Jacob Eason Lands In Perfect Situation For Himself And The Colts

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INDIANAPOLIS — Entering this year's NFL Draft, many onlookers wondered if and when the Indianapolis Colts would address their future at the quarterback position.


At the time the team had three quarterbacks on its offseason roster — Jacoby Brissett, Chad Kelly and Philip Rivers — and all three of them were entering final year of their respective contracts.


Despite that fact, general manager Chris Ballard insisted repeatedly throughout the offseason that the team would not "force it" at the quarterback position in this year's draft. If a quarterback prospect was available the Colts liked and the timing was right, they'd take him; if not, they'd move on.


So when the team went on the clock in the fourth round with the 122nd-overall pick, the timing just happened to be right: Washington quarterback Jacob Eason was still available and was a top player on the Colts' board, so they jumped at the opportunity to get the big-armed youngster into their system and give him the time and resources needed to meet his potential.


For Eason, the selection was a sigh of relief in more ways than one.


"I was really just sitting there waiting on a phone call. I had several great conversations with a number of teams, and the Colts were a team that I had more than a few great conversations with. So I was hoping that I might get a call from them," Eason told reporters after being drafted. "I knew they had a couple picks in the second, I knew they had picks here and there and I was just being patient. When the opportunity came, they took the pick and I couldn't be more grateful for that."


But coming to this franchise — the Indianapolis Colts, which was Eason's childhood hero's team — makes it even sweeter.


"I haven't spent a ton of time there but it's cool because I actually grew up a huge Indianapolis fan. I was a tremendously big fan of Peyton Manning's," Eason said. "I think one year when I was six or seven, I got his jersey under the Christmas tree and had Colts hats, Colts shoes, you name it. So full circle, it's pretty spectacular that the Colts ended up selecting me in the fourth round. I'm super excited to get down there, figure out my new home and get in the locker room with those teammates and just dive in and learn and grow."


Like Manning, Eason was in the spotlight as a quarterback prospect long before he actually made it to the NFL.


Eason was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and was considered the top prep pro-style quarterback in the country after being named the 2015 Gatorade National Player of the Year. Even before then, Rivals named him the Junior of the Year in 2014, so he'd been well known for a while.


The gunslinger was recruited by many of the classic blue-blood college football programs, eventually choosing the University of Georgia; he even enrolled early so he could really get to work. Although he was the Bulldogs' backup quarterback entering his true freshman season in 2016, he would already hit the field by the first game and wouldn't give the starting job back the rest of the year.


Eason showed a lot of moxie even as a true freshman, posting a 120.2 passer rating and leading two game-winning fourth-quarter drives on the road against SEC opponents.


Eason earned the starting opportunity going into the 2017 season, but a knee sprain suffered in the first game of the year knocked him out for a bit. Unfortunately for Eason, his replacement, Jake Fromm (picked in the fifth round this year, No. 167-overall), had the Bulldogs rolling all the way to the College Football Playoff National Championship game. Fromm earned a ton of buzz in that time and became a legitimate pro prospect, which put Eason on the back burner.


Looking for a chance to start again, Eason entered the transfer portal and chose to return to his home state and the University of Washington.


He had to sit out the 2018 season due to NCAA transfer rules, but he earned the Huskies' starting quarterback job in 2019, and from there, Eason's game would take off again.


In his lone season at Washington, Eason would complete 260-of-405 passes (64.2 percent) for 3,132 yards (7.7 avg.) with 23 touchdowns and just eight interceptions for a passer rating of 143.9.


Continuing the constant transition of his early career, Eason would then declare for the 2020 NFL Draft.


He has prototypical size for the quarterback position and looks the part at 6'5-7/8", 231 pounds, with 32-7/8" arms. But size aside, Eason has a rifle attached to his right shoulder. He has natural arm strength and it doesn't look like he's putting a ton of effort into it. The velocity he can put on the ball is very important because it puts defenders behind in the play, and the receiver can get a step on them.


He can also throw from different arm angles, and throws it well on the move, which goes back to his baseball background in high school. You see some NFL quarterbacks who are extra dangerous because of this same attribute, like Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford.


Eason constantly shows proof that he has a good base of mechanics, and you don't see him abandoning them often. When he stays calm and gives himself time to step into his throws, he can be very accurate to all zones of the field. He can throw with nice anticipation, and he is capable of making all of the big-time throws. A lot of former NFL quarterbacks say that they look for guys who can throw the deep out and the deep inside cross, and Eason can do both.


Aside from the arm strength, arguably Eason's biggest strength is throwing a pretty deep ball. While his accuracy has been inconsistent, he does put nice touch on passes downfield, allowing his receiver to run under it and hitting them in stride.


Like one would hope to see with big quarterbacks like Eason, he stands tall in the pocket and will deliver a strike with pressure bearing down on him. He doesn't always bail before he should and will stay looking downfield.


Although he can fall into the "gunslinger" category at times, Eason does do a decent job of taking care of the ball, as he never threw more than eight interceptions in the two seasons he started.


Eason is not an explosive athlete, but he's got enough speed to escape the pocket and buy time for the play to develop. As a big guy, he can push forward and pick up the first on a quarterback sneak.


All that being said, Eason is well aware of the opportunity he has in front of him to continue carving and developing those tools with the Colts.


"My drive to be the best at what I do kind of comes from within me. I really enjoy going out there and kind of doing the work on my own whether it's throwing one-on-one with my QB coach or throwing routes on air to my receivers. I think every step of the way, I think I can learn something new and pick something up there," Eason said. "So I'm just very excited to get in and learn and kind of see how Philip (Rivers) and Jacoby (Brissett) do it and get in there and challenge myself with this next opportunity. I'm just very thankful."