Last offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles traded quarterback Nick Foles to the St. Louis Rams for quarterback Sam Bradford, who was coming off a second knee injury. No one knew what to expect from Bradford in 2015 as he had to prove he could stay healthy.
Bradford had a solid 2015 season, despite missing two games due to a shoulder injury. He completed 65-percent of his passes, while throwing for a career-high 3,725 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
Due to his solid season under center, Bradford is now looking for a huge pay-day from the Eagles or another team.
Earlier in the offseason, it looked like Bradford would not be returning. But on Tuesday, it was reported by Jason Cole of Bleacher Report that all signs point to Bradford re-signing with the Eagles. Even if the Eagles do re-sign Bradford, or sign Chase Daniel in free agency, they still need to draft a quarterback to develop.
One quarterback in this year’s draft class not named Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, or Paxton Lynch that the Eagles should consider drafting is North Carolina State’s Jacoby Brissett. Brissett is the perfect quarterback for head coach Doug Pederson and offensive coordinator Frank Reich to develop, as he has the tools to be a solid signal caller at the next level.
Brissett, who is 6-foot-4 and 231 lbs., had two good seasons at North Carolina State after transferring from the University of Florida in 2013. As a junior, Brissett completed 59.7-percent of his passes, while throwing for 2,606 yards, 23 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. He also showed that he some mobility as he had 529 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Brissett stepped his game up during his senior year. He completed 60-percent of his passes, threw for 2,662 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions. His rushing yards did decrease to 370, but he had six touchdowns on the ground. For a quarterback who is not being talked about a lot, Brissett needs to have a solid NFL combine, pro-day, and individual team workouts.
To get more acclimated with Brissett’s skills, I analyzed three games from this season to see the pros and cons of his game and how it translates to the Eagles’ offensive scheme.
What I noticed from all three games is that he is inaccurate over the course of the game, which happens to all quarterbacks. Brissett also lacks pocket awareness sometimes, as he does not feel the pressure coming. His passes tend to sink, which reminded me of the worm balls former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb used to throw. But other than those fixable things, he has good size and a strong arm as shown in these video clips.
Great throw by Jacoby Brissett when he has his feet set. Nice touch on the pass. #NFLdraft #eagles https://t.co/CAHl9qCPGF
— Jovan Alford (@Jovan10) February 21, 2016
As you see in this clip versus Clemson’s defense, Brissett can get the ball down the field when he actually sets his feet.
Another nice throw from Brissett this time vs. EKU. Again, he sets his feet & hits the WR in stride. #eagles https://t.co/hczreqaRTR
— Jovan Alford (@Jovan10) February 21, 2016
Here, Brissett throws the football in a tight window between three defenders, showing off his arm strength against Eastern Kentucky’s defense.
Brissett this time steps up in the pocket, sets his feet and delivers a TD pass. #NFLdraft #eagles https://t.co/vtwdFO8d1M
— Jovan Alford (@Jovan10) February 21, 2016
In this clip against Wake Forest’s defense, Brissett shows great pocket awareness by climbing the pocket and delivering a beautiful deep ball to his wide receiver for a touchdown.
All of these traits should intrigue the Eagles’ brass as Brissett could be the guy in the next 2-3 years with the right coaching. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich should be able to help Brissett the most as he had a quarterback in San Diego named Philip Rivers whose completion percentages the last two seasons (66.5, 66.1) were better than his career percentage of 64.8.
Also, with Pederson now leading the team, the Eagles’ offense will go back to the West Coast, and he will put emphasis on running the ball. Lastly, we cannot forget that the Eagles have talent at the skills positions that will make life easier for a rookie quarterback.
If the Eagles with their first round pick go either offensive line, secondary, or BPA with their first round pick, it opens the door for them to select a quarterback between rounds 3-5.
Currently, the Eagles have two third round, a fourth round, and two fifth round picks. Don’t be surprised on day two or three if you hear Brissett’s name being called as he has the talent and skills to be a good professional quarterback.
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