Tanner Morgan, QB, Minnesota +12500
In my early 2021 NFL Mock Draft, I had Minnesota's QB going in the first round. It was a decision I knew would raise a lot of eyebrows, and it did. I assure you, there was a reason for doing it.
Morgan had a great season last year. Fields and Burrow finished second and third respectively among qualified FBS QBs in air yards per pass attempt last season. Fields averaged 6.20 per attempt, while Burrow, as mentioned earlier, was at 5.84. Well, the guy who was ahead of them both was Morgan, and he blew them out of the water.
Morgan averaged 6.72 air yards; a full 0.52 yards more than Fields. That's a considerable margin. What makes it more impressive is that Morgan did so while maintaining an on-target rate of 78.3%, which ranked 11th in the country. Fields ranked 18th at 77.4%, while demigod Burrow finished first (he won the Heisman and went first in the draft for a reason).
Oh, and here's a terrifying thought: Morgan's numbers could have been better. As a team, the Gophers had an on-target catch rate of 83.8%, which ranked 73rd nationally. The team's drop rate of 6.7% ranked tied for 26th. This implies that his receivers had good hands, but whether it was good pass defense or the sun being in somebody's eyes, they missed a lot of catchable passes. Well, what if they don't miss so many in 2020? Then what becomes of Morgan's numbers?
Also, while the team's leading receiver, Tyler Johnson, has moved onto the NFL, its big-play threat is back. Rashod Bateman averaged 12.44 yards per target and 20.3 yards per reception last season. Both of those numbers were the best in the Big Ten among receivers with at least 20 targets.
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In my early 2021 NFL Mock Draft, I had Minnesota's QB going in the first round. It was a decision I knew would raise a lot of eyebrows, and it did. I assure you, there was a reason for doing it.
Morgan had a great season last year. Fields and Burrow finished second and third respectively among qualified FBS QBs in air yards per pass attempt last season. Fields averaged 6.20 per attempt, while Burrow, as mentioned earlier, was at 5.84. Well, the guy who was ahead of them both was Morgan, and he blew them out of the water.
Morgan averaged 6.72 air yards; a full 0.52 yards more than Fields. That's a considerable margin. What makes it more impressive is that Morgan did so while maintaining an on-target rate of 78.3%, which ranked 11th in the country. Fields ranked 18th at 77.4%, while demigod Burrow finished first (he won the Heisman and went first in the draft for a reason).
Oh, and here's a terrifying thought: Morgan's numbers could have been better. As a team, the Gophers had an on-target catch rate of 83.8%, which ranked 73rd nationally. The team's drop rate of 6.7% ranked tied for 26th. This implies that his receivers had good hands, but whether it was good pass defense or the sun being in somebody's eyes, they missed a lot of catchable passes. Well, what if they don't miss so many in 2020? Then what becomes of Morgan's numbers?
Also, while the team's leading receiver, Tyler Johnson, has moved onto the NFL, its big-play threat is back. Rashod Bateman averaged 12.44 yards per target and 20.3 yards per reception last season. Both of those numbers were the best in the Big Ten among receivers with at least 20 targets.
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