New, improved Lamar Jackson showing his value to Louisville — and NFL scouts

Eric Galko

New, improved Lamar Jackson showing his value to Louisville — and NFL scouts image

Despite winning the Heisman Trophy in 2016 — a campaign that displayed one of the most dominating dual-threat seasons of the last decade — Louisville’s Lamar Jackson actually flew under the radar entering 2017.

USC's Sam Darnold became the darling of offseason features. Josh Rosen appeared primed for a breakout season at UCLA. Even Wyoming’s Josh Allen was crowed as a top draft prospect.

But Jackson is the country’s best quarterback. 

MORE: Lamar Jackson's incredible highlights against UNC

And it’s not because he has already accumulated 1,010 total yards and 8 touchdowns through two games, impressive as that may be. It’s that Jackson, a rare athlete and a dominant runner, has emerged from the offseason as one of the most mentally developed and decisive passers in the country. And he’s only going to get better as the season goes on.

Improved mental processing

The mental aspect of playing quarterback is routinely brought up in college-to-NFL projections, and for good reason. We’ve seen countless remarkably talented passers in college rendered incapable in the NFL thanks to a lack of mental processing. But mental makeup concerns are too often code for lazy expectations about spread.

In college, defenders are slower and defenses generally less complex, allowing for elite arm talent and athleticism to trump opponents. At the NFL level, decisiveness, anticipation, and understanding are required for even baseline success. It takes time and coaching, but much of it seems to be instinctual. Andrew Luck and Jameis Winston are two of the best in terms of mentally processing, while Blake Bortles and Paxton Lynch seem to have never developed in this area.

Jackson flashed NFL mental processing during his Heisman campaign last season, but his offseason development in this area is nothing short of remarkable. Jackson is trusting his eyes, progressing deliberately from the pocket, showing decisiveness when he needs to and patience when he is afforded the luxury — traits that escape even some NFL quarterbacks.

In the play below against North Carolina, Jackson displays his defensive understanding of leverage and patience. You can almost see the moment he recognizes he can “look” his receiver open. He recognized the safety’s leverage, maintains eye contact to his left, readjusts his feet, and as the safety slides to where Jackson’s eyes are leading him, he finishes the red zone touchdown throw to the safety’s right. He has begun to show this higher-level understanding to kickoff the 2017 season.


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BENDER: Jackson done playing what-if game in 2017

Pocket navigation

In general, mobile quarterbacks thrive when they have vertically stretching receivers to target. Mobile passers force defenses to stretch horizontally due to their running ability, allowing for added pockets on the perimeter and in the seam for these passers to finish downfield.

Jackson struggled last season to finish on deep passing opportunities, particularly outside the hash marks. His natural touch as a passer seems to play a role, and generally perimeter touch is more of a “feel” characteristic, rather than something that can be fundamentally coached up. But more often, it was Jackson’s body positioning and footwork that made perimeter throws harder than they needed to be, especially when adjusting inside and escaping the pocket.

In 2017, that no longer appears to be a hindrance. In multiple throws against Purdue and North Carolina, Jackson has shown remarkable body adjustments and pocket navigation to dominate, even under pressure, from within the pocket.

In the play below, Jackson evades a free rusher on the perimeter after his play action. After using his elite short-area quickness and elusiveness, Jackson has running room to his right, likely enough to pick up the first down.

Instead, Jackson bounces up in the pocket, resets his feet perfectly, and throws a 45-yard strike downfield with perfect mechanics for a long touchdown. He had a throw similar to this in his first game of the season. Plays like this offer shades of Aaron Rodgers.


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Still winning as a runner

Jackson relied on his running ability to get him out of tough situations in 2016, and he should continue to use his Michael Vick-like elusiveness and top-end speed in space to pick up first downs.

But for Jackson, who is far superior as a passer than Vick was in college — or with the Atlanta Falcons — running when the play breaks down has become an added option, not his preferred weapon.

We've already seen how Jackson’s improved mental processing puts pressure on defenders to remain aware and focused and how his pocket navigation allows him to finish more vertical passes in one- on-one opportunities.

In the play below, Jackson highlights the difference between mobility and running as a quarterback, and why it’s Jackson’s throwing ability that now sets up his runs.

Jackson sets up the run by evading interior pressure and edge protection by North Carolina. Jackson, using outstanding athleticism and body control to escape the pocket, resets his feet as he works to his left, forcing multiple North Carolina defenders, still fearful of his vertical passing ability, to turn downfield to pick up a receiver. That gives Jackson the cushion he needs to easily pick up the first down. Jackson goes from passer, to pocket navigator, back to passer, to runner all in one crucial third-down play. He can beat you with his eyes, his arm, and his legs.


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Simply put, anyone claiming Jackson is a college-only quarterback who may switch to receiver in the NFL is mistaken. NFL teams consistently include Jackson in the discussion of the top 2018 NFL Draft quarterback prospects, and he’s only making his case stronger to be among the first quarterbacks taken.

Jackson gets to face off against Clemson this week, redeeming a loss from a year ago that might have been Jackson’s most impressive game at Louisville.

But this is a new Lamar Jackson. Somehow, he has improved after a runaway Heisman season.

He is now unquestionably a passer first and an athlete second. That's a terrifying proposition for Clemson, for Jackson's opponents the rest of the season, and future NFL defensive coordinators.

Eric Galko

Eric Galko is the owner and director of scouting at Optimum Scouting and OptimumScouting.com, as well as a Sporting News contributor. Follow him on Twitter: @OptimumScouting