Redskins: 2019 NFL Draft top ten quarterback big board
By Ian Cummings
He’s not Baker Mayfield. He may look a little like Baker Mayfield, but he’s not Baker Mayfield. Not even close. That said, however, Will Grier doesn’t need to be Baker Mayfield. Just by being Will Grier, he brings some fairly enticing traits to the table.
I flipped Will Grier and Daniel Jones twice before ultimately coming to this conclusion. It’ll be a hot take in some corners, but when juxtaposing Grier and Jones, I felt I had to give the edge to Grier, for multiple reasons.
Grier and Jones are both able athletes and throwers. Neither has a great arm, but they’re above-average, and both are good athletes as quarterbacks. Between those two trait categories, there isn’t much separation. Jones is bigger, but too often, the prototypical quarterback mold can be used as a buffer, when true prospect separation comes from more intangible traits.
Grier doesn’t necessarily fit the traditional mold as well, but at 6-foot-2, 217, his size is very adequate, and he backs it up with good on-field traits. In the short and intermediate ranges, Grier has solid accuracy, and he has enough arm elasticity to generate velocity, although it trickles out on longer passes. He hits the seams very well, and some of his best throws knife through defenders to reach their target. He also has the ability to hit targets on the run with his athleticism; the ability to succeed outside of structure is there with Grier, and while his fearlessness can lead to trouble, it ultimately helps him maximize certain opportunities.
Grier’s system at West Virginia made life a bit easier for him; his throws weren’t often anticipatory or predicated on progressions, and in the NFL, he may have to make a transition mentally. The same can be said for Daniel Jones, however, as Jones operated out of the quick game fairly often, and didn’t best Grier with his progression work. Overall, Grier seems to be a comparable athlete to Jones, and his traits as a thrower, at this point, ultimately exceed Jones’. The two are close, but Grier’s aggressive mentally will be easier to build off of at the next level, for teams looking for a potential starter at good value.