CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE ZONE COVERAGE DRAFT GUIDE:
TOP 100 PLAYER PROFILES
RANKING THE VIKINGS NEEDS
EXPLORING VIKINGS DRAFT TRENDS
A HISTORY OF RICK SPIELMAN’S DRAFT TRADES
VIKINGS TARGETS
LUKE INMAN’S MOCK DRAFTS
SENIOR BOWL CENTRAL
FEATURES FROM OUR STAFF
JACOB EASON
HEIGHT/WEIGHT/AGE
6-foot-6
230 pounds
22 years old
BIG PICTURE
Jacob Eason was a highly sought-after recruit headed for Georgia as arguably the top high school passer in the nation. He was a starting SEC quarterback as a freshman. Then Jake Fromm came along and usurped him, leaving Eason high and dry. He sat out a year and transferred to Washington, where he revived his stock. Eason put his big arm on display with 23 touchdowns and 3,132 yards for the Huskies. The 6-foot-6 quarterback stands tall in the pocket but doesn’t have much mobility to escape trouble as his dismal combine indicated. He’ll have to rely on his strong arm to get places.
COMBINE NOTABLES
9.5-inch hands
4.89 40-yard dash (T-4th worst)
27.5-inch vertical (worst)
110-inch broad jump (3rd worst)
7.5 3-cone drill (2nd worst)
4.75 20-yard shuttle (worst)
VIKINGS COMPATIBILITY RANKING
1 out of 5. The Vikings just aren’t in a position to bring in a quarterback this early with Kirk Cousins under contract through 2022.
HIGHLIGHTS
WHAT DRAFT EXPERTS SAY
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com: “His elite size and arm talent are reminiscent of Carson Palmer, but issues with pocket poise and getting through progressions cleanly are more reminiscent of Brock Osweiler. Eason is fun to watch when he’s ripping throws around the field and taking deep play-action shots, but a lack of mobility inside and outside the pocket is troubling, considering his ineffectiveness when pressured. He’s relatively inexperienced and should continue to develop from the pocket, but poise is hard to fix, and handling exotic blitz packages is not a given. He’s a pro-style, play-action-based quarterback with average starter potential and an average backup floor.”
Jordan Reid, Draft Network: “With just over two full seasons of experience as a full-time starter, Eason shows positive signs of growth, but it also involved lots of up and down play. While his peaks are ultra-intriguing, there’s a huge mix of bad plays littered in as well. Right now, he’s more of a thrower than a pitcher – meaning that he wants everything to be fastball instead of switching up his pitches to compensate for the certain types of necessities and for who he’s throwing to. His back and forth dilemma with consistency will result in him always facing questions of whether or not he can take the next step in his development. His arm strength and baseline traits will help him eventually become a starter, but it ultimately will come down to his decision making and if he can hone in on the turnovers. If able to do that, he could eventually turn into a starter.”
WHAT PFF SAYS
91.7 clean-pocket passing grade (1st in PAC 12)
37.6 passing grade under pressure
74.9% adjusted completion percentage (T-22nd)
CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE ZONE COVERAGE DRAFT GUIDE:
TOP 100 PLAYER PROFILES
RANKING THE VIKINGS NEEDS
EXPLORING VIKINGS DRAFT TRENDS
A HISTORY OF RICK SPIELMAN’S DRAFT TRADES
VIKINGS TARGETS
LUKE INMAN’S MOCK DRAFTS
SENIOR BOWL CENTRAL
FEATURES FROM OUR STAFF
