Thorson is a decent quarterback and could be drafted in the first round of next years draft with a good showing in 2018. His strength is that he is mechanically sound and gets the ball out quickly. Thorson functions in the Northwestern offense with completing a lot of high percentage throws and short passes. He is a good decision maker, although he errs on the side of caution. He is a decently accurate passer and has shown at times the ability to fit the ball into tight spaces. Thorson has demonstrated the ability to thrown on the run despite not being a burner in speed. One of the better parts of Thorson’s game is his ability to throw under pressure.
The weakness I see in Thorson’s game is his inability to deliver the ball downfield. He seems to be very comfortable throwing the ball short, but when asked to throw the ball long, he looks out of place. I also think he didn’t have a good showing against Wisconsin and he didn’t have his best game against Penn State. This makes me think he might have trouble at the next level.
I see Thorson as a day two pick as things stand now. I like him in a West Coast offense that does not ask him to throw the ball downfield. I think in 2018 he will have to show the ability to place the ball downfield if he wants to be drafted in the first round. He does struggle with poor receivers on his team, but you still expect him to make more throws. He has an average arm, and so I think its still up in the air if he can make that transition. Either way, I think he can be a system quarterback in the NFL and can make a few starts here and there.
- TAGS
- 2019 NFL Draft
- Clayton Thorson
- Northwestern
