The Jordan Love Debate

Back in 2017, draft experts did not have Patrick Mahomes high on their draft boards. Many put him in the boom or bust category with an emphasis on bust. They just did not know what to think of him, as he was from an average school playing with average Division 1 talent.

Mahomes did not fit the prototypical QB prospect. He had small hands, did not read defenses well, seemed to be a one-read QB, and played more like he was in his backyard rather than a polished pocket passer.

But we all know the rest of the story, the Chiefs saw something that no one else saw and they traded up in the draft to get Mahomes. The move had all the draft analysts in shock and Mahomes is now considered the league’s top QB and just won a Super Bowl MVP.

With Mahomes in the back of every draft expert’s minds, they look to prospect Jordan Love. Love has many of the same qualities Mahomes had coming out of the draft. An average school, a lot of athletic ability but seems to force a lot of plays. Love threw 17 interceptions to just 20 touchdowns this past season. Typically a QB with this type of resume would fall in the draft because taking care of the football is the essential quality of a QB.

But back to 2017 and Patrick Mahomes, draft experts do not want to miss on another player like Mahomes, and many think that Love has the potential to have this type of upside.

So, is the praise Jordan Love receiving warranted? If you look back to his sophomore year, he had a monster season throwing for 3,567 yards 32 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Scouts know there is a good QB there in Utah, and many have decided to blame it on his supporting cast.

Utah State was not a very good team for Love’s last season and many games they were plying from behind. Love was forced to make some poor throws because he needed to take some risks to give his team a chance at winning. None of his receivers will make it to the next level and left Love to do it all on his own.

This narrative has given Jordan Love high standings in this year’s draft and is labeled the QB with the highest ceiling meaning that we could see Love do the transformation Mahomes did that no one saw coming.

What is going to be interesting is seeing who gets drafted first, Love or Justin Herbert. I think it will be telling on the future of QB play in this league. Herbert is your prototypical prospect who is a ready day one starter, but what you see is what you get. With Love, there is a high-risk, high-reward in drafting him. For teams, the important question in the Jordan Love debate will be if a team feels good about taking him a molding him into his full potential over the ready starter Herbert.