Scouting Report: 2017 Quarterbacks

Dylan McCaffrey (image via CHSAAnow)

Since quarterback is such a key position, each year I like to go in-depth with the quarterback position and rank the prospects that Michigan is pursing. At times Michigan has offered so few prospects by this point in the year that I have to throw in a few with Michigan interest, but the Wolverines have offered ten signal-callers at this point, so that’s plenty good to start. Below is a ranked list of those ten quarterbacks. I ranked them based on their fit with Michigan’s offensive system, so if I were looking at this list as an Ohio State fan, a Washington State fan, or an Oregon fan, I might rank them differently.

1. Dylan McCaffrey – QB – Littleton (CO) Valor Christian: McCaffrey is a 6’5″, 200 lb. prospect who is uncommitted. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #2 pro-style quarterback, and #45 overall. As a junior in 2015, he completed 207/320 passes (64.7%) for 2,800 yards, 27 TDs, and 4 INTs; he also ran 128 times for 592 yards (4.6 yards/carry) and 13 TDs. He is the son of former Stanford and NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, as well as the brother of current Stanford running back – and Heisman finalist – Christian McCaffrey. In watching his junior year film, it became pretty clear why Michigan has him at or near the top of their board: he looks a great deal like Jake Rudock. McCaffrey is, of course, a couple inches taller than Rudock, but a lot of their mannerisms are very similar. McCaffrey is very balanced and unhurried in the pocket, and he does a nice job of standing tall and climbing in the pocket while waiting for the play to develop. He plays in a pro-style offense with dropbacks from under center, some shotgun passes, and an occasional designed run. He does good work with his ball handling and sees the field well. His anticipation is not on the same level as Bailey Hockman’s, but he makes good reads. McCaffrey is not a truly dynamic runner, but he is fast enough to escape and surprise some people with his speed. He has a nice over-the-top delivery, and with his height, that should prevent too many balls being batted down. NOTE: I scheduled this post for 6:30 a.m. on February 16th, and McCaffrey committed to Michigan on the evening of February 15th.

Hit the jump for the other nine quarterback targets.

2. Bailey Hockman – QB – Powder Springs (GA) McEachern: Hockman is a 6’2″, 210 lb. prospect who was previously committed to Georgia. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #7 pro-style quarterback, and #124 overall. He is the son of McEachern head coach Kyle Hockman.  He has adequate size, and he runs a big pigeon-toed, like a left-handed John Elway. Elway, though, had a cannon for an arm, while Hockman’s arm isn’t extremely powerful. He has a nice, compact delivery and does a good job of getting rid of the ball from different angles and body positions. The biggest thing that stands out about Hockman is his ability to anticipate routes and coverages, fitting the ball into places where other quarterbacks might not think to throw it. This may be something to watch at the higher level, though, where defenders will have better awareness and won’t get turned around quite so easily. I like his ball handling and command of the offense, as well as his ability to improvise. Hockman is just a so-so athlete (4.7 forty) who doesn’t present much of a threat as a runner.

3. Davis Mills – QB – Norcross (GA) Greater Atlanta Christian: Mills is a 6’3″, 192 lb. prospect who is uncommitted. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #5 pro-style quarterback, and #98 overall. As a junior in 2015, he completed 169/282 passes (59.9%) for 2,821 yards, 25 TDs, and 7 INTs; he also ran 99 times for 577 yards (5.8 yards/carry) and 14 TDs. Mills has decent size with a solid frame. He is relatively smooth in the pocket and stays balanced while surveying the field. He has a fairly strong arm and varies his velocity nicely. His throwing motion is compact, and he has an over-the-top delivery that spins the ball nicely. I like the way he pushes the ball downfield, and he has the ability to get the ball to turn over in the air, allowing him to drop the deep ball in there accurately with touch. He has pretty good pocket presence and does a good job of climbing in the pocket. While he has decent rushing numbers, he is not a big running threat and is more of a move-the-chains type of runner. There are few holes in his game, but he is not a standout physically.

4. Chase Brice – QB – Loganville (GA) Grayson: Brice is a 6’3″, 205 lb. prospect who committed to Clemson in December. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #11 pro-style quarterback, and #238 overall. Brice has an average frame for a college quarterback – not particularly tall or short, thick or thin. He has good footwork in the pocket and does a nice job of getting depth and then stepping up in the pocket. He looks best when throwing crossing routes and down the middle of the field, where he does a good job of getting on top of the ball and driving it with some zip. When he’s flushed to his right, he also does a good job of keeping his eyes downfield, finding targets, and putting the ball on the money. He struggles more with his mechanics when going left, because he fails to get his shoulders square. He also does not throw a clean deep ball, and it can hang and die in the air. He could afford to improve his field vision and decision-making, since he seems to pass up some wide-open receivers in exchange for scrambling for short gains. Brice is definitely more of a pocket QB; he looks a bit awkward on the run at times, struggles with the concept of sliding, and does not have much speed or shake.

5. Tate Martell – QB – Las Vegas (NV) Bishop Gorman: Martell is a 5’11”, 205 lb. prospect who committed to Texas A&M last August. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #1 dual-threat quarterback, and #21 overall. As a junior in 2015, he completed 133/237 passes for 2,608 yards, 32 TDs, and 6 INTs; he also ran 98 times for 604 yards and 9 TDs. He claims a 4.62 forty and is committed to play in the 2017 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Martell jumps off the film for his athletic precision; he is very crisp in his dropbacks, smooth in the pocket, and compact in his delivery. His arm strength is above average, and he gets the ball to his receivers in a hurry. He is a quality runner who is dangerous when he escapes the pocket or on designed runs, and he can change direction quickly, partly because of his low center of gravity. That height is my biggest concern for a team like Michigan, which does not spread the field to create throwing lanes for the quarterback. With Michigan’s style of offense, he would be sitting in a tight pocket with sometimes 6-, 7-, or 8-man protections and a bunch of 6’6″ linemen standing in front of him.

6. Shawn Robinson – QB – Denton (TX) Guyer: Robinson is a 6’3″, 207 lb. prospect who committed to TCU in June 2015. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #2 dual-threat quarterback, and #48 overall. As a junior in 2015, he completed 98/221 passes for 1,474 yards, 11 TDs, and 8 INTs; he also ran 184 times for 1,674 yards and 18 TDs. He claims a 4.48 forty. Compared to most of these quarterbacks, Robinson is the definition of an athlete playing the position. When it comes to pure athleticism, Robinson and Martell are head-and-shoulders above the others, with the next one being Johnson. Robinson has game-changing speed, as well as great vision and change-of-direction in the running game. He has a strong arm who can put the ball on a line. He lacks much polish in the passing game, though. He tends to fade in the pocket rather than stepping up, and he tucks the ball to run too quickly. His numbers also show some considerable inaccuracy, especially in light of the fact that Guyer is a perennial powerhouse that should have decent options at receiver (in fact, 2017 WR/S Thabo Mwaniki has an offer from Colorado). Robinson holds the ball too low in the pocket, and he gets some happy feet. His athleticism is enticing, but he does not appear to be a great fit for what Jim Harbaugh runs.

7. Hunter Johnson – QB – Brownsburg (IN) Brownsburg: Johnson is a 6’3″, 200 lb. prospect who committed to Tennessee before flipping to Clemson; he really likes the color orange. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #1 pro-style quarterback, and #20 overall, and he is already committed to play in the 2017 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. As a junior in 2015, he completed 174/316 passes (55.1%) for 2,545 yards, 31 TDs, and 12 INTs. He claims a 4.6 forty, a 4.35 shuttle, and a 35″ vertical. Johnson is a former teammate of 2016 Michigan signee Brandon Peters but transferred out of Avon, presumably to open up playing time. The first thing that stands out about Johnson is his arm strength; going in alphabetical order, he is the fifth QB I’m evaluating, and his arm is significantly stronger than the previous four’s. He can fit the ball into tight spaces, push the ball down the field, and get the ball in receivers’ hands in a hurry. The second standout trait is Johnson’s ability to run; while he doesn’t have a lot of shake, he does have decent speed and drives his legs well through contact, so he should be able to run some zone/power read plays and gain some first downs. However, I see some red flags that I pooh-poohed when Michigan was recruiting Shane Morris, and I will try not to ignore those again. Like Morris, Johnson only reads half the field and makes his choice based on a couple simple choices. He does not look off safeties, go through progressions, etc. Johnson also gets happy feet and looks panicked/hurried in his dropback. It also concerns me that Johnson’s high school TD-to-INT ratio includes 41 TDs and 20 INTs, because he plays in a program with a good running game (RB Toks Akinribade – 1,405 yards and 16 TDs – was recruited by Michigan and is headed to Iowa) against mediocre competition.

8. Kasim Hill – QB – Baltimore (MD) Gilman: Hill is a 6’2″, 195 lb. prospect who is uncommitted. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #15 pro-style quarterback, and #300 overall. Hill looks a little bit like former Notre Dame/Florida State quarterback Everett Golson on the hoof. He’s not very tall at a bit over 6’0″, and he has a slightly stocky build. Hill has fair arm strength, and he shows an ability to vary the velocity of his throws based on the situation. He does a nice job of putting some air under deep balls, and he dials up the speed of his throws that need to be fit into tighter spaces. His throwing motion can be a bit deliberate, and he often releases the ball with a three-quarters delivery. He has a tendency to throw the ball off his back foot, especially when on the run. However, Hill does a nice job of escaping the pocket, especially when he feels pressure coming from his left; when he does so, he needs to square his shoulders a little better when looking to throw the ball going left. Hill has some escapability and some decent running skills, but while some have suggested he has the athleticism to translate to other positions, I do not think he has the speed to play any other skill positions.

9. Jack Coan – QB – West Sayville (NY) Sayville: Coan is a 6’3″, 190 lb. prospect who is uncommitted. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #14 pro-style quarterback, and #286 overall. As a junior in 2015, he completed 195/327 passes for 3,431 yards and 40 TDs. He claims a 4.8 forty and a 4.2 shuttle. Coan has decent height but is a little on the thin side. He does a good job of reading the field and going through his progressions. He spins the ball well, and he shows some nice touch on vertical throws. His footwork is fairly sloppy, and he does not drive through the ball. He needs to work on his mechanics, lower body, and core strength to improve that velocity. The ball can also sail a bit at times, since he has a long windup and the ball comes off the side of his hand at times. In general, Coan has some decent physical characteristics, but I believe he is a project who needs a few years of development. Coan runs pretty smoothly for a pocket passer, but he does not have great speed or elusiveness. One other thing to consider is the level of competition, which is not particularly high.

10. Jelani Woods – QB – Ellenwood (GA) Cedar Grove: Woods is a 6’7″, 225 lb. prospect who is uncommitted. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #33 pro-style quarterback, and #655 overall. Woods is obviously very tall with a large frame, and while that helps him see the field, it’s tough to get all those long limbs working in sync. He could use some work on his footwork and drops. He has plus arm strength with an ability to snap off some strong shorter throws, and he can put the ball over the top, too. Mostly, he has a three-quarters delivery and should try to get his elbow a little higher. Woods has decent speed and can be a threat when he tucks the ball, but he does not change direction extremely well because of his height. I would be concerned about his ability to drop back from under center, since he is mostly a shotgun guy. Woods is a guy who might be able to play some other positions (tight end, defensive end, outside linebacker) if QB doesn’t work out; he’s the type of player who you might target as the second QB in your class or as a bridge between good QB classes, but he is a project if he’s the keystone of your class.

What are your thoughts?

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