A former Giants legend says scouting collegiate quarterbacks is “impossible.”
The New York Giants were thought to be certain to select one of the best quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft with the sixth overall pick, at least until lately. The Giants remain open to selecting any of the top three quarterback prospects available, despite their stated desire to retain current starter Daniel Jones for the upcoming campaign.
Whatever a passer’s skill level, according to a former Giants icon, it is “impossible” to predict how well they will perform on the NFL field.
In advance of this year’s draft, which is scheduled to start on April 16, Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner recently discussed the scouting process. Warner made the following intriguing remarks on X (via Yahoo Sports’ John Fennelly) about today’s college talent and their preparedness for the spotlight straight away:
“Although I know a lot of you adore college football, I find it difficult to even watch these college quarterbacks because there aren’t many plays that go according to plan, the pass concepts are frequently poorly executed, they repeatedly run the same play, there are a ton of bubble screens, and there aren’t many concepts that translate to the next level,” Warner said.
Who better to know than the 1994 undrafted Northern Iowa product and two-time league MVP? Passing games were less important in today’s game when Warner joined the professional ranks. Quarterbacks used a variety of approaches and a more even distribution of passes and runs.
Pro scouts clearly didn’t get a good read on the driving force behind the Los Angeles Rams’ “The Greatest Show on Turf,” but he has every right to make a big statement. He’s also the NFL passing yards leader that he’ll eventually become.
The Giants dedicated a significant amount of time and resources to scouting the top players of the class of this year, especially Drake Maye of UNC, who they sent a group of talent evaluators to watch in action during his midseason game against the Clemson Tigers.
Based on the previous five years, a varied group of outstanding collegiate players have either succeeded or failed in their league debuts. While 2022’s top quarterback selection, Kenny Pickett, has had ups and downs, C.J. Stroud made waves in 2023. Out of Clemson, Trevor Lawrence’s skills translated successfully to the professional ranks in 2021, yet there has been a steady tendency in the rise and fall of both exceptional and disappointing performers over that time.
Warner’s beliefs regarding the college game and its purportedly compromised schematic structure are not unique. However, among the plethora of talented QBs in this year’s class, we’ll have to wait and see if Daniels, Caleb Williams of USC, and Drake Maye of UNC can rise to the occasion.
