The 2027 QB class

Sayin has something to prove IMO Ohio State schedule last year was weak, then when he had to play Indiana and Miami he wasn't impressive.

 

They have a pretty serious schedule this year. They better bring their A game every week.

 

This story changes every few days now

 

Big Buckeye fan here and I am still mortified over Smith. This guy brings nothing to the table.

Bucks have a tough schedule and I could see him gone by mid season. I could also see them dropping 3 to 4 games.

Smith is a turd.

 

What first-year 20-year-old (or 19-year-old) QB would you even put in the conversation?I say no one. And that list includes several future Hall of Famers.For a true first-year player that young to be excellent against everybody else in the league — not just “good for a rookie,” but legitimately impactful is extremely rare. It puts him in elite historical company.If you can name a 20-year-old QB who performed better as a rookie, name him. They basically don’t exist. The few QBs who even played meaningful snaps at that age were usually raw, developmental projects. Most legends had rough or mediocre rookie years while they adjusted to the speed and complexity of the NFL. Hall of Famers like Bradshaw, Aikman, Elway, and many others weren’t dominant out of the gate.So before you knock him, think about the timeline. He’s doing things at 19–20 that most QBs don’t do until they’re 23–25 (if they ever reach that level).

This year I think the young QB should run a bit more.

 

Sayin was overhyped and benefitted from that easy schedule, he has a chance to prove himself because Ohio State plays a tough schedule this season.

 

I am a huge Buckeye fan and I think Smith will fit well in the college game. They simply have too much talent to drop 3-4 games, even against a good schedule. They'll have one of the nation's top QB's, the nation's top WR, a really good young RB, and even with the departure of a good bit of their defense will have a good unit. Every year people wonder how they will replace "player x, y, or z"... but then somehow somebody that no one has ever heard of prior to that year ends up being a projected first round pick by year's end. They are constantly atop the recruiting rankings, and will have even more high end players coming in. Smith has been an OC and succeeded in his career over different stops. Our OC last year was a first time OC in Hartline and it wasn't impressive. I'd be surprised if the offense didn't get better.

 

He definitely opened some eyes for a young QB. The accuracy and pre and post snap reads translate beautifully to the NFL. He's about an inch on the short end, not a high-end athlete, and has a pretty average NFL arm. He's the kind of guy that will be a facilitator at the NFL level (think more like Manning, Brady, Brees) than a Caleb Williams, Patrick Mahomes, Ben Roethlisberger. Which is totally fine. It would be nice to see him develop the legs a bit, but I really don't think its necessary. If he can throw on the run, move well in the pocket with his eyes up, and keep his elite accuracy and reading ability, he will easily be a first round pick.

Inevitably, I doubt he's the first QB off the board due to teams falling in love with the prototype and the athlete... but he should easily be a top 15 pick (and someone we really consider looking at in the draft next year, should he declare). Manning and Moore are the early front runners for "QB1" in the draft due to Moore's big arm and fluid movement abilities in the pocket, and Manning's size/arm/legs combo.

The thing you get from drafting someone like Sayin is the leeway to develop him. Lots of QB's are coming out at 23, 24, and sometimes even 25 years old before opening day in their rookie year. QB's have until they're about 28 to develop. If a QB is still developing at 30, you're developing a 5-6 year "prime" window, and that's just not worth it. It allows them to start out as the "high end manager" like Roethlisberger did, and then develop into a stud over time (also, like Roethlisberger did). If he "pops" to stardom earlier, then great. Someone that has a later start has less room for development and has to be more "pro ready" now. I really like Chambliss as a prospect, but he will be 25 in August before his rookie season starts... that means he has like 2-3 years to develop before needing to be ready to start or move on. That's a short window.

 

Well, IDK about over hyped... but the schedule wasn't that tough and his OC wasn't particularly strong. They definitely sheltered him earlier in the season and relied on their defense and allowed him to develop week-to-week. I think they turtled up at the end of the year and got real predictable. The OL played poorly and it limited their playbook (and Hartline just wasn't a strong playcaller). I think it will do a lot for him to get with a NFL OC in Smith and develop his game to the next level.

He certainly has a shot to prove himself, and I am sure that he will. He showed a ton of NFL caliber traits as a young player and has a really good team around him again. They have 3 big time games (@Tex, @ IU, ORE) and two tier 2 games (@USC, MICH). Should be an interesting season, though I know that they will have another really strong team.