There’s probably a lot of people out there right now saying Jake
Fromm made a big mistake by going pro early and then being drafted in the fifth
round by the Buffalo Bills. I don’t think so.
The reasons Fromm was a fifth-round pick are likely the same
reasons he would have been a similar-round pick had he waited until the 2021
NFL Draft.
Fromm was the number one quarterback the last three years at one
of the most successful programs in the country. So, no real improving on that.
His stats are what they were. Were they likely to change
dramatically had he stuck around for his senior season? Probably not. Last time
I checked the Bulldogs did not have a wide receiver corps anywhere close to the
ones that provided the incredible supporting cast enjoyed by LSU’s Joe Burrow
and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa.
So, what kind of pro quarterback will Fromm be? Being a fifth-round
pick will make his life a lot tougher. Let’s face it, higher round picks get a
greater opportunity to prove themselves…and fail…and prove themselves again than
lower round picks.
So, when his opportunity comes, he’ll need to seize it, and not
with “okay” performances but outstanding performances. The type of performances
that make it impossible for a head coach to put you back on the bench.
Kind of like what he did in his first game as a college football
player. When Jacob Eason was injured in the 2017 opener, Fromm played Lou
Gehrig to Eason’s Wally Pipp and never gave the job back. Kind of like what Tom Brady did to Drew
Bledsoe. He will need to reprise that
role when opportunity comes knocking in the NFL.
It won’t be impossible. There were five quarterbacks who started
in the NFL last season who were drafted lower than Fromm’s fifth round pick and
number 167 selection overall. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Kyle Allen, Gardner Minshew,
Case Keenum and the GOAT, TB 12, the Patron Saint of all Quarterbacks who ever
thought they were overlooked and undervalued.
Fromm’s designation as a fifth-round pick is largely based on
the things that he does not do well.
According to NFL.com’s draft analysis, Fromm lacks “premium physical tools.
Arm talent and velocity are below average. His throws lack a tight spiral.”
Now these were the positives: “Typically unrattled in
high-leverage battles. Good leader with football intelligence for the chess
match. Full-field reader who values the football. Gets through progressions in
clean, timely fashions. Quick feet. Waits for route development in the face of
pressure. Gets rid of the ball rather than take a sack.”
So, the short of all that is, Fromm is not a great athlete when
compared to others at his position in the NFL.
But he is very smart and makes great decisions.
After watching football all my life, I will take the good
athlete at quarterback who is smart over the great athlete at quarterback who is
not. Of course, in a perfect world I will take the great athlete at quarterback
who is also smart.
Fromm has a chance. Will he be a star in the NFL? Unlikely. But
I really did not consider him a star in college football (not like say the aforementioned
Burrow or Tagovailoa). Instead his “stardom” was a product of being the starting
quarterback for a highly successful team with a rabid fan base.
A lot will depend upon things beyond his control. How quickly
will he get a chance?
Fromm was selected to back-up 23-year-old Josh Allen who just
two years ago became the highest drafted quarterback in Buffalo Bills history
when he was chosen with the seventh pick in 2018. That means a lot of money and the reputation
and credibility of many in the Bills’ front office are tied-up in Allen.
Fromm will have to be extraordinary with limited opportunity to
beat him out. It is the NFL so the most likely scenario is that chance will
come because of injury. If and when that opportunity comes, Fromm must seize it
just as he did three years ago in Athens.
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