues? Sure. But it's not Tebow-esque. (Show me the numbers all you want. Completely different style of offense. Tebow could not, on his best day, make throws that Jackson does.) And what he did this year really impressed me.

You know what he did? He used his ability to do something different than every other "run at the drop of a hat" QB has ever done, in my opinion. He used that ability to make defenders miss and *find more time in the pocket.* That is exactly what everyone under the sun has been clamoring for Tannehill to do, and this kid made a concerted effort to do exactly that in 2017. And he did it. It was pretty to watch.

From all accounts: He has arm talent. He has leadership. He has crazy work ethic. He's a good kid.

Now. All of this being said, his footwork drives me goddamn crazy. And it's not that he throws off his back foot so much as that he throws with his feet close together. All the time. It's a weird flaw, and I honestly don't know how correctable it is. If he can correct THAT? I think that in itself will help with accuracy issues. Throwing off a wider base will help balance and improve accuracy.

All of this being said? I think his ceiling is off the charts, because he has specifically focused on being an NFL style QB. He's not my first choice at #11...but it wouldn't really piss me off, either. If there's ever a situation where a QB could learn as a #2 for a year or two...this might be it.

Excellent post. I'm not a big fan of Jackson but it's obvious he is working to improve, with the NFL in mind. I think I posted a week or so ago that I don't know what Jackson will look like a year from now, other than it will be different than currently.

In the recent bowl game instead of bouncing around eagerly in the pocket he was flatfooted and had a somewhat mechanical release. It resulted in high misses several times, as hoops posted.

I don't like the Steve McNair comparison. He was more solidly built and a more polished passer in college, despite playing at a small school.

Little known fact: Las Vegas did not start booking the lower division college football playoffs until that season, and it was solely due to the publicity McNair was receiving. The MGM Grand put up the first number. Then other joints in town copied it. The original line on Youngstown State vs. Alcorn State was preposterous. MGM Grand put it up at Youngstown State -7.5. Unbelievable. I couldn't get to the window fast enough to give the points. Fortunately I was stationed at MGM Grand as part of the 3-man group I was with. We pooled money. The other major betting groups were paralyzed when that -7.5 went up on the board. They called it in to the main guy manning the phones. But I was a partner not a runner so I had free reign. We all trusted each other. I pounded that number. It eventually doubled. Then Youngstown State won by 40 or 50. Something like that. Very solid fundamentally sound team coached by Jim Tressel, who famously upset the Canes with Ohio State in the 2002 national championship game.

I've mentioned many times that sportsbooks are only as good as their power ratings. Until the internet exploded the sportsbooks didn't have as many reliable power ratings to steal, so they would often throw up homemade numbers on the board. Those were easy pickings. I kind of feel sorry for the younger guys who are getting started now or recently. With all the corporate mergers limiting the number of independent outs, and so many available power ratings, there aren't nearly as many brutal mistakes as the old days. That's one of the reasons I didn't return full time.

 

[Teenwolf]

I see Lamar Jackson as a Vince Young type - great in college but that style just doesn't translate well to the pro's. He was very awful against Miss State. I expect him to drop way down the first round.

 

[The Goat]

I'll have someone prove me wrong on this, but what I've seen from watching Jackson -- probably about four and a half Louisville games in the last two years -- he's very inconsistent with everything that happens in his hips and below. Like he doesn't always square up properly, or he doesn't establish his plant leg, etc. And that's why sometimes he looks fine and other times the ball sails or burns worms. Accuracy requires consistency, and I think he is way too inconsistent there.

I'm not an expert on quarterback throwing mechanics, but I think you can see there's a problem.

So that's why I say that Lamar Jackson is the kind of guy who is fine if he goes to a read option team, or if he's going to be asked to sit on a bench for a couple of years while that's addressed. But people who want to bring him in here to Miami to compete right away for the starting job? That's patently ridiculous. Unless the offense got a drastic overhaul, it wouldn't be a competition at all.

I agree with this; his footwork is...inconsistent. And again, it’s just odd...he throws with his feet close together. I also agree that he wouldn’t be ready to start immediately.

However, I think that the flaws with his feet are far more fixable than a throwing motion. Of course, I’m no expert either. I’ve just watched a lot of football, like you.