Lamar Jackson is a Heisman Trophy winner. He followed his Heisman season with, arguably, an even better 2017, then announced he was leaving for the NFL. Jackson is 6′ 3″, with the obvious ability to make plays with both his arm and his legs.
As with any college QB prospect, it’s difficult to know whether he’ll succeed in the NFL, although the success of players like Carson Wentz and DeShaun Watson (whose teams tried the novel approach of building an offense around what they’re good at) shows that maybe the transition is getting easier. And yet, predictably, there are teams who view him as a receiver, not a quarterback.
Alex Putterman wrote this just last week:
We need not rely on mere anecdotes. The Guardian found last year that black quarterbacks are drafted lower on average than their white counterparts but perform better in the league, suggesting they’re systemically undervalued. A Washington Post study discovered that draft scouting reports disproportionately mention white quarterbacks’ intelligence and leadership, while harping on black quarterbacks’ physical skills and mental deficiencies. It is an empirical fact that quarterbacks of different races are not treated the same in pre-draft evaluation.
Now, the combine is here, and predictably Jackson is being asked to run through drills as a receiver.
Via Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com:
Multiple NFL teams have requested for the dual-threat Lousiville quarterback to work out as a wide receiver, in addition to working out as a QB, Good Morning Football’s Peter Schrager reported Friday, per a source informed of the situation.
And that’s the crux of the point. We can’t know, and to assert otherwise (especially when it comes to black quarterback prospects) is just not the right line to take. Lamar Jackson wants to play quarterback in the NFL. His college career should earn him that chance. Hopefully at least a few teams are smart enough to give it to him.
[NFL.com]
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