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Evaluating Brett Hundley’s 2015 NFL Draft Stock

By @Spencer_NFL

Brett Hundley UCLA

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Entering the 2014 season, UCLA Bruins QB Brett Hundley was one of the players considered a candidate for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Three months later, Hundley isn’t even a lock to declare for the draft.

When watching tape of the Arizona State or Washington games, Hundley looks like the best QB in the nation. When watching just about every other UCLA game from this year, he spends the majority of the time running for his life. Two out of nine just won’t cut it in the NFL.

The Bruins’ offensive line is awful; there’s no other way of putting it. In 37 career games, Hundley has been sacked 116 times. His lack of faith in the offensive line is evident. He rarely goes through more than one or two reads before tucking the ball and running. Besides the Texas game, in which he was injured in the first quarter, Hundley has run the ball more than 10 times in every game except two. Those two games? Arizona State and Washington — his two best performances. It’s amazing that he isn’t hurt more often. His toughness is certainly something that NFL teams will love.

Of course the offensive line can’t be at fault for all 116 sacks. Head coach Jim Mora‘s offense is meant to put Hundley in position to throw to his primary read on just about every play. If the defense takes away the target, Hundley is on his own to make a play. Unfortunately, at least in terms of his draft stock, his decision is usually to run the ball. He needs to focus more on his secondary reads in order to succeed at the next level. Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston are the two top QB prospects this season, and their ability to hit secondary reads is a big reason why. Hundley needs to become more aware of the play as it develops, rather than relying on a pre-snap read.

When Hundley does have time to throw, he’s the most NFL-ready QB in college football. He has a lightning quick release and is able to make every throw. He currently leads the nation with a 72.1 completion percentage. In the games against Arizona State and Washington, Hundley was perfect on passes over the middle of the field. He was also 3-for-5 on passes more than 15 yards downfield and completed 19-of-25 passes thrown across his body to the left. These are the areas in which many college quarterbacks struggle.

Fortunately for Hundley, the aspects of the game he struggles with can all be coached. Any QB coach would love the opportunity to work with a guy like Hundley. The physical tools are all there; he just needs to improve his awareness. A year learning behind a veteran could do wonders for Hundley’s development.

The only question now is whether to enter the draft this year and learn the NFL game as a backup for a season, or try to work out the flaws at UCLA for another year and take a beating behind the offensive line. If Hundley does declare for the 2015 NFL Draft, I have him as the No. 3 QB behind Mariota and Winston, and No. 26 overall. He may end up in a similar situation as Teddy Bridgewater last year with a team trading up to the end of Round 1 to select him.

Shawn Spencer is an NFL Draft writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Spencer_NFL, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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