Arguably no player in the 2020 NFL Draft is more enigmatic than Utah State quarterback Jordan Love. His combination of size, mobility, and arm ability is off the charts. So much so, that people have compared the tantalizing prospect to 2018 NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes. However, his lapse in decision making and struggles against rather underwhelming competition this past season seemed to have put a knick in his once-lofty draft status.
Then the quarterback took to Mobile, Alabama for Senior Bowl week, and despite some miscues with unfamiliar receivers, Love shined by most accounts. His draft stock now appears to be on an uptick, as the potential boom-or-bust draft prospect inches his way closer to becoming the second signal-caller off the board come late April.
Jordan Love Latest Mocks & Draft Projections
In ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper‘s most recent mock draft, he had Love coming off the board rather late in the first round, but landing in an ideal spot for a player of his talents, one that would allow him to sit and learn behind a future Hall of Famer. Kiper has the New Orleans Saints scooping Love with the 24th-overall draft pick and the likely heir-apparent to Brees in The Big Easy.
The selection makes plausible sense for the main fact that Teddy Bridgewater and Taysom Hill, Brees’ backups for each of the past two seasons, will each no longer be under contract with New Orleans once the new NFL year begins.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller released a quick mock in the latest edition of his Scouting Notebook. Miller has Love coming off the board quite a bit earlier than Kiper, at 13th-overall to the Indianapolis Colts.
Daniel Jeremiah released his inaugural mock of the season, Mock Draft 1.0 via NFL.com earlier this week. He, like Miller, also has Love being drafted by the Colts, a selection that has become quite popular in the draft community over recent weeks.
Here’s Jeremiah’s reasoning behind the draft pick.
The Colts haven’t publicly committed to Jacoby Brissett as their starter in 2020, and Love is simply too intriguing to pass up. He might need to sit for a year, but the payoff could be huge.
Jeremiah points to the fact that following the regular season the Colts GM Chris Ballard went on record distancing themselves from a potential long-term marriage with current starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
“The jury is still out,” Ballard said of Brissett. “That’s why we did the short-term deal with Jacoby. One, to give us some security that we had a player we knew we liked and could go forward with. But also, two, to give us time to figure out if he is the guy or not. Jacoby did a lot of good things. He also did some things that I think he would tell you he needs to get better at. But it’s a constant evaluation.”
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Jordan Love NFL Draft Profile
Pros: Love has a full toolbox for the position. He carries plus-size, standing at 6’4 and around 225 pounds. His mobility is above average, yet he tends to keep his eyes downfield. His knack for making big plays on the fly is where he really shines. He has the ability to hit throws on the move from awkward body positions.
Cons: Decision making and turnovers are what hold Love back from being a top-five consensus selection. He seems to struggle with more complex, disguised coverages. He has mental miscues with his footwork at times, and can get caught in a Jameis Winston gunslinger-esque mode from time-to-time. Love had five multi-interception games in 2019 and 17 total on the season, a far cry from his six total interceptions in 2018.
Draft Projection: Top 15-20 pick
While Love does not rank this high on my personal draft board, his abundance of tools and elite upside will have scouts and coaches salivating more and more as draft day approaches. Combine that with the constant need for quarterbacks in the NFL, and you have yourself a near sure-fire top half of the first-round selection.
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Jordan Love NFL Draft Projection: Latest Mocks & Profile for Utah State QB