How Jake Fromm became the NFL draft's biggest freefall and what it means for Georgia

Yahoo ^ | April 25, 2020 | Pete Thamel

[C19fan]

As Jake Fromm slid into infamy on Saturday afternoon, Georgia fans were there wincing along with him. For as bad as it was watching Fromm leave Georgia early and end up being picked in the fifth round by the Buffalo Bills at No. 167 overall, it’ll be worse watching former Georgia quarterback Justin Fields — now thriving at Ohio State — go in the top 10 next season. As Fromm’s slide became the hot talking point during the final day of the 2020 NFL draft, it underscored the obvious. Fromm should have returned to Georgia for his senior year. He’d never be a first-round pick, as his pedestrian arm and physical traits aren’t what the NFL is looking for. His poor NFL scouting combine performance buried him in a hole he couldn’t escape, as the coronavirus pandemic kept him from impressing teams on “30 visits,” in-person workouts and at a pro day. This became a draft where teams relied on tangibles, hurting those with elite intangibles like Fromm.

[C19fan]

Fromm was a very good college QB and might have a future as a coach. But he simply does not have the arm strength to be a successful NFL QB. He simple cannot make all the throws a NFL QB is asked to do, for example, the deep out.

[pburgh01]

Georgia is the new Auburn\Alabama....bagmen, boosters buying homes and cards for recruits. They were sick of playing second fiddle to the Bama\Florida\LSUs of the world. That good but never quite good enough. When I see kids passing over Notre Dame and USC and being from SoCal picking UGA, a middling school academically. I have to wonder. Plus Kirby Smart(Saban coaching tree) sucks as a game time coach.

Oh and we will get them this year. Go Gators!

[kingpins10]

The only thing you’re gonna get is Dawg stomped.

[where's_the_Outrage?]

Not that I’m a Fromm fan (RTR), but what round was Brady selected and how’s that work for him?

[Trumpet 1]

Fromm had great receivers his 1st 2 years. His 3rd year...not so much.

[Skywise]

This is Jake Fromm State Farm... right?

Maybe he should’ve stayed another year at college but at this point its questionable there will be a football season this year.

[Codeflier]

Yes, these players are really evaluating the academic standards as a critical factor that can only be overcome with illegal payments. There is only one factor top players are considering - “will my choice help me get to the NFL?”

[quantim]

The Michigan Wolverine’s Tom Brady didn’t get drafted until the sixth round.

That worked out OK!

[babble-on]

I always had him pegged as a slot receiver in the NFL

[ealgeone]

Well, the kid got drafted which is what matters. Now he has to make the team, which I think he will.

In light of COVID-19, he made the right call.

Plus a lot of his offensive line left for the NFL.

Hope the kid does well.

[PGR88]

The Bills were not looking to pick a QB, but with Fromm still on the board, in the 5th round, they couldn’t help themselves.

Bill already have a starter QB in whom they’ve invested a lot, and who is quite the opposite from Fromm, from my little understanding of Fromm.

I wonder how it will work out?

[Trailerpark Badass]

Lol, buying homes and cars for recruits? Wtf are you babbling about? And I certainly hope you don’t believe Florida is somehow a better school academically, because its not.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

it underscored the obvious. Fromm should have returned to Georgia for his senior year.

...and played for free, risking an injury that could end his football career. I don't see the logic - kids who are good enough to be drafted by the NFL should jump at the opportunity. Assuming Fromm makes only the rookie minimum with the Bills, that's $495,000 he would not be making at Georgia. And while he's making half a million dollars, he'll be playing with the Bills scout team, getting in reps, learning how to be an NFL QB on an NFL team.

Maybe if he went back to Georgia, he'd experience a Joe Burrow-like resurrection that somehow puts him in the conversation with Trevor Lawrence as the #1 pick in 2021, but the odds are far better that he'd spend a year of his football career making nothing and possibly playing his way out of a draft spot altogether.

[commish]

Fromm was a very good college QB and might have a future as a coach.

As weird as it sounds, Buffalo is actually the perfect spot for Fromm. You would think the combination of having lived in Georgia his whole life, his documented struggles in inclement weather, and his smaller hands would be a death knell in a cold, windy, rainy place like Buffalo.

However, Fromm brings to the Bills the exact things Josh Allen needs to thrive. Fromm is probably the most cerebral QB in the draft and is known for his ability to diagnose defences, and his voracious film digesting.

Where Fromm is going to excel is sitting in the QB room with Allen going through film and disecting the upcoming opponents D.

Plus Fromm will be game ready every week, and while he won't carry a team, he will be the ultimate backup who can step in at a moments notice and run the offence efficiently.

I see him being in the NFL for 10-15 years, almost exclusively as a backup/Defacto QB coach.

[NobleFree]

Bill already have a starter QB in whom they’ve invested a lot, and who is quite the opposite from Fromm, from my little understanding of Fromm.

Rotoworld agrees - they called Fromm the "anti-Josh Allen."

I wonder how it will work out?

I think Fromm beats out Barkley for #2 QB - the two have been compared in terms of abilities, and Fromm is younger and cheaper. If Allen continues to progress (which as a Bills fan I hope he does) Fromm remains a backup - which IMO is a good place for a rookie or even 2nd-year QB to be. Learn the ropes without the pressure.

[NobleFree]

However, Fromm brings to the Bills the exact things Josh Allen needs to thrive. Fromm is probably the most cerebral QB in the draft and is known for his ability to diagnose defences, and his voracious film digesting.

Where Fromm is going to excel is sitting in the QB room with Allen going through film and disecting the upcoming opponents D.

And maybe he cools Allen's jets a little? IMO the main reason the Bills lost their playoff game, and a 16-0 halftime lead, is that Allen went off-script in the second half.

[Palio di Siena]

Frank Reich - backup quarterback for Buffalo for many years and now
a good head coach at Indy is a wealthy man.
Jake Fromm should be fine.

[Sgt_Schultze]

College Football studs routinely outplay future accountants and future businesspeople and future office workers every Saturday.

[alternatives?]

“When I see kids passing over Notre Dame and USC and being from SoCal picking UGA, a middling school academically. I have to wonder.”

I wonder what percentage of football players at Notre Dame and USC take advantage of the stellar academics?

[God luvs America]

no surprise to anyone who understands the draft- Fromm was a garbage NFL prospect; average arm, awful accuracy, no mobility...