Welcome to The Undroppables’ latest series of posts previewing the 2021 QB draft class. The 2021 draft could offer an abundance of talent at the position similar to the 2018 class, which saw four quarterbacks drafted in the top ten and five in the first round. In each post, I will cover a tier of 2021 QB prospects, starting with the Best of the Best and working our way through the sleepers and potential career backups.
You may have thought we forgot about these QBs, as there was an extended absence of these articles over the past weeks. However, I promise I did not forget and you’ll find plenty of analysis below. Let’s jump right into it:
Jamie Newman – Georgia
Jamie Newman has not taken a snap for Georgia after transferring from Wake Forest and sitting out the 2020 season due to COVID-19. However, Newman had already compiled a decent resume with the Demon Deacons, playing 18 games over the past two seasons. Some believed Newman would declare for last year’s draft, but he will be a member of this year’s class and he has accepted an invitation to this year’s Senior Bowl.
Strengths
Newman is one of the most athletic prospects in this year’s draft, and he used this athleticism in college to become a terrific and powerful runner. Wake Forest allowed him to showcase his rushing ability often in zone reads, power runs, and by giving him the ability to scramble after quick reads. Along with the rushing ability that Newman showed at Wake, he also has other physical gifts that will be enticing to NFL scouts. At 6’4″ 230 lbs, he has the ideal size for the QB position and has above-average arm strength to go with it. If he can clean up the mental areas of his game, his potential is incredibly high.
Weaknesses
While Newman has a ton of physical tools at his disposal, he has yet to show that he can put it all together at an NFL level. His mental skillset has lagged behind his physical gifts, and he will need to improve on his accuracy, anticipation, and decision making. Secondly, Wake Forest’s spread offense did not put Newman in positions where he had to read the entire field, and he is likely lacking in this area as well. Overall, if Newman grows to the mental level needed to be an NFL starter, he can absolutely succeed at the next level. However, he has a long way to go when looking at his 2019 tape. It’s possible that he has worked hard on these areas of his games in his time off in 2020, but he seems to have failed to excite scouts at the recent Senior Bowl.
My Grade: C // Projected Draft Capital: 3rd round – 5th round
Zac Thomas – Appalachian State
Thomas burst onto the scene as the Mountaineers starting Quarterback in 2018. In his first start, Thomas led App State to overtime against #9 Penn State, although he wasn’t able to pull through for a win. Over the rest of the 2018 season, App State went 10-0 with Thomas starting. Thomas passed for over 2,000 yards while throwing for 21 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions, along with 10 rushing touchdowns. His play earned him the 2018 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year and New Orleans Bowl MVP.
Thomas went on to throw for another 28 touchdowns and 2,718 passing yards in 2019, while only throwing 6 interceptions with the Mountaineers winning 13 of their 14 games. Thomas put up good numbers again in his senior season, as he scored another 20 passing touchdowns along with 2,189 passing yards. He finished his NCAA career with a 32-6 record as the starter.
Strengths
First of all, Thomas runs the ball very well, threatening defenses with his legs and allowing receivers to get open. Thomas pairs this running threat with the ability to make accurate throws on the run when the pocket crumbles or on designed bootlegs. However, Thomas isn’t just accurate on the run, he is one of the most accurate short-pass QBs in the class in the pocket too. Overall, Thomas had a great college career and has some serious skill in some areas of the game, but I don’t think he’ll be able to make up for his weaknesses.
Weaknesses
While Zac Thomas has been a very good college Quarterback, he has very obvious pitfalls that will lead NFL scouts away from him. First of all, the Mountaineers have had a strong run game while Thomas has been at the helm, and this has allowed him to get a lot of his passing production off of play-action and/or against stacked boxes. Secondly, Thomas lacks the requisite arm-strength for an NFL Quarterback. He struggles to beat coverage to the boundary on outside throws, which usually produces interceptions at the next level. Thomas also has issues pushing the ball downfield on deep throws.
My Grade: D // Projected Draft Capital: 6th Round – Undrafted
Shane Buechele – Southern Methodist
Shane Buechele began his collegiate career as a four-star prospect at the University of Texas, competing for the starting job right off the bat. After winning the job in camp, Buechele became just the second-ever true freshman to start the season at QB for the Longhorns. His collegiate career began with a bang, as he led Texas to a double-overtime win over #10 Notre Dame. By Week 10, Buechele broke the record for most passing yards by a freshman in Texas history.
Unfortunately, Buechele’s second season for the Longhorns did not go as well as his first. After sustaining various injuries throughout the season, Buechele saw his starting job go to Sam Ehlinger. Buechele stayed at Texas as Elhinger’s backup in 2018 before transferring in-state to Southern Methodist before the 2019 season. He played two seasons for the Mustangs and threw for a combined 7,024 yards and 57 touchdowns in their air-raid system.
Strengths
Buechele was incredibly consistent in his two seasons at SMU, finding the open man and usually throwing an accurate ball. He really found his stride in the quick passing game that comes with the air-raid system. He can throw the ball downfield accurately on some occasions, but lacks the requisite arm strength for deep passes to the sideline.
Buechele is also good at keeping his eyes downfield while evading pressure. Off the field, Buechele is well-regarded with coaches and teammates as a leader and a teammate. He’s a very good QB in the mental areas of the position, but he likely won’t make it as a starter in the league due to his lack of physical tools. He reminds me of Kellen Moore or any other of the litany of career backups in the league. Similar to Moore, I could see Buechele joining the coaching ranks after his playing career is over.
Weaknesses
Buechele is a solid athlete for the position, but his legs don’t cause opposing defenses to lose sleep. He lacks the prototypical NFL QB size, standing at only 6’1″, 207 lbs. As for the passing game, Buechele’s throwing motion is worrisome. He tends to have too much wasted motion. In addition, his arm strength is lackluster when compared to NFL QBs, his passes can die on deep throws and he can’t attack the sidelines as well as most.
Overall, I like Buechele as a backup QB that a team can get on day three of the draft. He likely won’t have any fantasy appeal, but he is the type of guy that can help a team in many of the hidden facets of the game.
My Grade: C- // Projected Draft Capital: 6th round – UDFA
That’s it for 2021 Rookie QB evaluations! Make sure to follow Kyle on Twitter @KL_Fantasy. You can find the rest of his Rookie QB Previews and other Undroppables rookie content here.
