He certainly has the physical skills. The release and the arm are world class but can he develop the ability to read a defense better and extract the most out of every offensive play? From what Ive seen he has made improvements game to game for the most part but the NFL will chew you up and spit you out if youre inaccurate and cant consistently read a defense under pressure and that is what he is currently. Part of me would be happy to see him in the first round and the other part of me says he can be sooo much more if the game slows down for him in college before the transition to the pros. Ive seen him lose confidence with bad plays and that wont fly in the pros either. Im just worried what his impression of our QB coaching and play calling under Napier since it was Mullen he committed to and Mullen had a much better track record for QBs. Are the two on the same page and does he think UF coaching will improve his game? That is probably a big part in his decision.
He is NOT a first rounder. NO NFL team is going to roll up the bank truck to AR as a first rounder...NOT HAPPENING. AR would be wise to continue to develop as he has been all over the place this year.
Given the opportunity he has to take the money. Coming back another year and not showing improvement and falling out of guaranteed money would be tragic. As a player , he no doubt to me needs more time to develop. Will he ever develop? That’s the $mil ?
So, a team that needs a QB now picks a project QB over Stroud? While I think the NFL go Gaga over AR I don’t think this mock draft is correct
IMO, if he is having trouble running Napier's offense, how in the heck is he going to learn a NFL offense? If some of his problems is reading SEC-caliber defenses (see Kentucky), they outlaw schemes that confuse a QB? REALLY? If I saw a QB who throws damn fine balls to damn tightly defended receivers and the passes are not being caught then I could see the NFL not dinging him for his stats. But he isn't going through his progressions as he was last year against certain teams or against Utah this year. And it is mainly about his footwork, which has degraded plenty of times. I see a QB who prefers to just play and not be strapped by mental discipline. It won't work, except for say a wildcat QB, in the NFL. Even though I think he has more potential, I still see something like Franks' path. Can he get a real shot via getting drafted somewhere this next time? Probably, but I do NOT see anything close to Round 1. Probably 4-7, depending on a team having the luxury of placing a risky bet. And then he will accrue a paycheck while not being active for games for a LONG while. But I foresee his getting cut and going to the practice squad instead. If he wants a taste of the NFL and not a career, well then go ahead and leave. But if he thinks he is being held down by Napier and his running of things and he can have his cake and eat it too, he is going to learn some harsh truths. JMHO
Let's be real. AR has zero future NFL weapons to throw to right now. Switch QB's with Ohio State and we wouldn't be having this conversation imo. AR would be a sure first round pick and Stroud would be the "project"
Sure Stroud has a better wr group but Ill be damn if AR hasn't made a bunch of god awful Felipe like passes and reads this year. He is still way to inconsistent to be ready. The game needs to slow way down and his passes need to be way more accurate to be a NFL qb or even an elite NCAA QB. My concern is more with his acceptance of Napier and his offensive philosophy to improve his standing next year. If Napier is going to John Fox or Doug Nussmeyer it next year he better go somewhere else to develop....hopefully the offense flows better in year two than it did in year one.
Well we aren’t making those decisions. Only takes one to make it happen, hope he doesn’t go but if he’s being told he will go first round then it would be in his financial interest to go. I was only reporting what his coach was reporting and I’m sure he’s been in contact with people in the know.
I know this is rare but I'd love for AR to think long-term instead of short-term. By just about every post on this thread is about the short term- get paid next year. I get it. But what if AR came back next year, and really worked on his game? He clearly needs work- he misses easy throws and doesn't see the field well. He has some good moments, no doubt, but he makes a lot of mistakes. It's far better, and far easier, to work on your game in college than in the NFL. Plus- he could be up for the Heisman, which is priceless. (Winning it I mean.) If he can improve, he will be a top pick the following year, and make a lot more money. But more importantly, he will set himself up for long-term huge money. Manning type money. As an example- Peyton Manning did stay a 4th year even though he could have left early. And made hundreds of millions of dollars. I'd say it worked out pretty good. Because he thought long-term instead of short term.
Jamarcus Russell had a pretty successful college career, though. If AR had the kind of numbers Russell had in his last season I don't think much of us would question anything about AR being first round and ready to go.
