*This is the first part of a 10 part series where we will take a look at the Cleveland Browns options for the elusive quarterback of the future.
Name: Jimmy Garoppolo
Height: 6’2 1/4″
Weight: 225 pounds
Throws: Right
School: Eastern Illinois
NFL Team: New England Patriots
Draft Spot or Projection: 2nd round, 62nd overall (2014)
Strengths: Good, but not great size…Excellent usage of his eyes, scans the entire field…lightning fast release…accurate…smooth, natural delivery…good feet, helps evade pocket pressure, average pocket presence, resets himself after getting “happy feet” on occasions…very good ball placement…stays calm, leader on the field, does not show many ups and downs…executes his offense well…elite production at FCS school with 13,156 yards and 118 touchdowns…2013 Walter Payton Award winner…
Weaknesses: Velocity is not elite, but good enough…needs to continue to improve his decision making…deep ball accuracy issues…has tendency to go side arm at times…will take time to develop…holds the ball to long and needs to develop a better internal clock…gets happy feet when faced with pressure and does not show great form when forced to improvise…
Summary: When I wrote the original scouting report on Garoppolo in 2014, I saw him as a late second to early third round quarterback who would be an NFL starter if given the time to develop. After sitting behind Brady and working with Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels over the past three seasons, he has been given the proper time to develop and has been taught by some of the best ever. If Garoppolo was in the 2017 draft with his current skill set, shown in minimal NFL playing time, I truly believe he would he would be a first round pick.
Up next: Bengals QB A.J. McCarron