Go ahead, ask me if I care about the two-year starter guideline. 

Jerod Evans is a one-year D-1 starter. There aren’t many one-year D-1 starters that have gone on to successful careers as NFL starters.

Jerod Evans has a big arm. He throws the ball downfield with confidence and aggression. He displays touch, decisiveness, and accuracy from a variety of platforms. Although he has more to learn and his offense is a fixed system of reads (the same one Paxton Lynch ran), reading the field isn’t a liability. He runs the ball with power, agility, burst, and patience.  And he led Virginia Tech to a 10-4 record and a No.16 ranking.

Go ahead, ask me which of the two paragraphs I care about when considering his potential as an NFL starter.

Don’t.

Until the NFL can prove that quarterbacking is a one-template-fits-all proposition, get that mess out of my lane. It’s nice to have two years of film to study, but will you write off a 6-4, 230-pound player based on what he did last year?

Did you write off Cam Newton? Kurt Warner?

I don’t know what the NFL thinks of Evans but based on the skills I’ve seen thus far on film, I understand why the Hokie quarterback has the confidence to declare for the NFL.

The league may not take him early because he lacks all the bullet points on his resume that deliver CYA comfort to NFL GMs in those rounds, but the skills to develop into a franchise passer are there.

For analysis of skill players in the 2017 draft class, pre-order a login for the 2017 Rookie Scouting Portfolio – for April 1 download  Better yet, if you’re a fantasy owner the Post-Draft Add-on comes with the 2012 – 2017 RSPs at no additional charge. Best, yet, 10 percent of every sale is donated to Darkness to Light to combat sexual abuse. You can purchase past editions of the Rookie Scouting Portfolio for just $9.95 apiece.