Florida Gators 2021 QB Commit Carlos Del Rio's SI All-American Profile
Fresh off of the presses, Sports Illustrated All-American has released its watch list of over 1000 prospects for the inaugural Sports Illustrated All-American team, set to be unveiled in December.
We'll be sharing SI All-American's evaluations and scouting reports of each Florida Gators 2021 commit on the watch list directly on Sports Illustrated - AllGators.com, beginning with Florida's No. 1 signal-caller and a leader of the haul, quarterback Carlos Del Rio.
Del Rio didn't make the initial cut in SIAA's top ten quarterback rankings for the class of 2021, but a strong performance at the recent Elite 11 Finals in Murfreesboro, Tenn., put Del Rio on the national radar as one of the better passers to come out this year. During his junior season at McEachern (Ga.) before transferring to Grayson, Del Rio posted a completion percentage of 64% across 211 attempts, recording 1792 yards, 16 touchdowns, and five interceptions with an additional 572 rushing yards and eight ground scores.
In Dan Mullen's already-established quarterback pipeline to Florida, which he has created since taking over the head coaching gig in late 2017, Del Rio stands behind 2018 signee Emory Jones and 2020 signee Anthony Richardson. Del Rio will receive plenty of time at Florida to continue developing physically and mentally before taking on a starting role, which should only benefit his game.
Prospect: Carlos Del Rio
Status: SI All-American candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-2, 200 pounds
Position: Quarterback
School: Loganville (Ga.) Grayson
Committed to: Florida (7/26/2019)
Frame: Fairly tall with good length. Filled out, muscular upper body with some development in lower half. Can carry more weight throughout.
Athleticism: Quicker than fast but adequate on the move with better burst and long speed than testing times suggest. Comfortable operating outside the pocket with good vision and ability to make defenders miss in the open field. More suited to throw inside the pocket but flashes multiple arm angles at times.
Instincts: Long strider in space when he takes off on the run. One-cut style as a runner with lower-body balance and better power than frame suggests. Resets and throws to second or third read without much-wasted movement. Willing to stand in and take punishment to buy pass-catchers a bit more time.
Polish: Elongated motion but can tighten up and drive the ball with success from the pocket. Good, methodical footwork inside the pocket with more fluidity outside of it. Classic, three-quarter release point with good zip on the football. Some touch down the field with outside-the-numbers accuracy on occasion, but could stand to get to secondary reads sooner.
Bottom Line: Del Rio has the tools to develop into a true threat in a balanced spread offense down the line. He has the arm talent to push the football to all three levels with accuracy along with the ball-handling, athleticism and running skill to keep defenses honest with his legs. As he adds mass and polishes up, he can challenge for a starting role within the Power 5.