Scouting Report on Jacoby Brissett

Jacoby Brissett, N.C. State, 22 years old, SR (RS), 6'4", 230 pounds:

Let me tell you something, I had a very hard time finding a usable picture of Jacoby Brissett for this article, so enjoy this picture of an N.C. State helmet.

Unfortunately, Brissett will have just as hard of a time becoming an NFL starting quarterback. Brissett has some natural tools at 6'4" 230, but doesn't have a natural feel in the pocket and is very inconsistent with ball placement. Brissett has recieved some buzz early in the year because he played well against bad competition, but has come back to earth playing against ACC opponents every week. He has looked decent against some bigger opponents in the past (looked good against #1 Florida State last year), but hasn't able to maintain that week to week.

Brissett has several flaws that I think will keep him out of the top rounds of the NFL draft. The biggest one is how inconsistent his accuracy is. At times, his accuracy is pretty bad, especially deep down the field. Typically deep accuracy problems stem from a lack of arm strength, but that's not Brissett's problem. He actually overthrows the ball deep most of the time (although he has underthrown it a fair amount of times as well). He just has bad touch. Often times in the red zone he'll just the throw the ball on a line instead of putting on the arc needed for fades and routes of that variety. I'm seven games in, and I haven't seen him hit on a deep ball down the field yet. His accuracy down the field is so frustrating, because he's wasting his best tool, his arm strength. His release isn't very quick either, which masks some of the arm strength he does have. Another big flaw he has is he holds the ball too long, and takes sacks when he has a chance to get rid of the ball. He rarely takes chances, and while this limits the amount of picks he throws, it creates other negative plays that are avoidable. Additionally, he is very loose with the ball and fumbles a good amount for a big framed guy, which isn't ideal when you're not getting rid of the ball. Not really a good thing for someone who makes more than half of his throws on the run, off of either rollouts or scrambles.

When Brissett does take off, he is pretty hard to take down. But, he lacks the speed and agility to run at an effective clip. Simply put, he won't be able to scramble consistently with the speed NFL defenses possess. With so much of his game based on rollouts, it may be a bigger transition having to win with his arm more than his power running style. You wouldn't normally expect this from a fifth year senior coming out of a pro style offense, but he has a lot to change to be able to make it at the next level. I see shades of Logan Thomas when I look at Brissett, and a look at how his career has gone thus far isn't very promising, but Thomas was faster and had a better arm. Brissett is more advanced as a passer but still lacks the feel to start in the league. What's interesting about this scouting report is when I compare it to my report on Connor Cook, I see a lot of the same problems. If I'm an NFL team looking for a guy to develop and groom, I would much rather take Cook though. Brissett has worse touch than Cook, a slower release, and is less natural in the pocket. I think Brissett is a late round talent, and I don't see him going anywhere near the top of the draft.

Pros: Arm Strength, Frame, Power

Cons: Accuracy, Consistency, Touch, Holds Ball

Grade: 4.7/10 (Back Up/6th Round Grade)