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Been looking a little deeper at some of the other mid to late round types. Rudock is interesting because he played quite well down the stretch, and before that did enough to win games by being careful with the ball. Nothing special about him, but might be a guy who can make a roster late in the draft or maybe UDFA. Here's an article that's a bit over the top on him, but a good read nonetheless:
http://www.tedkluck.com/?p=1281
Why Michigan’s Jake Rudock is the Best QB Prospect in the 2016 Draft
November 21st, 2015 in -- by admin 0
Note: I have a new book out on these kinds of things…click the picture to check it out!
Michigan quarterback Jake Rudock is the least respected man in college football. He is rated, by most media scouting services, well behind lots of purportedly Great Players who don’t play all that great – including Ohio State’s Cardale Jones (lost his starting job), Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg (emotional, outplayed by Rudock this weekend) and Michigan State’s Connor Cook (completing a very ordinary 56% of his passes, not elected to the captaincy by his teammates).
The media Powers-that-Be seemed committed to giving Cal’s Jared Goff the Teddy Bridgwater treatment (i.e. overhype) early in the season…except that Goff hasn’t played that well (and he plays in the spread). Memphis’s Paxton Lynch has intriguing size (6′7″) but has posted his numbers in a gimmicky offense against lots of fairly toothless defenses. He’s a raw prospect. And when I see 6′7″ I still see Dan McGwire. Call me old-fashioned. Cook – a vogue early-season pick for top quarterback in the draft, has played some awful games against subpar teams. This is looking a lot like a Christian Ponder/Blaine Gabbert kind of draft, where quarterbacks who aren’t good will be anointed “first round” prospects simply because there are teams who need “franchise quarterbacks.”
In Past Time I explain why I don’t believe in Franchise Quarterbacks. But if I were drafting a QB in 2016 it would be Rudock (or USC’s Cody Kessler – but this post is about Rudock).
I wouldn’t draft any of the aforementioned players in the first round. Michigan’s Jake Rudock’s only real transgression seems to be a relatively ordinary skill-set. He is 6′3″ and 205. Iowa didn’t want him. He took advantage of college football mercenary fifth-year transfer rule to become the starter in the first year of Jim Harbaugh’s regime.
Here’s why I would draft Michigan’s Rudock:
1. He has learned a pro-style offense in one year. Rudock transferred in from Iowa where, it should be noted, he also ran a pro-style offense for Kirk Ferentz. He has taken nearly all of his game snaps from under center, and has experience setting protections, calling audibles and running offenses with tight ends and fullbacks. As I explored in Past Time, this matters.
2. He doesn’t kill drives with mistakes like fumbles and interceptions. As discussed in the book, the most important thing you can do as a quarterback is not be the reason for the end of a drive. Ways to end a drive include fumbling, throwing picks, and being bad on third down. Rudock is good in all of these areas. He has completed over 64% of his passes, and has thrown only 8 drive-killing picks – 5 of which came in his first three starts. Rudock has improved in every game.
3. He throws the football with accuracy in a non-spread offense. Rudock isn’t throwing laterally. He’s going downfield, throwing off play-action, and generally doing pro-type things. It’s easier to throw for a high-percentage when you’re throwing two-yard bubbles. Rudock has done it the right way.
4. He has keyed a turnaround. Michigan was bad last year, finishing at 5-7 with most of the same players. They are 9-2 and competing for a Big Ten title this season. Rudock has made prospects out of receivers like Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson. Last year, the word was “Michigan has no talent.” This year, Rudock is putting his team’s talent in a position to be successful.
5. He manages the game. I mean this as a compliment. Rudock extends drives, avoids dumb throws, doesn’t take a lot of critical sacks, and makes smart checkdowns. And nobody will coach him harder than Harbaugh has coached him this season. You know he’s mentally strong.
Quarterback is the worst first-round investment in all of professional sports. They bust at the highest rate and set franchises back when they fail (see: Gabbert, Weeden, Ponder, et. al.) yet it’s almost certain that Goff, Cardale Jones, Cook, and other less-worthy prospects will come off the board before Rudock. He’s the best prospect because he represents the best investment. A smart team won’t overspend, and will wait and grab this great prospect in the middle rounds of the draft.
http://www.tedkluck.com/?p=1281
Why Michigan’s Jake Rudock is the Best QB Prospect in the 2016 Draft
November 21st, 2015 in -- by admin 0
Note: I have a new book out on these kinds of things…click the picture to check it out!
Michigan quarterback Jake Rudock is the least respected man in college football. He is rated, by most media scouting services, well behind lots of purportedly Great Players who don’t play all that great – including Ohio State’s Cardale Jones (lost his starting job), Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg (emotional, outplayed by Rudock this weekend) and Michigan State’s Connor Cook (completing a very ordinary 56% of his passes, not elected to the captaincy by his teammates).
The media Powers-that-Be seemed committed to giving Cal’s Jared Goff the Teddy Bridgwater treatment (i.e. overhype) early in the season…except that Goff hasn’t played that well (and he plays in the spread). Memphis’s Paxton Lynch has intriguing size (6′7″) but has posted his numbers in a gimmicky offense against lots of fairly toothless defenses. He’s a raw prospect. And when I see 6′7″ I still see Dan McGwire. Call me old-fashioned. Cook – a vogue early-season pick for top quarterback in the draft, has played some awful games against subpar teams. This is looking a lot like a Christian Ponder/Blaine Gabbert kind of draft, where quarterbacks who aren’t good will be anointed “first round” prospects simply because there are teams who need “franchise quarterbacks.”
In Past Time I explain why I don’t believe in Franchise Quarterbacks. But if I were drafting a QB in 2016 it would be Rudock (or USC’s Cody Kessler – but this post is about Rudock).
I wouldn’t draft any of the aforementioned players in the first round. Michigan’s Jake Rudock’s only real transgression seems to be a relatively ordinary skill-set. He is 6′3″ and 205. Iowa didn’t want him. He took advantage of college football mercenary fifth-year transfer rule to become the starter in the first year of Jim Harbaugh’s regime.
Here’s why I would draft Michigan’s Rudock:
1. He has learned a pro-style offense in one year. Rudock transferred in from Iowa where, it should be noted, he also ran a pro-style offense for Kirk Ferentz. He has taken nearly all of his game snaps from under center, and has experience setting protections, calling audibles and running offenses with tight ends and fullbacks. As I explored in Past Time, this matters.
2. He doesn’t kill drives with mistakes like fumbles and interceptions. As discussed in the book, the most important thing you can do as a quarterback is not be the reason for the end of a drive. Ways to end a drive include fumbling, throwing picks, and being bad on third down. Rudock is good in all of these areas. He has completed over 64% of his passes, and has thrown only 8 drive-killing picks – 5 of which came in his first three starts. Rudock has improved in every game.
3. He throws the football with accuracy in a non-spread offense. Rudock isn’t throwing laterally. He’s going downfield, throwing off play-action, and generally doing pro-type things. It’s easier to throw for a high-percentage when you’re throwing two-yard bubbles. Rudock has done it the right way.
4. He has keyed a turnaround. Michigan was bad last year, finishing at 5-7 with most of the same players. They are 9-2 and competing for a Big Ten title this season. Rudock has made prospects out of receivers like Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson. Last year, the word was “Michigan has no talent.” This year, Rudock is putting his team’s talent in a position to be successful.
5. He manages the game. I mean this as a compliment. Rudock extends drives, avoids dumb throws, doesn’t take a lot of critical sacks, and makes smart checkdowns. And nobody will coach him harder than Harbaugh has coached him this season. You know he’s mentally strong.
Quarterback is the worst first-round investment in all of professional sports. They bust at the highest rate and set franchises back when they fail (see: Gabbert, Weeden, Ponder, et. al.) yet it’s almost certain that Goff, Cardale Jones, Cook, and other less-worthy prospects will come off the board before Rudock. He’s the best prospect because he represents the best investment. A smart team won’t overspend, and will wait and grab this great prospect in the middle rounds of the draft.
