Football Film Room Prospect Profile: Sam Darnold, QB USC

Darnold is considered by most to be the most NFL ready QB in the draft this season. Do the stats show?

Stats(Through 9 Games):

-Yards: 2,558

-TD: 20

-Interceptions: 10

-Completion Percentage: 62.5%

I would say they do. Over 2500 yards with 20 TDs in less than 10 games is very productive for a young QB with a very tough first half of the schedule (Utah, Texas, Stanford, Notre Dame being the most notable). He also has a bad offensive line (17 times sacked), but still stands through it and puts up big time numbers. Even though the statistics resemble a franchise player, does the film back it up?

Good:

-The first thing that stuck out to me when watching Sam was his arm strength. He throws the ball harder than anyone in this draft and its not even close. There were a few plays where the receiver was only open for about two seconds but he still was able to squeeze his pass in the tight window. He did this with slants, out routes, and even seam passes and I was very impressed.

-Sam is also a very smart football player, which is exactly what you want in a franchise QB. He is able to read/recognize blitzes before he snaps the ball. He then takes this read and applies it to where he wants to go with the ball on the play, which shows how good he is at making plays happen and that he has the ability to put his guys in the best position possible. This will likely translate into the next level when he eventually gains the authority to call audibles and pick apart defense in his pre-snap reads

-Darnold also possesses key ability to remain calm in the pocket and use his feet to escape pressure. With his line not being the best, he has to use his feet and make many throws on the run. He does this very, very well.

Bad:

-One of the few things Darnold lacks is when to make certain throws. A little too often, he forces very bad passes and makes bad decisions. We see the result of these bad throws with the 10 interceptions he has thrown in 9 games. Granted, he throws a lot more than some QBs have to, he still needs to cut down on the bad decisions.

-Also, Sam has odd throwing mechanics. He almost uses his entire shoulder/body to throw the ball. Even though he gets the job done often, he needs to fix this odd style if he wants to be successful in the long run. Eventually, when he gets older, this style of throwing will hurt his arm and affect his overall throwing ability.

As a whole, Sam Darnold is the real deal. He has the IQ, the intangibles, and the abilities to be a legitimate franchise player for any team in the NFL. The stats and the film support his case, which is why I ranked him as the best QB in this year's draft. If I'm an NFL GM in the Top 5 with a hole at QB, I am drafting Sam without a doubt.