Draft Profile

Justin Herbert is a quarterback who’s best features are his mobility and his arm strength. He can make any throw on the field and is really accurate outside the numbers. He has really good footwork and does a nice job stepping at stepping up into the pocket when faced with pressure from the outside. There are a couple of things that he does which will get him eaten up in the NFL if he doesn’t fix; he holds onto to the ball way too long, has a tendency to lock onto his first read, and misses his passes in the red zone. Oregon’s system relies a lot on getting the ball out of Herbert’s hands fast near the line of scrimmage which I think limits Herbert’s abilities. A play that stood out to me was a play that he actually fumbled on vs Auburn on the 10 yard line and he chased the defensive lineman down 90 yards down field and tackled him before the lineman reached the end zone. This shows his heart and all franchise quarterbacks need to have that passion so you can lead a team of grown men. If you’re heart is not into the, your teammates will see right through that. As a player, I think it really depends on what system he ends up with. If he can land with a good offensive coordinator who will help him through his reads, similar to what Arthur Smith does with Ryan Tannehill, he can do similar things that Tannehill did with Tennessee. Speaking of Tannehill, Herbert reminds me a lot of him when it comes to his really good athleticism, decision making, and heart. Everyone saw when Tannehill made his big time tackle against the Texans and if you watch Titans football everyone knows that he can run. If we look at decision making, it’s something that both quarterbacks struggle with. We saw in Tannehill’s time with Miami, there were constant questionable decisions and it happens with Herbert as well. Herbert holds onto the ball for way too long, so it’s important that in his rookie year he goes to a team with a good offensive line. I don’t think Herbert is a plug and play guy and should sit behind a veteran before becoming a starter. Herbert has amazing arm strength and throws a really nice deep ball and can throw while taking a hit. He doesn’t always make great decisions, but he does a nice job with RPO’s, so I think he would thrive with a progressive offensive coordinator. I don’t see Herbert being a superstar like Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson, but not all offenses call for that.

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Where He Should Go: Late First Round Pick

Where He Will Go: Top 10

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Ideal Situation: I'd like to see Justin Herbert in a west coast offense. I'd also want to see him have an elite running back to take the pressure off of him. Herbert is extremely mobile so it'd be nice to see him in an offense that utilizes his athleticism. 

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Team Fits: Panthers, Dolphins, Raiders

Most Likely to be selected by: The Chargers or Dolphins