Drake Lindsey

[Twopointtry]

Red Pen Runs Dry

When it comes to grading the 2027 NFL draft quarterbacks, Sam Teets has been tougher than my very strict high school English teacher. Dante Moore got a 2nd round grade. Arch Manning was late 2nd to 3rd. Teets says that Trinidad Chambliss is just a backup in the pros and gave him a 4th round grade. Julian Sayin (2nd overall prospect on PFF's board) was late 3rd to 4th round. Same with CJ Carr. Drew Mestemaker got ripped and banished into the 5th round. The media narrative is that 2027 is a tremendously loaded QB draft. Unimpressed, Teets took a sledgehammer and smashed the conventional wisdom.

There is one and only one QB that Teets has graded in the 1st round tier on his preliminary big board. There are only 10 total prospects who made the cut to earn 1st round grades (Teets hasn't studied a fair chunk of the main draft pool, but there are no big-name QBs left on his list to study). According to Teets, the only true 1st round QB is Drake Lindsey. Moreover, Teets doesn't think that Lindsey will enter the 2027 draft. Like many experts, he thinks that Lindsey will wait until at least 2028. Consequently, it is possible that none of the QBs in the 2027 draft class will carry 1st round grades from Teets entering the 2026 season.

For comparison, Teets ranked Ty Simpson as only a 2nd round QB for the 2026 draft. Even adjusted for positional value, Simpson only ranked 47th on Teets's final big board. Per Teets's board, the Rams reached almost a full round early for Simpson.

I didn't intend to do more of these profiles, but after finally getting around to watching games on Lindsey, I decided to write about him. Like Teets, I have a 1st round grade on Lindsey. [I haven't studied all the other QBs, so I don't exactly where Lindsey would rank. I gave Sellers a 1st round grade. I bet if I did a full study of Moore and Carr, I'd give both of those guys 1st round grades. I kind of like Sayin too, but don't know where he'd fall. Maybe Lindsey would be top 5, maybe he'd be number one, don't really know. That's beyond the scope of this report and not as relevant for the Rams, since we don't hold a 1st round pick.] My NFL comp for him is Carson Palmer. Another similar QB is former Rams QB, Jim Everett.

It is important to keep in mind that Lindsey has only started for 1 season in college. He was a redshirt freshman in 2025. Carson Palmer spent 5 years at USC. He got injured early in one of his seasons and took a medical redshirt. His Heisman Trophy winning redshirt senior season was night and day different from the rest of his college career. Palmer was a highly touted recruit and for much of his career underperformed relative to the very high expectations set for him. Over his first 4 seasons at USC, Palmer only completed 57.1% of his passes with more INTs (39) than TDs (38). He never threw for at least 3,000 yards until his final season in college. Statistically, he only had one good year at USC. If Palmer had entered the draft as an early entrant, he would have done it on the heels of a year in which he completed 54.9% of his passes with more INTs than TDs, playing for a team that went 5-7.

Critical to Palmer's success at the end of his college career was Pete Carroll bringing in Norm Chow to be USC's OC. A young Lane Kiffin was an offensive assistant on that staff. At the time Palmer was drafted, there were questions raised about how much of his great 2002 season was attributable to him as the QB and how much was just a reflection of the coaching staff. Palmer also benefitted from the arrival of super freshman, Mike Williams, who later became the 10th overall pick in the 2005 draft. Palmer's WR2, Keary Colbert, was a 2nd round pick in 2004. The team's WR3 was a 6th round pick. USC also had 2 very fast RBs, Sultan McCullough and Justin Fargas (3rd round). Palmer's supporting cast in 2002 was far superior to what Lindsey had to work with in 2025.

There are multiple reasons Lindsey might not get drafted early if he were to declare for the 2027 draft. He suffered a serious injury in HS, he's not very mobile and his stats are very underwhelming. If Lindsey still decided to throw his hat into 2027, the Rams might be faced with a challenging decision. If you believe Sam Teets's ranking where Lindsey is QB1 in the draft or believe my Carson Palmer comparison, we're talking about a QB prospect with the talent level to justify being the number one overall selection in the 2027 draft. Palmer was the top pick in the 2003 draft. Regardless of whether Stafford and Simpson are still on the roster, why would a team ever pass on a QB graded that high?

For sake of discussion, let's say NFL teams treat Lindsey like he's a less mobile and less accurate version of Tyler Shough, who was drafted 40th overall by the New Orleans Saints in 2025. Shough's 2024 stats are better than Lindsey's 2025 stats, so this seems reasonable. It doesn't take much imagination to push Lindsey down to at least the 3rd round. Stated alternatively, say that teams think that Lindsey is only slightly better than Aidan O'Connell, a compensatory 4th round pick. When the Rams drafted Stetson Bennett, I thought that if they wanted to go QB, they should have drafted O'Connell instead. There is legitimate debate whether the Raiders should make O'Connell or Fernando Mendoza their QB2 behind Kirk Cousins to begin the season. Many of the same considerations the Rams are facing with our QB2 situation apply to the situation with the Raiders. If we use O'Connell as a data point, Lindsey might be a 3rd to early 4th round pick.

Lindsey's rankings per most experts not named Sam Teets are consistent with these ideas. DraftBuzz has him as a 4th round pick. Drafttek has him ranked as about a late 3rd to 4th round pick. FirstandTen projects him as a 3rd round pick. The NFLMDD consensus board has him in 3rd round territory. If Lindsey surprised experts and declared for the 2027 draft, there is a plausible scenario where the Rams would have the opportunity to draft him without trading up.

Kirk Cousins is an example of how this scenario could unfold. Cousins was in a very strong QB draft, headlined by Andrew Luck and RGIII. Cousins has a strong arm, but he doesn't run well and experts thought that he threw too many INTs in college. He wasn't drafted until early in the 4th round. The Rams were still committed to Sam Bradford at the time, but even after trading out of the 2nd slot for a haul of picks from Washington, we could have drafted Cousins instead of Chris Givens. If that had happened, Sean McVay probably isn't the HC for the Rams today, because he wouldn't have had Cousins with him in Washington, messing up the timeline. McVay would still be a HC somewhere, but probably for a different NFL team. The entire course of history can change due to seemingly random events like that. The Rams could have passed on RGIII, gotten the extra picks, then after moving on from Bradford, transitioned to Cousins. This presumably would have meant that we don't get Nick Foles and we don't draft Jared Goff. Maybe we still get Stafford.

A key factor in why Lindsey is an intriguing QB for the Rams is his college team operates a pro-style scheme that is closely modeled after McVay's system. To help him prepare for his college games, Lindsey extensively studies tape of Stafford and the Rams to learn intricacies of the system. Lindsey is more pro ready than most of the other QB prospects and has very valuable and applicable experience with passing concepts almost identical to what the Rams use.

If Ty Simpson weren't currently on the roster, the decision would be a no-brainer. On paper, Lindsey would be the ideal candidate to draft for the Rams in the 2nd round. Does the presence of Simpson automatically disqualify Lindsey from consideration? I don't understand the logic of that, because if you believe Teets's ranking, Simpson should eventually be the backup behind Lindsey, not the other way around. Why would a franchise hitch their wagon to the inferior draft prospect?

Why does Teets have Drake Lindsey graded higher than Dante Moore, Arch Manning and all the other 2027 QBs? If he's right and Lindsey is a potential star QB in the pros, is the value too good for the Rams to pass on if given the chance to draft him?

 

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Part 1: Background

Name, Age: Drake Lindsey. Turns 22 in August of 2027. 3rd year redshirt sophomore in 2026. Minnesota.

Size, estimated speed: Listed as 6'5'' tall, 230 pounds. DraftBuzz 4.70 seconds in 40. Draftscout 6'4 5/8'' tall, 230 pounds, 4.97 seconds in 40.

3-star recruit from AR. From an athletic family. 2 siblings. Dad played football for Arkansas. Sister was a walk-on basketball player Arkansas.

His grandfather, Jim Lindsey, was teammates with Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones on Arkansas's 1964 National Championship team. He was the 27th overall pick in the 1966 draft, the same draft as legendary Rams offensive lineman Tom Mack. His grandfather became a wealthy real estate and golf course developer, becoming a prominent booster for Arkansas before passing away in July of 2026. Jim Lindsey also ran for governor of Arkansas in 1976. Drake Lindsey's dad also is in the real estate business, though he had to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy at one point.

When Drake Lindsey was 14, he tore the patellar tendon in his knee playing basketball and couldn't walk for months. He missed his entire FR season, then was a backup as a SO. Put up huge stats his final 2 seasons in HS. As JR, had 3,620 passing yards, 37 TDs and 4 INTs. As SR, had 3,941 passing yards, 54 TDs and 4 INTs.

2024 (3 games, redshirted) 4/5 (80% completions) 50 yards, 1 TD, 1-6 rushing.
2025 (13 starts) 246/389 (63.2% completions) 2,382 yards (183.2 YPG), 18 TDs, 6 INTs, 21 sacks (127 sack yards), 34-(-119)-4 rushing, 1 fumble not lost.

Only 1 game of 300+ passing yards in 2025.

2025 PFN impact score 77.8 (85th in country), 83rd in completion percentage, 71st in yards, 94th in yards per game, 144th in net YPA.

Arrested in spring of 2026 in Fayetteville, AR at a bar for possession of fake ID. When he was arrested, he admitted to drinking prior to going to the bar and admitted that the ID he presented to the bar was fake. When searched, there was a 2nd fake ID in his wallet. He pled guilty and had to pay a fine.

In interviews, he's aware of his weaknesses and is self-critical, taking ownership of team's performance even when not all his fault, deflecting blame from others. Natural leadership traits and good football IQ. He says he cut his body fat for 2026 and has gained a little speed. He says he was about 247 pounds entering college and is about 230 pounds now. He says he learned from Max Brosmer (a very intelligent QB who probably could be a doctor someday if he wanted to. Brosmer started for Minnesota in 2024, became an UDFA and currently is with the Vikings) about how to prepare for games, study film and develop a strong work ethic. Team's OC compliments Lindsey's film study work and says they have high level conversations about game tape. Lindsey has been working with Quincy Avery, a well-known private QB coach who has worked with many prominent NFL QBs and draft prospects over the years.

Mike Renner (CBSSports) mock draft 4th overall selection, 3rd QB, 1st round.
Sam Teets's preliminary big board 1st round tier, 10th overall, top QB in draft. Late 1st round projection, a throwback QB to the early 2000's, fit for a West Coast offense. [Not only is Lindsey the only 1st round QB on Teets's board, but he's 1 of only 3 QBs that Teets has graded in the first 2 rounds, Moore and Mensah being the other 2.] (+) Prototypical size, compact throwing motion, quick processor, throw aways to avoid sacks, easy arm power for 50+ downfield, elite ball velocity for tight windows, unique combination of touch and velocity, layers throws into congested spaces, touch on short passes, makes life easy on WRs, flashes elite ball placement to beat tight coverage, good anticipation to throw receivers open, salesmanship on play action, rarely fumbled. (-) Mediocre production, drops head and creates phantom pressures, panics vs pressure up middle, fades away under pressure, sails passes, inconsistent ball placement, mistake prone off platform, not a running threat, statue in pocket, inconsistent.
Paul Emery: (+) Prototypical size, strong pocket presence, strong communicator pre-snap, makes throws that can't be taught, catchable short passes, uses checkdown, plays in TE centric NFL style offense. (-) Weight too much on back foot, doesn't step into throws and engage hips, passes lack zip, heavy feet in pocket, holds ball too long, eyes lead DBs to ball, limited athlete not a threat to run. Not worth a high 1st round pick.
Ian Cummings (PFN) 4th ranked QB. (+) Old-school, big-armed QB, elite arm strength, impressive pre-snap command and post-snap vision, layers throws, stands tall in pocket, high velocity darts, deep touch and loft, pure pocket passer. (-) Segmented footwork impacts shoulder alignment and situational precision, doesn't create vs pressure, late to sense interior pass rush threats, not explosive or fast to escape pass rush.
PFN top 100 list: 49th overall, 4th QB.
PFN simulator 51st overall, 4th QB
PFN industry consensus board 60th overall, 7th QB.
SticktotheModel 70th overall, Kyle Trask (late 2nd round, 64th overall pick in 2021) and Tanner McKee (IIRC PFF had him as a 2nd round prospect in the 2023 draft but in the actual draft he was a 6th round pick) among his pro comps.
PFN big board 76th overall, 7th QB.
NFLMDD consensus board 83 overall, 9th QB.
Drafttek board 97 overall.
FirstandTen 126 overall, 3rd round projection, 13th QB.
DraftBuzz 4th round projection, 133, 16th QB. (+) On-time processor, keeps offense on schedule, throws with anticipation into tight windows, stands and delivers in pocket. (-) Below average deep arm, lazy footwork, struggled vs elite defenses, 3 INTs vs Iowa.
Troy Finnegan 10th ranked QB.
PFF big board not ranked in top 75 or among top 8 QBs.
Tankathon not ranked in top 120 or among top 12 QBs.
Shane Hallam not selected in 7-round mock draft.

 

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Part 2: Strengths

Quick question: Who was Minnesota's best WR in 2025? Go ahead, take a minute. Pretend that it is Final Jeopardy and the music is playing. Okay, time is up, what name did you write down? Don't feel bad if you didn't have a guess. Drake Lindsey was in one of the most challenging situations for any Power conference QB in 2025. His top 3 WRs had 484 receiving yards, 454 yards and 419 yards, respectively. One guy was an UDFA in 2026. The 2nd guy is projected to be a tryout player in 2027. The 3rd WR was a redshirt freshman in 2025. The team's top TE was an UDFA who ran 4.91 seconds in the 40 at his Pro Day. The best skill position weapon was their RB, who is ranked as a fringe 7th round to UDFA player on the consensus board. The top RB also got injured in the middle of the season, missing some games and limiting his playing time. The team had substantial OL problems. Their OTs and the RG struggled, their C is projected to be a tryout player and isn't even listed on most draft boards. Greg Johnson is a potential 1st to 2nd round pick but if you remember my draft profile on him, his NFL grade is based mostly on his traits and not his actual performance level. He's not a consistent player right now, he's more of a projection based on developmental upside. In 2025, Johnson was at fault for some of Lindsey's pressures and sacks, wasn't a great run blocker, committed too many penalties and had to slide over to LT for a game in a last-ditch effort to shore up the team's pass blocking issues. The RBs made some mental mistakes in pass protection. The WRs and TEs couldn't create separation. The team had no deep speed, so they rarely threw the ball deep. The UDFA WR ran 4.57 seconds in the 40 and the 2nd WR is projected to have 4.58 second speed. Forget 4.3 speed, the team didn't even have a 4.5 flat starting WR. Team had a conservative offensive philosophy. Stats were not inflated by a gimmicky spread system or cheap downfield mad bomber throws against overmatched defenses. Some of his best throws resulted in incompletions, stats not fully reflective of his actual performance level. Beautiful anticipatory throw, but WR failed to win at the catch point. Some bad snaps by the C. WR didn't run slant route correctly on 3rd down, causing a PBU. Short 3rd down, both the C and the RG beaten immediately, no chance for QB, I'm fine with him taking the sack because if he had tried to force it to the TE, probably would have been an INT. OL and RB overwhelmed by 6-man blitz, QB climbs pocket to escape first 2 defenders, but the LG is beaten, causing sack. A bunch of his sacks happened late in the season when the OL was struggling more than they were earlier in the season. Go ahead, put Ty Simpson on that team and see if he could have done better. I doubt that the results would have been much different.

One play, the TE never turned to look for the ball and the perfect pass hit him in the side. Very similar play, clueless WR never looks for ball, ruining good anticipatory pass on seam route. Another play, the WR appeared to misread the coverage and didn't sit down vs zone, causing the pass to go behind him. After some plays, Lindsey had a pained, exasperated or frustrated look on his face, appearing to react to mental errors by his teammates. Frankly, I'm surprised that he didn't transfer out. If we took out Lindsey and put an average replacement level QB on his team, I think that Minnesota would have had a losing record in 2025 and wouldn't have gone to a bowl game. People say that Ty Simpson didn't have normal Bama level talent around him in 2025, which is true, but relative to Lindsey's situation, Simpson had an abundance of riches. All of Simpson's WRs were better than Lindsey's WRs. Kadyn Proctor was drafted one slot before Simpson, in the 1st round. Germie Bernard was a 2nd round pick. Ryan Coleman Williams might be a 1st or 2nd round pick in 2027. Bama's center was a 5th round pick. Their TE was a 5th round pick. They had a RB drafted in the 7th round. Another WR might get drafted in 2027.

Lindsey had very little help around him last season. As an example of a typical play, 4 eligible receivers go downfield, but none of them are open; all of them are wearing defenders like jerseys. What do you expect the QB to do? There's no place to go with the football. When tended to happen is either Lindsey gets pressured or he tries very low percentage passes, trying to fit the ball into small windows or hope that his WR could win a contested grab (which rarely happened, because his WRs were bad at contested catches.) At first, Lindsey's season stats might look bad, but if you place them in context, they are better than normal. Lindsey should have way more INTs, sacks and fumbles than he did. What is impressive from his stats isn't what is there; it is all the negative numbers that are "missing" from his stats.

Remember how Nick Foles was traded to the Rams in 2015? After a decent start to begin the regular season, things quickly unraveled and Foles ended up with terrible stats, 56.4% completions and more INTs than TDs, by far the worst QB rating of any season that he's had substantial playing time. The experience was so bad that Foles considered quitting football and retiring from the NFL. Per PFF, the Rams had the 28th ranked OL in 2015. Greg Robinson was probably the worst LT in the league. Kenny Britt led the team with 681 receiving yards. A couple years later, Foles had a fantastic run playing for the Eagles as Carson Wentz's injury replacement and became a Philly folk hero, outdueling Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. Foles continued to play well as Wentz's injury replacement the following season, earning him a lucrative contract from Jacksonville in 2019. Let's pretend that we had never signed Andrew Whitworth, drafted Cooper Kupp or made any other changes to the offensive talent from the 2015 Rams team. The only changes is we get Sean McVay as HC and trade for Matthew Stafford. I don't think the Rams would be a winning team with that formula. Stafford had a better supporting cast in Detroit than he would have had with such a weak Rams roster. We'd continue to lose and Stafford would demand to be traded again. Talent at QB is very important, but no QB can do it alone. Football is a team game. Nick Foles isn't a better individual player than Tom Brady. His team still won the game. Lindsey was on a relatively bad team in 2025. That doesn't make him a bad QB.

Played in an NFL, pro-style offense. Team sometimes used multiple TEs. Formations and route concepts similar to Rams system. Not only was QB under center, he was frequently under center, and had both play action plays and straight dropbacks. Good 5 and 7 step drops from under center, clean footwork and timing of drop properly synched with the timing of the route development. Effective ball handling and play action fakes. As smooth an operator under C as an NFL veteran. He's worked hard at his play action fakes to try to make them look like runs.

Two-hand monster. Keeps 2 hands on the ball in the pocket, like Carson Palmer. The only fumble he had all year (which wasn't lost) came when he climbed forward in the pocket and his hands separated as he was about to throw the football. Climbs pocket appropriately, good sense of pressure, knows when it is time to move. Clock set properly in head. See blitzes coming. Sees pass blocking breakdowns happening in front of him and responds on time with good pocket awareness. Converts early pass rush pressure into incompletions instead of sacks. Keeps his eyes downfield and his shoulders ready to throw as he climbs the pocket and moves to his left, has done good work to refine his footwork.

Low turnover rate. Ty Simpson had 5 INTs and lost 6 of 7 fumbles in 2025, so 11 total turnovers in 15 games. In 13 games, Lindsey had one fumble (not lost) and 6 INTs (3 came against Iowa) so only 6 total turnovers. Lindsey isn't a dual threat QB, but one consequence of this "weakness" is that he rarely fumbles the football. He knows he isn't good at escaping the pocket and running, so Lindsey often will throw the ball at the feet of a receiver or out of bounds instead of trying to extend outside the pocket. He doesn't take a bunch of unnecessary sacks or throw many loose INTs. Only had 4 INTs as JR in HS and 4 as SR. Prior to focusing on football, Lindsey was a good youth golfer and considered being a golfer instead of playing football. Lindsey's mind is wired to manage a football game similar to how a golfer would manage a difficult golf course to avoid double bogeys. It might look boring when Lindsey keeps making pars and doesn't make many eagles, but if you look up at the tournament leaderboard at the end of the 4th round, his name is in contention. Football isn't all about highlight plays.

Prototypical size and build. Has the best frame among any of the QBs in the draft. Pulled out of a sack like he was Ben Roethlisberger, extended the play, then completed pass. Good size for QB sneaks.

Especially for a 1st year starter, impressive decision making reading the pass coverage. Calm reading full-field progressions. Shifts his feet properly to keep them aligned when reading the progression. Very quick processing the coverage. Very decisive. Impressive pre-snap and post-snap diagnosis. Working with center, was responsible for pre-snap identification and did a good job getting his team lined up and adjusting the protection, the play call and getting the ball snapped on time. Good football IQ on the field. Situational awareness in final seconds of 2nd quarter to throw the ball quickly out of bounds to preserve final seconds for FG attempt.

Play action pass. Progression read starting on left side of field, but neither of the 2 WRs were open. TE in middle of the field stumbled. The LT gets beaten immediately, QB about to get creamed. QB gets to his 4th read, pass out on schedule to WR for 1st down.

I was impressed with how well he read and anticipated "small windows" in the coverage before they came open. He understood the route structure vs the pass coverage and from the body positioning of the TE vs the defender, knew that he could fit the pass into a tight space before the TE reached the 2nd defender. Most inexperienced QBs don't make throws like that.

Plenty of arm strength. No strain on passes 40 and even 50 yards past LOS, just as easy and effortless as 20-yard passes. Deep balls have good loft and high trajectory. On a 50-yard deep post route, zero separation by the WR, but QB's pass has such a high trajectory, it drops in over the CB's hand and literally hits the WR square on the numbers on his jersey. Seriously, consider that throw. The QB was standing 7 yards behind the LOS, this is 57 air yards and the ball lands as if the QB threw it bullseye into a garbage can from that distance. If you bet them $1,000, how many NFL QBs do you think could make that throw on the first try? I think there are throwing mechanic problems with some of his deep throws that prevent him from consistently unlocking his full arm strength, but he has plenty of size and natural arm talent to drive the ball deep.

Elite anticipation. Throws intermediate routes very early, almost dangerously too early. Read TE advantage before the top of the route and threw with anticipation. Throws speed outs early and with touch, sometimes as easy for the WR to catch as if the QB were handing it off to them like a running play. 3rd down in red zone, QB throws corner fade before the WR gets to the top of the route, perfect touch and accuracy, WR makes TD catch in back corner of EZ surrounded by 3 DBs.

Very receiver-friendly passes that are easy to catch. Throws with good touch. Proper weight on short passes. Slant pass was as easy to catch as handing the ball off to a RB on a run. He has some accuracy issues, but mentally he demonstrates an understanding of the proper ball placement vs zone to lead underneath receivers away from the defender to help them get more YAC, putting the ball on the correct shoulder. Uses receiving RBs well.

Arm strength to fire the ball into small windows. Legitimate arm talent that extends beyond arm strength and ball velocity. Mixture of imagination, guts, accuracy and touch to fit the ball into tiny windows. Impressive 15-yard dig zip and accuracy to place it between 3 defenders. Good touch to loft balls around CBs to beat tight coverage on fade routes. Chooses the correct type of throw and shapes it for the particular route and the WR's positioning relative to the CB. This is another uncommon trait, because QBs with strong arms typically throw passes too flat and too hard. Ty Simpson sometimes throws the ball with too flat of a trajectory. Especially early in his career, Stafford would fire the ball in so hard, it was like he was trying to throw the pass through the WR, not to the WR. Watch some Kurt Warner highlights. Warner didn't have a cannon for an arm. Many of his passes had an ugly wobble; he typically didn't throw a tight spiral. Warner had great timing, intermediate accuracy, good touch and partly due to his arena football experience on a condensed field, was skilled at fitting passes into small windows.

Medium 3rd down. Pass protection slides to right, anticipating blitz that never comes. Arvell Reese is unblocked coming off the left side. QB stands in, left foot planted flat on ground, aligned to target, and drills slant route to RB, zip and accuracy to beat Sonny Styles, converting the 1st down, then has enough twitch to move his left leg out of the way to protect his body just in case Reese nails him after the release.

Just starting his development, not a finished product. Upside for improvement. When Lindsey was in HS, his throwing mechanics were terrible, especially his lower body. He's really improved over time. Injury to his left knee and being backup kept him from playing much for almost 2 full years, slowing his progression. He said he was 165 pounds entering his JR year and added nearly 30 pounds to get ready for the football season. He enrolled early at Minnesota and acknowledges that he wasn't in great shape when he entered college. Played in Air Raid scheme in HS, so his experience in a pro-style scheme happened in college.

Quick and efficient release. Ball comes directly up from jersey numbers, then straight out. Quick release for quick game, with arm strength and upper body flexibility to throw to his right without fully shifting his lower body. Helmet balanced on release. Body is balanced and under control when rolling to his right, can throw with touch and accuracy 30 yards downfield.

No one will confuse him with Patrick Mahomes or Caleb Williams, but he has an underrated ability to create when flushed from the pocket.

Protects his body. Knows he's a poor runner, doesn't try to do things beyond his capability, but goes for it if the ball is on the line.

Repeatedly was clutch for his team. Calm during late 4th quarter drive. Clutch 4th qtr drive for winning TD in another game. Scored winning TD in OT on naked bootleg where he stiff arms the defender and runs to the corner pylon. Won bowl game in OT on touch pass with pressure in his face, leading the WR away from DBs to make highlight catch in end zone. Clutch 4th down scramble for 1st down on key 4th quarter play, getting around unblocked defender despite his below average athleticism. Griffin Wilde had a huge game for Northwestern, helping them beat Minnesota 38-35. The Gophers missed a medium range FG on the last play of the game. In the final minute of that game, Minnesota has a double post route. I don't know if it was an option route or the slot WR didn't get the play call, but something got messed up and the inside WR doesn't run the correct route. This results in the slot CB being too close to the outside WR's deep post. If Lindsey had thrown the ball flat, this would have been an easy INT. Since QB throws it with touch, the ball barely clears the slot CB's hand and is caught by the WR for a huge gain to put them in FG to try to tie the game.

Prototypical intangibles to be a starting QB. Very self confident. Intelligent, outgoing personality, vocal. Has been through challenges both with his health and his team situations in HS and college. Naturally competitive, good team leader. Has underdog mentality and chip on his shoulder, because he grew up Arkansas fan, but wasn't recruited by them. Mostly mid-major offers besides Minnesota. Professional and cerebral approach, does extra white board work with WRs during offseason.

Worked out with Isaiah Sategna III when he was in HS in Arkansas. If I draft both of these players for the Rams in a mock draft, they have a prior relationship even though they didn't play together in college.

High ceiling and a great scheme fit. Not a "backup only" QB prospect. Potential to be a good NFL starter with Pro Bowl upside. Teams might not like Lindsey, because he has poor mobility. He might not have quick legs, but he has a quick mind. LaNorris Sellers and Nico Iamaleava have quick feet but slow heads. Which trait is more important? Are Stafford, Brady, Warner, Bulger and Cousins good runners? A West Coast offense at its core is a timing-based scheme. Lindsey's ability to play within the structure of the scheme and read the progression on schedule is a key reason he's such a good fit for the Rams. Carson Wentz and Drake Lindsey are very similar in size. Wentz is a much better runner. When it comes to decision making, ball security, reading the coverage, throwing with touch, Lindsey is better after only 2 college seasons than Wentz was after 5 years at North Dakota State. Wentz was the 2nd overall pick in his draft. If we put Lindsey in that draft class, I would have ranked Lindsey ahead of Wentz. The only debate in my mind for the Rams would be whether to take Jared Goff or Lindsey. Indeed, if Lindsey's draft stock were low (let's say he would have gone where Christian Hackenberg got drafted in the 2nd round), the decision might be very easy, because instead of trading up for Goff, the Rams conceivably could have skipped QB in the 1st round then drafted Lindsey in the 2nd round.

Similar exercise with the 2026 draft. IMO, Drake Lindsey has a higher ceiling than Ty Simpson. A huge reason you draft Simpson when you have the chance is if you plan on being a Super Bowl contender for the foreseeable future and trade away 1st round picks, you should never have the opportunity to draft a prototypical starter like Lindsey. Top QB prospects generally get snatched up early in the 1st round. On paper, what Snead did made perfect sense and is the safe bet. But, what if for some odd reason a talented QB unexpectedly falls into your lap? What do you do then? While the odds of this actually happening might be low, the way Lindsey is ranked on draft boards, this scenario is plausible. It is worth discussing and debating. Simpson might not play at all in the 2026 regular season. We might not have much more information prior to the 2027 draft as to whether he's the future franchise QB for the Rams. Is our confidence level in him high enough that we're willing to pass on all of the top QBs in the draft, regardless of how they might be graded on Snead's board?

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 3: Weaknesses

Doesn't have elite accuracy. A high 1st round QB normally would be a very accurate passer. Lindsey doesn't have as many "big misses" as guys like Trevor Lawrence or Carson Wentz where balls are air mailed over the heads of WRs, but he has what I consider to be an unacceptable rate of "small misses" where the ball is still technically within the catch radius of the receiver but is poorly placed. Several of these misses could have resulted in INTs but QB got a little lucky.

On some short passes, QB "pulls the string" and has a habit of missing the pass too short or low and wide. This happens throwing to the flat both to the left and to the right side of the field. Consistently short on dump offs, making it tough to catch the ball on what should be automatic completions, hindering YAC and disrupting the timing of the play even if receiver makes the catch. "Aims the throw" on 5-yard darts, causing underthrown passes. Some of his flat trajectory darts over the middle resulted in deflected passes by the DL at the LOS.

On intermediate passes, too frequently the ball is placed on the wrong shoulder of the receiver, almost always the backshoulder, hurting YAC, hurting the expected catch percentage and creating the danger of deflected INTs. Small miss into tight coverage resulted in deflected INT. Pass on wrong shoulder of TE going up seam.

On 10-yard pass, small miss creates contested ball for PBU, instead of leading WR away from CB for an easy 1st down conversion. High and wide on 10-yard stick route. Poor accuracy on speed-out robbed WR of YAC, making it 3rd&5 instead of play resulting in 1st down.

Too high or wide on some WR screens to the flat, forcing the WR to jump or adjust to the ball.

Not polished or consistent with his throwing mechanics. Occasionally his left shoulder opens too early. Inconsistent stride length contributes to some of his small misses. Doesn't fully transfer his weight, so on some throws his arm whips across his body instead of getting free and full upper body rotation. Habit of throwing off his backfoot, leaning backwards. On one deep ball, to launch the ball high into the air, his stride opened too far to the left, with his release point too open to the right, causing the ball to hang and run out of steam, not efficiently transferring energy into the throw.

I feel that many of his accuracy issues can be fixed by tweaks to his throwing mechanics, but this could take time and be a reason not to throw him into the fire immediately, let him sit and be developed gradually. Even if mentally he'd be ready to handle the playbook, I don't know if his mechanics are ready for primetime.

Sometimes he speeds through the progression too fast, getting to his checkdown early instead of giving the routes a split second more time to develop, missing opportunities to challenge tight coverage. One play, pass rush threat sped his progression, leading him to try very low percentage fade route and not notice that after DB fell down the TE on the shallow crosser was wide open.

Has very little burst and lacks short-area athleticism, below average ability to escape sacks. One reason he still gets away sometimes is he sees the defender coming and starts to move early, helping him get a headstart. He also has good size and a decent stiff arm, but he has no natural sudden movement ability to slip tackles.

Not calm inside of collapsing pockets, defaults to throwing the ball out of bounds when sometimes he could have taken more risks. This was a common issue that I didn't like, how he'd throw fades to the SL or throw the ball out of bounds when I felt he could have been more patient vs the pass rush and looked for something over the middle if he had just held it for a split-second longer. Accuracy declines if he gets jostled, doesn't have elite corrective athleticism to throw the ball with power and accuracy if he's being tackled simultaneous with the throw. At the instant that he gets flushed from the pocket, his eyes can get distracted by the pass rush, so sometimes doesn't see open receivers. A few times, instead of running away from pressure, QB trying to get out of pocket ran himself directly into pressure.

Average acceleration leaving the pocket. Not a running threat. Normally he's only going to get yards scrambling if there is open space and he doesn't have to dodge or break tackles.

When Ohio State consistently pressured him, Lindsey looked almost exactly like Aidan O'Connell, a late 4th round pick. Iowa ambushed Minnesota and the game was over early in the 2nd quarter once Iowa built a 31-0 lead. The key play in that game was a pick 6 that Lutmer stole off of Lindsey to make it 17-0. While I think that play was more about how good Lutmer is as a CB than how bad Lindsey is as a QB, it is still an example of the type of play good NFL defenders can make, so if you aspire to be a top NFL QB, you have to learn how to avoid those mistakes. What concerned me more than that INT was on a 3rd down, against man coverage, Lindsey elected to try to target Lutmer and as expected had no chance. Did Lindsey not watch tape? Does he not know the opponent? Against man coverage, Lutmer is the last DB on Iowa's team you want to attack. That's a bad pre-snap decision. Why are we throwing that route on 3rd down? That's losing football. Games like OSU and Iowa against good defenses could result in Lindsey being placed in the middle rounds as a backup QB candidate, even if he waits for the 2018 or 2019 drafts. Matt Barkley skipped the loaded 2012 draft, hoping to become the top pick in the following year's draft, but only ended up being a 4th round selection in 2013. He also suffered a significant injury his final year in college. In hindsight, he would have been better off jumping into the 2012 draft. I think it could be a big mistake for Lindsey to stay in school, even in the NIL era.

He doesn't throw the ball with high velocity; he tends to throw it with touch. This can be very dangerous if his timing is slightly off and he's late with the throw or his small misses leave the pass too far on the inside shoulder of the receiver. DBs undercut the route and can try for INTs. Against A-gap blitz, he nearly had a very ugly pick 6, but the ball went right through the CB's hands. In the games I watched, he had at least 3 plays almost identical to that one, with near-miss INTs.

Questionable whether he can survive throwing intermediate passes over the middle and outside the numbers in the NFL without adjusting his approach. Despite having arm strength, he typically throws passes "gently" as if he were a weak-armed QB, touching the ball in and throwing the ball very early, with anticipation. I don't think that's going to work against NFL speed and length. I think it will lead to more PBUs and INTs in the pros unless he learns to "change speeds" and gains feel when to throw a fastball, changeup or slider. Very odd QB, because his issue is the exact opposite of most QBs. If Lindsey fails to show he can drive the ball more consistently, he's arguably just a taller version of Quinn Ewers, who was a 7th round pick in 2025.

The left knee injury he had in HS really concerns me and could substantially impact his draft stock. It is the same injury that Evan Stewart, the very fast Oregon WR, suffered to his right knee, which has caused Stewart to go from being a potential 1st round pick to possibly an UDFA on some draft boards. I don't know if Lindsey will ever fully psychologically recover from that injury and whether the injury is part of the reason for some of the issues with his throwing mechanics. He couldn't even bend his knee for an extended period after that injury; it was a painful and grueling rehab. I wonder if overcompensating and not being as balanced with his motion could result in throwing arm or other injuries down the road. He's "right side, right leg" dominant in how he throws, which bothers me.

His 2026 arrest might not be a big deal for an NFL QB (e.g. Eli Manning, Dak Prescott, Stetson Bennett) but I feel that it is a sign of immaturity and poor judgment, not considering how his actions would reflect on his school, team and his own reputation. He was only a few months away from turning 21, so it was a silly decision, not thinking about the potential long-term consequences. He admits that he wasn't in great shape when he entered college. He loves to golf. What if he gets lazy at some point and decides he'd rather be golfing, drinking beers and eating bratwursts during the offseason instead of working out? Especially if he gets a huge contract someday. His family is already very rich. Is he going to show up for training camp one year looking like Jared Lorenzen? Early in his career, Ben Roethlisberger was very lazy, had very poor off-field judgment, was accused of sexual assault and nearly destroyed his career. Is there something in Lindsey's background that NFL teams know about but isn't publicly known that might cause them not to want to draft him in the 1st round? Maybe he just doesn't love football as much as they'd like and isn't as intrinsically motivated as some of the other top prospects.

Thin resume. He had less than 2,400 yards in 2025 and has only started for 1 season. He's never had a true "big game" performance of note. You can't even make a real highlight video about him, because there aren't enough explosive plays to make it look interesting. There's isn't enough legitimate production to justify him being a 1st round pick. The selling point is he's got great size and very good arm strength. He's a traits-based prospect. He hasn't proven it on the field against top competition. Some draft experts thought that Zac Dysert was the next Big Ben (the comp his Combine profile from NFL.com used) and had shockingly high grades on him. In the actual draft, Dysert was a 7th round pick in 2013. Dysert never appeared in a single NFL regular season game in his career. It wouldn't surprise me if actual NFL scouts or draft experts gave Lindsey a lower grade than they had on Dysert back in 2013.

 

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Part 4: Draft Grade and Pro Comp

1st round grade. Carson Palmer (1st round 2003, 1st overall selection, Cincinnati Bengals, USC).

Entering the 2002 season, Mel Kiper had 3 QBs as 1st round locks: Byron Leftwich, Dave Ragone and Rex Grossman. Ragone is the QB coach for the Rams and the associate OC. Ragone had a very strong arm. In the actual draft, Ragone was a 3rd round pick. Leftwich was the 2nd QB taken in the actual draft, 7th overall. The 3rd QB taken was Kyle Boller, who wasn't on Kiper's radar, but an unexpectedly strong SR season pushed him up draft boards.

Kiper ranked Palmer as a 2nd tier QB entering 2002, similar to Chris Simms, the son of Phil Simms. Simms had a pretty disappointing career for Texas. In the actual draft, Simms was a 3rd round pick. If it weren't for Palmer's fantastic final season at USC, Palmer presumably might have ended up where Ragone and Simms were taken, in the 3rd round. As the years go by, I think people tend to forget (or are too young to remember) how things actually unfolded in history. Despite being a very highly ranked HS recruit, it isn't like Carson Palmer was always destined to be the number one pick in his draft. In hindsight, it looks ridiculous for Mel Kiper to have ever thought that Dave Ragone was a better NFL prospect than Carson Palmer, but that's actually what the rankings looked like at one time. If it weren't for horrible bad luck with injuries, Palmer might have had a better career than Stafford and Ragone hardly had much of a playing career.

When Palmer ended up in football purgatory with the Raiders, many NFL front coaches and front office people gave up on him and wrote him off, ranking him as a 3rd tier QB. Those same football "geniuses" who you'd think would know the game better than anyone, all looked foolish when Palmer had the best seasons of his career at the very end of his career playing for Arizona, performing at an MVP level. By forcing his way out of Cincinnati by threatening to retire, Palmer became vilified and at one time was one of the most unpopular players in the league among fans. I don't think this would happen today, because the way QBs (including Stafford) move around and with NIL transfers in college, sports culture has changed and I think fans would be more sympathetic to QBs wanted to change teams. With both the Bengals and the Cardinals, Palmer had great opportunities to get to the Super Bowl and perhaps win multiple SBs, but he kept getting injured when his team and individual play peaked. It was like he was cursed.

Drake Lindsey has gotten traction from experts, but not as much attention as he deserves. To be frank, I think that anyone who thinks that Drew Mestemaker is a better prospect than Lindsey doesn't know what they're talking about and has no credibility in my eyes. I have no time for such nonsense. Lindsey isn't a perfect QB prospect; he's no Andrew Luck. He also isn't a modern QB, so some NFL teams might not like him at all. He has poor mobility and in today's game, teams want QBs who can run. In a Combine drill, Ty Simpson might literally be able to run circles around Lindsey.

I don't care about those shortcomings, because Lindsey has prototypical size, has a strong arm and mentally processes coverage very well. He makes good decisions, throws the ball with great touch and anticipation and doesn't turn the ball over. With more experience and technical refinement, he could become a very good NFL starter. Philip Rivers would be a fair comparison for his production ceiling if he could reach his full potential. Rivers has similar size, has poor mobility and didn't have great arm strength, but he was a very smart and gutsy QB, with good accuracy, leadership and toughness.

In an average draft, there shouldn't be more than about 3 starting QBs in the pool. There are 32 teams. In 10 drafts, 3x10=30. Some of those "starters" by definition have to be below average, because you can't have 32 QBs in the NFL who are all above-average starters and all Pro Bowl players. No matter how talented they are, only a certain number of teams make the playoffs and only a certain number of QBs get voted to the Pro Bowl. So, maybe only 1 or 2 of those 3 "starters" in each draft will be good. Sometimes that number is zero, but the next year maybe there will be 4 good QBs.

Due to the math, I don't think a team should ever pass on a QB they predict will be one of those "2 good starters" in an average draft. There are 32 teams trying to draft players, all fighting over 2 players; trying to correctly predict which QB is the real deal, then trying to jockey for position to get one of those guys. That's a very challenging competition, like a classroom full of school kids who all want to ride shotgun on the bus ride for the field trip.

If you get one of those "golden tickets", you must exercise it. Automatic draft pick; doesn't matter what the rest of the roster looks like. Remember, Tom Brady was the 4th string QB for the Pats to begin his rookie season. Drew Bledsoe was about to sign a big money extension. If you're right about the QB, things will have a way of working themselves out in the long run. You can pass on 2nd tier QB prospects. You can pass on a QB you ranked as the 4th best QB in the draft. Never, ever, ever pass on a QB you think is a legitimate franchise QB prospect. Any GM who does this deserves to get fired. Inexcusable. Trust your board, trust your scouts, trust your own opinion. If they graded the QB that high and you agree, you have to take him. Don't overthink it and talk yourself out of it.

Is Drake Lindsey such a QB prospect, a future franchise QB? Is Sam Teets correct in ranking him as the best QB in the draft? Maybe. I'd have to sit down and study guys like Dante Moore in more detail to give my own opinion, but I can't rule it out. Lindsey has rare traits that you aren't going to find in most QB prospects. He's not just a tall guy; he has a feel for how to play the QB position that is abnormally advanced for a redshirt freshman. Drew Allar had some of this, but Allar didn't have as good of an arm. Allar ended up being a 3rd round pick, consistent with where I had him earlier in his Penn State career. If teams tier Lindsey the same as Allar, he's still going to be on the board at the end of the 2nd round.

There are multiple scenarios where a talented QB could still be available for the Rams in the 2nd round of the 2027 draft. We don't know the name(s) of the player(s) but the more QBs who enter the draft, the more likely it becomes. Lindsey could be one such QB. The Rams must think long and hard about their strategy. Just like the decision to take Ty Simpson, these are franchise changing moves that can impact the team for the next decade and help define the careers of McVay and Snead. Chris Simms was drafted by Jon Gruden's team and Sean McVay first NFL job was on that staff. History might be very different if things had been flipped with Simms and Palmer switching places, with Palmer being the one getting drafted by Tampa Bay. Gruden potentially doesn't get fired, McVay stays with him in Tampa and who knows what happens after that.

We don't need to decide right now. The entire 2006 NFL and college seasons are yet to unfold. Still, Rams fans should cogitate on this question, because if things fall a certain way, this debate could be front and center for the team about 4 months from now.

 

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On the PFSN draft simulator, using Jacob Infante's board, Lindsey is ranked 115th overall as the 10th QB and in a sim I did, he was taken in the 4th round, 102nd. In the same simulation, I drafted LaNorris Sellers for the Rams late in the 4th round.

 

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I'm watching another game on Lindsey. In one of the plays, you can hear what the QB is yelling at the OL pre-snap, the crowd is so quiet. Like the Rams, the WRs are in tight splits. Prior to the snap, with 16 seconds left on the playclock, QB gives a fake snap bark and out of the corner of his eye notices that the LB lined up in the slot over one of the WRs takes a small, false step forward. This tips off the QB that a blitz is coming. He alerts the rest of the unit and tells his team to look out for the LB. The offense changes formation, with the slot WR flipping over to the opposite side of the formation and the other WR shifting forward to be on the LOS.

The pass rush is exactly as QB diagnoses, so RB is prepared to get the LB. The LB happens to be Christian Alliegro, a player a profiled, who is an outstanding blitzing LB. The RT does a lousy job and is immediately beaten by the DE. So, even though QB sets his protection correctly and should have time to throw, before he can even complete his dropback, the pocket is already about to collapse with the DE flying straight at him. Moreover, Alliegro is so powerful (one reason I really like him), he smashes through the RB like he's not even there, so even if QB had stayed put, the pocket would have been compromised anyway. QB rolls out, but now he's doing it to Alliegro's side, so both the LB and the DE could be in hot pursuit. Lucky for QB, since Alliegro does such a good job, when RB falls down, he inadvertently gets in the DE's way, becoming a good block on the DE even though he was a bad block on Alliegro. QB now has plenty of room and time, surveys his options, makes a good throw, but the WR does a poor job securing the catch through contact and drops the ball.

Just a really nice job by the QB reading keys, communicating pre-snap, getting his team lined up, responding to the pass rush, but on the stats it goes down as an incompletion and zero yards. A microcosm of Lindsey's 2025 season and an example of why I think he's a better NFL prospect than his stats reflect.

 

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There's a 2nd play from the same game I find fascinating. It was a very critical play in the game. 3rd down in the red zone. If you look at the defense pre-snap vs the offensive play call, Minnesota has it, they are in a good play to beat that defense. I think QB knows this; he knows exactly what he's going to do. Prior to the snap, he makes a hand signal to the outside WR. I'd be curious to know why he does this, because it doesn't seem necessary or have any direct impact on how the play unfolds. I suspect he's doing one of 2 things. He's either making an actual audible to change the WR's route to help hold the CB from freelancing and roaming over to the TE or he's tricking the zone LB, trying to get the LB to think the WR could be going inside, so that the LB won't drop under the TE. Based on the pre-snap read and the way the QB executed the play post-snap, I don't think he had any intention whatsoever of targeting the WR. He knows he's going to the TE before the ball is even snapped. Defense after the snap plays the expected coverage, QB reads it and delivers perfectly on time for the TD.

 

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Here is a play illustrating Lindsey's poor mobility. It is 3rd&5. The defense drops into zone and the left DE jams the TE before pass rushing, so the initial pass rush only has 3 players, with the DE only added late. The right DE goes inside of the RG. When he does this, the corner outside of the RT is now open. The WR near the SL could help block the outside CB and the LB to the inside is level with the QB, so only has okay leverage. For very good running QBs, this would be a layup 1st down. Ty Simpson would have gotten it. Sellers might be able to get if he turned around and ran backwards. Not Lindsey, not even close. QB tries to extend and roll out to his right instead of taking off running. The RDE barely trips him up from behind, Lindsey can't regain his balance and falls down for a sack about half a yard behind the LOS. Time to punt.

With dual threat QBs, the defense has to worry about staying in their rush lanes, maintaining containment, not trying as many games up front, having a dedicated spy, etc. You don't have to worry about such things if you're playing against Lindsey. He's not going to punish you if there are seams open or voids at the LOS. Even if given a head start, he runs so slow a very fast NFL defender could probably chase him down from behind.

 

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The notable thing about where Lindsey is ranked in FirstandTen's draft simulator is that it lines up perfectly to get him for the Rams in the 4th round. You don't need to trade up or down, just let things run and he's one of the BPA at the slot, making the strategy easy. This is one reason why I like using 2 teams in the simulator, to add some element of surprise without having to make the entire draft random.

 

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Sam Teets released a mock draft for the 2027 first round. The mock isn't what he would do, it is mostly a prediction, so he has QBs going high that he doesn't like as much and Drake Lindsey doesn't get picked at all, despite being QB1 on his big board. Some players that I've covered or mentioned:

9. Becker
10. Marsh
14. Lutmer
21. Tae Johnson
22. Greg Johnson
23. Ryan Wingo
24. Bryant Wesco Jr
26. Trevor Lauck
28. Taylor Wein
29. Anthonie Knapp

Wein is a huge surprise. Teets has him as a 3rd round prospect. Draft boards rank him 3rd to 6th round and he's 4th round on the consensus board. So, I'm confused as to why Teets thinks that in the actual draft Wein will get picked so early. This is the first mock that I've noticed where Wein goes in the 1st round. Wein is an undersized player who doesn't run fast, so I don't understand why a team would see him as an elite pass rushing prospect.

Marsh and Lutmer are 2 of my top choices for a "wish list" for the Rams, so Teets's mock throws a bucket of cold water on that dream. On the other hand, it is semi-confirmation of why I like those players so much.

Shifting gears, there's a projected UDFA that I like, so he could be added to the list of "priority UDFA" candidates. I already floated a few names for this pot before, like the Miami RB and the Houston WR. Joe Brunner played LG for Wisconsin for a couple of years and he'll be a RT for Indiana in 2026. He's a 5th year redshirt senior. He was listed at 6'5'' 317 by UW and is listed as 6'7'' and 320 by IU. Draftscout has him as 6'6 1/4'' and 313.

Drafttek has him 305, NFLMDD consensus has him 282, Sam Teets and FirstandTen don't list him at all and he wasn't included in Shane Hallam's 7-round mock. He isn't overly explosive or strong, but he's light on his feet and moves well. He's more of a zone scheme linemen, but I'm not interested in him as a developmental starter, I see him for the Rams as a versatile swing backup or potentially moving to center. He's never played C before, so I don't know if he could learn how to snap. Something I like about this guy is he's very intelligent. Great interview. He played RT in HS. After the upcoming season, he'll have played on both the L and R side of the OL in college, and at both G and T. I like those traits for a backup OL who could fill in at multiple spots. Not a high ceiling, but could earn a roster spot and since we're talking about an UDFA, that would be a good return on investment.

 

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I was reminded today of a RB that I liked back in the 2023 draft. Keaton Mitchell was a small but very fast RB from East Carolina. He had durability issues, but I thought he was one of the more talented runners in that draft. IIRC, I gave him a 3rd round grade but he was a late round prospect on most boards. In the actual draft he was an UDFA. Mitchell burst on the scene as a rookie as a big play machine, but he tore his ACL late in that season and missed almost all of 2024.

Despite that injury, Michell has had solid production as a backup and also returned kicks. He has an impressive 6.3 career ypc and 9.7 yards per reception average. Even if you factor in his serious injury, I'd argue that in retrospect my draft grade on him proved to be exactly correct. If we did a redraft of 2023, I think Mitchell would get picked in the 3rd.

Many of the other players that I liked in 2023 didn't pan out. Another RB I liked that year was Eric Gray, a compensatory 5th round pick. He was taken shortly before the Rams got McClendon, Davis Allen and Puka Nacua. I think I had a 4th round grade on Gray. Besides returning kickoffs, Gray didn't do much of anything in the NFL. He got waived recently and wasn't put on any PS, so his career might be over.

 

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A key factor that could impact the 2027 QB draft class is the Cal QB, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is a virtual lock to be the top pick in the 2028 NFL draft. JKS is basically a left-handed Josh Allen. His blend of size, arm strength and athleticism is crazy. How could any other QB unseat him for the top spot? Seems impossible. An NFL team might try to intentionally tank to get him, like the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. JKS might be one of the best QB prospects in the last 30 years. Like Mahomes and Allen, JKS isn't just a starter, he's the type of QB who you'd project to be league MVP someday.

If your team stinks, you might skip on a QB in 2027 just to speculate on maybe going QB in 2028 instead. I could see the shadow of JKS impacting draft strategy and pushing some of the 2027 QBs lower on the board than you'd expect them to get picked, at least for teams with bad records. If you are a playoff team, it doesn't matter, because you aren't going to be high enough to be in the running.

 

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Another important note about Teets's mock draft is he projects Lindsey, Carr, Mestemaker, Sayin and Sellers all to skip the 2027 draft and return to school.

 

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One of my favorite EDGE rushers in the 2024 was Braelen Trice. He was a 3rd round pick. In the 1st preseason game of his rookie year, he tore his ACL. He injured the same knee again at the start of his 2nd season. The Falcons waived him this year and didn't put him on PS, so it is possible his NFL career is over.

I was also a big fan of the player taken immediately after Trice, Kiran Amegadjie, a big LT from Yale. He was cut by the Bears after 2 seasons and is now on the PS for the Eagles.

I had a 2nd round grade on Jermaine Burton, also taken in the 3rd round that year. He had about 100 rec yards as a rookie. He didn't play at all his 2nd year and was waived by the Bengals, then went unclaimed so his career is likely over.

All 3 of those players were drafted ahead of Blake Corum.

 

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In a way, the Cal QB JKS illustrates why Lindsey is a good QB prospect. JKS has a very good arm, but he played like a true freshman in 2025. Mistake prone, questionable decision making and response to pass rush pressure. It isn't a fair head-to-head comparison, because Lindsey was in his 2nd year in college, but in the mental aspect of the game Lindsey was more reliable and consistent. JKS has the physical tools but he still has quite a way to go if he wants to be a good NFL starter.

 

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A DB I think is interesting is Lindsey's teammate, John Nestor. He plays outside CB but he's too slow, so likely will either have to slide inside to the slot or move to S in the pros. He got a lot of picks in 2025 and he can tackle, good size. He's projected to be a late round pick or UDFA.

 

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Penn State has a fascinating TE room this season. Matt Campbell loves TEs. I was watching an ISU game and they used 4 TEs on a running play. He brought 3 of his ISU TEs with him to PSU for 2026, joining Andrew Rappleyea.

I like how Rappleyea runs with low COG. He has good hands and is good when used from the fullback position. He had a knee injury in 2024. He's too similar to Ferguson, so not really what I was looking for.

Gabe Burkle is a very competitive blocker, but he doesn't have great length, bulk or a prototypical frame. He offers little as a receiver, because he's too slow and lacks quickness. He also tore his ACL late last season. He's projected to be an UDFA. Maybe a team would add him as a depth guy if they just need a blocking specialist. Matt Campbell called Burkle the best blocking TE in the country.

Benjamin Brahmer has a very nice frame, long arms and great hands. He's too slow, not enough route tempo to attack the seam. Even though ISU used him like a flex TE, he's a decent blocker but since he's tall has some leverage issues. He's very similar to Davis Allen. I like Brahmer, but he doesn't have a high ceiling. Not a lead dog TE, just a TE2 or TE3. He has red zone value but he's not going to put up big season stats, because he doesn't have enough speed.

The guy I think might turn out someday to be the best of the bunch is the 4th string TE, Cooper Alexander. He's the son of former NFL TE, Stephen Alexander, who was a good starter in the pros and made the Pro Bowl one year. Alexander is only a 3rd year redshirt sophomore and since he's behind the other TEs, almost certainly will wait until at least the 2028 draft. Watch out for him. I think eventually he could develop into a good draft prospect.

 

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SticktotheModel simulation. I traded down twice to get 2 extra selections. I used the Cleveland Browns as a 2nd team drafting.

3rd rd: Anthonie Knapp, OL
4th rd: Isaiah Sategna III, WR
5th rd: Benjamin Brahmer, TE
5th rd: Christian Gray, CB
5th rd: Cooper Barkate, WR
6th rd: Antwan Raymond, RB

 

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In this mock draft simulation, I trade up near the top of the 2nd round, all the way from the very bottom of the 2nd round. I know, fans always hate trading up. You give up so many picks and put all your eggs in one basket instead of coming away with more players. There is a very specific player I wanted to target.

I felt this was a realistic scenario and trade based on where the player is projected, my gut feeling about where he might get drafted and using the Rich Hill trade chart values. It is a big move to go that far, so we have to give up a 4th rounder, 5th rounder and our 2nd round pick in the 2028 draft. We move from 64 to slot 36. After the trade, the only other pick the Rams have left in the sim is in the 6th round.

At 36, I drafted Austin Siereveld, OL from Ohio State. I expect the 2027 draft to be very strong at the top at the guard position. There are some outstanding prospects, probably one of the best position groups in the draft, at least for the top tier. Siereveld played LT in 2025 and is expected to be the RG in 2026. I think he's phenomenal and has Pro Bowl traits. I know it looks excessive to essentially use 4 picks to get an offensive guard, but both of the 2nd round picks potentially would be near the bottom of the 2nd round, so they aren't as valuable as they seem on paper.

If the Rams actually did something like that in real life, how would you feel about it? Is there a particular player you'd target early in the 2nd round that you think is worth trading up for, if it meant kicking in a 2nd round pick in the 2028 draft?