Cam Ward VS Shedeur Sanders VS Jaxson Dart

[MightyGiants]

Here is the write-up on McCord by the same person who posted all the stats and grades:


Now I have to admit, after watching Kyle McCord at Ohio State in 2023, I expected to not even have him as a serious quarterback prospect for this year. However, he really grew on me the more I watched him. For better or for worse, he's a gunslinger who won't shy away from throws. It doesn't happen very often with quarterbacks with less-than-stellar arms but some of the throws he went for and converted on will make you go "wow" with the amount of guts it had to take that throw. Just getting away from football for a second, it was just really great to see someone who was essentially wanted out by his former teammates/coworkers and left the program/area with little confidence become such a confident individual. But storylines aside, what transferred with McCord to Syracuse was his great release. He likely has the cleanest release mechanics in the class with very little dip and not too much depth in his pullback. He also has a good feel for release points to put nice touch on his throws. It's just such a snappy, quick release that combined with his quick decision making made things very frustrating for pass rushers who didn't have a chance to make a play. In general, he's pretty reliable in getting the ball out before pressure gets to him leading to a lot of success against pressure/blitzes. Also, mechanically he can usually do a good job getting his feet quickly turned in time to his receivers on short patterns. Even under pressure, he also does a good job knowing where to place the ball to protect his pass catcher, which I'm sure they greatly appreciate. He definitely can be a bit of a hot and cold passer at times but when he's in a rhythm, he looks great. Finally, while he can get stuck staring down his pass catchers, he does a good job identifying his best option and knows when and where to get the ball to him.

That being said, that tendency to stare down his pass catcher is the scariest thing for me when evaluating McCord. There are so many times when his eyes are frozen and just completely key in the defense where the ball is going. We saw Pitt punish him all game for this and that will be a regular thing in the NFL if he doesn't adapt. What makes this tendency to stare down his pass catcher even worse is his stubbornness to try to force throws to his first-read whether it's taken away from him or not. His newfound confidence is good to see and needed by a quarterback but he needs to reel it in a bit. The times he does go through progressions he can find himself being a tick slow at getting the ball to his pass catchers leaving an opening for the defender to make a play. Also, McCord was fairly decent at throwing with anticipation if it was to his first read despite being new to the program but he still had a lot of times when he waited well after the pass catcher made his cut to make the throw. As for his control in the pocket, he can be a bit delayed in recognizing pressure and has trouble multitasking when he's required to read the defense. He can also get a bit too overconfident in his athleticism and end up taking sacks when he had the chance for a throwaway or checkdown. I'd also like to see a bit more positive movement from him in the pocket and not just trail back like he tends to do. That can make things very difficult for him especially since he has a solid, but not great arm to drive it when moving backward. Even when he's not moving backward, his velocity can sometimes be lacking on throws, especially to the opposite side of the field which also makes him more turnover-prone. While his release is really clean, there are times when he is trying to get more air under the ball where it will have a bit of a windup and flare out. He also tries to throw at different arm angles at times but it doesn't always work out and he doesn't have the arm to get those throws too far past the line of scrimmage. Mechanically, things are very, very messy. He didn't do a lot of standard dropbacks with a lot of simplified set and throw or three-step drop throws but the times he did a more standard dropback, it was pretty heel-clicky with his drop base being way too narrow at times. In general, I think his base width from the pocket can be all over the place and gets really messy when he's under pressure. As I mentioned before, he can get hot and go cold at times and his footwork is often a factor of him going into a cold streak. While his accuracy as a whole is good, there are a lot of throws that make you go, "Hhhh, what was that?" due to them being so off target due to bad lower body mechanics. He also has a tendency to put too much weight on his back foot when throwing the ball which also contributed to a number of these way off throws. He also has a tendency to bounce in the pocket and can sometimes get stuck on his toes when throwing the ball. Finally, while on the move, he doesn't always do a great job getting his chest and toes square to his target leading to some inaccurate throws, especially downfield.

McCord is a player I think I would have been a big fan of in past years but I'd like to believe I've been improving as an evaluator and notice warning signs of trouble. While his accuracy, release, and newfound confidence are great, he also needs to dial back the confidence and improve the way he reads a defense. I think the Kyle McCord watch/eval experience will have most people go "Okay, he's doing better than I expected. Wow, that was a crazy pass. Can't believe he got that in there. Alright, this guy might be my sleeper for this year... What the hell was that throw??? Okay, he's doing good again." It can feel like a rollercoaster with a lot of highs but some real low lows with the Pitt game as the ultimate example of how bad things can go. If he does improve in his decision making and ability to read a defense, I think he could be a solid backup quarterback for a team. But as things stand now I just worry that NFL defenses would eat him alive. As for a comp, to comp him to another quarterback I was high on who did not pan out but now recognizing where things went wrong, I have Bailey Zappe as McCord's comp. Both have a twitchy, fast release that lets them fit the ball into tight windows and before pressure can hit home while also having some really solid accuracy to all areas of the field. However, both can get fixated on their first read, lack great arm strength, and have really messy footwork. Also, both can get overconfident in their athletic ability leading to unnecessary sacks, and in their ability to make a throw leading to bad interceptions. Zappe has started to be tossed around the NFL due to not being able to quickly read an NFL defense and not having the arm talent to overcome this deficit and I have concerns that the same could happen to McCord. If he does make that adjustment, he could have a very long career as a backup quarterback.

https://backseatscout.substack.com/p/2025-nfl-draft-quarterback-scouting-92b?r=4g3h7y&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true

[MightyGiants]

Jaxson Dart is in ELITE company heading into the NFL Combine.

Since 2010, only 9 QB's have received combine invites while being younger than 22, playing 30+ games in college, and holding a total QBR of at least 80 in their final season:

• Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
• Lamar Jackson (Ravens)
• Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars)
• Jared Goff (Lions)
• Jalen Hurts (Eagles)
• Deshaun Watson (Browns)
• Marcus Mariota (Commanders)
• Teddy Bridgewater (Lions)
• Jaxson Dart (TBD)

Many NFL scouts reportedly believe Dart is "worthy" of a Top-10 pick in this year's draft.

The Ole Miss QB is SET UP for success in the league 🍿

https://x.com/nflrookiewatxh/status/1889099603829457287?s=46&t=1vcQIN8GqF5J2oLdxEVEJQ

[Ed Vette]

It may just be me but I would be more ecstatic with the Giants taking Dart or Mccord even at 3, than if they took Sanders at 3.

I hate to say it but so do I. I was high on Sanders going into 2024, and he never lived up to my expectations. He does however have nice poise, motion and delivery. It's the competition he faced with Hunter and I expect more. Especially how their Bowl game went. I also didn't like him not participating in practice at the Shrine. I get why he wouldn't play, but the interaction with NFL Coaches and all the players was a positive thing.

[DaveBrown74]

I don't know a single Giants fan who wants Sanders (including myself).

Almost makes me wonder if he might actually be a little underrated.

[brownelvis54]

Mel Kiper Jr. discloses bleak Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders outlook on NFL draft boards: 'Some barely think they're in the top 20'

In short, Kiper isn't convinced the best quarterbacks in the draft class are guaranteed to have success in the NFL and teams may be better off trying to pick up a veteran QB in free agency.

"Do you take the best player, which in my opinion, is Travis Hunter, then go get a Sam Darnold? Or, do you take a Cam Ward and pass on the best player in the draft? It's going to be an interesting discussion," Kiper said.


https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/mel-kiper-jr-discloses-bleak-cam-ward-shedeur-sanders-outlook-on-nfl-draft-boards-some-barely-think-they-re-in-the-top-20/ar-AA1yQRzp?ocid=msedgntp&pc=NMTS&cvid=dff6ffc008234f86a2803b6023be7b4d&ei=12

[Jclayton92]

I hate to say it but so do I. I was high on Sanders going into 2024, and he never lived up to my expectations. He does however have nice poise, motion and delivery. It's the competition he faced with Hunter and I expect more. Especially how their Bowl game went. I also didn't like him not participating in practice at the Shrine. I get why he wouldn't play, but the interaction with NFL Coaches and all the players was a positive thing.

supposedly a top team told him they didn't want him participating and that's why he pulled out which makes it even worse in my opinion.

[Ed Vette]

supposedly a top team told him they didn't want him participating and that's why he pulled out which makes it even worse in my opinion.

It could have been they didn't want his stock to drop because they wanted another team to take him.

[Jclayton92]

https://youtu.be/zL3PlUby_rY?si=5QXWaSf0PF9HEh6g

Anyone that's remotely interested in the Sanders v Dart v Ward debate should listen to McShay and Steve discuss the two starting at the 26 minute mark. Time stamps are in the description. As they've had time to watch the tape, it's amazing how perspectives change.

[MightyGiants]

https://youtu.be/zL3PlUby_rY?si=5QXWaSf0PF9HEh6g

Anyone that's remotely interested in the Sanders v Dart v Ward debate should listen to McShay and Steve discuss the two starting at the 26 minute mark. Time stamps are in the description. As they've had time to watch the tape, it's amazing how perspectives change.

I listened to the podcast (by the way, if you're into the draft, the Todd McShay show is an excellent listen).   They laid out a strong case for Dart being QB 2.

I then listened to Tony Pauline on the Giants draft podcast.  He is down on Dart (arguing he didn't show a big-time arm at the Senior Bowl.  He seems to think that Milroe and Ewers have a chance to sneak into round one.

This is a more mixed view class than last year, where really only JJ was a polarizing prospect.

[katkavage]

I listened to a couple, one on PFF and Dane Brugler from the Athletic. Both had Ward with the most upside. Sanders most pro ready but not a high upside. Dart second or third day pick.

[Jclayton92]

I think anyone projecting Dart as a day 2 or day 3 pick right now makes me really rethink their judgement. Regardless of what anyone may think of Dart, some teams have him as their Qb2, and a lot have him as a top 10 pick. Not just one but more than a handful of scouts, and NFL analysts have said and reported as much. So even if you are down on him, he's going early to mid first, and the momentum is only going to pick up with the pro day and combine. Especially with so many teams needing a Qb and getting the 5th year on 1st rd picks, it virtually assures he gets taken there.

[katkavage]

I think anyone projecting Dart as a day 2 or day 3 pick right now makes me really rethink their judgement. Regardless of what anyone may think of Dart, some teams have him as their Qb2, and a lot have him as a top 10 pick. Not just one but more than a handful of scouts, and NFL analysts have said and reported as much. So even if you are down on him, he's going early to mid first, and the momentum is only going to pick up with the pro day and combine. Especially with so many teams needing a Qb and getting the 5th year on 1st rd picks, it virtually assures he gets taken there.

The scouts I listened to...or the draft gurus who were at the Senior Bowl were not impressed at all. I see this as a big agent push for Dart. The comp for Sanders was Teddy Bridgewater. The comp for Dart was maybe Taylor Heinicke.

[Jclayton92]

I listened to the podcast (by the way, if you're into the draft, the Todd McShay show is an excellent listen).  They laid out a strong case for Dart being QB 2.

I then listened to Tony Pauline on the Giants draft podcast.  He is down on Dart (arguing he didn't show a big-time arm at the Senior Bowl.  He seems to think that Milroe and Ewers have a chance to sneak into round one.

This is a more mixed view class than last year, where really only JJ was a polarizing prospect.

Yeah I loved it because they broke down the Florida game which many see as Darts worst game, they explained injuries everywhere, how his Wrs let him down, and yes he made a bone headed two plays bit even in his worst game, they were like wow. I also loved him breaking down Dart vs Drake Maye regarding athleticism and how Dart is always moving forward, always moving up in the pocket, unlike maye who goes horizontal too much. Those small things are amazing tidbits that I love to hear a scout breakdown so that I look for it going forward.

The Steve guy has done the big boards for scouts and espn for years so I respect his take.

[MightyGiants]

https://x.com/DanSchneierNFL/status/1889770853027459500

[zbeaster]

I think Ward slightly ahead of Sanders and Dart well behind both of them.