Not every year will a prospect from Sam Houston State garner NFL Draft attention or national spotlight. However when the winner of the Walter Payton Award (FCS’ version of the Heisman), after throwing a FCS record 57 touchdown passes, comes back for his senior season, heads have to turn. Jeremiah Briscoe, a UAB transfer after the 2014 season, is earning his right to be mentioned in the same breath as Joe Flacco and Carson Wentz as recent small school QBs who have sky high potential.
What He Does Well:
Looking past his elite-level production, Briscoe has the arm to make all the throws. He is very accurate down the field 30+ and outside the numbers. His ball is very catchable, almost always a tight spiral with minimal wiggle. His ability to get the ball out on a tight rope with a simple flick of the wrist is already pro caliber. When looking at just mere arm power and capability, Briscoe’s wing will hang with every QB in the class. He keeps his eyes downfield when scrambling within and outside of the pocket. The accuracy and power behind his throws won’t decrease when he is on the move and he has plus accuracy when rolling to his left. He isn’t afraid to make any throw and will keep his head on straight in high pressure situations.
Where He Needs Work:
Briscoe will be fighting an uphill battle from day one, as almost all of his college snaps have been taken from a shotgun formation and the offense he engineers is very simple. He makes a lot of 1-read throws and is often throwing to targets surrounded by space. Briscoe’s consistency on throws into traffic has taken a hit in 2017. His completion percentage has gone down and his interceptions have gone up. He can be easily confused and when thrown off his rhythm, the lower body mechanics mis-fire causing the ball to sail. There is a lot of work to be done.