Welcome to the first installment of Hawkins Hot Takes. This will be a weekly series where I give you some of my best “Hot Takes” for the NFL and NBA. With that being said, I hope everyone reading enjoys. Let’s start with why Gardner Minshew can become the best QB of his draft class!
After a gruesome injury to Jacksonville Jaguars QB Nick Foles, many NFL fans questioned Jacksonville’s QB scenario. Their only back-up was an unproven rookie QB, Gardner Minshew. Minshew was a sixth-round draft pick out of Washington State. He started in only one season for the Cougars, which was his senior year. That year, Minshew was top-five in every passing statistic in the FBS. Yes, Minshew had better passing stats than almost every QB selected before him. So, why were so many QBs selected before Gardner Minshew?
Under Recruited
Minshew wasn’t highly recruited out of high school. He’d attend Northwest Mississippi Community College and would lead them to a Junior college National Championship. While there, he led all Junior colleges in passing yards and was top-five in every other passing statistic (excluding interceptions). Minshew then transferred to Eastern Carolina (the only FBS school to offer him a scholarship) after his freshman season.
At ECU, he started only 17 games in two seasons, throwing for a total of 3,487 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. After two lackluster seasons, Minshew put his name into the transfer pool. The two main teams to show interest were Alabama and Washington State. He almost accepted Alabama’s offer to be their third-string QB, but Coach Mike Leach promised Minshew an opportunity to start at WSU. He chose Washington State.
As I stated previously, Minshew was top-five in every passing statistic in the FBS. In fact, he led the entire nation in completions and passing attempts. Unfortunately, NFL scouts weren’t impressed with Minshew. Though he went from a relatively unknown QB to one of the nation’s best throwers, he was still on the outside looking in before the NFL Draft.
Poorly Scouted
I’m no NFL scout, but I have to say scouts were dead wrong about Gardner Minshew. One of his biggest knocks was that he played in an “Air Raid” offense. Scouts believed his stats were greatly inflated due to the number of throwing attempts per game. In reality, Minshew was just talented enough to play perfectly in an Air Raid offense. You don’t see a below-average QB come in and dominate one of the toughest conferences in the NCAA.
Evidently, scouts believed Minshew was a system QB. They didn’t believe he possessed the arm strength to be an NFL QB. Watching Minshew’s college tape, I can see where this assumption came from. In reality, he had one of the strongest arms in college football. It was his mechanics that restricted him from pushing the ball down the field.
Gardner rarely stepped into his deep-ball during his collegiate career. This would result in underthrown passes, poorly thrown spirals, passes behind his receivers, etc. He relied solely on his arm. No QB in the NFL has a throwing motion where their legs aren’t involved. But, as Washington State’s season progressed, Minshew began using his legs to step into throws. This could’ve been addressed sooner if not for poor coaching throughout his career. No one ever taught him how to use his legs while throwing a football. This was something that can easily be taught and should’ve been noticed by scouts.
Even without using his legs, Minshew threw some amazing passes in college. He was able to loft the ball 40-50 yards downfield with ease, even with a poor throwing motion. He also always knew when to make the right reads. Minshew did check-down a lot, but he knew when to test the defense and when to make the proper read. Another thing that scouts overlooked was Minshew’s ability to extend plays.
Believe it or not, Minshew was better at extending plays than Baker Mayfield. I’d say he was even comparable to current Cardinals’ QB Kyler Murray. Though he doesn’t have blazing speed, Minshew knows when to escape the pocket and is extremely comfortable throwing on the run.
The Intangibles
One thing that Gardner Minshew has that many young QBs don’t is the intangibles to be a successful QB. The word “intangibles” is extremely vague, especially in football, so let me clear up what I mean. Minshew is a leader. He knows how to get a locker room behind him. Despite losing to Kansas City in Week 1 and Houston in Week 2, you could still see Minshew encouraging his teammates. During the last drive against the Texans, he fired up the offense and led them on a scoring drive. Unfortunately, Coach Doug “Moron” Marone didn’t put the ball into Minshew’s hands for the two-point conversion, which they failed to convert.
He also never shies away from big moments. Minshew wants the ball in his hands on crucial downs. He’s the type of QB you want leading your team.
Comparing Gardner Minshew to Other QBs in his Draft Class
To this point, out of 11 QBs chosen in this year’s draft, there have only been two to see regular-season – Kyler Murray and Gardner Minshew. Though Kyler Murray has more yards than Minshew, the gap isn’t drastic. Murray played in two full games, whereas Minshew came in for an injured Nick Foles late in the second quarter of Week 1. Minshew has also only missed 13 throws in two games, which nets him a 77% completion percentage. Murray’s is only 57%.
Minshew also leads Murray in QBR and TDs. We’re only two weeks into the season, so it may be unfair to compare stats, but Gardner Minshew has looked amazing against two of the better defenses in the NFL. Kyler, on the other hand, had two “okay” starts against one elite defense and one bad defense.
A better way to compare Minshew to his contemporaries is looking at the preseason stats. Of all rookie QBs to take a snap in the preseason, Minshew ranked third in passing yards and fifth in QBR. He was unable to find the end zone. However, only three rookies threw two or more passing TDs this preseason. He may not have had the most impressive preseason, but NFL.com rated his performance as a B+.
Final Thoughts
Gardner Minshew has been extremely impressive in the two weeks of this young NFL season. If he keeps up this impressive run, he has the capability to win OROY. With his strong arm, mobility, and intangibles, I think it’s safe to say Gardner Minshew can become one of the best QBs in the NFL, as well as the best QB selected in his draft class.
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