I don't think AR is close to being ready for the NFL but lesser QBs have been drafted highly. I am in the camp of hoping he stays, fwiw.
I wouldn't go so far as to say Kitna throws passes that AR misses, but he definitely makes quicker reads and gets the ball out faster. And if I am not mistaking, he was the only one of the two that actually kept the ball on the read option last game....and gained about 6 yards. No doubt, AR is the much more athletic of the two but that doesn't mean Kitna would not move the offense.
I'm really not trying to be pedantic here but Tribisky had a 3800 yard passing season with 5:1 TD:INT. It was a legit good season. Trey Lance had a near 3000 yard passing season with 28:0 TD:INT. It was a legit good season. Anthony Richardson has 2500 yards passing and a 17:9 TD:INT He'd be - statistically - the worst 1st round QB in decades. Does he have talent? No doubt. I love the guy. I think he can become a great QB, unlike a lot of Gator fans. But he's going to get thrown to the wolves unless he's found a team that will take 3-5 years to develop him. That's very rare in the NFL these days, particularly for a 1st round pick.
If wins and losses, career achievements and statistics mattered, Danny Wuerffel would have been a first round pick. He was picked in the 4th round. You guys are smarter than this. You are just letting your personal bias and projection cloud your opinion. I'd say half of you are pissed over the fact that AR didn't have the Heisman like season you thought he would have. The other half are clinging to the notion that he's not ready, because you want to convince him to stay for another season. Just a waste of time, he's gone and he's not listening to you.
What worries me about that is it very much sends a signal to top flight HS guys that you need to focus on your draft stock from day 1. Look at my post history and you'll see I'm a massive AR fan. Love the guy. But am I questioning a lot of those throws out of bounds when the game was on the line? Back when he had 6 TDs to 7 INTs? Am I questioning a lot of the hand offs on reads where he had an open lane? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't.
Nobody said they're all that matters, but historically 1st round picks at QB have a successful story in their college resume.
I can't speak for anyone else, but this isn't me. If he goes, I want him to blow up in the NFL. Win Super Bowls. He isn't ready. Full stop. The question is whether the NFL team that drafts him will give him the time to be ready. I have my doubts. 1st round picks are usually expected to take over in relatively short order. I think this pick will be a big signal to QB recruits that college is nothing more than camp. Worry about looking good to the scouts more than winning. Not a fan of what that might do to the sport.
It is and has been for a long time. Elite HS athletes have agents and handlers in their ear from the time they are 14-15 years old. This is the biggest challenge for any College head coach. What separates the great ones (like Saban) is that they can minimize the distractions this causes. It's impossible to eliminate, unless you don't want this caliber of player in your program.
QB's with AR's physical characteristics are rare. That's why he's so coveted, regardless of his numbers. The numbers don't mean so much, when you have NFL guys who are confident that they can develop him.
Ironic that this article says he will have less weapons to work with next year. He will have more witn Mizell, Wilson and Jean.
But that's not what I'm talking about. HS QBs still needed to get on a good team and perform to get 1st round draft picks. It wasn't just extended camp. If AR is a first round draft pick and I'm an elite HS QB right now I'm focused on highlight reels and staying healthy. If the team wins along the way, great.
I will root for him whatever he decides. He's got a lot to work on, but it is mainly consistency and focus issues. It is more than a little frustrating to watch the wide swings from perfect footwork, movement in the pocket, and eye discipline/progression reads to staring down the primary, footwork indicative of HS sophomore, and bolting from the pocket for no reason. Its mind blowing the difference you can see one play to the next with him. I also think he generally will try to throw to tight windows because he is confident in his arm(at times) whereas a much easier throw could be had continuing through the progression. Because of this, he may stick to the primary receiver too long. Note, the tight windows also often make it harder on the receiving end. I realize sometimes you have to throw those balls, but if its 1st or 2nd down there is nothing wrong with the check down. This along with better concentration on those check down throws could drastically improve comp % and likely keeps drives alive more often than not by staying ahead of the chain. All in all, AR's 2022 season really just raised more questions than answers.
I don't think AR is ready either and would benefit from another year, but I think he is gone. I am probably in the minority here, but I think him coming back would not be beneficial for the team. We don't need an athletic freak at QB to be successful, we need a QB that can read the defense, hand the ball off and distribute the ball in a timely manner.
But this again misses the core point. Historically, players still needed to perform in college and put up numbers. AR has not done that, not at a level that matches - even the weakest - 1st round picks for QB.
The bar has been lowered. Consider who the top names are. Young ,Stroud, Levis..... who else? Also last yr was considered a weak QB class.
Like I said before, none of this stuff matters if a NFL GM (or several of them) decide he's worth a first round pick. There's more than enough information that indicates this. He's gone folks, whether any of us like it or not. The rest is on him.
Can't believe this is 12 pages. I watched that whole FSU game knowing those would be the last snaps he'd take as a Gator. I'd be beyond shocked if he returned
