Drake Maye
Drake Maye is a big and tall quarterback with prototypical quarterback size standing at 6’4 and weighing 229 pounds. He is currently 21 years old and played at the University of North Carolina.
Positives
Maye has a quick release and throws with very good zip in tight intermediate zone windows in the middle of the field. Maye has a strong arm that he displays when passing downfield especially on deep post routes that he can launch approximately 60 yards in the air.
Maye can also layer arcing passes in the middle of the field that have the right amount of zip but also touch while going 40 yards in the air. He hasn’t been asked to make as many opposite hashmark throws that can display arm strength and velocity. A throw from the 2023 game vs. Minnesota shows that he can at least throw it with solid velocity without it sailing too much.
Another way Maye demonstrates very good arm strength is his ability to throw with the proper touch and anticipation on downfield crossing passes that can travel 35 yards in the air. The pass has an arc to it as it has touch as well as the necessary zip and spiral to lead the receiver. Furthermore, the young signal caller is capable of throwing with excellent touch on fade routes. Against Syracuse in 2023, Drake Maye has a pass that leads the receiver with the ball descending down his hands without the receiver having to slow down to catch it. In addition, he can make a similar type of throw with very good ball placement on regular go-routes, albeit in the same hashmark which is an easier throw compared to an opposite hashmark throw.
Maye is pretty good at reading defenses pre-snap and can immediately throw on time. An example from the Minnesota game is him hitting the corner route which is a hole shot in between the zone corner and one of the safeties. Maye can make full field reads and throw over 35 yards on a line without having to reposition his front foot when driving on the throw. Furthermore, the University of North Carolina product can process post-snap by quickly diagnosing post-snap safety rotation and making the right read by firing the pass on time.
At times, Maye showcase good pocket movement. In addition, he can slightly step up in the pocket before throwing downfield. Maye displays very good speed and strength when he decides to run. Another positive attribute with his mobility is with him being able to throw on the run. The 2023 matchup vs. Pittsburgh showed that the young quarterback can flash creativity in his game as he was able to throw left handed for a touchdown while stiff arming a defender when keeping the ball on a a zone read. He can make emerging pass rusher miss when evading them in the pocket. In the Clemson 2023 matchup is an example of how the young signal caller has flashed an ability to throw 40 yards off his back foot while drifting towards his right with solid accuracy when pressured.
Negatives
Even though Maye has a strong arm and very good arm talent, there are inconsistent downfield touch throws. He can overthrow tighter window sideline go routes by putting too much air on it. It seems as though he is really reliant on generating force from his front leg when he attempts to throw a sideline deep ball with touch. He seems capable of throwing an intermediate sideline go ball but some of the deeper go passes towards the sideline tend to be met with inconsistent results. He has rarely shown that he can throw a touch pass that can specifically drop right in the receiver’s hands when there not only a tightly trailing defender but also an incoming safety rushing to them in coverage. In one example against Minnesota, Maye’s pass zoomed out of bounce. Another flaw that shows up is with Drake Maye’ ball placement. He can sometimes throw high and behind a receiver running across the field on short and intermediate throws respectively.
Maye has shown in some moments, particularly in the 2023 Clemson game, to lock into a single receiver that is tightly covered on a crossing route and then proceed to throw to the dirt of the receivers. It was difficult to tell if he intentionally because there was no way to throw a covered receiver open or if it was simply a poor throw in an ill-fated attempt of throwing a tightly receiver open on a lead pass. This specifically happened in the 2023 game against Clemson. It must be noted that his receivers were not the best in the country compared to the Clemson corners.
Maye has a habit of bailing out of clean pockets when he has space within the pocket to navigate around to buy time in it. Sometimes, his attempt to run out of clean pockets can lead to him running into sacks. On occasion against Minnesota in a 2023 game, he threw an alarming pick rolling to his right in which he was trying to pass it to a receiver downfield but ended up throwing the ball short directly to a linebacker underneath. He did not see him. At times, he can produce turnover worthy throws when he passes while under duress such as getting hit as he throws. In the specific examples against Minnesota and Virginia in 2023, he knew he was about to get sacked so instead of absorbing the sack, he just threw it in the direction of defenders right before getting it. It shows a lack of poise under pressure.
Conclusion
Drake Maye is a big quarterback with a strong arm that tests all parts of the field including the deep ball and opposite hash mark sidelines. He also has good mobility, strength, and playmaking. Maye can process at a pretty good level pre-snap and post-snap. He will have to continue to perfect his mechanics in order to show consistent ball placement in the NFL. In addition, Maye will need to cut down his habit of occasionally bailing out of clean pockets too early. Furthermore, he will need to try to avoid turnover worthy plays when under pressure.
Jayden Daniels
Jayden Daniels is a tall and slightly framed quarterback with great mobility standing at 6’4 and weighing 210 pounds. He is currently 23 years old and played last season at Louisiana State University.
Positives
Jayden Daniels is capable of throwing with excellent ball placement and touch on tightly covered sideline intermediate go balls. In the 2023 matchup against Ole Miss, he displays similar touch, ball placement, and accuracy on fade routes in the end zone. His touch, ball placement, and accuracy also holds up when he has to throw a deeper go ball that is over 40 yards in the air. He is able to make these types of throws without his receivers having to stop for the ball. The Ole Miss 2023 had many examples of how the LSU signal caller also displays very good zip in the middle of the field as he has the ability to throw receivers in stride when throwing towards tight zone windows. Daniels’ ability to throw a 25 yard zip pass even over a linebacker in the middle of the field holds up even when he is getting crushed right as he throws it.
The LSU product usually does a good job at making the game easier for himself by going to his favorable on the outside. Basically, if he sees one of his great receivers covered one by one with off coverage, then he will go to it immediately. He shows potential at being proficient in the quick game by picking the correct side on field to target. In the specific example against Ole Miss, he throws the hitch route (albeit to his star receiver) on the wider side of the hash mark against off coverage. This may seem simple but not every quarterback consistently makes the game easier for themselves in the quick game by making the right choice, even at the NFL level.
He displays the ability to remain poised and find zone-beating hitch routes against simulated pressures. An example of a simulated pressure from the Ole Miss game is when the defense shows more than 5 guys at line (usually some are linebackers) in an effort to show a blitz. They then drop back some of those defenders, usually in zone coverage, post-snap. It is done in an effort to speed up the quarterback’s process to see if he will panic when the defenders drop back because he might have been anticipating quick pressure instead. Daniels is also willing to be patient and take the check down underneath when defenses call a simulated pressure in which the defense drops back in a deep zone.
Jayden Daniels can go through his progressions and is able to go to his backside read. He is able to do this while resetting his feet to aim it in the direction of that backside read. He has flashed the capability of stepping up in the pocket, albeit very subtly. Jayden has shown that he can subtly step back to buy time to find his hot read against the blitz that he is capable of recognizing pre-snap. The 2023 Mississippi State also shows that he is also willing to do that while taking a big hit.
He flashes the ability to be a good post-snap processor. In one example, he sees the post-snap safety rotation in which one of the safety moves up closer in a cover 3 buzz look while some of the linebackers drop back into a zone. Daniels sees this and rips a 30 yard skinny post on time and in stride to his receiver on a line. The hole he threw it to in the zone was between the linebackers and the buzzing safety. If he throws it late, too early, bad ball placement, or with not enough zip then the play wouldn’t be as successful.
Daniels is able to throw 25 yards on the run when rolling to his right. The young quarterback has great speed in the open field. Furthermore, he is very elusive and surprisingly hard to bring down despite his slender frame. He is able to make defenders miss him in space due to his athletic ability.
Negatives
Even though Jayden Daniels has nice touch and zip on intermediate throws and the occasional deep ball, the reality is that a solid amount of his deep balls (45 yards or more) tend to hang in the air too long, are not in front of the receiver, and short in terms of distance. As a result, his receiver have to slow down or come back for it which can sometimes lead to incompletions.
One 45 yard sideline deep ball he threw against Arkansas in 2023 that was actually in front of the receiver had drifted towards the middle instead of staying wide. More arm strength concerns for Daniels appears when he is trying to make opposite hash mark throws towards the sidelines such as on curl routes. In those throws, the ball takes a while to get to the receiver as it doesn’t have close to type of zip Daniels displays throwing in the middle of the field on intermediate throws that may be of similar distance. Some of it is tied to him not always driving those throws with his front leg but even when he does, it still doesn’t have great zip.
On one occasion, Daniels simply did not see the flat zone defender when he threw a hitch route that he locked on which led to an interception. Even though Daniels mostly plays on time, once in a while he misses on opportunities to get quick completions that will result in him having to run when he doesn’t need to. In one instance against Arkansas, he had a quick wide receiver bubble screen but he waited too long until the defender got near the receiver. As a result, he had to run. Jayden Daniels can extend plays by using his ability and ability to keep his eyes downfield when moving. However, in this example against Mississippi State, he does it on a play where he had an underneath drag route he could have quickly thrown to on time.
Despite showing the ability to anticipate the blitz, Daniels can sometimes have moments when he does not anticipate the overload blitz and ends up absorbing an unnecessary sack. He has shown to not always sense edge rush such as against Florida State University in 2023. He can take bad sacks on plays where he should’ve thrown it away instead of trying to outrun the defenders but then failing at doing so. He can sometimes force passes on crossing routes when there is a safety waiting on it that can jump in front for a turnover worthy play. Daniels takes a lot of big hits when he runs in the open field or when he is trying to convert on short yardage situations. This is concerning given his slight frame.
Conclusion
Jayden Daniels has very good mobility, shows proficiency in the quick game, and can throw on time with good zip on most throws. He will have to address arm strength concerns on opposite hash mark throws and on deep balls on post routes. Furthermore, he will have to either bulk up more or try to limit the hits he takes given his frame in the NFL.
Caleb Williams
Caleb Williams is compact but not the tallest quarterback that has great playmaking at the position and stands at 6’1 while weighing 215 pounds. He is currently 22 years old and played most recently for the University of Southern California.
Positives
Caleb Williams has an excellent arm. His game against Utah in 2023 shows that he can launch a near 60 yard deep ball post route in stride. He can even pass it over 66 yards when he drives the ball forward. Also, he is capable of launching an accurate sideline deep ball 50 yards in the air to his receiver in stride while running up in the pocket and not having to step into the throw. Williams can launch the ball over 55 yards without a clean pocket when making secondary reaction reads. (Utah 6:14 big 10 football junkies).
Williams is skilled at layering his short to intermediate passes with the proper touch but arcing zip over zone linebackers. He can make a good 30 yard zip pass, at least when he drives the throw. He is able to throw the opposite hash mark pass on an out route with solid velocity while being on time. He can also throw an opposite hash mark back shoulder pass on time. When given time, Williams can backpedal and move around in the pocket before rolling out (usually in the B-gap which is in between where the guard and tackle are) and throwing accurately downfield for a big play. The matchup against Utah showcases how Williams is able to throw on the run when rolling to his left (Utah 9:55 big 10 football junkies). In addition, he is gifted enough to throw over 20 yards downfield on the run while rolling to his left with the proper touch and accuracy to his receiver in stride.
The USC product has a fast release that allows him to be a strong asset in an RPO (run-pass-option) play. His snappy throwing motion allows him to release the ball really fast when he chooses to throw in an RPO play without having to spend an extra second to reset his feet to direct the throw. Furthermore, Williams is skilled at dropping his arm angle when he throws to the point where he can throw side arm passes and even an underhanded short pass. This happens in games against teams such as UCLA and Stanford. This is important because it allows him to throw screens and short check downs without a charging defensive linemen batting it down.
Williams shows that he can go through his progressions and work his way to his backside read. In addition, he displays the ability to quickly make full field reads.
During the UCLA game the USC quarterback displays good decision making and blitz recognition when he decides to throw immediately to the running back in the flat once he gets the ball as the defense sends extra linebacker rushers at him. In other instances, he can recognize the blitz pre-snap to understand that he can backpedal in order to buy time so that he can use his skills to reset his feet and launch a 40 yard deep ball post route.
For the most part, Williams seems to do a solid job of processing what he sees post-snap and quickly throwing on time when he knows where to go with the ball based on the coverage he is seeing. When the defense changes their coverage post-snap such as going to an inverted Tampa 2 defense, Caleb Williams is able to stay calm and go to his check down against UCLA. The young quarterback is able to sense edge pressure spin out of a potential sack. He flashes the ability on multiple occasions to step up subtly in the pocket before throwing.
He has shown the consistent ability to elude multiple defenders in and around the pocket in order to avoid pressure which can sometimes lead to him subsequently throwing to a receiver on the run. In one example against Notre Dame in 2023, he is able to merge a lot of abilities in one play by side stepping to elude and buy time against the rush and then resetting to throw across the field with a unique arm angle. Williams is able to reset the collapsing pocket by backpedaling and then climbing up a small hole in the pocket to avoid charging edge rushers. He can then roll to his left and throw for a completion. The young quarterback displays good speed when he runs. He can evade pressure in the pocket while maintaining his balance. He is able to juke past a linebacker in space.
Negatives
Despite his many talents, Williams does have some flaws. Every very now and then, Williams will be inaccurate when throwing in the intermediate part of the field. The pass can be behind and or high of the receiver. Once in a while, he can even overthrow a tightly covered sideline pass that lacks velocity and instead sails over the receiver’s head.
Every now and then, Williams won’t sense the edge rush even though he has shown he has the abilities to do so. A concerning part of Williams’ game is that he can throw very erratically when under pressure as it can lead to turnover-worthy plays. Furthermore, these types of throws can show up especially in response to when a defender unexpectedly flashes in front of him while he is rolling out.
Earlier, it was written that Williams can make opposite hash mark throws with solid zip but he doesn’t seem to drive the throws which does cause some arm strength concerns at least with that specific type of throw. In another example during a Utah 2023 game, the opposite hash mark throw on a curl route did not have any zip on it and took a while to get there. There was pressure coming but he had space to at least try to drive it. The issue is with whether he is capable of putting more zip on the ball if he drives it or if doesn’t have that ability regardless.
Ironically, Williams seems better throwing with touch when he is on the run compared to when is standing in the pocket. In one example against Arizona State University in 2023, he overthrew a fade route that required touch and ball placement. Williams has a very unique ability to drive his throws with zip when rolling to his left. However, it can be a double edge sword because this same type of throws can lead to turnover plays when the defender is in a position to pick it up.
Even though the USC product is capable of going to his check downs, he will sometimes have plays where he takes a bad sack due to him waiting on a downfield read and then trying to outrun the pass rusher rather than to quickly see that the halfback check down option is best option for that specific play based on the coverage.
Williams can sometimes hold onto the ball too long when trying to push the ball down the field which can lead to sacks. Williams’ playmaking can sometimes be unnecessary. In one example against UCLA, he sees an open receiver in the middle of the field during an RPO play but does not pull the trigger. As a result, he has to try to make a play but fails this time.
In instances where his offensive line is shaky, his instincts as a playmaker can lead to sacks on plays where a quick throwaway would’ve avoided an impending pressure sack. Even though Williams does a nice job backpedaling to reset a collapsing pocket, he often relies on climbing the pocket by running up into it before following to one side to either play extend or run. Despite the fact that he can have success with it, he is missing out on opportunities to climb the pocket while keeping the same throwing base (keeping his feet set with the proper mechanics to throw on time) that can allow him to still work through his progression and potentially throw within the structure of the play. By running up in the pocket, the play essentially breaks down. Even though he can lead to some special plays, it is always a sustainable approach. It is yet to be seen whether William’s height will be a concern in the NFL as it pertains to whether he will have trouble seeing over bigger offensive linemen or not.
Conclusion
Caleb Williams has great playmaking ability and can throw off different platforms. His success in the NFL will be dependent on how quickly he accepts taking what the defense gives him consistently, not always trying to get out of the pocket to make a play, continuing to fine tune his mechanics, and avoiding turnover worthy plays when consistently pressured. He will have to address the quiet concerns with his ability to consistently drive opposite hash mark throws towards the sidelines.
J.J. McCarthy
J.J. McCarthy is a slightly framed quarterback with solid mobility standing at 6’3 and weighing 202 pounds. He is currently 21 years old and played last season for the University of Michigan.
Positives
McCarthy can throw to a receiver in stride with very good zip on the ball on dig routes and long crossing routes that are approximately 25 yards in the air. During games against Purdue and Michigan State University in 2023, McCarthy also has good zip on in the middle of the field when throwing hitch routes on a closing zone window with defenders nearby. He also shows this ability in the quick game on short slants. He throws with very good zip on sideline passes downfield such as in 12 yard curl. He especially displays his arm strength on opposite hash mark out routes going 20 yards downfield that are on target and on time.
McCarthy also possesses velocity on corner routes that require the ball to be driven quick enough before the nearby safety and cloud zone corner could make a play on it. Against Ohio State in 2023, McCarthy threw a fantastic rope throw to his receiver in stride in the middle of the field in between a trailing cornerback and a safety. He threw it right before the safety turned around which allowed for him to fit in that tight space with the safety no longer being able to make a play on the ball. Moving along, he can hit a 20 plus yard seam route in stride with solid zip and enough of an arc to it. He shows quick decisiveness as he throws with great velocity and timing on a seam route to the tight end and the ball is over the head of the trailing linebacker (msu maizen brew sb nation 8:08).
In addition, McCarthy also displays accuracy when throwing to tightly covered receivers such as on a 20 yard out route. Against Purdue, the signal caller shows good touch on a 30 yard slot fade route that was thrown on the opposite hash mark which is difficult compared to the same hash mark.
McCarthy possesses very good ball placement and a tight spiral when he leads his receivers on long 40 yard go route passes. McCarthy is capable of understanding the need to intentionally throw low and behind his receiver in order to protect him from the middle-of-the-field safety. Against Michigan State in 2023, he also demonstrates understanding the correct shoulder of the receiver to place the ball in the direction of in order to give the receiver the chance to catch it away from the nearby zone defender. Doing this protects the tight end from getting hit and forces him to sit for the ball to come to the direction of his right shoulder rather than to be led to the defender.
McCarthy is able to sense edge rush and climb the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield. The Purdue matchup is an example of how the Michigan product also showcases very good footwork and a forward hitch when stepping up in the pocket to throw downfield without any heel clicking. He relies on rotating his hips forward when he throws to generate zip on some of his throws. Furthermore, he can subtly shift sideways around an edge defender while keeping his eyes downfield before making a throw.
The 2023 Maryland matchup is one of the instances where it is present that young quarterback has the ability to recognize and react properly to the blitz. He is able to work with his teammates to pick up the blitz and then throw on time and on target to his receiver on an out route as a hot read against the blitz pressure. He has shown that can make full field reads by looking at one side of the field for some of his reads before going to the other side. McCarthy can reset his feet to be directed at the guy he is going to throw to after working the full field. Some quarterbacks forget to redirect their feet to where they are going to throw when looking at multiple reads.
McCarthy can throw on the run. Furthermore, he is skilled at throwing very accurately while on the run to the right on 30 yards passes towards the sidelines. Furthermore, he can roll to his left and throw accurately while doing so. McCarthy is able to drive across his body successfully. McCarthy showcases solid elusiveness in avoiding an edge defender while keeping his eyes downfield when play extending to throw. He can quickly elude a defensive linemen that performed a very good stunt to rush at him unblocked. He then proceeds to throw on the run effectively. He has good straight line speed.
Negatives
In one instance, he isn’t on target with throwing the back shoulder pass in a way that would give his receiver the best chance to grab it on time. In another instance against Maryland, he incorrectly attempts to lead the receiver on a fade route instead of throwing the pass to the back shoulder of the receiver. Occasionally, he can miss a flat route and an intermediate throw. Against Michigan State University, he is shown overthrowing a wide open receiver on a go route by putting too much zip on the pass instead of putting more air on the ball for the player run up for it.
Even though he can physically make opposite hash mark throws, once in a while he will throw high and behind on such a play. The Michigan product can even throw high on an over route which would result in the receiver having to jump high for it. The Alabama matchup showed that his accuracy can also drop when facing direct pressure such as throwing behind a short crossing route.
The young quarterback isn’t asked to throw deep downfield as much. In the Maryland game, he threw very behind his receiver on a 50 yard pass. He needed to lead the receiver instead. Even though the Michigan product tends to have good footwork, his footwork can get bad sometimes when is forced to throw under pressure and it leads to inaccurate passes. He can make ill advised decisions when throwing in the congested middle of field when a defender is charging at him. It led to a tipped ball but could have been worse.
At times, he would be inaccurate on hitch or curl routes by throwing it wide of the receiver. The concern on those plays is that it is either him being inaccurate or it is him not reading the post-snap defense correctly on an option route. It could also be that he is getting fooled by zone cornerbacks that are baiting him into thinking it is man coverage based on the way they move. As a result, he is attempting to lead the receiver on an out route instead of throwing it on the hitch route which leads to incompletions.
In one instance against Washington, his release looked a little elongated. He has shown to not always pull the trigger on deep post routes in which there is a quick opportunity to make the throw but if one is hesitant then it will be gone. This can be a sign that he isn’t sure of what he is seeing in coverage to know it is right to make the throw.
McCarthy struggles against post snap safety rotation such as an inverted cover 2 (a cover 2 defense disguised as a single safety high coverage pre-snap). In a play against Purdue, he did not quickly bypass reads in the progression that weren’t going to beat the specific post-snap coverage to then quickly find the ones that were such as one of his receivers available on a hitch or the halfback on the flat available.
Against Iowa in 2023, McCarthy took a sack due to the offensive line breaking down but he had a flat check down available if he quickly moved past his initial reads that weren’t there before the pressure came. One concerning play against Maryland was a bad interception he threw that was supposed to go to the tight end on an end zone post route. Instead, he threw it right to the linebacker. It raises the question of whether he saw the linebacker there due to him staring down the tight end and predetermining that he was going to throw it to him. Another similar example against Iowa was him almost throwing a pick to an underneath defender in an attempt to hit his receiver on a seam route. It appears that he stared down the teammate and didn’t feel the need to put enough of an arc on the throw to get it over the defender that he probably didn’t see.
The young signal caller can take sacks when trying to run away from pass rushers as he is not always able to elude pass rushers. McCarthy is good against the blitz but can be fooled for the well timed slot corner blitz by not anticipating it. Against Purdue, McCarthy does a good job at being able to extend the play to his left side and can reset his feet to then throw. However, the issue is that he had the hitch route for a check down available if he has an answer to zone simulated pressure. He did not displays post snap poise in this situation. In another instance against Ohio State in 2023, he doesn’t quickly pull the trigger on a hitch route that has defenders closing in on it. As a result, he tucks the ball and has to roll out of the pocket but is stopped by a defender spying him.
McCarthy’s proficiency in throwing on the run doesn’t hold up when he is pressured right in his face which can lead to a terrible throw. McCarthy may be able to successfully throw across his body. However, doing this has the possibility of it leading to turnovers due to the riskiness of such throws, especially when throwing to the middle of the field with multiple defenders there as evident in the game against Maryland in 2023. He showed good speed in being able to avoid a blitzing linebacker from the A gap but it could have been avoided by identifying him as the mike linebacker (assuming it wasn’t a miss assigned blocked by one of the interior linemen).
Conclusion
J.J. McCarthy has a very good arm that mostly shows when he is passing in the intermediate zones and on opposite hash mark throws. He also has pretty good mobility, a good base when he is set to throw, and nice footwork. McCarthy is also proficient at setting the protections against most of the blitzes he recognizes. He will have to improve his post-snap processing when defenses show a different coverage after the snap. This will allow him to stay in the pocket and find the right guy to go instead of having to bail out of the pocket when he is unsure of what he is seeing. In addition, he needs to do a better job at consistently reading defenses so that he can be on the same page with his receivers when they are running option routes which are based on what the defense is doing. Furthermore, he will need to improve his accuracy on deep passes and limit the passes he makes across his body.
Michael Penix Jr.
Michael Penix Jr. is a slight framed gun slinging quarterback standing at 6’3 and weighing 213 pounds. He is currently 23 years old and recently played at the University of Washington.
Positives
Penix throws with good ball placement on tightly covered 1-on-1 comeback routes. He also displays such ball placement when throwing to tightly covered receivers in general. He can also throw a fade ball in a way that only his receiver can get it. He can throw with solid zip on opposite hash mark out routes and corner routes. The 2023 California game is one the many examples of how he can do it with solid ball placement, having his feet directed where the ball will go to, and doing so on time.
The Washington product showcases the combination of a quick concise footwork and a gorgeous go ball towards the sidelines on the opposite hash mark. He can complete this type of pass with accuracy that allows the tightly covered receiver to catch it in stride.
Penix can display such a high level throw with a 45 yard corner route that has a tight spiral with the perfect arc for a touchdown. Another second level pass Penix can make is the 30 plus yard over route with the two defenders near the receiver in stride and towards the sidelines. He can lay the ball with an arc over the linebacker’s head but with enough velocity ahead of the safety before he can make a play on the ball. This holds up even when it is an opposite hash mark over route.
The Washington alum can throw strikes into a congested zone before a linebacker can reach for the ball. He shows the ability to look off a zone linebacker before finding his guy on an out-and-in route in order to draw the linebacker away from the receiver. The Pac 12 championship Oregon game presents how Penix is able to sidestep around in the pocket while keeping his feet set to the direction of where he will throw, keeping his eyes downfield, and keeping a balance base when the pocket gets muddied.
Penix has a good sense of knowing how to backpedal to buy time against the rush when he wants to throw deep on an excellently thrown over route. Penix has a willingness to fit his passes into the hole shot (the area in between a corner playing zone and a nearby safety) when he sees that there is a short opportunity for the throw. He is also able to throw with very good velocity on a slot go route in a way that allows the receiver downfield to catch the ball before the safety could get close but fast enough before the trailing cornerback could catch up.
He displays the ability to throw seam passes with the right arc that goes over the head of a zone linebacker but doesn’t over lead the receiver into the safety. As a result, the receiver is able to slow down a little bit for the pass. The 2023 Arizona State game shows he is capable of being very accurate on 55 plus yard deep post routes with a few defenders nearby by having the ball placed in an area where his receiver could catch it. The gunslinger can launch an accurate ball 50 yards deep in the air with good velocity and touch without having to completely step into the throw.
He is capable of making full field reads without being late on the throws as he is shown looking on one side of the field before working his way to the other side of the field to find his receiver on a well-timed route. The 23 year old quarterback is willing to check it down underneath and take what the defense gives him when the defense drops into a 2 deep zone. The Arizona State matchup gives an example of how Penix is also capable of recognizing a blitz and throwing hot against it when anticipating a free rusher coming at him.
The quarterback can flash creativity, in one instance against Oregon State, throwing accurately on the run of his back foot. Michael Penix presented in one moment against Oregon that he can have the instincts to quickly get rid of the ball when two defenders from opposite sides are charging at him at once on rollout play. Penix has enough mobility to do left side sprint roll out plays.
Negatives
Even though Penix is capable of making high level throws downfield with very good accuracy, he can sometimes miss throws in general. In one instance, he misses high on an out route against Arizona State. Penix can occasionally miss wide on check downs such as on a flat route.
Sometimes when Penix misses wide, underthrows, or passes behind on a target, it can be because his front leg is lined up too wide of where his target is going instead of being narrower and pointed directly to where his target is going. He also can be inaccurate when rolling to his left. In one play against Oregon, he can also overthrow a go ball by putting heat on it. There are a few occasions when he can throw high or having timing issues on some of his passes.
Even though he is capable of throwing with nice touch, there can be accuracy concerns with it. On a wheel route to the halfback in the California game, he displayed nice touch on the ball but the halfback had to slow down to get the ball which led to an incompletion. If it was thrown ahead of him then the halfback could have caught in stride for an easier catch. Even though Penix can have good ball placement on comeback and back shoulder routes, he can occasionally throw a little too much to the inside or be over aggressive in forcing such a route when the receiver is covered well enough to not be able to make a play on the ball. He can occasionally have his passes knocked down.
In one instance against California, he made a terrible decision forcing a pass to a receiver that was well covered and made it worse by throwing into it off his back foot which led to the going right to the defender. It seemed to have happened when he was uncertain on that play. Penix’s poise can be shaken when the defense disguises their coverage and shows different looks post-snap, especially on a simulated pressure. The opponent Arizona State presented a 6 man blitz on the line of scrimmage but dropped back into a zone simulated pressure. Penix appeared flustered and threw a terrible interception off his back foot. The ball sailed and he wasn’t able to drive the throw.
Penix continues to display the bad habit when he throws a high pass off his back foot after the Oregon defense sent a zone blitz from the slot corner in the 2023 Pac 12 championship game. The slot corner was covered but the defensive end’s rush provided enough pressure to force an errant pass that led to a pick. A play from the 2023 Stanford game served as an example of how when Penix is pressured in his face, he is susceptible to becoming inaccurate on his throws.
Penix sometimes doesn’t navigate the pocket to find a clean passing lane in the huddle and would settle for a throw when a defender is next to his foot. The risk with this is that it could potentially lead to inaccurate throws if he isn’t able to step into his throws.
Even though Penix can occasionally check it down against deep zone coverage when downfield routes are likely covered, he sometimes forces balls downfield to his good receivers of man coverage plays, such as on a stop-and-go route, rather than to check it down to a teammate wide open on an underneath flat route. Penix has some more instances of forcing passes with many defenders nearby. Against Oregon State, he forces the ball in triple coverage when there was a receiver underneath with 1-on-1 which had a better chance at a completion.
In another example from the Oregon State game, the quarterback throws deep and makes what would be considered a soft throwaway since the guy he wanted to go to in that air was double covered. The issue is with whether he should have looked away from those teammates and instead look for whether other receivers were open. He had an over route from the same game that raised questions if he saw the underneath defender or not because if he did then he would’ve put more zip on the ball to get it there faster. Penix has solid mobility but not great mobility as he can still take sacks when occasionally rolling out.
Conclusion
Michael Penix Jr. has an accurate and strong arm that allows him to get the ball downfield in tight coverage when given time. He is good at reading coverages and navigating the pocket. Moving forward, he will need to do a better job at staying poised when the defense changes up its coverage post-snap. In addition, he will need to find a way to throw with more accuracy and avoid turnover-worth plays when forced to play under constant duress. Also, Penix should try to bulk up a bit and will have to show that he can stay healthy as a pro since he dealt with many major injuries during his college career.
Bo Nix
Bo Nix is a solidly built quarterback standing at 6’2 and weighing 217 pounds. He is currently 23 years old and most recently played in the University of Oregon.
Positives
Bo Nix showcases nice touch on a 20 yard wheel route against Washington in 2023. He also displays solid touch and accuracy on a 20 yard pass against Colorado. He can throw a downfield over route with the proper touch above an underneath defender. It also has the proper accuracy and ball placement. Furthermore, he can throw the same over route but with some more velocity against zone coverage so that it gets there before the underneath cornerback in zone coverage could react. He is capable of throwing a 55 yard post route pass with a nice arc in the air that goes to the receiver in stride and falls nicely in his hands. Nix has the impressive ability to launch a 45-50 yard touch lob pass on the run to a tightly covered receiver in stride.
Nix can put air on the ball on some deep passes to give his receivers the chance to run up to it. Nix is capable of throwing a 30 yard pass across his body but it is not reckless because he threw the pass to the receiver in a 1-on-1 situation that allows the receiver to make a play on the ball. He is capable of throwing with solid velocity on an opposite hash mark throw. In the 2023 Arizona State University game, Nix displays good timing and decisiveness on a 25 yard post route as the ball gets there before the middle of the field safety (albeit shaded a bit towards the other side) could there. He can throw a solid 25 yard strike for a touchdown.
Bo Nix showcases good footwork and solid delivery on his drop back that allows him to throw on rhythm. An example from the Oregon State game is him doing this before throwing a specific out route that requires soft touch for the tight end to grab it over a trailing defender. Nix shows good anticipation as he is able to throw an out route before his receiver finishes his break while a free edge blitzed is coming right at the quarterback. He also displays good pre-snap recognition since he knows that with the unblocked blitzing defender there, he needs to find a hot read (the out route) against him while also buying time to do so.
In the 2023 regular season Washington matchup, Nix continues to show poise and that he has answers against the blitz by throwing a go out to one of his receivers very quickly when the blitz comes. Nix can also recognize slot corner blitzes pre-snap and go to his read to the flat quickly once he gets the snap. Some quarterbacks in the NFL struggle finding hot read answers against slot corner blitzes.
Against the same team and in other instances, Nix shows good poise by being able to throw with a guy in his face, and he can specifically do this by throwing to hot read on a hitch while dealing with unblocked edge pressure. The Oregon product is willing to show patience by going to check it down to the flat when he sees everyone covered vs. zone coverage. He is willing to make the game easy for himself by simply choosing to go to his receiver on the wide side of the field that has more receiving targets anyway. He chose the one that specifically has off coverage. Some quarterbacks, even on the NFL level, do not consistently take the very easy completions that are there.
In the Washington game, the young quarterback displays very good playmaking in his ability to scramble away from the rush and then throw to his target short in the middle in an adlib situation at an angle where only his tight end could catch it before defenders come. Even with a defender in his face, he can place a nice touch ball when throwing on the run to a teammate running a crossing route. He can also make a throw with good velocity when such a rush by an edge defender occurs. Nix is willing to take advantage of the space available to him in the B gap (the area in between the guard and offensive tackle) by stepping up in that lane to then throw on the run.
Nix displays elusiveness as a runner and runs around trailing defenders. The Washington Pac 12 championship matchup was an example of how Nix has nice speed in the open field. Beyond that, he utilizes that same mobility to be able to escape pressure.
Negatives
Even though Nix can put air on the ball on some deep passes to give his receivers the chance to run up to it, the Oregon product seems to overthrow very deep passes on some occasions such as a 55 plus yard deep ball that sailed 7 yards ahead the receiver. In addition, he overthrew a tight window over route that a turnover worthy tipped ball by the Arizon State University middle of the field safety. Another overthrow he had against Washington (regular season) was on an opposite hash mark fade ball. He also underthrew a 45 yard deep ball go route in that same game.
Even though Nix has flashed the ability to throw with solid zip on opposite hash mark throws, there have been times when he did not show great zip on an opposite hash mark curl route pass and he did not step into the throw either to maximize any velocity on it. In another example of such a throw against Arizona State University, he displays decent zip but not great zip.
In one play during the Oregon State game, his release appeared somewhat slow when throwing from an RPO/shotgun play action following the fake handoff to the halfback. Once in a while, Nix will be inaccurate when throwing behind on a slant. Nix’s accuracy didn’t hold up when he faced a simulated pressure (the defender drops defenders back into zone post-snap after showing many at the line of scrimmage) as he threw behind his receiver on a slant pass during the Pac 12 championship game.
A concern about Nix’s velocity on the ball was on a 30 yard dig route he threw that was caught and ran for a touchdown in the Pac 12 championship. The pass got there before a defender could swat it down but the ball did not get there with great velocity and was fortunate to not have been deflected or intercepted. It was a pass that needed more zip on the ball if it is to be consistently completed, especially on the NFL level.
On one occasion in the same game, he forced a slant pass that was covered well. Even though Nix can throw with nice touch and is able to backpedal to buy time against pressure, he ended up predetermining the route rather than to throw an underneath route. Another example of Nix predetermining plays was when he took the easy slant that quickly led to the defensive back coming down for the tackle in the Pac 12 championship. Instead, he had an opportunity on that 3rd down to rip a dig route once he saw the safety coming down on the drag for a big completion. Against Arizona State University, he predetermines another drag route which leads to the zone defender hitting the receiver right as he catches it. Had Nix decided to process that it was underneath zone coverage post-snap, he would have declined the drag and instead quickly hit halfback in the flat since there was for some yards after catch.
In one instance against Oregon State, he makes a bad read trying to force a seam pass against a 2 deep safety coverage without throwing it to the proper shoulder of the receiver that would at least be away from the safety and increase the chances of a completion.
In the Pac 12 championship, Bo Nix has a really bad play in which he throws right to the defender when rolling to his right. It shows concern when passing on the run with defenders nearby. In the Colorado matchup, Nix also made a very bad decision by floating a pass into the zone. The pass lacked velocity. It should have been a hole shot strike that gets there ahead of the zone cornerback but in front of the safety. Another option he had in this specific example was to pump fake on the underneath route to draw the corner flat to the flat in order to free up the receiver downfield.
Conclusion
Bo Nix is a very good rhythm thrower that is willing to take what the defense gives him and operates the offense on time. He has very touch on a lot of different kinds of passes throughout the field. He has solid velocity on most of his throws but there can be noticeable room for improvement. He is very good at finding and going to hot reads against all types of blitzes. Nix also has very good mobility in the open field and as a scrambling playmaker. He needs to improve his deep ball accuracy and also needs to avoid predetermining some of his reads and instead process how the defense is reacting to his receiving targets post-snap.
say who you guys think is the best of the group. I’d go caleb then daniels then maye. the rest i am not sure in terms of order.