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https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/10/03/justin-herbert-oregon-quarterback-2019-nfl-draft
Such a big part of the Carson Wentz story three years ago was how he came out of nowhere (“nowhere” being Fargo) to position himself as a Top 5 guy in the 2016 draft class. Maybe you’d think that would be one big difference between him and Oregon’s fast-rising quarterback prospect, Justin Herbert. But then you hear how Herbert wound up on scholarship in Eugene in the first place.
Herbert’s offer list wasn’t much different than Wentz’s. He had one from Northern Arizona, another from Portland State, and—the offer he was planning to take at one point—joining his brother at Montana State. Herbert broke his leg as a high school junior, so his hometown Ducks (he grew up with season tickets and his grandfather played there) waited to see him throw as a senior, offered him then, and he accepted on the spot. He was the third quarterback in the Ducks’ 2016 class.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
It’s been just 37 months since then-Oregon coach Mark Helfrich and OC Scott Frost gave Herbert that opportunity, and it’s safe to say, he’s made the most of it. And there’s a lot more than just being the big, athletic, overlooked small-town kid that will draw the comparisons to Wentz. Most notably, it’s the expectation his wait to be picked won’t last long on draft day.
“He has all the tools, all the traits,” says one AFC exec. “He’s a bigger [Marcus] Mariota to me. He could use another year in school, another year of maturing. But I could definitely see him going high, just based on talent and traits, if he came out.”
The potential 2019 QB draft class was a jumbled mess of great potential and big unknowns coming into the season. Herbert, through five weeks, has pushed to the front of it. There’s the above evaluator’s comp to Mariota. There are a couple others I talked to this week who said Herbert reminds them of Wentz in stature, athleticism, off-schedule playmaking ability, and arm talent.
The implication there isn’t hard to figure out. Herbert’s got the goods to go in the Top 5 picks of the 2019 draft. He’s also got a lot of room to grow, which is great, but also illustrates the overriding feeling among scouts that, while he’s come a long way since arriving on campus, he’s not quite where he needs to be yet from an NFL standpoint.
Such a big part of the Carson Wentz story three years ago was how he came out of nowhere (“nowhere” being Fargo) to position himself as a Top 5 guy in the 2016 draft class. Maybe you’d think that would be one big difference between him and Oregon’s fast-rising quarterback prospect, Justin Herbert. But then you hear how Herbert wound up on scholarship in Eugene in the first place.
Herbert’s offer list wasn’t much different than Wentz’s. He had one from Northern Arizona, another from Portland State, and—the offer he was planning to take at one point—joining his brother at Montana State. Herbert broke his leg as a high school junior, so his hometown Ducks (he grew up with season tickets and his grandfather played there) waited to see him throw as a senior, offered him then, and he accepted on the spot. He was the third quarterback in the Ducks’ 2016 class.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
It’s been just 37 months since then-Oregon coach Mark Helfrich and OC Scott Frost gave Herbert that opportunity, and it’s safe to say, he’s made the most of it. And there’s a lot more than just being the big, athletic, overlooked small-town kid that will draw the comparisons to Wentz. Most notably, it’s the expectation his wait to be picked won’t last long on draft day.
“He has all the tools, all the traits,” says one AFC exec. “He’s a bigger [Marcus] Mariota to me. He could use another year in school, another year of maturing. But I could definitely see him going high, just based on talent and traits, if he came out.”
The potential 2019 QB draft class was a jumbled mess of great potential and big unknowns coming into the season. Herbert, through five weeks, has pushed to the front of it. There’s the above evaluator’s comp to Mariota. There are a couple others I talked to this week who said Herbert reminds them of Wentz in stature, athleticism, off-schedule playmaking ability, and arm talent.
The implication there isn’t hard to figure out. Herbert’s got the goods to go in the Top 5 picks of the 2019 draft. He’s also got a lot of room to grow, which is great, but also illustrates the overriding feeling among scouts that, while he’s come a long way since arriving on campus, he’s not quite where he needs to be yet from an NFL standpoint.
