Some people have theorized that you can’t pick a QB who is 6-foot 5/8 with the third pick of the draft.
What’s up with that?
If you were to re-draft the 2012 draft, Russell Wilson, all 5-foot-10 and five-eighths of an inch of him, he would be a top five pick. He went in the third round to the Seattle Seahawks and became a star.
In the 2001 draft, the San Diego Chargers picked Purdue QB Drew Brees in the second round. The reason he slipped was his height (6-0). In a re-draft, he’s also a top five pick. He’s one of the game’s best quarterbacks.
Last year, Case Keenum had a excellent season for the Minnesota Vikings, leading them to the NFC Championship game. He threw 22 TD’s to just 7 picks. He recently signed a 2-year, $36 million contract with the Denver Broncos with $25 million guaranteed. I looked back at his official height from the 2012 combine. It was 72.63 inches, so he’s basically the same size as Baker Mayfield.
My point is simple. If the Jets think Mayfield has the goods to be their franchise QB, they can’t get caught up in stereotypes, or how it would look to pick a “short” QB that high in the draft.
Because honestly, when it comes to NFL quarterbacks, they don’t throw over offensive linemen, they throw into throwing lanes.
And being really tall doesn’t help you read defenses better – look at guys like Paxton Lynch and Brock Osweiler.
Either you can read defenses or not.
Forget the “prototype” stuff.
Can the guy do the job or not, that is the bottom line.
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