Can Lamar Jackson cut it as a quarterback? Does he have the accuracy and arm talent? Some believe he’s better suited to succeed as a wide receiver.
For me, Jackson has shown enough potential as a thrower that he deserves a shot behind center. He won the Heisman two years ago, and he’s thrown 57 touchdowns versus only 19 interceptions the last two years (that’s in 26 games). He completed only 56 and 59 percent in those seasons, so I can’t say with any certainty that he’ll develop into a viable NFL starter, but he might.
Like all young quarterbacks, it will help his cause greatly if he gets hooked up with the right coaching staff that can properly develop him.
For the here and now, I am far more interested in what Jackson can do with his legs. He’s got unusual speed and elusiveness. Let’s see what he runs the 40 in, but he reminds me of Michael Vick – just faster and more athletic than the guys trying to tackle him.
That speed should help create some big plays in the passing game, and I expect Jackson will also run for 30-40 plus yards in a lot of his games. He ran for a ton of yards and touchdowns at Louisville.
In each of the last two years, Jackson has run for over 1,500 yards. I have picked through the college numbers of all of the other quarterbacks drafted in the first and second rounds this century. None of them ever ran for 1,500 yards in a college season.
I have no idea where Jackson will be chosen or how much he’ll play anytime soon. But if he gets into the starting lineup in 2018 or 2019, that rushing production might help him post top-20 fantasy numbers (among quarterbacks) when he’s on the field.
| COLLEGE QUARTERBACKS / RUSHING STATS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Att | Yards | Avg | TD |
| 2016 | Lamar Jackson | 232 | 1,601 | 6.90 | 18 |
| 2017 | Lamar Jackson | 260 | 1,571 | 6.04 | 21 |
| 2010 | Cam Newton | 264 | 1,473 | 5.58 | 20 |
| 2012 | Johnny Manziel | 201 | 1,410 | 7.01 | 21 |
| 2010 | Colin Kaepernick | 173 | 1,206 | 6.97 | 20 |
| 2009 | Colin Kaepernick | 161 | 1,183 | 7.35 | 16 |
| 2008 | Colin Kaepernick | 161 | 1,130 | 7.02 | 17 |
| 2015 | Deshaun Watson | 207 | 1,105 | 5.34 | 12 |
| 2004 | Vince Young | 167 | 1,079 | 6.46 | 14 |
| 2005 | Vince Young | 155 | 1,050 | 6.77 | 12 |
| 2003 | Vince Young | 135 | 998 | 7.39 | 11 |
| 2007 | Jake Locker | 172 | 986 | 5.73 | 13 |
| 2015 | Lamar Jackson | 163 | 960 | 5.89 | 11 |
| 2009 | Tim Tebow | 217 | 910 | 4.19 | 14 |
| 2007 | Tim Tebow | 210 | 895 | 4.26 | 23 |
| 2008 | Robert Griffin III | 173 | 843 | 4.87 | 13 |
| 2014 | Marcus Mariota | 135 | 770 | 5.70 | 15 |
| 2013 | Johnny Manziel | 144 | 759 | 5.27 | 9 |
| 2012 | Marcus Mariota | 106 | 752 | 7.09 | 5 |
| 2013 | Marcus Mariota | 96 | 715 | 7.45 | 9 |
| 2011 | Robert Griffin III | 179 | 699 | 3.91 | 10 |
| 1999 | Michael Vick | 131 | 682 | 5.21 | 9 |
| 2008 | Tim Tebow | 176 | 673 | 3.82 | 12 |
| 2014 | Carson Wentz | 138 | 642 | 4.65 | 6 |
| 2010 | Robert Griffin III | 149 | 635 | 4.26 | 8 |
| 2004 | Alex Smith | 135 | 631 | 4.67 | 10 |
| 2016 | Deshaun Watson | 165 | 629 | 3.81 | 9 |
| 2000 | Michael Vick | 104 | 617 | 5.93 | 8 |
| 2007 | Colin Kaepernick | 105 | 593 | 5.65 | 6 |
| 2006 | Tim Tebow | 89 | 469 | 5.27 | 8 |
| 2015 | Patrick Mahomes | 131 | 456 | 3.48 | 10 |
| 2010 | Andrew Luck | 55 | 453 | 8.24 | 3 |
| 2003 | Alex Smith | 149 | 452 | 3.03 | 5 |
| 2008 | Josh Freeman | 107 | 404 | 3.78 | 14 |
| 2002 | Jay Cutler | 123 | 393 | 3.20 | 9 |
| 2009 | Jake Locker | 112 | 388 | 3.46 | 7 |
| 2010 | Jake Locker | 114 | 385 | 3.38 | 6 |
| 2004 | Jay Cutler | 109 | 349 | 3.20 | 6 |
| 2014 | Paxton Lynch | 113 | 321 | 2.84 | 13 |
| 2012 | EJ Manuel | 103 | 310 | 3.01 | 4 |
| 2016 | Mitchell Trubisky | 93 | 308 | 3.31 | 5 |
| 2011 | Ryan Tannehill | 58 | 306 | 5.28 | 4 |
—Ian Allan