Soobum Im, USA TODAY SPORTS
Brett Hundley, quarterback for the UCLA Bruins, is headed to the NFL. And from his performance in his final game, he’s got a long way to go before he can contribute at the next level.
In Friday’s Alamo Bowl, Hundley led UCLA to a 40-35 win over the Kansas State Wildcats in San Antonio. Hundley connected on just 12-of-24 passes for 136 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions in the victory. He rushed for 96 yards on 11 carries, with a pair of scores.
The junior signal caller continues to struggle with pocket awareness, accuracy and throwing the ball downfield. Numerous times on Friday night, he missed open receivers and made throws that left scouts shaking their heads.
Hundley went over 10,000 passing yards for his career in Friday’s win and has passed for at least 3,000 yards in each of his three seasons. His touchdown-to-interception ratio this season is 22-to-five. That kind of production will be hard for NFL teams to ignore, despite his shortcomings.
He’s not projected to be drafted as high as Heisman Trophy winners Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston, but Hundley will be among the second tier of quarterbacks taken. His size (6-3, 226 pounds) and athletic ability will make him appealing to the right NFL team. Especially if that team can take its time with Hundley and develop him into a more accurate passer and a better quarterback overall.
Hundley has not officially announced that he will enter the NFL Draft, but his UCLA head coach, Jim Mora, Jr., said that the Alamo Bowl would be Hundley’s final game as a Bruin. Unless he has a serious change of heart at the last minute (he must declare by January 15), he’s headed to the pros, despite the fact that another year in college could do him a world of good.
Tim Letcher is a contributing writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
