Packers draft profile: Utah State QB Jordan Love

After a 13-3 regular season and a trip to the NFC championship game, the Green Bay Packers still have a few holes to fill on their roster if they want to improve in 2020.

Green Bay is set to pick at No. 30 in the 2020 NFL draft, so it will have to wait a bit before making its first selection.

In this “Packers draft profile” series, we will look at several options for Packers in the first round and dissect their collegiate careers, highlight reel and how they would fit with the team.

In this edition, we look at Utah State quarterback Jordan Love.

OVERVIEW

Love is projected by many to be a first-round NFL draft pick but was not considered a blue-chip prospect during high school. The 6-foot-4 signal caller was not highly touted coming out of high school and was ranked by 247 Sports as a three-star recruit and the No. 190 player in California in the 2016 class. After his prep career at Liberty High School in Bakersfield, Calif., Love chose to continue his football career at Utah State.

Love sat out his true freshman season and played sparingly as a redshirt freshman the next year. In 2018, Love burst onto the scene, and led Utah State to an 11-2 record with 3,567 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, six interceptions and seven rushing scores. Success comes with a price though. After the Aggies’ excellent 2018 campaign, then-head coach Matt Wells bolted to take the same job at Texas Tech and Utah State struggled in his absence. Love regressed in 2019, throwing for 3,402 yards with 20 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, and as a result, the Aggies ended the season 7-6.

COMBINE RESULTS

40-yard dash: 4.74 seconds

Vertical jump: 35.5 inches

Broad jump: 118.0 inches

3 cone drill: 7.21 seconds

20-yard shuttle: 4.52 seconds

MEASURABLES

FILM ROOM

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

“Jordan Love isn’t without his warts but he possesses a high-level physical skill set and peaks on tape that reveal the ceiling of a potential dynamic NFL starting quarterback. His arm talent and mobility is perfect for the trends of today’s NFL and there is no limitations to what he can do on the field. The full playbook is open for Love and then some. With that said, he does need to make notable strides in several key areas including decision-making, timing and accuracy to achieve his ceiling. An early investment in Love is a bet on yourself to be able to develop his overall game but his upside is worth the calculated risk.” – TheDraftNetwork.com

“Love has the upside to develop into a franchise quarterback at the next level. His regression in 2019 is cause for concern, but his top-notch arm strength, mobility in and out of the pocket and the flashes of elite touch behind his throws make him an enticing prospect. The bust potential is definitely there, but his ceiling is as high as any quarterback in this class.” – Draft Wire (USA Today)

“Challenging evaluation for quarterback-needy teams balancing traits and potential against disappointing 2019 tape. Staff turnover and new starters across the offense are partly to blame for his regression, but self-made flaws in process were also concerns. Love’s accuracy took a step back, and his delayed reaction from “see it” to “throw it” when making reads is troubling. He has the arm to stick throws into tight windows but needs better eye discipline and anticipation to keep windows open. His size, mobility and arm talent combined with his 2018 flashes could be a winning hand that leads a team into the future or a siren’s song of erratic play and unfulfilled potential.” – NFL.com

HOW HE FITS

The Packers already have a franchise quarterback, but 36-year-old Aaron Rodgers is no spring chicken, and if Love is still on the board at pick No. 30, then he could be selected as the heir apparent to Rodgers. Love has will have plenty of things to improve on in the NFL, but if he sits for a few years and learns Matt LaFleur’s offense, then Love could be the next option for Green Bay when it eventually moves on from Rodgers.