Dec 13, 2013; Charleston, IL, USA; Eastern Illinois Panthers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) throws the ball during the fourth quarter against the Towson Tigers at O
JIMMY GAROPPOLO
HEIGHT: 6-2 WEIGHT: 226: COLLEGE: Eastern Illinois
40 TIME: 4.97 3-CONE: 7.04
CAREER STATS: 118 TD, 51 INT, 62.8%, 13,156 yards in 1,668 attempts over 45 games
Jimmy Garoppolo burst onto the draft scene after throwing for 5,050 yards and 53 touchdowns last season for the Eastern Illinois Panthers. His season was good enough to break all of Tony Romo‘s career records and set new career marks for the Ohio Valley Conference, and also earned him the Walter Peyton Award.
Garoppolo is considered a second round prospect.
Everything the Chiefs are looking for in a quarterback is possessed by Garoppolo. Here is Dan Brugler’s breakdown of him.
"Excellent passing vision with quick eyes to scan and a quick, natural delivery. Smart and executes the offense well. Quick intellectual process on the football field. Above average timing with little unnecessary movements and very good pace in his set-up. Quick feet to evade pressure with the pocket mobility to move his lower body with his eyes focused downfield. Gets “happy feet” at times, but shows the ability to reset. Very good touch and overall placement with improved accuracy to all levels of the field throughout his career. Level-headed and always under control with a strong leadership presence. Confident thrower and short memory."
Size is an issue for Garoppolo, and he’s not an elite athlete. There are also some concerns about how long it would take him to adjust to the jump from the OVC to the NFL. However, Garoppolo would get at least one year to sit behind Alex Smith and learn the offense in addition to getting bigger in an NFL weight room.
It is expected Garoppolo will be a sought after prospect in the second round. Much of his draft stock will be determined by how the situation with Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater, and Johnny Manziel sorts itself out. Derek Carr, a quarterback from Fresno State, could also be a second round prospect valued over Garoppolo, and LSU’s Zach Mettenberger could slip ahead of him as well. For sure, Garoppolo would not fall out of the third round.
It is likely Kansas City would have to acquire a second round or high third round pick in order to draft Garoppolo. This pick could be acquired by trading down from their 23rd overall pick, but it is unknown if there will be a draft partner there for Kansas City.