Jarrett Stidham NFL Draft Prospect Report

 

Jarrett Stidham is next up on the quarterback countdown at number six. He’s a redshirt junior from the University of Auburn. He measured in at 6’2,” 218 pounds. He ran the 40 yard dash in 4.84 seconds, the 3 cone drill in 7.28 seconds and the 20 yard shuttle in 4.33 seconds.

Statistics

Stidham had a completion percentage of 66.5 his redshirt sophomore year and 60.7 his redshirt junior year. He threw 18 touchdowns against 6 interceptions his sophomore year and 18 touchdowns against 5 interceptions his junior year. He didn’t put up big yardage numbers, but he threw for 3,158 yards his sophomore year and 2,794 his junior year. He also saw some time as a true freshman at Baylor, he threw about a third of the passes he did during his redshirt sophomore and junior years.

Stidham’s stats aren’t eye popping, especially compared to some of the quarterbacks I have rated below him. That means I liked what I saw on tape. Auburn wasn’t great this past year, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Nothing Stidham did had anything to do with their offensive struggles. He was constantly under pressure. He threw a bunch of designed dump offs, but he looked very comfortable throwing intermediate and long passes. His arm strength is average, but he knows how to throw the ball far enough and with the right touch.

Accuracy

I also liked how accurate his throws were. As I said, he threw a lot of dump offs, but throwing intermediate and deep he was usually on point. He was under constant pressure, the offensive line was not good. Stidham did show his athleticism, which I would say was average. He does move behind the line well and he throws on the run well. Stidham also throws a nice ball outside the pocket. He’s got good mechanics and a good release. His favorite throw is the back shoulder throw and he’s very good at it. The back shoulder throw is a good throw to have at the next level. He also shows good touch on his throws.

History

Stidham really broke out in 2017, especially after he lead Auburn over Alabama giving them their first loss of the year and taking the spot in the SEC Title game. A criticism of Stidham is that he didn’t take that next big step in 2018. I don’t agree with this criticism, I mean he put up the same numbers with less talent around him. He looked good against Washington, a very tough opponent with a good defense. He shreds Purdue and while there is a lot of RAC yardage, also watch how he leads his receivers and running backs so that they can get that RAC. Stidham also shows off his arm strength in some deep throws.

Concern

One issue with Stidham is that he seems to throw to his first read a lot. They’re what I call college plays, they seemed designed to go to one person and that’s it. He seems like a smart player, I want to make sure he can read a defense well.

Prediction

While the Auburn offense isn’t the best to prepare a quarterback for the NFL, Stidham showed the necessary talent to be successful. His arm strength isn’t anything special, but it’s good enough. More importantly, he’s accurate. He showed he can play behind a bad offensive line and still do pretty well. I believe people rated below Stidham can play in the NFL, so it only makes sense that I believe Stidham can as well. He’s really close to Gardner Minshew for me, so I think he can be an NFL starting quarterback.

 

Draft Dive Grade: 2nd/3rd Round

 

Likely Landing Spot: Teams looking for a potential developmental quarterback, and there’s plenty. LA Chargers, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins.