Athleticism: 7.16

Q.A.B.: 7.00

Moves well for a guy his size. Maintains balance when rolling out or moving around the pocket, as well as when throwing from weird angles or positions. Isn't the quickest guy but can escape defenders.

Flexibility: 7.70

Very loose throwing motion, arm can release from different angles. Keeps hips loose and runs smoothly. Can turn his body to the target while on the run.

C.O.D.: 6.90

Makes some nifty moves in the open field to pick up extra yardage. Won't stop on a dime and change directions in an instant, but has good awareness and balance to make people miss.

Explosiveness/Speed: 7.60

Deceptively fast for someone his size. Has good acceleration and can pick up yards with his legs when necessary. Can run bootlegs and RPOs without a problem, and can buy himself time when rolling out. Definitely has the arm talent to create explsoive passing plays.

Pocket Mobility/Avoid Pressure: 6.60

Has plenty athleticism and balance to avoid the rush. Difficult to bring down due to size, and has strength to deliver even while being hit. Keeps his eyes downfield and is pretty good at throwing from outside the pocket. Has shown inconsistently that he can move around the pocket to avoid pressure. He has a bad habit of retreating backwards in the face of pressure rather than escaping to the front or rolling out.

Passing Skills: 7.03

Quick Release/Mechanics: 6.65

Gets the ball out quite quickly and from a very good height. Stands tall in the pocket. Appropriately uses zip and touch, and ball usually has excellent trajectory. Ball almost always has a perfect spiral. Generally keeps his shoulders angled towards his target. However, has a very bad habit of throwing off his back foot far too often. There is a lack of even weight distribution far too often, but when there is his throws are perfect.

Delivery: 5.80

Extremely inconsistent delivery. Positives are that he has effortless movements and great flexibility in his arm. Has shown numerous times that his lower and upper body can work in tandem, and when they do he throws perfect strikes. Knows how to shorten his delivery to give proper trajectory to the ball. However, he gets lazy so often and doesn't follow through. At times there's virtually no movement or torque in his upper body. His arm gets whippy and the ball goes in all sorts of directions.

Short Accuracy: 8.10

Excellent velocity lets him get the ball to the receiver in a flash. Can place the ball wherever he wants, and tall enough that the ball is rarely batted away. Good at leading receivers on short slants. Sloppy mechanics and lackadaisical delivery doesn't impact short accuracy because his natural arm strength compensates.

Intermediate Accuracy: 7.00

His command of touch is outstanding. Can float it over defenders effortlessly. When he follows through, he can shoot a bullet 20 yards down field effortlessly. Good understanding of the defender's positioning. But delivery often gets sloppy, and the ball can float high on sideline lobs or come up a bit short on hooks and out routes.

Deep Accuracy: 7.50

Excellent feel for the deep ball and has developed great timing with his receivers. Shortens his delivery to add the proper trajectory to the ball. Even off his back foot, there's usually plenty of arm strength to get the ball there. Sometimes pushes the ball up too high, or the ball falls a bit short when he gets particularly lazy.

Big Play Ability: 8.20

His canon of an arm will always create opportunities for big plays. Has the speed and quickness to extend plays and pick up yardage with his legs. When his delivery is right, he can hit all levels of the field with pinpoint precision.

Avoid Errors/Mistakes: 6.10

Interception numbers are down this year from previous two years, and completion % is up. Throws into coverage too often for comfort, but places the ball away from the defender and limits catastrophic errors. But he still has a gunslinger mentality, and tries to force balls even when under heavy pressure and throwing off his back foot. Sometimes puts too much on a ball and it gets away from him.

Arm Strength: 8.20

This is easily Lock's most impressive trait. While he doesn't quite have a Josh Allen arm, he can sling it with the best of them. He can easily throw the ball 60+ yards down field, and has chucked bombs off of pure arm strength alone while throwing off his back foot. There's velocity and pace behind virtually every throw.

Footwork: 5.70

Lock's footwork is extremely inconsistent. At times he shows that he can do a proper drop, keeping a strong base and staying light on his feet. He also generally has fluid movements when moving around. But his feet look stuck in the mud far too often, and sometimes he is essentially standing still. There is no rhythm to his drop back, and he often fails to get his feet pointed towards his receiver.

Competitiveness: 6.97

Toughness: 7.40

Has delivered balls in the face of pressure plenty of times; not scared of being hit. Is a safe runner, but occasionally lowers his shoulder and knocks defenders over.

Intangibles/Leadership: 7.20

Has a short memory and doesn't get caught up on his mistakes. Dedicated to developing as a passer and has shown improvement each year. He's been touted has a great leader and teammate, and he has the "it" factor in terms of explosiveness. Needs to become more mentally consistent, focusing on his delivery and making quicker decisions.

Poise In Pocket: 6.60

Not scared of being hit in the pocket and rarely rushes a throw. Has shown many times that he can deliver in a collapsed pocket. Needs to get better at stepping up rather than drifting backwards or sideways. When pocket is collapsing, must follow through more than he does because there's usually space to do so. Must learn to step up and roll out rather than retreat.

Consistency / Motor: 5.80

Arm strength lets him get away with a lot and produce. Has a short memory, continues to attack the defense even after mistakes. Must become more consistent in delivery. Gets lazy far too often and his form falls apart. His tendency to stare down receivers gives the defense an advantage- what the defense does with it determines Lock's success.

Production: 7.70

Has steadily increased his completion % in his 4 college seasons. Had a spike in yardage, touchdown, and interception totals in his junior season, but has become a safer passer this year, which has led to depressed but more efficient numbers. Was hampered by a high number of drops. His arm talent allowed him to make a mark in virtually every game he's played.

Improvisational Ability: 7.10

Good escapability from the pocket and arm strength to make throws from weird angles. Keeps his eyes downfield at all times, and can pick up yardage with his legs. Usually just plays it safe and throws it away. Sometimes makes a nice find, but also can make questionable decisions when on the move.

Intelligence: 6.30

Instincts: 6.10

His feel for touch on mid- and deep-range balls is excellent. Has a decent feel for pressure, but doesn't step up or roll out when he should. Needs to process coverages quicker and deliver the ball sooner- tends to stare down a receiver because he doesn't always trust the coverage. This makes him hold on the ball for too long and is the source of many incompletions.

Blitz/Coverage Recognition: 6.20

Lock has excellent anticipation on his throws. He understands what the defense is giving him and can make them pay. Unfortunately, this ability is masked by slow mental processing, as he simply waits too long to deliver the ball. He also needs to be more aware of where the blitz is coming from and the escape lanes he can take.

Decision Making: 6.40

He usually picks the right man to throw it to, but waits too long and ends up telegraphing his passes. Must become faster mentally as a passer. When under pressure, sometimes he delivers perfect strikes, but other times doesn't know where to go, which leads him to backpedal and lose more yardage. It would be better for him to go down more and cut his losses.

Learn/Retain: 6.50

Plays in a spread offense and has become adept at the RPO. Sometimes asked to go through progressions, could be successful at that in the NFL if he can become more decisive. Needs to learn to play under center and may have trouble with that if he can't clean up his footwork. Must become more consistent on the whole.

STRENGTHS:

Lock has all the physical tools and arm talent to succeed in the NFL. His arm strength is outstanding and allows him to make any throw. Has pinpoint accuracy when he focuses on his delivery and mechanics. Puts impressive trajectory and pace on his deep balls. Great athleticism for his size, can make plays with his legs. Has shown improvement each year and has become a smarter football player. Has beautiful touch and completes passes that look impossible. Even when throwing into coverage he places the ball away from defenders, making it hard for them to reach.

WEAKNESSES:

Footwork, mechanics, and delivery are so inconsistent and get in the way of his accuracy. Has a bad tendency to throw off his back foot, even when not under pressure, and could follow through more while the pocket collapses. Footwork is inconsistent as well — can get flat-footed to the point that he's barely even moving. He stares down his receiver and is not decisive when choosing a target. This leads to much tighter coverage than there should be. Needs to become more comfortable with stepping up in the pocket and rolling out rather than retreating backwards.

BIG PICTURE:

Lock was a four-star recruit out of high school. He posted just a 49% completion percentage in his freshman year and has a gunslinger mentality, but he has steadily improved in his decision making since then. Lock has been considered by many to be the 2nd best QB in the 2019 draft behind Justin Herbert, and Herbert is unlikely to declare. That means the Missouri QB could be the first QB off the board. The reason he's rated so highly is that his arm talent and athleticism give him so much potential. Having a guy who can naturally make any throw on the field is an opportunity that few NFL GMs can pass up. However, Lock's shortcomings should give pause. The inconsistency of his mechanics is a giant issue and it might not be fixable. He will need a lot of work in improving his instincts, processing coverage, and making decisions, also aspects of the position that are difficult to fix. Lock will be a high draft pick due to his potential and the weak QB class, but teams should beware.

Pro Comparison: Jay Cutler.

Team Fits: Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos.

Prediction: Early 1st round.

Drew Lock

Position: Quarterback

College: Missouri

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 225 lbs

SCOUTING GRADE

6.74

Injury History: No Major Injury History

Games Evaluated: 2018: Georgia, Memphis, Alabama, Wyoming, South Carolina

Scout: Alexander Amir

Scouting Report