On his latest GM Shuffle podcast, former Patriots personnel executive Mike Lombardi, who has a long history with Bill Belichick dating back to the Cleveland Browns, read the criteria Belichick looks for in a QB (written in 1991):
• Somebody who was at least 6027 (6-foot-2 and 7/8th), weighed 220, could run 4.81, had a test score of 25.
• We will never take a quarterback, with a low test score, who plays in a poor level of competition is not capable of leading the team. Those three areas are vital to us when we're looking for a quarterback.
• Without mentioning size and speed, the scout must first answer the mental and leadership question completely before you give a high grade.
• If the quarterback isn't accurate then this will hurt his chances of getting a high grade on our draft board. The ability to throw the ball in the right spot is paramount to the success of the quarterback, just looking at the test score is not going to answer the problem. Be prepared to face a lot of questioning if you grade a quarterback high with a low test score.
• The level of comp is a tough call, but it really applies to the quarterback position, it would be difficult for a small school quarterback to get a good grade, unless he played well in the postseason.
Reminders given to the scouts before they went in to research a QB:
• The quarterback must be the hardest working player on the team.
• Does he watch tape? Does he watch it alone with a coach, or does he watch it with a game plan? How much time does he spend and how long does he need to get the game plan?
• You must attend a game in person to get a feel for the player, the rhythm of the game is critical.
• Is he thick-skinned? Can he handle the pressure of the position, positive and negative?
• How many times does he come back and lead his team to a win? How often does he play with the lead, how often does he play from behind?
• When do turnovers occur, can he secure the ball?
• What are his cold-weather ball habits?
• What is his eye level like during the game — can he see down the field, is he quick-minded? Not always booksmart, we want quick-minded quarterbacks.
• Does he change plays at the line of scrimmage or is everything coming off the cardboard box
• What was his production in college and who was his production against? Can he throw touchdown passes, and where on the field that they go, any touchdown pass inside the 5 doesn't count.
• What is the main coverage he faces each week, and what percentage of completion of those passes does he throw him against.
• Critical play of the game, who has the ball in his hands?
• What is his third-down quarterback rating? Can he make plays on all downs?
• What was his high school won-loss record? Was he the best athlete in high school?
• Does he have incredible eye-hand coordination, could he go play golf or some other sport?
• Can he come back and be effective after a big hit? really critical. What's his body language like after being hit?
• How often is he in the facility, how many days a week? Is he a gym rat?
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I'm sure there are some out there who will take the time to map out exactly where each of the draftable QBs fall within all these parameters ... more power to them. Let's deal with some of the bigger areas.
The size component ...
... good for Trey Lance, Justin Fields, Mac Jones, Davis Mills, Kyle Trask ... not great (but not terrible) for Kellen Mond, who is a little skinny at 211 pounds but I think his body can add more. Not good at all for Ian Book.
Poor level of competition ...
This would make Lance a tough pick at No. 15 in my opinion. Yes, he led them to a national championship, but that was two years ago, which makes it even tougher.
Accuracy ...
You can give me all the advanced analytics you want, but you have to put the level of skill around the QB into the equation. Stats are one thing, but the film is another. In my opinion, the most accurate QBs are Jones, Mills, Mond and Trask. I know Mond's stats say otherwise, but he worked with mediocre weapons and his line was not good. I thought Mond, overall, was highly accurate given what he had to work with.
Leading the team to comebacks...
This is really tough to gauge for some of the quarterbacks (like Jones and Fields) because their teams are superior. I know Mond led a lot of comebacks, including against Trask and the Gators and several other times. Will that head-to-head meeting tip the scales? Mond wasn't throwing to two first-round talents, that's for sure (he might have one Day 3 guy).
What is his eye level like during the game — can he see down the field, is he quick-minded? Not always booksmart, we want quick-minded quarterbacks.
This is another area where I think Mond comes out ahead beyond the top three. Mond was one of the toughest QBs I saw in the pocket against pressure. He is unaffected in the pocket. Trask was affected by pressure. Mills is pretty good against pressure.
Overall, I didn't see Trask or Fields as being quick-minded. Mond and Mills ... yes.
Critical play of the game, who has the ball in his hands?
Mond was constantly asked to make big-time plays in comebacks to put his team over the top, whether it was throwing or running. I didn't see many of those for Trask.
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Look, nothing definitive here and perhaps I'm just trying to use this as confirmation bias because I just kept hearing Mond in my head as Lombardi said these words, but an interesting discussion nonetheless.
Who did you guys have in mind hearing this list?