Justin Herbert, the potential No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, is returning to Oregon for his senior season. In doing so, he will contend with Tua Tagovailoa for the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Who would you take? Herbert, says one NFL scout.
"I'll be returning to the University of Oregon for my senior year," Herbert said in a statement that, despite rumors he could return, shocked most of the college football and NFL worlds.
Herbert was the No. 1 quarterback on most big boards, including ones from Bleacher Report's Matt Miller and ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay. With his return, current buzz is surrounding Dwayne Haskins, Daniel Jones and, to a much lesser extent, Will Grier, Easton Stick and Drew Lock. Future buzz is now surrounding Tua Tagovailoa, the presumed top-ranked quarterback — and likely No. 1 pick — in the 2020 class.
"If I was on the clock right now, I’d go with Herbert," an NFL scout told Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports. "He’s taller and fits the prototype more. I really like his arm strength and ability to stay in the pocket. Tua has three or four first-round picks on offense with him, and Herbert has Dillon Mitchell. That’s pretty much it. Tua has a lot to work with. He’s got first- and second-rounders galore around him, that makes his job easier."
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Herbert is listed at 6-foot-6, while Tagovailoa is listed at 6-foot-1 and his first- and second-round teammates are presumably some combination of 2019 and 2020 guys like Jonah Williams, Damien Harris, Najee Harris, Irv Smith Jr. and Jerry Jeudy.
Read the rest of Thamel's story here.
